document: User Manual product: FarmDefender FD-120 version: 1.0 revised: 2026-06-15 applies-to: All FD-120 weed-detection systems (Central Hub V2 / Capstan PinPoint III nozzle control)

FarmDefender™ FD-120 — User Manual

Document version: 1.0 (2026-06-15) System serial: (your system serial) (e.g. FD-120-26-0003)

First time? If the system isn't mounted and wired yet, start with the Install Guide for your sprayer (e.g. install-guide-FD-120-sprayflex-midmount.md). This manual assumes the system is mounted, wired, and has booted at least once. For just getting the screen open on your tablet, see Connecting to FarmDefender.

What this system does

FarmDefender FD-120 is a see-and-spray system. Eleven cameras watch the ground under the boom, each running a weed-detection model on its own on-board AI chip. When a camera sees a weed, it tells the Central Hub, which fires the matching nozzles through your Capstan PinPoint III nozzle controller — spraying the weed and skipping bare ground.

You drive; it sprays. There is nothing to operate from the cab once it's running.

Quick reference

Daily routine

Before you head to the field

1. Visual check — walk the boom. Cameras still aimed straight down? Cables intact? Nothing damaged from the last run?
2. Lens check — wipe each camera lens with a soft microfiber cloth if there's mud or dust on it. Do not use solvents or abrasive cloths; the lens is coated glass. A dirty lens is the #1 cause of missed or false sprays.
3. Spray system — bring up your sprayer as normal: tank filled, agitation on, boom pressure set, Capstan PinPoint III powered on. FarmDefender only fires the nozzles — your sprayer still supplies the chemical and pressure.
4. Power on — tractor ignition, then the cab cutoff switch on. The system boots automatically (about a minute).
5. Connect to the dashboard: - Phone/tablet → STARLINK WiFi - Browser → http://farmdefender.local:8080/ - Verify: 11/11 camera tiles green, GPS LOCK, Spray armed.
6. Drive. Set a steady ground speed (see "Ground speed" below) and spray.

During spraying

The system runs autonomously — detect and spray, camera by camera, as you go. Nothing required at the cab.

Most operators glance at the dashboard once at the start of a field (confirm all green, sensitivity where they want it) and don't touch it again. You can pull it up from your phone over Starlink WiFi any time.

End of day

• Power down — cab cutoff switch off (or shut off the tractor).
• Today's data is on local storage and survives power-off cleanly. No shutdown procedure.
• Sync — when the Starlink has sky view, the system uploads the day's captures to FarmTech for model improvement. Park where it can see sky for a while if you've been out of range.

Ground speed

The system fires each nozzle band as that patch of ground passes under the boom, using GPS speed to time the shot. It works across normal spraying speeds, but:

• Stay at a steady speed through a pass — hard acceleration/deceleration is where timing errors show up.
• If you're seeing weeds sprayed slightly behind or ahead of target, note your speed and call us — the spray timing offset is a setting we can tune.
• Very high speed + very small weeds is the hardest case; if you're chasing tiny weeds, ease off the throttle.

Sensitivity

The Sensitivity slider on the dashboard sets how sure a camera must be before it sprays. It applies to all 11 cameras at once.

Start in the middle, watch a pass, and adjust. The setting takes effect immediately and carries across reboots.

Reading the dashboard

Served from the Central Hub at http://farmdefender.local:8080/ (on the STARLINK WiFi), or remotely through FarmTech support over Starlink.

Status indicators

What each camera tile shows

• Live preview of the ground under that camera, with a box drawn around each detected weed
• Position (F, L1–L5, R1–R5) and the nozzle band it controls
• Frames/sec and weeds detected — a quick health read; numbers should be moving while you drive

Maintenance

Daily (during spray season)

• Wipe camera lenses if dusty/muddy. A clean lens is the difference between spraying the weed and spraying nothing — or spraying everything.

Weekly

• Visual inspection of every cable run along the boom: chafing where cable touches the bar, loose/broken zip-ties, pigtails near connectors that may have over-flexed.
• Check the Central Hub and Camera Hub boxes — lids/glands sealed, no water inside.

After every fold/unfold cycle

• Inspect the wing-uplink cables where they cross the fold hinge. They should curve, never pinch or kink.

End of season

• Power off fully (cab cutoff off / disconnect).
• Inspect every connector for corrosion; apply dielectric grease to anything that's been wet.
• Cover or store the cameras — they're sealed, but covering reduces sun fade and bird mess in storage.

Pre-season (next year)

• Uncover, reconnect, power up.
• Run a parked test (engine on, cab cutoff on, open the dashboard, confirm 11/11 cameras + GPS).
• Check the dashboard for a model update — we retrain on your fields and push improved models over Starlink.

Troubleshooting

"One camera tile is red"

1. Note which camera (F, L1–L5, R1–R5).
2. Walk to it. Check the cable from the camera back to its Camera Hub (or to the Central Hub for the front cam F).
3. Unplug + replug both ends of that cable — listen for the wedgelock click.
4. Wait 30 seconds. Tile green = solved.
5. Still red? Swap that cable with a known-good one. If the fault follows the cable, the cable's bad. If it stays at the position, the detector's bad. Either way — call us.

"All cameras red, GPS red, dashboard unreachable"

System isn't booting or lost power.

1. Tractor ignition on? Cab cutoff switch on?
2. Check the main fuse on the 12 V side — replace a blown fuse with the same rating.
3. Check both converter input plugs are seated in the battery box.
4. Still no boot — call us.

"GPS won't lock"

1. Antenna needs clear sky — it won't lock in a shed.
2. Check the SMA connector at the Central Hub is finger-tight (don't crank it).
3. Inspect the antenna cable along its run.
4. Outdoors with sky view for >5 min and still no lock — call us.

"Cameras see weeds but nothing sprays"

This is almost always the spray side, not FarmDefender:

1. Capstan PinPoint III powered on and enabled? FarmDefender sends it the fire commands; if it isn't on and active, nozzles won't open. (If the controller is newly installed and has never sprayed, it may still need its one-time commissioning/enable by your dealer or Capstan — call us and we'll confirm the link.)
2. Boom/section master on? Tank valve open, pressure up?
3. Dashboard Spray indicator green ("armed")? If it's red, the Central Hub isn't linked to the nozzle controller — call us.
4. Sensitivity not set too low? Bump it up and watch a pass.

"Sprays too much" or "sprays bare ground"

1. Clean the lenses — dust/residue reads as weeds.
2. Lower the Sensitivity slider.
3. If it's spraying crop or trash consistently, note the field/conditions and call us — that's a model-tuning item and good training feedback.

"Starlink offline"

1. Antenna has clear sky, not blocked by a building/tree?
2. Starlink router has power (its own LED)?
3. Check the cable from the converter to the Starlink router.
4. If FarmDefender otherwise looks fine, it's usually a Starlink-side network issue — use the Starlink app's troubleshooting. FarmDefender keeps detecting and spraying with or without Starlink; you just won't get data sync or remote support until it's back.

Support

Phone: (406) 594-2767 Email: support@farmtech.us

Remote support

With your OK, we can remote into the Central Hub over Starlink and diagnose without you doing anything. Just call and say "you can remote in."

Reporting an issue

Please include: - System serial (FD-120-<YY>-<####> from the build record card) - What happened + when (date + time) - What's red on the dashboard (if anything) - What you've tried

A screenshot of the dashboard is worth a thousand words.

Warranty

• 1 year on FarmTech-supplied hardware (detectors, Central Hub, Camera Hubs, cables, mounts) from ship date.
• Year-1 Starlink service included; service transfers to your account afterward.
• AI model retrained on your fields at the end of season 1 — included.

Damage from impact, chemical ingress beyond the enclosure rating, or modifications voids warranty. Wear items (zip-ties, split-loom, cleaning cloths) are not warrantied. FarmDefender controls nozzle timing only — your sprayer, plumbing, pump, and chemical handling are not part of this system or its warranty.

Appendix A: Hardware reference

For the curious or for deep diagnostics:

• Weed Detectors (×11): an on-board computer with a dedicated AI accelerator and PoE power module, plus a 5 MP global-shutter camera, in a sealed boom enclosure. PoE-powered (802.3af/at). Each runs the green-on-brown weed model on-device and covers ~10 ft of boom (~3 m field of view) from ~1.5 m height.
• Central Hub V2 (FD-CH-V2): an on-board computer. Reads ISOBUS NMEA 2000 GPS, runs the dashboard, and sends nozzle-fire commands to the Capstan PinPoint III over CAN.
• Nozzle control: Capstan PinPoint III (PWM nozzle valves) — FarmDefender drives it; the sprayer supplies pressure and chemical.
• Camera Hubs (×4): industrial 5-port PoE switches (2 per wing) feeding the detectors.
• GPS: ISOBUS NMEA 2000 from the machine's receiver, plus FarmDefender antenna.
• Connectivity: Starlink Mini (Year 1 included).
• Power: everything-on-48 V — 2× Mean Well NDR-480-48 (12 V→48 V) converters, fused on the 12 V side, cab cutoff switch.

For the full BOM, schematics, and cable schedule, contact FarmTech.

Appendix B: Compliance

• FCC: the on-board computer module carries its own FCC/IC IDs — see the device label.
• IP rating: detector and hub enclosures sealed for boom-mount field use.
• Operating temperature: -20°C to +60°C (-4°F to +140°F). Outside this range, operation isn't guaranteed.
• Storage temperature: -40°C to +80°C.

Revision history

FarmTech Solutions, Inc. Choteau, Montana · (406) 594-2767 · support@farmtech.us · farmtech.us

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