Learning Center

DIG™ Kit: what's in it and the order of work

What a DIG™ Kit is, the parts in the box, what your receiver and tablet need, the safety rules for welding and working on the machine, and the order to install it in.

  • DIG™ Kit

The Ditch Assist® DIG™ Kit gives bucket-tip depth guidance on an excavator or backhoe. A GPS receiver rides on a swinging mount at the top of the stick. Two angle sensors read the stick and the bucket. The DIG ECU, a module mounted by the cab, works out where the bucket's cutting edge is and sends it to the tablet over its own Wi-Fi.

DIG is guidance only. It does not move the machine or control its hydraulics: the operator digs, and DIG shows how far there is to go.

DIG Kit: how the parts connect An excavator digging a trench, seen from the operator’s left, with numbered markers. 1: a GPS receiver on the DIG pendulum mount at the top of the stick; the mount swings so the receiver stays level. 2: an angle sensor on the stick. 3: an angle sensor on the dogbone linkage above the bucket. Cables run over the boom to 4: the DIG ECU beside the cab, which works out where the bucket tip is from the GPS position, the two sensor angles and the link lengths measured at calibration. It sends that to 5: the tablet in the cab over its own Wi-Fi. A dashed construction line runs from the pendulum pivot down through the boom-end pin and the bucket pin to 6: the bucket tip, which the app shows against the design grade along the bottom of the trench. Wi-FiDesign grade123456
DIG on an excavator. The ECU sends the bucket position to the tablet over its own Wi-Fi.
  1. GPS receiver. On the pendulum mount at the top of the stick. It swings so the receiver stays level.
  2. Stick sensor. On the stick. Measures the angle of the stick.
  3. Bucket sensor. On the dogbone linkage. Measures the angle of the bucket.
  4. DIG ECU. By the cab. Works out where the bucket tip is from the GPS, both angles and the lengths measured at calibration.
  5. Tablet. On the ECU's own Wi-Fi.
  6. Bucket tip. The dashed line runs from the GPS pivot through the stick pins to the tip. The app compares the tip with your design grade.

Before you start

  • Every part in the list below is on the bench.
  • A certified welder who knows heavy-equipment structures is booked for the final welds.
  • The machine can be parked on level ground and locked out while you work.
  • Your GPS receiver can send RS-232 at 38,400 baud, and you have RTK corrections at the site (see What DIG needs).
  • An Android tablet with the Ditch Assist app for digging; any browser works for calibration.

How long it takes: there's no set time for a DIG install. It depends on the machine and the welder. Plan time for tack welds, a full movement check, final welds, refitting and calibration.

What's in the kit

  • Tube #1: 2 in. ID SCH80, with a removal flange. Welds to the top of the stick and takes Tube #2.
  • Tube #2: 1-7/8 in. OD SCH40, with the GPS mount pivot and a grease nipple. Slides into Tube #1 and puts the GPS pivot clear of the boom.
  • Counterbalance plate: hangs from the pivot and keeps the receiver level as the stick and bucket move.
  • GPS receiver mount rod: 5/8 in. thread, with felt (fabric) washers, metal washers and spacers.
  • Stick and bucket sensor mounting plates with protective enclosures. They weld on.
  • Stick sensor and bucket sensor. IP67: dust-tight and waterproof.
  • DIG ECU with magnetic mounts and a screw-on Wi-Fi antenna.
  • Main module harness with power leads, the CAN harness, the CAN patch cable and the GPS cable.
Tube #1: a short round steel tube with a square flange of two plates bolted together at one end
Tube #1 with its bolted removal flange.
Tube #2: a short round tube joined at a right angle to a long square arm, with the pivot and grease nipple at the far end of the arm
Tube #2. The short round end goes into Tube #1. The pivot is at the far end of the arm.
Counterbalance plate: a heavy black L-shaped plate with a hole in the base, a pivot hole in the upright and a loop at the top
Counterbalance plate. Pivot hole in the upright, cable loop on top, rod hole in the base.
GPS receiver mount rod: a threaded rod with three lock nuts
GPS receiver mount rod, 5/8 in. thread, with lock nuts.
The stick sensor bolted into its mounting plate, with a connector port at the top and one at the bottom
Stick sensor in its mounting plate. A port at each end.
The bucket sensor bolted into its mounting plate, with a connector at one end and a capped end at the other
Bucket sensor in its mounting plate. Connector at one end, capped at the other.

Standard kits come with weld-on brackets, the most secure mount. Clamp-on mounts are available where welding isn't practical, and extra bracket sets let you move DIG between machines. Ask Ditch Assist support for either.

Tools and people

  • A welder, and welding protection: mask, gloves, eye protection. A certified welder does the final welds.
  • A Class ABC fire extinguisher.
  • An approved work platform or fall arrest for anything above 1.8 m (6 ft).
  • An approved lock-out/tag-out device.
  • Heavy-duty cable ties and a grease gun.
  • A second person to watch clearances while the machine moves.
  • For calibration: a metric tape, a level long enough to span the dogbone pins, a weighted plumb bob long enough to reach from the stick to the bucket, a ladder, and two people.

What DIG needs

  • Receiver output over RS-232: 38,400 baud, GGA at 5 or 10 Hz and VTG, every other message off. 5 Hz is enough for most installs; use 10 Hz if the receiver supports it and the machine's hydraulics are very fast (What your receiver must send).
  • RTK: required. Without RTK the digging errors can be large, and they grow over long distances. A portable base within sight of the work is best. Watch for lost RTK under trees and near buildings. If you use network RTK, check with the provider that it meets your accuracy.
  • Tablet: day-to-day digging runs in the Ditch Assist app (Excavation workflow). Calibration uses the DIG module's own web page in a browser. Use the same Android tablet for both; the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ is recommended.
  • Browser: Chrome or Safari. On Android, Fully Kiosk Browser can show the DIG page full-screen (Dig with the DIG web interface).
  • DIG firmware 1.7 or later to connect to the Ditch Assist app. The app checks and installs module firmware in Settings, under DIG Module Firmware (Connect to the DIG module). If your module is older than 1.7, contact Ditch Assist support.

Safety rules

Read these before anyone picks up a tool. Each install page repeats the ones for its own steps.

Operator responsibilities

  • Training: only trained, capable people install or operate DIG, after reading the manual.
  • Every shift: check the sensors, antenna and display are mounted securely, cables are free of rubbing, pinch points and heat, and check GNSS status, the RTK correction link, voltage and sensor health.
  • Site: assess hazards to local rules (for example CSA or OSHA), mark overhead and underground utilities, set exclusion zones.
  • Digging: keep line of sight to the dig, never dig under suspended loads, and stop if guidance doesn't match known grade or GNSS warnings show.
  • Verify: check final grades, slopes and depths that matter for structures or compliance independently, and keep records.
  • Maintain: inspect mounting hardware, recalibrate, keep firmware and the app up to date, check sealing, and log it.

Order of work

Every part is tacked on first and checked through the machine's full movement. Final welds come last, with all the electronics off the machine.

Where the DIG parts go on the excavator The arm of an excavator with the DIG kit, seen from the operator’s left, with numbered markers. 1: the GPS receiver on the pendulum rod. 2: Tube #2 and the counterbalance plate, which swings so the receiver stays level. 3: Tube #1, welded to the top of the stick. 4: the stick sensor on its mounting plate, about 75% of the way up the stick, with the main harness in its upper port. 5: the bucket sensor on the dogbone linkage, connector toward the cab. 6: the CAN harness runs over the boom, and the GPS cable goes through the loop on the mount. 7: the DIG ECU beside the cab with its port facing down. 8: the CAN patch cable from the bottom port of the stick sensor to the bucket sensor. A dashed line shows the GPS pivot F lined up over the boom-end pin H and the bucket pin B. FHB12345678
Where everything goes, seen from the operator's left. Line up the GPS pivot F over the boom pin H and the bucket pin B, or measure the offset for calibration.
  1. GPS receiver on the pendulum rod.
  2. Tube #2 and the counterbalance plate. The plate swings to keep the receiver level. Grease the pivot.
  3. Tube #1, welded to the top of the stick.
  4. Stick sensor, upright on its plate, harness in the upper port.
  5. Bucket sensor, flat on the dogbone, connector toward the cab.
  6. Cables over the boom. The GPS cable goes through the loop on the mount.
  7. DIG ECU, port facing down.
  8. CAN patch cable, from the stick sensor's bottom port to the bucket sensor.

  1. Tack on Tube #1 and Tube #2

    Line the GPS pivot up over the stick's pins. Fit the GPS pendulum mount.

  2. Hang the counterbalance plate and fit the GPS rod

    Then check the mount through full stick travel. Same page.

  3. Tack on the sensor plates and fit the sensors

    Mount the stick and bucket sensors.

  4. Mount the ECU and run the cables

    Mount the ECU and run the cables.

  5. Run the machine through every position

    Fix anything that catches or stretches. Same page.

  6. Take the electronics off and final-weld

    Sensors, ECU and receiver off first, then the certified welder finishes the welds. Same page.

  7. Calibrate and do the block test

    Calibrate DIG.

  8. Dig with the Ditch Assist app

    Connect to the DIG module, then the Excavation workflow.

Common mistakes

  • Welding with sensors, the ECU or harnesses still on the machine.
  • Final-welding before checking full travel.
  • Digging without RTK and expecting the grade to hold over a long trench.

Problems later? Fix DIG problems.

Related

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