LADCP Operations, UH "currents" group

LADCP Operations, UH "currents" group

Preface

Previous instructions for LADCP use at University of Hawaii "currents" lab covered the BB150 instrument, and the set of cables it used from the mid 1990's until Nov 2007. The older cables involved charging through the endcap (via wiring changes made after delivery), 8-pin seacon connectors, and a single cable that went from the LADCP to the computer lab (or other dry space).

This document marks a new generation of LADCP use in our group, since we are purchasing a 300kHz Workhorse. Future use will presumably allow the possibility of a pair of instruments, and hence requires that the new cable design allow a master/slave arrangement. We are adopting WHOI's Star cable design, and are using an extension between the Star legs and any instrument or lab cable, to prevent wear on the Star cable connectors. Our cables are therefore not compatible with LDEO's cables.

NOTE: This document is a work in progress.

Deployment and Recovery

This section refers to the procedure involving the instrument, cables, power, and rosette. Basically, it is the part of the procedure you carry out in association with deployment and recovery of the rosette.

LADCP procedures for deployment

When approaching a station to do a CTD cast, you need to have the instrument pinging and disconnected from power and communications (with cable ends properly dummied and secured) before the rosette is ready to deploy. Depending on your comfort level with all the steps and the status of the rosette, this could be as little as 5 minutes before "on station". However, we (the LADCP people) do not want to be responsible for any delay in deploment. Often the instrument is made to ping more like 10-15 minutes before arrival on station. The longer the instrument pings on deck, the greater the file size to download, and the longer the battery will have to recharge. But, we do not want to get in the way or cause any kind of delay. At the beginning of a cruise, err on the side being ready with time to spare, and later in the cruise trim that time down as the situation allows.

The LADCP operator may also help deploy the rosette.

15-20 minutes before "on station": Find the clipboard with the logsheet.

(0) LADCP status

check LADCP communication/power cables are probably plugged in?
check Power supply is off (after previous cruise)?
record station number and nominal position
record power supply amps drawn (per channnel), if it was still on.

(1) Check the PC clock

Set computer clock to UTC, or verify that it is correct

(2) start data acquisition

record time when it started pinging

(3) Turn power supply off (if it was on)

SOB charger: turn off switched power switch
Amrel LPS: toggle lower RH button on power supply. (Power supply display should say "ALL OUTPUT OFF") Do not use the rocker switch to turn the whole unit off and on; use the electronic toggle instead.

(4) disconnect cables, dummy, secure

In hangar, disconnect power/communications cable(s)
dummy off the connector(s) to cables on the rosette frame.
Secure the rosette cables cable(s) with bungies
dummy off the connectors to comunication/power cable.
Secure the lab cables cable(s) in the hangar

LADCP procedures for recovery

The rosette is brought on board. People are milling about, anxious to start sampling. The LADCP person should be standing by (or maybe that person helped with the recovery), and as soon as the rosette is officially "secured", before sampling starts, the LADCP person should connect the cables for power and communication.

The LADCP person may participate in drawing water for salts or other rosette sampling, as long as they are able to monitor the download and charging process, assess the quality of the data (pass/fail) and perform any nexessary troubleshooting.

(0) Power supply

Output from the LPS or charger should be OFF.
This is a safety precaution for persons and equipment
DOUBLE-CHECK if in doubt (don't be lazy)

(1) In the hangar, before water sampling starts

connect the power and communications cable(s) to the instrument:
Unscrew the plastic retainer cap (or unhook the rubber seatbelt)
Rinse the connector with fresh water, and dry
For each communication/power cable:
- remove the dummy from the rosette end
- dry off any droplets of water (Use a Kimwipe)
- connect the lab cable to the communications/power lab cable
Gently secure the ladcp cable to the rosette with the bungie, and suspend the remainder it with the parachute cord. (extra security in case it gets hooked or yanked somehow)

(2) In the wet lab

Toggle power on (lower right-hand button on the Amrel power supply, or turn on power strip)

(3) Download

start data download (for each instrument)
record the time download starts
If there are two instruments, you should be able to download data from the two instruments simultaneously
record the time the download stops

(4) Soon after download

put the instrument to sleep when done downloading
the battery should be charged around now
when the battery is charged (drawing 0.3A/chanel) toggle off power.
check the data (run appropriate "first check" on the data.
record "max depth" and "last depth"… is it OK?

Battery, plugs, cables, and connectors

LADCP cables

This link has figures and details about mounting the LADCP on the rosette, including the cabling diagram.

Transducers are delicate

When mounting the transducers on the rosette frame, put a piece of dense foam under the transducers. The BB150 instrument, especially, weighs enough that the transducers may be damaged if the instrument rests on them without any padding. A good piece of foam is one of the pieces from the shipping container). The foam in the BB150 gray shipping box is good for this.

For the BB150, use a piece of PVC pipe that is cut to fit between the transducers down in the nether regions of the instrument. This protects the transducers if the instrument were to slip in the brackets (eg. during a drop on deck from several feet).

LADCP logging on the computer

Data Logging programs

Data logging command files:

There are two python programs designed to communicate with RDI Workhorse or BB LADCP with baud rate and port optionally specified on the command line (for one or two instruments, respectively):

/home/currents/programs/logging/serial/ladcp1.py #for one instrument /home/currents/programs/logging/serial/ladcp2.py #for two instruments

To use either of these two programs, copy them to the ladcp data download directory and edit them to be appropriate for your cruise. In general, do not edit anything in home/currents/programs unless you find a bug and are confident of the solution. See the cruise setup section for more info. It may be useful to rename them to match specific instruments or cruise name. Run them from the download directory, which should also contain any command files being sent to the instrument.

link to annotated command file for wh300

link to example command file for bb150

link to station example logsheet

link to detailed narrative about LADCP acquisition and processing from a recent user of the UH code and computers.

Setup

Start in the ladcp data directory ("cd; cd cruise/ladcp/data/ladcp")

Start the program (eg "ladcp1.py") on the command line in the directory you wish to download to. Various messages appear in that window, so there's little point in backgrounding the process. Treat the window as a console that catches error and diagnostic messages.
Command files (*.cmd) are present in the download directory for the instruments at hand. The scripts should have been edited during initial cruise setup to point to appropriate command files. For instance, we usually collect data from the bb150 LADCP in beam coordinates with 16x(16m) bins or 32x(8m) bins.
If there are two instruments, the program makes two-window gui with a window on top and bottom for the up-looking and down-looking instruments, respectively. They operate independently in terms of communication to the respective instruments, but share download directory, and have up or dn in the filename.

Deployment

set the station_cast string (top right corner of each dialog window)
check PC clock (verify, if ntp; set clock if no ntp)

For Each Instrument

Run the steps under menu item Deploy:

Deployment initialization:
1. makes a "mark" in the text window with "********" and a timestamp
2. sends a break
3. asks the ladcp for its clock time
4. lists the instrument recorder
set clock (sets the ladcp to the PC clock. useful if running ntpd)
list recorder (information depends on age of instrument)
send setup (appropriate *.cmd, in the current directory)
1. sends each line to the LADCP;
2. queries (eg. "W?") are included in the cmd file
3. writes everything from the mark (see initialization) to here into a log file named after the station_cast string. (appends, does not overwrite)
disconnect (optional: frees up the lock on the serial port and may prevent accidental sending of a BREAK if lines are jostled; allows use of the serial port for other things

Recovery

Deal with cables and power in the hangar

For Each Instrument

Run the steps under Recover:

Recovery initialization:
- (same as Deployment initialization: make a mark; wake up; write PC and ladcp times; list recorder
download
1. choose file from the list (consult log sheet)
2. initiates download (automatically switches to download baud)
3. writes dialog to log file (from mark (above) to end of download)
4. puts instrument to sleep when done

File Names and backups

Files are downloaded to a name chosen by the instrument, with a timestamp embedded in the first 8 characters, and the serial number (from firmware?) as the last 3 digits. The date is wierd. The python program will reset the date to now at the end of download, and you get to choose a new name for the file if you wish.

the default data file name uses the same station_cast string as is in the log
a copy of each (the log and data file) is made to a default backup directory (specified in ladcp1.py or ladcp2.py)
while steaming between stations, charge the battery and download the data to the PC
after download, make sure the data file is written on two media (i.e. a copy should be on a different disk or computer)
don't delete it from the instrument until it exists in 2 other places (different media)

Additional Notes

To quit, use the window-manager "X" to kill the whole window. There is no Quit dialog button under any of the menus
Other things like baud rate, port, etc can be set manually in the menus.
To send a BREAK, look under the Command window
"Set Time" uses the PC clock. Make sure the PC clock is very close to correct (even if using ntp) before setting the LADCP clock. It's OK if the times are off by 1 second — that's normal given rounding errors in the instrument.

Disregard the following security warning in the console:

"RuntimeWarning: tempnam is a potential security risk to your program"

On-line documentation for LADCPs is somewhere in /home/currents/programs/rdi_soft

Programs to mention

The following programs reside in

/home/currents/programs/ladcp/python

and if they are going to be run, they should be copied to the location where they will be run, and then modified.

This one will be needed as part of LADCP processing, to get the GGA data into the one-file-per-day the perl programs expect.

uhdas2deva.py: Need to have gps data somehow; this uses UHDAS gps files.

These two may not be necessary:

depth_check.py: wrapper for "scan.prl"

fix_ymodemfile.py: renames a wierd filename, changes permissions, and makes the date more reasonable

Data (plotting, troubleshooting, backup)

Plotting processed data sections

Matlab ladcp plotting programs are here:

/home/currents/programs/matlab/ladcp/misc/contour
/home/currents/programs/matlab/ladcp/misc/vector

These programs were written on one cruise, and to avoid losing them the were copied into the ladcp location in the programs directory. Make your own contour or vector directory, copy files there, and edit locally. If you are making plots for a web page, copy the png files to the web location and make sure the permissions include other read.

DO NOT edit programs in /home/currents/programs, unless you are fixing a bug, and then you should check with one of

hummon@hawaii.edu
efiring@hawaii.edu

An example of the simple web page developed during P16S is here. If you want to make your own web page, the following steps must be performed

apache must be installed and running (probably true)
the file /var/www/index.shtml should have a link to /ladcp
there should be a symbolic link from /home/science/web to /var/www/ladcp
put all html and png files in the directory /home/science/web, and make sure the permissions are a+rx (no write).
test the web page using http://localhost. The "index.shtml" file there should tell you to click on "ladcp" and that will bring you to http://localhost/ladcp (which, due to the symbolic link, is the same as /home/science/web). Other people can access it via your IP number. (test it that way too).

How to access raw data

Read this page for instructions about reading single-ping ladcp data. There is also an example of how to make nice pcolor plots.

Time scales: cruise prep, setup, daily, cast

THE CRUISE

3-6 months

purchasing: For an off-the-shelf LADCP, it takes a couple of weeks to generate a quote and get a purchase order throught. Then it takes 3 months from receipt of the PO for RDI to build an LADCP. Add ground shipping next) and 6 months before a cruise departs, it's time to start thinking about what needs to be ordered. This includes LADCP, replacement cables, or new batteries
brackets: Be aware of which group is doing the CTD operations. The rosette they use may or may not have brackets for the LADCP or a housing to mount the battery. These need to be constructed and tested before shipping, so the timing for new brackets is similar to buying a new instrument.
- PMEL 36-place rosette uses brackets with a too-large diameter, which need PVC shims. There is a battery shelf that bolts to the rosette. PMEL should be keeping track of those items and shipping them with the 36-place rosette, if that is the rosette they are using. Otherwise, you may have to deal with a new bracket design. There may also be a bracket for an upward-looking instrument. Check with the chief scientist about which rosette they are using.
- ODF has LADCP brackets for a down-looking and uplooking pair. The diameter of the brackets for the downlooking instrument will work for the bb150 or the wh300. ODF also has an expanded-metal box designed for the battery. Make sure they bring that too.

2-3 months

passport: Make sure you have a passport that expires at least 6 months after the date of entry to the final destination country. Some countries want you to have at least 2 blank pages in your passport.
visa for foreign travel: You might need a visa. The Chief Scientist should figure out about this and warn you in time, but it never hurts to check.
shipping: About 2 months before the cruise, gear should be assembled and shipping arranged. It takes about 6 weeks for a ground (shipping container) shipment to get where it's going.

4-6 weeks

travel: buy plant tickets, make hotel arrangements
laptops: configure any laptops that may not have been shipped. These may go as carry-on luggage. Update programs, test software.

0-1 week

loading: Arrive at the port the day before the ship arrives. We are usually not allowed on the ship the first day it is in port; the previous scientists need to get their gear off that day. Scientists usually start assembling around 8-9am the first day to get vans on board and unload them. We're lucky if all the boxes are identified and available the first day.
setup for cruise:
1. LADCP: The CTD people usually want to put the LADCP on the rosette but it is ours, so we need to offer, or offer to help. Sometimes they want to put the cables on and sometimes they want us to do that. It is important to be available to help or orchestrate the mounting of the LADCP, securing of cables on the rosette, and stringing of cables to the acquisition laptop and power supply (details)
2. acquisition PC and power supply need to be appropriately located in a dry accessible space near the hanagar, probably the wet lab just aft of the hangar. THe LADCP acquisition PC should be networked, and IP noted. The laptop and power supply should be attached to the LADCP cables and communication tested, prior to being secured.
3. processing PC and work space: The LADCP operator will presumably have a space they can set up their laptop for remote access to the LADCP laptop. Processing might occur via ssh to the LADCP laptop or might occur locally.
4. Here are some links to files written during P16S, Revelle 2005. Details will vary cruise to cruise.
  1. annotated file for processing
  2. overall notes about the processing and data log
  3. log sheet: edit as appropriate at the beginning of the cruise; print and fill out for each cast

EACH CAST

See "deployment" and "recovery" for rosette (deploy, recover), and computer (deploy, recover) operations.

fill out one logsheet per cast (prompt and checksheet)
make instrument ping, instrument collects data
download to PC
check that backup exists
copy to processing computer if that is necessary
run first step of processing to make sure everything worked on that cast and the instrument is ready for the next cast
process the data from the cast
add info to the overall cruise log about processing status

DAILY

Process data gathered over the previous night
update ancillary data (eg. 2dbar ctd data, underway data, ADCP data)

EVERY FEW DAYS

update section figures
update web site (if there is one)
verify that all data are present abd backed up

Data to bring back from the cruise

shipboard ADCP data Data will probably come from one, but not both of these:
1. VmDAS: Get everything for the whole cruise. That will include all kinds of files, including suffixes (*LOG, *VMO, *ENR, *ENS, *ENX, *STA, *LTA) as well as the text file used for acquisition.
2. UHDAS: Mount the data disk from the uhdas computer "currents". (instructions are here). The disk, (say it's called "data"), will have a subdirector for the present cruise (eg. km0508). Get the whole directory. It will include subdirectories:
  - raw
  - rbin
  - gbin
  - proc
  - config
Lowered ADCP data (easiest to get the whole processing directory) By category:
- raw data
- log files
- summary file (meta data)
- processing directory
- web page (directory), if present
Ancillary data for LADCP
- ctd time series (.5s or 1s, for LADCP processing)
- ctd_2db 2db processed CTD data; for science
- gps 1-second GPGGA data
- xbt (if they exist)
- underway meteorological data, sst…
Log files, logsheets, or other documentation, electronic or paper.

NOTE: There is a log book for the LADCPs and batteries. Do not lose it. At the beginning of the cruise, note what instruments are being used, and note when any are swapped out. At the end of the cruise, tally up how many casts hae been made by each instrument and battery. Use serial numbers to reference instruments

Computer: setting up for a cruise, and system details

System notes

You should be familiar with the following aspects of the logging PC:

directory layout for processing
setting up for a new cruise
ports (serial, USB, PCMCIA (firewire, ethernet))
networking
mounting external media (USB disk, USB key, CD, firewire)
mounting disks with automount and nfs
mounting disks with samba
exporting disks via nfs
computer clock
matlab license issues
simple bash commands and operating system

The user is "science".

directory structure

Cruise names can be one of the following: - ship+year+number (eg: km0715) - ship's convention (eg: ZHNG04RR) - science convention (eg: P18_leg1)

Two generic names are "docs" and "web". Other than that, name the cruise directory something useful (eg. use the name the CTD group is using). Keep all processing, notes, documentation, logsheets, etc in that directory. It makes backing up easier.

 directory                 : contains
 ---------                 : ----------------------------------
/home/science              : user science: home

/home/science/docs         : documentation files for this computer
                           :     provided for the science user

#--------------------------
/home/science/vg9507       : example of logsheet, processed data,
                           : directory structure

# Inside /home/science/vg9507, we have subdirectories for different purposes:
data/                      : holds all raw data for this cruise
data/ctd_2db               :     2db ctd data
data/gpsnav                :     1-day files with GPGGA messages
data/ladcp                 :     ladcp download
data/underway              :     meteorological data

ladcp/                     : ladcp processing dictory, made by "setcruise.prl"
                           : see  "lad_proc.txt" in this directory
                           : (this file is copied here by setcruise.prl)

adcp/                      : for instance, to hold processed adcp data

ldeo_proc                  : for instance, to hold ldeo processing
#--------------------------

/home/science/cruise       : link to the real cruise directory
                           : --> do all work here

/home/science/web          : link to web directory for the present cruise

/home/currents/programs    : root of UH programs.  Do not edit these
                           : files.  Copy to a local directory before
                           : editing.

Setting up for a new cruise

The demo uses an imaginary cruise, "vg9507". Run through the demo to make sure all the programs work. When you make your own processing directory do all work related to teh cruise in this directory. Backups are much easier if you keep everything in here.

The ladcp demo is called "bbdemo" and is located in the following directory:

/home/currents/programs/ladcp/bbdemo

Follow the instructions in this README. It says to read this file ("lad_proc.txt") and follow the directions.

The strategy for the demo, or any other cruise directory is:

make the cruise directory, and create the ladcp data and processing directory in it:

cd                              # go to home directory
mkdir vg9507                    # make the cruise directory
cd vg9507                       # go into the cruise directory

# run the following command (all one line)

/home/currents/programs/ladcp/perl/ladstart.prl ladcp /home/currents/programs/ladcp/bbdemo/vg9507/ladcp

make the data directory and subdirectories to hold all kinds of data;
```
mkdir data
cd data
mkdir ctd_2db gpsnav ladcp
```

If logging LADCP data, you will need command files and logging scripts.

cd ladcp
# copy the command files
cp /home/currents/programs/ladcp/howto_bbwh2008/ladcp_logging/wh300.cmd .
cp /home/currents/programs/ladcp/howto_bbwh2008/ladcp_logging/bb150.cmd .
copy the logging scripts:
cp /home/currents/programs/uhdas/serial/ladcp1.py .
cp /home/currents/programs/uhdas/serial/ladcp2.py .

You will need to edit a few lines at the beginning of either, to set baud rate, com port, and a backup directory, for example a directory on an external disk. (Set to empty string (two single quotes, ) to disable).

If you will be logging data, make a symbolic link from /home/science/cruise to the new named cruise directory, eg:
```
cd
ln -s vg9507 cruise
```

Relevant ports

ports         set up for   physically        set in program (**)
-----         ---------    ------------      ----------------
ttyUSB0       ladcp logging   keyspan USB       ladcp1.py, ladcp2.py
ttyUSB1       ladcp logging   keyspan USB       ladcp1.py, ladcp2.py
ttyS0         ladcp logging   serial port       ladcp1.py, ladcp2.py

There may also be USB ports for mouse or external disk

There may be a firewire port for an external disk

There may be an ethernet card for the network (older machines)

networking

The LADCP loggging PC could be one of several, and will have a name. For the purposes of this example, the machine's name will be "poi"

Usually, "plug into the network, wait, and it will find a number"

Use the command "ifconfig eth0" to see what the ip number is, for example:

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:0C:29:1F:5B:CB
          inet addr:172.20.101.247  Bcast:172.20.255.255  Mask:255.255.0.0

If you must change network settings, use the tool under "system" menu that says "networking" (there are several with similar names). Click or unclick the appropriate box, change settings, wait 10 seconds or more for those changes to take effect. You may need to reboot.

External disks and backups

On most of our Ubuntu laptops, if you plug in a disk (USB or firewire) while you are logged in, it will automatically mount. You must manually unmount it before unplugging it from the computer or you risk damaging the data.

Automatic mounting is done by the window manager (KDE or Gnome).

Unmount by one of these means: - right-click the icon; select "safely remove"; wait till it's ready, unplug. - on the command line, type "sudo umount /media/usbdisk" (or whatever it's called). Type "df" to make sure it's not on the list. unplug

All data should be on two media as soon as practical. Do not delete anything you care about until there are two copies.

Automount and nfs

A service called "automount" is also installed. This allows automatic mounting of various other kinds of disks. Specifically, in /etc/auto.master, a line is uncommented allowing automatic mounting of disks shared with nfs. This means that, for example, if yo can ping the uhdas ADCP computer by name, (called "currents") then you should be able to access its nfs shares as

/net/currents/home/data
/net/currents/home/programs
/net/currents/home/adcp

If you need to mount an nfs share without automount, make a mount point (as root), eg "/mnt/tmp", and mount it as

mount currents:/home/data /mnt/tmp

Read the man page on mount for more info.

Samba

Disks are sometimes shared using samba, to make life easier for people with Windows or Macs. Linux can mount samba-shared disks using the smbfs filesystem type, but the command can get rather long. Read the man page for smbmount. Samba mount must be done as root or using the "sudo" command. One example that worked is

sudo  mount -t smbfs -o username=guest,password=,workgroup=tgt//p16n/P16N\ Shared /mnt/p16n-ctd

In this case,

the samba-shared disk is "p16n"
the disk is "P16N Shared"
the user is guest
there is no password
the workgroup is tgt
the disk is being mounted as /mnt/p16n-ctd (this directory was made by root and

If you have problems with permissions, you may need to add

uid=51077,gid=1076

exporting a disk with nfs

You can edit the file /etc/exports to share a disk via nfs. This example is from "currents" and shows the read-only export of three directories:

# /etc/exports on "currents"
/home/adcp         *(ro,async)
/home/data         *(ro,async)
/home/currents   *(ro,async)
#

To make this active, type

sudo exportfs -r

Computer clock

The computer clock should be set to UTC. For some computers this means choosing a time zone called Rejkavik (they are on UTC and evidently don't use daylight savings time)

It is important that the computer clock be close to UTC time. It should not be off by more than 1 second when an LADCP cast starts. That can be accomplished by - manually setting the clock before each cast - setting the computer to look for the time using an NTP server.

Setting the NTP server

(a) The file /etc/ntp.conf has a line that says "server". Use "sudo" and edit it to use the local time server on the ship. In this example the time server is 128.171.154.123

# You do need to talk to an NTP server or two (or three).
server 128.171.154.123

(b) Then run this command to restart the time server

sudo /etc/init.d/ntp restart

(c) Then run the following to verify that the time server is working

ntpq -p

Manually setting the clock

Use the "date" command. For example, to set the current time and date to July 31, 11:16:30pm, type

date -s 07312316.30

(note that the time is given in 24 hour notation). I've also seen this notation.

date -s "11/20/2003 12:48:00"

matlab license

I am not setting up the matlab license to boot automatically.  The
license manager must have the output of "hostname" match the server
line in /usr/local/matlab/etc/license.dat exactly.  Every time you
change networking it's possible to break this.  Always run with the
ethernet card in, or networking won't start and then the license manager
won't run.

Every time you boot the machine and want to run matlab, start the license
manager.  NOTE that this kind of license allows multiple sessions of
matlab to run, but they must all be run by the same user.  Since the
automatic processing will be user "science", you'd better just BE
"science"   here, and then there won't be any failure to start sessions.

To start the matlab license manager, type "lmstart" as user "science".
(lmstart is linked to /usr/local/bin). Do not do this as root.  (The
license manager needs a regular user or various permissions or
something else will be screwed up).

If it comes back with a failure, then you have to change the file:
/usr/local/matlab/etc/license.dat (as root),
replacing the fully qualified hostname with whatever comes out when you
type "hostname".

EG: replace snowboard.soest.hawaii.edu with
            adelie.melville.ucsd.edu in this line:

SERVER snowboard.soest.hawaii.edu ID=22566 27000

Then as user adcp, type "lmstart" again.

---------

Additional notes:

The most likely problems with the matlab license manager are
(1) server name and networking (see above)
(2) permissions:

All the files with *TMW* in /var/tmp ust be owned (or be writeable)
by the user who is trying to start the license manager.  In this
case, the use is "science".  If another user owns those files,
delete them all, and try again.

Unix commands

This link has a list of various potentially useful unix shell commands.

Hardware and other Technical Information

Cables and connectors

8-pin round plugs and connectors

8-pin plugs are delicate
BE CAREFUL to line up the little rubber dots when you connect plugs.
DO NOT FORCE it (it is sometimes a little stiff, but if you have to force it, that may be an indication that a pin is bending)
DO NOT TWIST them (it won't help, and it can damage the plug as well as increase the liklihood that you will push pins in the wrong holes, thereby increasing the liklihood of bending pins

7-pin rectangular plugs and connectors

7-pin plugs are delicate
BE CAREFUL to pull the connector not the cable
BE CAREFUL to brace the bulkhead connector when pushing
DO NOT FORCE it. If it is hard to connect the plug, add a little O-ring lube.
DO NOT BEND, DO NOT LIFT. The bulkhead connectors, especially, are vulnerable to breaking inside. Any twisting, bending, or lifting is liable to break the internal connections or perhaps weaken the seal against water.

LADCP power+communication cable

KEEP CLEAN AND DRY: "clean" means no lint, so dry the plugs and pins with kimwipes not paper towels. "Dry" means dry off the plugs if there are little beads of water.
POWER OFF FIRST (do not plug anything together with the power supply on. Two really good reasons:
1. We had a problem with big-pin-in-the-little-hole and power through the communication lines because the power was on and someone tried to put the cable together with the pins not aligned. It burnt fuses and could cause untold electrical troubles.
2. There's alot of salt water out there: there is a diode (so you can't short the two power pins) but you can still short a power pin with a communication pin, which is Not Good.

Cables and communication:

As of Nov 2007, a new instrument is arriving, and with it a new set of cables and confusion.

Old suite (short story) - BB150, communicating with RS422 protocol - 8-pin cable connects instrument to long cable into the lab, and - RS422-RS232 converter + DC power, to serial port on PC - power for charging battery (Amrel Linear Power Supply) - power goes into the 8-pin connector on the instrument, through the endcap, and out the 2-pin cable to the battery. i.e. charging is done through the endcap. - battery is 48V oil-filled SOB (Safe Orange Battery)

New suite (short story)l - one or two of the following: WH300, BB150 - BB150 will always look down - if there are 2 instruments, they must be slaved. - "star" cable, with 5 ends for - ladcp #1 - ladcp #2 - laptop serial communication with ladcp#1; includes power - laptop serial communication with ladcp#2; includes power - battery - all communication is RS232

Battery info

purging gas buildup

For the plastic (oil-filled) battery, venting should be done when there is a noticeable buildup of gas inside the chamber. Loosen but do not remove the cap on the valve, and press on the gas bubble.
DO NOT let any oil get out. Someone is sampling hydrocarbons.
NOTE: Barely finger-tighten the nozzle, just enough for the o-ring to grab.

power supply and charging (SHORT VERSION)

We have the AMREL power supply programmed with the following settings:

+VSET = 28.300
-VSET = 29.010
+ISET = 2.0
-ISET = 1.8
 The other 2 settings are
INDEP
5V

Max voltage is 57.31 V; max current is 1.8 A.
When charging is initiated, the battery draws the max current (1.8A). and is current limited. After some time (less than a minute when the SeaBattery was new, now about 10 minutes) the current drops and it beeps as it switches from current-limited to voltage-limited charging. It can switch back and forth a couple times between CC (constant current) and CV (constant voltage) before settling down for good. We let it charge for about 40 minutes, until the current draw has dropped to 0.65 A. If you charge much longer/allow the current draw to drop lower than this, the outgassing increases and you have to purge every cast. Toggle off the power output using the righthand on/off button (leaving the machine on but not charging). Power supply display shows "ALL OUTPUT OFF"
If the comercial charger works with the Star cable,
- it must be connected through a power strip because there is no power switch on it, and a power strip has one.
- when the light is green, turn off the charger

power supply and charging (LONG VERSION)

This document contains original notes from E. Firing to A. Thurnherr for P02 cruise in 2004. We had just purchased our first SOB and this may still be relevant.

This document contains notes about what to do if charging and data download must be done with separate cables.

serial cable conventions

This document contains serial cable pin conventions. It may come in handy.

Inventory and Lists

personal items to bring

Example inventory, P16S

contact:

Owner : E. Firing/J. Hummon
Affiliation: University of Hawaii        contact: Eric Firing
      JIMAR                              phone:   (808)956-8083
      1000, Pope Road                    fax:     (808)956-4104
      Honolulu, HI 96822 - USA
      phone: (808) 956-7894 (Firing), efiring@hawaii.edu
      phone: (808) 956-7037 (Hummon), hummon@hawaii.edu