D
IGITAL
C
ONTROL
I
NCORPORATED
DigiTrak
®
F5
®
SST
®
Operator’s Manual
12
System Components
The F5 SST guidance system consists of the following main components, which are described in this
section:
SST transmitter
– A cable transmitter with an internal compass; requires protective magnetic
shield.
F5 SST receiver
– An F5 receiver upgraded with the SST capability.
SST remote display
– A multi-function remote display (DigiTrak FSD or MFD) with SST capability.
Multi-function cable box (MFCB)
– An interface unit that connects all hard-wired system com-
ponents, including the SST transmitter, remote display, computer, and power source.
Laptop computer with LWD software
– A dedicated computer with LWD software preinstalled and
ready to use.
In addition, some equipment, tooling, and specialty items are required for use with the SST system but
are not provided by DCI. These items are identified and described at the end of this section.
SST Transmitter with Magnetic Shield
The SST transmitter is similar to the standard cable transmitter except that it also provides heading
information and requires special non-magnetic shielding and a non-magnetic housing. The heading
information, in addition to the pitch and roll data, enables the drill operator to determine the SST
transmitter’s position and orientation, and thus allows steering of the tool.
The SST transmitter provides heading and pitch updates every 1.3 seconds and roll updates more than 3
times per second. The SST transmitter has a repairable end cap assembly; two spare assemblies are
provided with the transmitter so that the cable lead and end cap components can be replaced or rebuilt as
needed (see Appendix B).
Because the SST transmitter is a magnetic-sensitive device, it needs to be kept away from all magnetic
sources. A protective magnetic shield, which is essentially a copper sleeve, is provided with the SST
transmitter. The magnetic shield should be placed on the end of the SST transmitter at all times when the
transmitter is not in use.
SST Transmitter and Protective Magnetic Shield
White wire
to cable box
Magnetic shield
SST transmitter