Sams SIMBA User Manual

Snow and ice mass balance apparatus

Hide thumbs

Table Of Contents

Table of Contents

Quick Links

Download this manual

Revision:005

SIMBA Start Up Manual

APPROVED: 28NOV24

SAMS Enterprise Snow and Ice Mass

Balance Apparatus

(SIMBA)

User Manual

SAMS Enterprise Ltd

Document SIMBA_005 – 2024

Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone

Page 1 of 34

Table of Contents

Need help?

Do you have a question about the SIMBA and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Summary of Contents for Sams SIMBA

Page 1 APPROVED: 28NOV24 SAMS Enterprise Snow and Ice Mass Balance Apparatus (SIMBA) User Manual SAMS Enterprise Ltd Document SIMBA_005 – 2024 Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 1 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 2 This document was produced by SAMS Applied Marine Science Enterprise Limited, trading as SAMS Enterprise for its customer for the specific purpose of providing a user instruction manual for SIMBA units. This manual may not be used by any person other than SAMS Enterprise’s customer without SAMS Enterprise’s express permission.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Appendix A – EXAMPLE Paper References .............. 29 Appendix B- Standard construction for environmental purposes ......29 Appendix C – Manufacturer Battery Safety Data Sheet ........... 30 Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 3 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 4: Introduction
Balance Apparatus (SIMBA). SIMBA has been sold by SAMS Enterprise to you under the Terms and Conditions for supply of SIMBA, where these refer to ‘user manual’ this means this document and its content. Failure by you to follow the instructions and guidance provided within this document may invalidate any warranties and/or indemnities provided to you under the Terms and Conditions for supply of SIMBA.
Page 5 Revision:005 SIMBA Start Up Manual APPROVED: 28NOV24 Figure 1: SIMBA unit prior to dispatch. The thermistor chain is shipped in the box in the lid. Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 5 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 6: Document Purpose
Document Purpose 1.2.1 This is a detailed manual for all aspects of the SIMBA unit and its operation, including how to configure, deploy and troubleshoot the SIMBA unit. Please also refer to the deployment quick guide on the unit plate. It is strongly recommended to inform SAMS Enterprise in advance of deployment in order for the most effective support be provided and to ensure the unit is ready for operation.
Page 7: General Safety Information & Warnings
We strongly advise against removing the SIMBA lid unless performed by a competent electrical engineer following advice from the SIMBA team. If you are removing the unit plate please only do so inside to prevent electronics getting wet due to inclement weather. Do not touch the battery cabling and connectors with wet hands.
Page 8 The information contained here has been compiled from sources considered by SAMS Enterprise to be dependable and is accurate to the best of the company’s knowledge. It is not meant to be an all-inclusive document on safe working practices when using this device and users must evaluate the conditions of use and design the appropriate protective mechanisms to prevent injury or damage.
Page 9: Definitions
The central core of the SIMBA product, which controls/processes all functions. Iridium satellite network The network of satellites which enables communication between the SDB modem in the SIMBA unit, via the airtime provider to the data recipient/user. Real Time Clock (RTC) A time/date clock built into the SIMBA system...
Page 10: Simba Unit Capabilities
2cm and heaters on each sensor can be switched on to warm the sensors, which allows for other information to be gleaned from temperature readings. Alternative options are available for thermistor spacing and chain lengths. The SIMBA unit is able to run two chains plugged into a single unit.
Page 11 2.2.2 Please follow the quick guide printed on the SIMBA unit plate below: Figure 3: Images of the SIMBA unit plate (please note the GSM SIM is currently not offered) 2.2.3 Ensure your iridium modem is activated by getting in touch with us at SIMBA@sams-enterprise.com...
Page 13: Temperature Profiles
°C. Due to limits of the Iridium SBD system the profile is sent in two parts for a 240 sensor standard length and spaced chain (5 metre length, 2 cm spacing between thermistors) but the server at SAMS Enterprise will combine these when both parts are received. Data will be labelled according to the number of chains connected to the device and into which connector (ie chain 1 and chain 2).
Page 14 (i.e. cumulative) and not measured from time 0. A value of 0 for an HST value indicates no sample is taken (i.e. it is at the same point in time as the previous sample). Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 14 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 15: Gps Receiver
Note: HST2 and subsequent values must be greater than the time required to read the chain. In the case of a std 240sensor chain that is 15 seconds. If you wish to configure the heating cycle it is highly recommended to consult with the SAMS Enterprise technical team.
Page 16: Magnetometer, Accelerometer And Barometer
Unit Status and Configuration 2.7.1 The SIMBA unit will periodically send a status message via iridium (by default this is at power-up/reset then once per week). This message will show values of configuration variables, voltages of battery and internal supplies and counts of error/exception occurrences. A status message is also sent after a remote configuration file is sent.
Page 17: Iridium System
2.8.4 Note: the system is designed for use with mobile phone modems, however this is not yet available so the modem plug on the SIMBA unit plate is currently NOT in use and the unit will communicate with Iridium ONLY.
Page 18: Power Usage And Battery Life
2 chains, will impact the power usage significantly. 2.10 Useful References The following reference provides details on the development of the SIMBA unit: Jackson, K., Wilkinson, J., Maksym, T., Meldrum, D., Beckers, J., Haas, C., MacKenzie, D. (2013) A Novel and Low-Cost Sea Ice Mass Balance Buoy.
Page 19: Data Transfer
Enterprise, who can manage airtime supply on the customers/users behalf. 3.2.2 IMPORTANT: even if there is no active airtime contract the Simba unit will still send data and appear to work BUT the data will not be sent by email it will be will be lost.
Page 20 SIMBA Start Up Manual APPROVED: 28NOV24 Figure 6: When the web interface option is provided by SAMS Enterprise, emails with the data files attached from the SIMBA unit are automatically collected, decoded and archived on the SAMS Enterprise servers, and made available as comma separated values (CSV) files. The CSV data files can be accessed via the disk symbols at the far-right side of each line.
Page 21: Sd Card Data Transfer
The SD flash card (on the controller board) is used mainly for data logging and log file retention. The SD card can also be used to reconfigure the SIMBA unit (see below). Data is acquired and logged to the card via single logfile to record all events and exceptions. Data is date and time stamped and stored as a string of ASCII floating point numbers.
Page 22 A clear view of the sky for GPS (transmission may be possible near a window or antenna / repeater system), 3.5.3 Once in place, connect the computer to the SIMBA USB-C and then power up the SIMBA unit and use device manager (or similar) to identify COM port to set within PuTTY. 3.5.4 For any terminal program the serial port setup must be set correctly.
Page 23: Deployment Guide
Test programs - the test routines are not designed for end-user use but may be used under the direction of SAMS Enterprise to assist with debugging a problem. Changes to the test routine outside our guidance will invalidate any warranty and could potentially fatally damage the SIMBA unit.
Page 24: Deployment Guide
There has been an eyewitness account of a bear damaging a deployment and evidence of badly chewed cables been seen on some recovered units that failed in the field although we believe due to its low profile, Simba is less prone to attack. Penguins however have not been reported as a problem! 4.2.3.6...
Page 25: Power Up And Fault Codes
If the errors are confirmed during the power-up operation the following steps can be applied: 5.1.12.1 Go back through all the earlier steps, and check connections, etc – also noting that the quick start deployment guide is provided on the plate of the SIMBA Unit (check those steps). Reset the unit.
Page 26 Exceptions in the Iridium system are recorded and noted. These are common as the satellites move in and out of range or other network issues arise. These generally indicate a transmission failed but the data is held in a buffer in the SIMBA unit to be transmitted at the next opportunity.
Page 27 May indicate GPS issue if persistent after reset. Chain sensor count Chain exceeds Max No. of Sensors 290 -Contact SAMS Ent > Max No Mag Response Magnetometer no response – Hardware fault, contact SAMS Ent.
Page 28 Undefined error code Undefined error code Undefined error code Undefined error code Undefined error code Undefined error code Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 28 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 29: Appendix A - Example Paper References
Copper core, rubber sheath 800 g Weight Steel 1 kg Lead-free components and solder are used for electronic construction throughout. Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 29 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 30: Appendix C - Manufacturer Battery Safety Data Sheet
PX76/A76/76A (LR44), PX28, PX625, (LR9), 186 (LR43), 191/LR1130 (LR54), N (LR1), J (4LR61), 4.5V, 625A Physical Descriptions (IEC Lanterns: MN903, MN908, MN915, MN918; MN1203 Designations) AIS-ALK 1 of 5 Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 30 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 31 2-Reasonably foreseeable misuse: Incorrect installation, external short-circuit, free fall (user- drop), over-discharge, and crush 3-Design consideration: Thermal abuse, mold stress AIS-ALK 2 of 5 Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 31 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 32 Technical Instructions, IMDG Code, UN Model Regulations, U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR), and UNECE ADR. UN Identification Number/ None - Not Required Shipping Name AIS-ALK 3 of 5 Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 32 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Page 33 SHVC list affects the assessment herein. EU REACH Article 31 SDS is not required for consumer alkaline batteries. AIS-ALK 4 of 5 Created By: Phillip Thompson, Mark Hart and Craig Livingstone Page 33 of 34 Copyright © SAMS Enterprise. All rights reserved.