The following new features are now available.

Automatic Group Count Reset

With this new feature the group count is automatically reset each day rather than manually. This allows comparison of daily 24-hr count totals and becomes a useful diagnostic tool for scale usage.  Wide differences between daily Group Count values can be a warning sign of problems with equipment, environment, or general animal health.

Idle Alert

Idle Alert is a safety feature that detects a pig flow problem and automatically opens the scale.

A Weight Watcher System relies on the continuous natural movement of the pigs to water and then back through the scale to the feeding area, if this flow is halted then problems arise such as the water pen becoming overpopulated, leading to animal injury or loss. The fault condition could be due to any of the following events:

1. Mechanical or electrical failure such as load cell fault or disconnection.
2. Air supply failure, allowing gates to close and remain closed.
3. Gates becoming jammed or blocked for some reason, preventing proper operation.
4. Pig remaining in the scale (possibly ill or asleep) and refusing to leave.

Idle Alert activates if the scale does not measure an "empty" weight and then a subsequent weight in a time period that is less than the set Idle Alert time.  When the Idle Alert feature is activated, the entrance gate opens and remains open.  If the Survey Scale is in Weight Watcher mode, the sort-gate cycles from the sort pen to the non-sort pen periodically (default value is five minutes for each direction).  In Static mode, the sort gate opens to the non-sort side and remains there.  If normal animal flow resumes (i.e. the scale goes empty and then weighs above the trigger weight, the scale then cancels the Idle Alert and resumes normal operation. If an Osborne By-Pass Gate is installed then it is opened and remains open until it is manually reset, even if normal weighing resumes.

By-Pass Gate

The addition of at least one By-Pass Gate to each Weight Watcher System will add an extra measure of safety to the operation of the system and is strongly recommended.

The By-Pass Gate is fitted between the feeding and drinking areas. It is normally closed and is opened automatically when the Idle Alert feature detects a problem. When open it allows pigs to exit from the water pen without passing through the Scale.

 After the fault condition is corrected the By-Pass Gate can be closed and reset and normal operation of the Survey Scale will resume.

Resetting the By-Pass Gate
The By-Pass Gate is reset by disconnecting the air pressure (using the manual air valve) then holding the gates together under the U-lock and, when aligned, reconnecting the air pressure to set the U-lock.