3 – System Set-up
3.1 Interconnections
The procedure for setting up the MicroEel, DHA-7/MicroEel Battery Pack, and
seismograph interconnections is as follows.
1)
With the battery pack power switch in the OFF position, connect the deck cable to
the tow cable and the 4-pin power connector on the deck cable to the 4-socket
power connector on the battery pack.
2)
Move the battery pack power switch to the ON position. The CURRENT and
VOLTAGE meters will turn on and indicate the status of the batteries.
Toggle the +/- switch next to the CURRENT meter to measure the battery draw
for each polarity. Each current measurement should read approximately 130 mA
for a 12-channel streamer and 260 mA for a 24-channel streamer.
Next, toggle the +/- switch next to the VOLTAGE meter to measure the battery
potential for each polarity. The voltage should read from 11.8V DC to 13.4V DC
for each battery.
The streamer will operate with a minimum voltage of
approximately 10.8V DC depending in the length of the cable lead. Recharge the
battery pack (see Section 3.3) immediately when the minimum permissible
voltage is reached.
3)
Connect the analog output connector on the deck cable to the seismograph and
check for incoming signal. It is also recommended that the seismograph gain be
set to the lowest possible setting.
For ideal testing conditions allowing optimal hydrophone response, it is
recommended that the streamer be in water with no direct contact with any solid
surface, such as the ground, other parts of the cable, etc.
3.2
Deployment
Most MicroEel streamers are easily deployed by hand or a small winch may be desired.
Avoid rubbing the tow cable jacket and active section flotation material on sharp or rough
edges.
The MicroEel is designed to be neutrally buoyant in fresh water. Depending on the water
salinity, weight may need to be added to the streamer. This is easily done with sheet lead
(Ames 4#, 4 by 36 by 1/16-inches thick, or similar) and brown friction seawater
(Bulldog) tape (2-inches thick, or similar) (Figure 9). If it is determined that the streamer
is too buoyant, at a minimum, weight should be added at the head, middle, and tail of the
active section. Simply use tin snips to cut sections of lead sheet to wrap around the
MicroEel Solid Analog Streamer Operation Manual
Page 13 of 18
Rev. C 050612 du
