Automating EcoSAT

Station Innovation's initial automation project was carried out in central Northern Territory, near Alice Springs. At that time, the customer possessed an EcoSAT and simply required assistance in controlling the bore pump's operation. Reflecting on this project, it was relatively straightforward, yet we were pleased to witness its successful operation, which continues to this day. Subsequently, we have incorporated numerous enhancements into our automation systems. These additions stem from both acquired knowledge and valuable customer input, contributing to our continuous improvement.

While EcoSAT may not be an all-encompassing solution like a high-end controller, it does cover the essential features that most pastoralists seek. It's important to acknowledge that there is no substitute for a top-tier controller. Pastoralists typically prioritize fundamental functionalities over advanced capabilities.

1) Is there water?

2) Get water!

Really the most complicated it gets is when the tank is some distance from the pump, bore river, whatever water source you are using. And that was the feature which came next. Our system already included the ability to communicate between the EcoSAT devices, that's where the EcoSAT GREEN came from. So we simply added on top of that the ability for one EcoSAT to read the sensors of another. Once we could do that, we could automate.

We are some time on from that now though and it hasn't got too much more complicated. We've made it more reliable and we've sorted out the bugs for sure, but these days what we are really concentrating on is giving the user the power to setup and adjust the automation themselves. Pages on our website like the one below allow you to setup, adjust and check on the automation settings.

At this point it's probably worth mentioning that some people shy away because of the cost, or the complexity and some engines are very old and do in fact cost a bit to get going on automation. However more and more pumps, gensets and even engines around the place come with an auto-start or auto-stop capability built in. If I had one I'd be automating it for sure because there isn't really a cost. If you've already got EcoSAT then adding an automatic start engine has no cost. Literally none. We are happy to supply the cable and the rest is just setup on the website. Our phone support staff are very experienced in dealing with these types of questions and are a great resource when you are getting going. Don't be afraid to lean on them to get you going.