Kahne devices and the operation process

The data recording devices used in the experiments were from Kahne Ltd in Auckland, New Zealand. Kahne Ltd is a company that develops scientific instrumentation for rumen nutrition, animal behaviour and animal health research. Their technologies are also involved in animal welfare and animal emissions analyses.

The devices were consisted of software (Kahne Data Processing System V1.1, for enabling the configuration and communication of boluses and transceivers via a computer), transceivers (KR2001, KR2002, and KR2105 for capturing the data signals send by the boluses and transmitting the data to the storage device) and rumen boluses (KB1001 and KB1101, for measuring rumen environment and sending signals to the transceivers) that were made for in vivo measurement from the rumen of unrestrained cattle under commercial conditions.

Kahne Data Processing System V1.1 was installed in a laptop computer before the experiments were started. This software enabled the configuration of transceivers and boluses. It assists data collection, pH calibration and the connection of GSM modem.

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transceivers were KR2001, KR2002, KR2003 and KR2105. Transceiver KR2001, KR2002 and KR2003 needed to be connected to computer during data recording. Transceiver KR2105 only needed to be connected to computer during the property setup phase, because it has its own battery (to support data collection) and its own memory card (to store the data). The features of each transceiver are summarized in Table 2.2.1.

Table 2.2.1 The usage and the features of different transceivers:

Transceiver Usage Features

KR2001

Property configuration, pH

calibration, data collection

USB cable, receiver, short whip antenna

KR2002 Data collection USB cable, receiver, 5 element *Yagi antenna

KR2003 Data collection

RS232/USB cable, USB cable, receiver, 7 element Yagi antenna, pole mount, microprocessor, SD card, power supply

KR2105 Data collection

RS232/USB cable, USB cable, receiver, 7 element Yagi antenna, GSM modem, **field trailer, ***solar panel, ***6-volt rechargeable

battery, microprocessor, SD card,

* Yagi antenna: a directional antenna system consisting of an array of a dipole and additional closely coupled parasitic elements. The reception distance is determined by the number of elements in the Yagi antenna. The area within a 60 degree range towards where the Yagi antenna is pointing is the best reception area. ** Field trailer: the trailer that enables KR2105 to be pulled by ATV into the field. *** Solar panel and rechargeable battery: it allows continuous usage in the field without the supply of electricity from a power cord.

There were two kinds of boluses used. KB1001 was for measuring temperature and pressure, while KB1101 was for measuring pH, temperature and pressure.

The configuration of Kahne devices included configuration of transceiver property and configuration of bolus property. The steps in the configuration process were:

1. The transceiver was connected to the computer through USB cable (KR2001 and KR2002) or through RS232/USB cable and USB cable (KR2003 and KR2105). 2. The Kahne operation system in the computer was turned on by double clicking the

icon.

3. In the opening window, “Setting” was clicked and then “Configuring Kahne Device” was chosen. The “Configuration Setup” box would show in the computer. In the box, “Main Transceiver ID” (a) was set to 1 as a default. “Communicate with Bolus Directly” (b) was ticked and “Set Property” (c) was clicked to confirm the setting and to check if the transceiver was connected to computer successfully. This completed the configuration of the transceiver (Figure 2.2.1).

Figure 2.2.1 The process of using Kahne Data Processing System to get to “Configuration setup”

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4. “Bolus” tab (d) was selected (Figure 2.2.2). In the “Bolus” box, “Configure Bolus via Main transceiver” (e) was ticked. Bolus ID was entered into “Bolus Current ID” (f).

5. Bolus was turned on by activating the internal magnetic reed switch by removing the magnet that was taped onto the bolus away from the bolus.

6. “Get Property” (g) was clicked to see if the bolus and the transceiver had registered contact.

7. Values were entered to “Bolus New ID” (f) and “Sampling Frequency” (h). The default of the “Bolus New ID” was the same as “Bolus Current ID”. The value of “Bolus New ID” was recorded in a log book if it was changed. The “Sampling Frequency” could be selected in increments of 1 second over the range 5 seconds to 59 seconds and 1 minute over the range 1 minute to 24 hours or as required. 8. “Set Property” (i) was clicked to confirm the setup. Bolus was then able to be used

for data collection (Figure 2.2.2).

(d→e→f→g→h→i).

The data downloading processes for KR2001 and KR2002 required a direct connection to the computer and the Kahne software. For the KR2003 and KR2105, the data was stored in the SD card and could be downloaded directly into computer. The data downloading processes was:

1. “View” (j) (Figure 2.2.3) was clicked and then “Logged Data Table” (k) was selected. “Logged Data Table View” box was shown

2. The time that data recording was started was entered into “From Data Time” (l) and the time that data recording was finished was entered into “To Date Time” (m). The ID of Bolus that was used was entered into “All Boluses” (n). “Apply” (o) was clicked to show the data.

3. “Export” (p) was clicked to download the data that were shown in the box into an Excel file (Figure 2.2.3).

Figure 2.2.3 The process of downloading recorded data using Kahne Data Processing System