The load calibration procedure will ask the operator to calibrate the load for the attachment.
What is load calibration?
For an EQSS Gen 3 system to properly monitor telehandler lifted loads and create safety cutouts to the hydraulics, two things are essential:
- Attachment manufacturer provided 'Load Chart' for every attachment that will be used with the Gen 3 system
- An Attachment 'Calibration' for every attachment that will be used with the Gen 3 system
Upon purchasing a Gen 3 system from EQSS, there are already some attachments that are immediately usable. Those attachments already exist within the software and they also have a fully approved load calibration already pre-loaded. If the attachment that you want to use on your telehandler is already represented within the Gen 3 Display, then it's just a trivial matter of selecting it within the 'Attachment Selection Menu'.
The Gen 3 system also has a limited number of pre-loaded load charts for most machines that don't as yet have an approved load calibration. These can be enabled using the EQSS 'Gen-3 Configuration Tool' and then selected via the Gen 3 Display. However, as no calibration exists for these attachments, the Gen 3 Load Monitoring feature will not be possible until a load calibration has been completed for that attachment.
Load Calibration
When the Gen 3 has an uploaded attachment load chart but no calibration information, then an attachment calibration must be performed. The technician/operator will be required to perform the calibration procedure for each different attachment. The first step in the procedure is to determine the pressure reading at the different boom angles and lengths (with no load on the attachment); this is referred to as the zero calibration. The zero calibration is made up of a series of boom angle calibration steps, each at a different boom extension. As the boom angle increases, the weight of the load (i.e. boom weight) shifts from the main lift cylinder to the boom pivot. Thus the pressure reading decreases as the boom angle increases. During a boom angle calibration step, the calibration software will ask to record the boom sensor data and store this information as a data point. These data points are then combined to produce a graph. The graph results in a curve. The graph points are then calculated to produce a curve of best fit.
The relatively straight line in the graph below, represents a good 'No Load' calibration. The data points align well with the straight line. Problems can occur when an inexperienced person performs a calibration; that has a number of these data points too far above or below the straight line. These 'outlier' data points can occur if samples are taken during the peak of a hydraulic surge. Uploading a badly executed load calibration can lead to erratic weight monitoring behavior by the Gen 3 system during the machine's normal operation. It is for this reason that we recommend the load calibration be performed again, if the results of look a lot different to the graph below.
Example below of a Zero Calibration – No Load