Learning Center

First launch: what the app asks you

The screens you meet the first time you open Ditch Assist, in order: Android's All files access page, the Operator's Manual reminder, the Safety Warning, Home, and the Blade Height prompt on your first survey. What to tap on each and why.

In the app Open the app for the first time

The first time you open the Ditch Assist® app it asks for file access and shows two notices before Home. The blade height question comes later, the first time you open a Survey screen. Here is each screen and what to tap.

Before you start

About 2 minutes. The app is installed (Install the app). Open it by tapping its icon on the Apps screen: a black rounded square with the white Ditch Assist logo, named Ditch Assist (how to find your apps).

Tap the Allow access to manage all files switch

Straight away the app opens a grey Android page called All files access. There's no question first. Tap the switch at the right end of the Allow access to manage all files row. It turns blue: on.

The app needs this to save your work in Documents/DitchAssist/ and read it back later. What goes wrong without it.

Android All files access page for Ditch Assist 1.5.4 with Allow access to manage all files switched off
  1. Allow access to manage all files. The row to switch on.
  2. The switch. Grey means off. Tap it.

Tap the back arrow

With the switch on (blue), tap the back arrow, the small ← in the top-left corner of the page. You're back in Ditch Assist. (The tablet's own Back button does the same: the Back button.)

If you go back with it off, the app carries on but asks again at the next launch.

All files access page with Allow access to manage all files switched on
  1. On. The switch turns blue.
  2. Back arrow. Back to Ditch Assist.

Tap I Agree to Read the Manual Before Use

A window called Operator's Manual says the full manual is built into the app (the Manual button in the right-hand column). Tap I Agree to Read the Manual Before Use, the long button at the bottom of the window.

It shows once. It comes back only if someone taps Reset Startup Warnings in Settings.

Operator's Manual: Before operating this system, you must read and understand the complete Operator's Manual. The Operator's Manual is built into this app. Tap Manual on the home screen to open it any time. Button I Agree to Read the Manual Before Use 1
  1. I Agree to Read the Manual Before Use. On to the safety warning.

Read the Safety Warning, then tap I Accept All Risk & Liability

The red SAFETY WARNING appears every time the app starts. Its three rules matter on a Full Automation Kit: hydraulics move by themselves once grading starts, keep people away, and switch the power off before you work on the machine.

Tap I Accept All Risk & Liability, the long red button along the bottom. The Home screen opens.

SAFETY WARNING, Automated Machine Control System: Hydraulics move automatically when engaged; Never operate near people; Power off before maintenance; a waiver of liability box; a long red I Accept All Risk and Liability button along the bottom
  1. The three rules. Hydraulics, people, power.
Bottom of the safety warning: the long red I Accept All Risk and Liability button 1
  1. I Accept All Risk & Liability. Opens Home.

You're on Home

Nine big squares, one per kind of job, and a column of big buttons down the right-hand side. Survey and Grade stay grey until you pick a job. The app version is at the bottom. Take the app tour.

Home screen on first run: nine workflow cards in a three by three grid, sidebar on the right with Home, Survey and Grade greyed, Settings, Manual and an orange Pre-Flight Checks button, version v1.5.4 at the bottom
  1. Survey and Grade. Grey until you pick a job.
  2. Version. v1.5.4 and the build date.

Answer the Blade Height prompt on your first survey

The first time you open a Survey screen with no blade height set, the app asks for it: Your blade height hasn't been set yet. It's how high the cutting edge sits off the ground with the implement raised, and the app takes it off every survey point.

Enter Manually if you've measured it, Auto Measure to let the app measure it with RTK. Both are explained in Set blade height.

Set Blade Height: Your blade height hasn't been set yet. This measurement is required for accurate survey elevations. Buttons Enter Manually, Auto Measure, and Skip for Now, You can set this later in Settings 1 2 3
  1. Enter Manually. Type the height you measured.
  2. Auto Measure. RTK measures it: implement up, then down.
  3. Skip for Now. Survey without it (see below).

Skipped it? Watch for the orange chip

Skip for Now leaves blade height at 0 and puts an orange chip under the badges at the top right of the map: Blade Ht 0 — antenna level. A survey taken like that records the antenna's height, not the ground. Tap the chip any time to set it.

The prompt asks once per app session and comes back the next time the app starts, until a height is saved.

Survey stats bar badges with an orange chip below reading Blade Ht 0 — antenna level 1
  1. Blade Ht 0 — antenna level. Tap to open the Set Blade Height prompt again.

Showing the warnings again

Open Settings, scroll to the ABOUT box near the bottom, and tap Reset on the Reset Startup Warnings row. That brings back the Operator's Manual notice (and the one-time Send Logs consent), useful when a new operator takes over the tablet. The message says Startup warnings will show on next launch, but the Operator's Manual notice and the Safety Warning show straight away.

If something goes wrong

Related

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