Väderstad has produced a mount and software to let the humble iPad control its drills. Can consumer electronics live comfortably in a cab? We find out
Such a good idea in principle, using an iPad or equivalent as a controller. It’s all there: excellent connectivity via wi-fi and 3G/4G, a crisp touch screen and a powerful processor receptive to custom apps, the latter scrutinised by Apple’s software police.
Suddenly ISObus terminals look rather pedestrian. Which has played well for Väderstad, as for some time it was one of the few makers without an ISObus option. Instead it relied on its still-serving ControlStation cab box. Things did change late in 2013 with ISObus for its Rapid air drills and Tempo precision ranges, working through a Gateway controller on the machine; that system too is still offered. Now Väderstad’s iPad-based solution — E-Control — gives a third interface, talking across wi-fi to a modified but still machine-mounted Gateway controller. A parallel, cabled ISObus connection can still be made so you could, for example, use the iPad to monitor a drill’s seed rate while the terminal looks after everything else. If you are a Väderstad user with an iPad running iOS7 or later, just download the free VVAB E-Control app and you’re off.
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