PUC3 Sleep Mode - Is the PUC3 going to sleep?
- If the PUC3 is NOT going into sleep mode after the machine is shut down this is unexpected behavior. It may cause the PUC3 to draw it’s normal operating power after the machine is shut down, which could drain the battery faster than expected.
- We need to understand why this is happening so we can fix it. Possible reasons this could occur:
- There is a repeating firmware update loop.
- There is a lot of residual data being transmitted after the machine has powered down.
- The OEM is data snooping late at night, thus activating the CAN and frequently waking up the PUC.
- We need to understand why this is happening so we can fix it. Possible reasons this could occur:
- If the PUC3 IS going into sleep mode and staying in that mode between machine startups the battery draining issue is unlikely being caused by the PUC. Technical information about PUC3’s sleep mode:
- A PUC3 in sleep mode draws approximately 80 milliamps of power. 1000 milliamps = 1 amp.
- A PUC3 in sleep mode would take approximately 26 days to drain a 50 amp hour car battery.
- A PUC3 in sleep mode would take approximately 104 days to drain a 200 amp hour tractor battery.
Troubleshooting PUC3’s Sleep Mode Behavior
- Ask the operator to wait a few minutes after the machine is shut down to see if the PUC3 is powering down into sleep mode. This would be indicated by the PUC3’s lights turning off.
- The PUC3 is suppose to power down after 2 minutes of no CAN activity. If the PUC3’s green light continues to blink or goes solid it’s not shutting down. This can occur because...
- The PUC3’s firmware is updating. If a firmware update is in progress the green light may continue to blink longer than 2 minutes. However, after the update is finished the PUC should restart (red and green lights, then green blinking), then should power down into sleep mode. If this cycle repeats multiple times the firmware update process is broken. We need to replace the PUC3.
- The PUC3 is sending residual data. If some data hasn’t finished transmitting and is stored in the PUC’s onboard memory, the PUC should finish transmitting that data to the customer’s account. Once it’s finished transmitting the data the PUC3 should power down into sleep mode. If the PUC3 remains on for more than 10 minutes after the machine has shutdown, then our team should remote-into the PUC3 to check the amount of residual data.
- The PUC3 is suppose to power down after 2 minutes of no CAN activity. If the PUC3’s green light continues to blink or goes solid it’s not shutting down. This can occur because...
- Ask the operator to check Farmobile DataEngine (web or mobile app). In DataEngine look at: Machines / <PUC Nickname> / History Tab.
- If there are multiple machine startups and shutdowns under the history tab this is a strong indicator the CAN bus is becoming active after the machine is shutdown. This occurs because...
- An OEM can remote into their machines late at night to pull diagnostic data off the machine. This puts CAN messages on the bus, which causes the PUC to start up, because the PUC wakes on CAN.
- We recently pushed a firmware update that is suppose to prevents the PUC3 waking up when an OEM conducts late night data snooping. So, we need to validate this firmware is installed on the PUC3 and working as expected. Our support team can assist testing this process.
- If there are multiple machine startups and shutdowns under the history tab this is a strong indicator the CAN bus is becoming active after the machine is shutdown. This occurs because...
A Best Practice for Modern Power Hungry Ag Technology
- Ask the operator to switch off the battery from the battery shut-off switch after they’ve shut down the machine.
- Modern OEM and Aftermarket technologies demand a lot of power from machinery. Not all technology employs power saving measures. Some wire to the key switch some directly to the battery. This results in a lot of uncertainty about what technology is drawing power, even when machinery and displays are turned off.
- To mitigate the risk of drained batteries many modern machines ship with a battery shut-off switch. Check to see if the machinery has a battery shut-off switch and if it does, ensure operators know to use this switch when the machine is powered off.
- Using the battery shut-off switch allows operators to leave all the technology plugged in, which mitigates the risk of forgetting to reconnect the technology the next time the machine is operated.