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Tritech Altimeter MKII Product Manual

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Altimeter MKII
Product Manual
0715-SOM-00002 Revision 1

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Summary of Contents for Tritech Altimeter MKII

  • Page 1 Altimeter MKII Product Manual 0715-SOM-00002 Revision 1...
  • Page 2 The copyright in this document is the property of Tritech International Ltd. The document is supplied by Tritech International Ltd on the understanding that it may not be copied, used, or disclosed to others except as authorised in writing by Tritech International Ltd.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Table of Contents Warning Symbols ........................ 5 Help & Support ........................6 Introduction ......................... 7 Technical Specifications ....................8 Dimensions ........................8 Straight Stainless Steel 4000m ..................8 Right Angle Delrin, Aluminium 700m - 4000m ..............9 Straight BHXM 4000m - 6800m ..................
  • Page 4 Post Deployment Check ....................29 Periodic Maintenance and Inspection ................29 Inspection and Replacement of the Body Tube O-Rings ..........30 Inspection and Replacement of the Tritech Bulkhead Connector O-Rings ....31 Shipping Information ......................33 Commodity Code ......................33 ECCN Number ........................

  • Page 5: Warning Symbols

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Warning Symbols Throughout this manual the following symbols may be used where applicable to denote any particular hazards or areas which should be given special attention: Note This symbol highlights anything which would be of particular interest to the reader or provides extra information outside of the current topic.

  • Page 6: Help & Support

    Under no circumstances should a product be returned that is contaminated with radioactive material. The name of the organisation which purchased the system is held on record at Tritech International Ltd and details of new software or hardware packages will be announced at regular intervals.

  • Page 7: Introduction

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Introduction Tritech’s latest Digital Precision Altimeter MKII offers a host of additional features along with the existing range of available connector and output options. Utilising Tritechs proprietary signal processing engine to provide millimetre accuracy, the devices now features an inclinometer that can compensate for attitude change on altimeter measurements in realtime.

  • Page 8: Technical Specifications

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Technical Specifications reserves the right to change, modify and update Tritech International Ltd designs and specifications as part of their ongoing product development program. The standard T 6-pin connector is rated to a maximum ritech International Ltd depth of 4000m, any deep rated altimeters (up to 6800m) will be fitted with different connectors.

  • Page 9: Right Angle Delrin, Aluminium 700M - 4000M

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Right Angle Delrin, Aluminium 700m - 4000m The transducer endcap on a right angle altimeter is made from ABS regardless of the body material. Straight BHXM 4000m - 6800m Straight XSG-X-BCL 700m - 4000m - 6800m...

  • Page 10: Straight Mcbhxm 700M - 4000M - 6800M

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Straight MCBHXM 700m - 4000m - 6800m Specifications Acoustic PA200 PA500 Operating 200 kHz 500 kHz Frequency Beamwidth 20° conical 6 ° conical Peak Source 187 dB re 1 µPa @ 1 m 197 dB re 1 µPa @ 1 m Pulse Length 300 µs...

  • Page 11: Connector Specifications

    Connector specifications Standard altimeters up to 4000m depth rating are fitted with Tritech International Ltd 6-pin connectors and are the most common variant of altimeter supplied by Tritech International Ltd. There are a large variety of options available in terms of connectors and it is outwith the scope of this manual to cover every configuration possible.

  • Page 12: Installation

    Tritech double ended connector. This Allows for easier connectivity to other Tritech products. For the RS232 signal for on the Altimeter MKII the baud rate range is 2400 – 115200. The cable length limit for a 115200 baud altimeter is 15m.

  • Page 13: Standard Pin-Out Diagrams

    The power supply to the altimeter should be turned off before making a physical connection. The Altimeter MKII can operate in RS232, RS485 serial mode, analogue mode and as a current loop device. Analogue and serial modes can run on the same device with the analogue output signal on Pin 5.

  • Page 14: Rs485

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual RS485 Function Wire Colour RS485 A Yellow RS485 B Blue + V DC Black Analogue Ground Analogue Output Green (optional) Chassis Ground Cable screen Tritech Waterblock Current Loop (4-20mA) Function Wire Colour + Current Loop Yellow...

  • Page 15: Example Test Cables

    Example Test Cables Some examples of test cabling wiring are show in this section to highlight the change in pinouts when an analogue voltage output is enabled. With the analogue disabled the Altimeter MKII has a more traditional RS232 ground arrangement.
  • Page 16 Altimeter MKII Product Manual RS232 & RS485 with Analogue Tritech Connector DB9 Connector (face view) Banana Cable Plugs Signal Colour Yellow RS232 Tx / RS485 A Blue RS232 Rx / RS485 B +V DC Black -VDC Black RS232 Green Analogue...

  • Page 17: Mechanical Installation

    If metallic clamps are used they should be electrically insulated from the Altimeter MKII by means of rubber or plastic strips or mount brackets of at least 3mm thickness and extending at least 3mm beyond the clamp boundary. They should also be painted or lacquered with at least three coatings.

  • Page 18: Operation

    Help & Support section. Beam Coverage and Range The Altimeter MKII will post an altitude for the first valid return that it receives. The wider the beam angle then the more coverage the altimeter has. This means that if the bottom is undulating then it will pick up the first return which could lead to some variation in readings.
  • Page 19 Altimeter MKII Product Manual Beam Pattern vs Range Footprint Diameter Range PA500 PA200 10.6 14.1 17.6 24.7 35.3 An example of a pitch affecting a PA200 altitude readings 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 19 of 61...

  • Page 20: Output Formats

    The serial output is either interrogated (i.e the software asks for a response) or is freerunning and will continuously send out acoustic pulses and supply the output from the Altimeter MKII to the connected computer even if the software is not running. The output is an ASCII data string terminated with a carriage return and line feed (<CR><LF>) and can be in one of the...
  • Page 21 In free running mode the unit will start to output data immediately upon power up (the data rate is about 10Hz for a PA500 or 7Hz for a PA200). If the Altimeter MKII has been set to interrogate mode it will not output data until the interrogate command (Z) is received, at which point a single data string is transmitted to the surface computer.

  • Page 22: Accelerometer

    Unlike a Motion Reference unit, the accelerometer measures the tilt with respect to gravity so there is no direction (tilt, yaw). This has the advantage that they Altimeter MKII can be mounted with any rotational offset.

  • Page 23: Serial, Ttl And 4-20Ma

    When the instrument is operating in ‘4-20mA Current Loop’, the instrument can only be reconfigured if its switched back into Serial Mode. The internals of the Altimeter MKII are electrostacitally sensitive. Antistatic precautions should be in place whilst the unit is open and the boards are handled.

  • Page 24: Ttl Mode Startup Operation

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual TTL Mode Startup Operation 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 24 of 61...

  • Page 25: 4-20Ma

    INT PCB moved to the 4- 20mA position. This moves the unit to 4-20mA only operation. The 4-20mA on the Altimeter MKII is driven from the power supply within the altimeter rather than loop powered from the 4-20mA circuit 0715-SOM-00002-01...

  • Page 26: Default Communication Settings

    This is the mode the instrument will return to should Switch 2 on S1 (Comms def) on the DSP PCB be operated to reset the communications. The process for resetting the comms is 1. Power down the Altimeter MKII. 2. Move SW2 on S1 to the ON position.

  • Page 27: Fault Finding

    These are basic checks to ensure that the unit is powered up and in a ready mode. The PCB stack within the Altimeter MKII is electrostacitally sensitive. Antistatic precautions should be in place whilst the unit is open and the boards are handled.

  • Page 28: Maintenance Procedure

    Body Tube when assembled. A smaller O-ring seals between the top face of the End Cap and the bottom of the Tritech Bulkhead Connector. These three O-rings provide the pressure seal for the instrument and protect the electronics assembly from water ingress.

  • Page 29: Pre Deployment Checks

    All procedures should be read and fully understood prior to the start of any inspection or maintenance activities. Tritech recommend the following as best practice: The unit be cleaned, inspected for any damage or water ingress and the O-ring seals replaced on the main Body Tube threads and Bulkhead Connector every 12 months.

  • Page 30: Inspection And Replacement Of The Body Tube O-Rings

    Before assembly ensure that all parts are free of any debris, clean and completely dry. To ensure the minimum amount of moisture is trapped inside the unit after assembly Tritech recommend the assembly be carried out in a warm and dry environment if possible.

  • Page 31: Inspection And Replacement Of The Tritech Bulkhead Connector O-Rings

    Note the location of the green O-ring on the bottom of the Bulkhead Connector The above photos show the full assembly of the Tritech Bulkhead Connector. The M4 socket head set screws that attach the connector to the Altimeter End Cap are shown by arrows. It is not necessary to remove the metal ring from the Bulkhead Connector during routine inspection or field service.
  • Page 32 Altimeter MKII Product Manual Place the Tritech Water-Block in the correct orientation to line up the electrical contacts and secure by tightening the four set screws under the threaded holes in the metal connector ring. The set screws should be tightened half a turn (180 deg) at a time around the four screws until fully secured.

  • Page 33: Shipping Information

    UNITED KINGDOM Licence The Tritech PA Altimeter range are not licensable. Declaration of Conformity All up to date Declarations of Conformity can be found on the Tritech website under the Resources section of Support https://www.tritech.co.uk/support/resources 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 33 of 61...

  • Page 34: Appendix A - Serviceable Parts List

    The internals of the Altimeter MKII are electrostacitally sensitive. Antistatic precautions should be in place whilst the unit is open and the boards are handled. This is a basic parts list to aid with the maintenance and upkeep of the Altimeter MKII. Item Part...
  • Page 35 Altimeter MKII Product Manual The transducer o-ring (Item 16) is not recommended to be replaced unless during a service at Tritech International or a Tritech Service Centre. 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 35 of 61...

  • Page 36: Appendix B - Mk3 Comms

    Appendix B – MK3 Comms MK3 Comms Operation In order to change the settings or run scanline data for the Altimeter MKII then you first need to place the unit into MK3MODE. This is done by sending the ASCII string MK3MODE<LF>...

  • Page 37: Mk3 Comms Flowchart

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual MK3 Comms Flowchart 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 37 of 61...

  • Page 38: Command And Responses

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Command and Responses Command Encoding The MK3 comms commands use standard ASCII formatted encoding and are NOT case- sensitive. Command Structure The instrument is addressed using terminal-style commands, with global commands structured as follows: COMMAND [OPERATION] [VALUE]...
  • Page 39 Altimeter MKII Product Manual Any command response that contains encoded data will use the following delimiter characters at the start and end of the data-block: “ ” – These are used to contain string data which contains spaces [ ] – These are used to denote data that is Base64 encoded Commands are finalised by applying a line-feed (<LF>...

  • Page 40: Configuration Commands

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Configuration Commands Communication Parameters COMMS PARAMS is the command to change the output settings for the altimeter. Adding in a GET will return the settings held within the unit and adding a SET after params with the commands listed below will set the option.
  • Page 41 Altimeter MKII Product Manual COMMS PARAMS Command Options Description RS232 Sets RS232 as the comms protocol PHYMODE RS485 Sets RS485 as the comms protocol TTLTRIG Sets the altimeter trigger on a TTL pulse xx.xxm<CR><LF> xx.xxxm<CR><LF> xxx.xxm<CR><LF> xxx.xxxm<CR><LF> BATHY Bathy output format...
  • Page 42 Altimeter MKII Product Manual A COMMS SAVE command is requires before REBOOT to make the settings persistent in the altimeter memory. In TTL mode the unit will wait for 5 seconds before it starts waiting for TTL. In this 5 seconds the altimeter comms are RS232 with the RS232 ground on 0Vdc.

  • Page 43: Speed Of Sound

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Speed of Sound The speed of sound for the altimeter is controlled under the SOS command. Adding in a GET will return the settings held within the unit and adding a SET after params with the commands listed below will set the option. Even sending just a SOS to the altimeter will assume a GET and reply.

  • Page 44: Analogue Output

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Analogue Output The analogue output settings for the altimeter as controlled under the ANAOUT command. Adding in a GET will return the settings held within the unit and adding a SET after params with the commands listed below will set the option. Even sending just a ANAOUT PARAMS the altimeter will assume a GET and reply.
  • Page 45 Altimeter MKII Product Manual Example 2 You want to switch the analogue output on then set it to 10 Vdc range scaled over 25m and check it is set correctly. Send ANAOUT PARAMS RANGESCALE=25000 VOLTAGESCALE=10V ENABLE=TRUE<LF> Recieve ANAOUT PARAMS RANGESCALE=25000 VOLTAGESCALE=10V ENABLE=TRUE<LF>...

  • Page 46: Max No Echo

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Max No Echo The Max not Echo settings for the altimeter are set with the ECHO command. Adding in a GET will return the settings held within the unit and adding a SET after params with the commands listed below will set the option.
  • Page 47 Altimeter MKII Product Manual Example 1 You want to set the altimeter to free run at a rate of 1Hz. Send ECHO PARAMS SET INTERVAL=1000<LF> Receive ECHO PARAMS SET INTERVAL=1000<LF> Send SAVE<LF> Receive SAVE OK<LF> 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 47 of 61...

  • Page 48: Scanline Data

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Scanline Data When in MK3MODE you can request Scanline data. You would first need use the ECHO PARAMS to setup the altimeter and the ECHO PING to request a Scanline ping from the unit. Echosounder Operational Parameters (ECHO PARAMS) This command allows programming or retrieval of the echosounder acoustic and signal processing operational parameters for the instrument.

  • Page 49: Echosounder Ping (Echo Ping)

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Echosounder Ping (ECHO PING) This command will cause the instrument to complete an acoustic ping. The response from this command will include Scanline data. This is dependent on the Echo operational parameter SCANDATAEN=TRUE and the Accelerometer operational parameter INCLINATIONEN=TRUE.

  • Page 50: Accelerometer Parameters (Accel Params)

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual ECHO PING example BASE64 In the example below you can see the data back shows an 0.7 m serial detect at an inclination of 0.5°. There are 244 8-bit bins of BASE64. The BASE64 data is contained within square brackets [ ].

  • Page 51: Terminal Programs

    It is recommended that in puTTY that you put the local echo on so that you see the characters that you are typing into the software as well as checking how you paste into the terminal window. The Altimeter MKII uses a <LF> as the terminator and so selecting this will allow you to use a <CR>...
  • Page 52 When the unit is in RS232 mode and set to MK3 comms the Altimeter MKII will post alive messages. This makes it more challenging to change the settings as the sent ASCII messages are then within the received text.

  • Page 53: Realterm

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Realterm This has been written using Realterm release 2.0.0.70. Realterm allows for packet data sending and also allows you to have a second packet so that you can have multiple commands sitting ready to go. The [Send] tab is where you can send the data. Make sure that for each line you use there is a <LF>...

  • Page 54: Appendix C - Addressable Altimeter

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Appendix C – Addressable Altimeter The Altimeter MKII may be set up addressable using a single character ASCII address in the range A to H. The ASCII address is set using the MK3COMMS text based code. When a unit is set as an ASCII addressable unit there are less formatting options available than on a standard altimeter.

  • Page 55: Appendix D - Cabling

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Appendix D – Cabling S00761 1M - Tritech V1 Straight Connector, 1 Metre tail 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 55 of 61...
  • Page 56 Altimeter MKII Product Manual S00344 1M - Tritech V1 R/A Connector, 1 Metre tail 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 56 of 61...
  • Page 57 Altimeter MKII Product Manual S02015 - ST Sonar U/W Cable 7mm Diameter 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 57 of 61...
  • Page 58 S02015 Cable specs Voltage rating 600V Resistance @ 20°C 57Ω/km Bend Radius Static 22.5mm minimum Dynamic 35.5mm minimum For a 12V Altimeter MKII with a 12V supply voltage the maximum S0215 cable length is 26m. 0715-SOM-00002-01 Page 58 of 61...

  • Page 59: Appendix E - Frequently Asked Questions

    Output section of Appendix B – MK3 Comms. How do I know the range of my Altimeter MKII, is it a 10m. 50m or 100m unit? There is a model distinction which classifies units to either 10-50m as in the PA500 or 50- 100m in the PA200.
  • Page 60 Altimeter MKII Product Manual From there the settings will be displayed on the bodytube of the altimeter on the label. If the labels had been removed it can be checked using the Communication Parameters. What is MNE and ZNE? This stands for Max No Echo and Zero No Echo respectively.

  • Page 61: Appendix F - Firmware Versions

    Altimeter MKII Product Manual Appendix F – Firmware Versions Details on the different firmware versions for the Altimeter MKII. This is a general overview and does not go into the details of the firmware changes. The Genesis software packages handles the firmware update procedure.