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STRATABOX 

 

Operations and Maintenance Manual 

INSTALLATION 2-9 

©

2006 SyQwest Incorporated 

 

CAUTION:  Never pull, carry or hold the transducer by the cable as this may sever 

internal connections. 

 
Installation Procedure: 

 

1.   Apply silicone grease or petroleum jelly to the threads of the pipe to facilitate later disassembly. 
2.   Twist the pipe coupling onto the pipe. 
3.   Push the transducer cable through the pipe. Alternately after the transducer is attached, clamp the 

cable to the outside of the pipe using cable clamps. 

4.   Apply silicone grease or petroleum jelly to the transducer stem.  Insure that the grease does not smear 

the face of the transducer. 

5.   Attach 2 lines or cables to the Transducer Mounting Assembly.  These lines or cables will support the 

pipe from the force of the water when the boat is underway. 

6.   Attach the Pipe Clamp(s) near the end of the 4x4 insuring that there is enough clearance for the 

transducer to hang over the side of the vessel. 

7.   Place the 4x4 across the beam of the vessel near the stern and fasten it to the gunnels with the C 

Clamps.  Use the Protective Pads or Carpet Remnants to protect the gunnels of the vessel.  Insure that 
the 2 foot extra length of the 4x4 extends beyond the beam of the vessel on the appropriate side and 
that the Pipe Clamp(s) attached to the 4x4 are on the extra length as well. 

8.   Attach the Transducer/Pipe Assembly to the 4x4 using the Pipe Clamps.  Insure that the transducer is 

deep enough into the water that sea conditions will not cause the transducer to get to the surface. 

9.   Fasten the line(s) or cable(s) fore and aft with sufficient tension to support the pipe when the boat is 

underway. 

 
10. Route the cable to the instrument being careful not to tear the cable jacket.  To reduce electrical 

interference, separate the transducer cable from other electrical wiring.  Coil any excess cable and 
secure it in a place with zip-ties to prevent damage. 

 

Portable Transducer Maintenance 

Aquatic growth can accumulate rapidly on the transducer's surface reducing its performance in weeks. 
Clean the surface, keeping it free of marine growth and petroleum residue, with a soft cloth and mild 
household detergent. Inspect the cable periodically for kinks, abrasions and cuts. Repair any damage 
using an approved waterproofing cable repair system. Inspect connections for indications of corrosion. 

 

 WARNING: NEVER USE SOLVENTS!   
             Certain cleaners, gasoline, paint, sealants and other products may contain strong 

solvents, such as acetone, which can attack many plastics dramatically reducing 
their strength. Clean surface of transducer with a mild detergent only. 

 

Permanent Transducer Installation  

For some applications it may be necessary and/or convenient to mount the StrataBox Transducer 
permanently in the hull of the vessel.  Due to the construction of the StrataBox Transducer it may NOT be 
directly affixed to the hull of the vessel.  A Seachest Installation is required.  Guidelines for performing a 
Seachest installation are described in the following sections. 

Summary of Contents for StrataBox

Page 1: ...Precision Seafloor Exploration StrataBox Marine Geophysical Instrument Installation Operation Maintenance ver 08 25 06a 222 Metro Center Blvd Warwick Rhode Island 02886 Tel 401 921 5170 FAX 401 921 51...

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ...that the digitizer does not lock on a transmit reverberation or a 2nd echo return The Bottom Gate Limit values for Shallow and Deep limits are entered in the selected units Feet or Meters and the Enab...

Page 4: ...e is enabled If this box is NOT checked only Normal data is stored when recording is enabled The SEGY storage of Zoom data provides higher resolution in proportion to the Zoom and Normal window Depth...

Page 5: ...een proven to work very well for this application USB to serial adapters generally aren t good for seamless bidirectional serial communication and we try to discourage their use Some customers have ha...

Page 6: ...to the C Program Files SyQwest StrataBox Firmware 10kHz directory and copy the StrataFW hex file and place it into the Stratabox directory 5 Then power on your Stratabox the software will then prompt...

Page 7: ...on the DSP 6 When the update is completed cycle power on the Stratabox 3510 and you should see a flashing green light 7 Turn on the Stratabox software and click Help About and it should say Firmware 4...

Page 8: ...COM port Windows assigned for connector A 4 In Stratabox software select EDIT from taskbar then Configure NMEA I O Select COM port Windows assigned for connector B Select Baud rate Data bits Stop bit...

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Page 11: ...3 Installing the StrataBox Transducer 2 5 2 1 4 Electrical Connections 2 11 2 2 STRATABOX PC SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 2 14 3 0 OPERATION 3 1 3 1 STRATABOX PC SOFTWARE 3 1 3 1 1 The Main Window 3 1 3 1 2...

Page 12: ...2 7 Figure 2 4 Over The Side Transducer Mounting 2 8 Figure 2 5 StrataBox Sensor Unit Connections 2 11 Figure 2 6 StrataBox Sensor Power Connector 2 12 Figure 2 7 StrataBox Sensor Data Connector 2 13...

Page 13: ...nfigure control and acquire data from the StrataBox Sensor device It will also include this manual in PDF format and any Release Notes that have been generated A hardcopy of the StrataBox Manual is al...

Page 14: ...an addition and a subtraction operation respectively Secondly for underwater acoustics the primary concern is ratios of power levels and signal levels rather than absolute numeric values Transducer ca...

Page 15: ...of sound energy in the oceans comes from three factors absorption scattering or reverberation and bottom loss Sound absorption takes place at two levels one absorption in the actual seawater medium a...

Page 16: ...s the ocean bottom In deep water this condition normally does not cause serious problem but in shallow water reverberation can happen multiple times causing high background signal levels i e the sound...

Page 17: ...ces and the current propagation conditions due to thermoclines and sea state Ocean traffic generally produces acoustic noise that is not within the frequency bandwidth of most navigational echo sounde...

Page 18: ...s of this transducer are the smaller lobes approximately 18 dB below the level of the main lobe Figure 1 2 Acoustic Beam Pattern The width of a beam is important for calculating how small an object th...

Page 19: ...rata Resolution 6 cm with 40 Meters of bottom penetration Depth Resolution 0 1 Feet 0 1 Meters Depth Accuracy 0 5 Speed of Sound 1500 Meters Second 4800 Feet Second Geographic Position NMEA 0183 GLL G...

Page 20: ...STRATABOX Operations And Maintenance Manual INTRODUCTION 1 8 2006 SyQwest Incorporated THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK...

Page 21: ...te and detailed instructions that will fit all installation possibilities Therefore this section will provide practical guidelines to assist the user in planning a typical installation of the StrataBo...

Page 22: ...n the unit to the factory the original carton and packing material should be used Verify that all parts described in the next section have been shipped with the unit Basic Equipment The following Tabl...

Page 23: ...convenient place on board the vessel Either way the appropriate location for the unit needs to be determined The following considerations should be investigated before deciding upon a location 1 User...

Page 24: ...n an area that won t be exposed to water if practical Mounting the Sensor Unit This section outlines the steps for mounting the Sensor Unit Refer to Figure 2 2 while installing The unit may be mounted...

Page 25: ...installing transducers in locations where the transducer will be subjected to turbulent water air bubbles or vibration The best clear water location on most vessels meeting these criteria is approxima...

Page 26: ...al cables Although the cable is shielded the acoustic reply from the transducer can be on the order of microvolts thus any cable crosstalk emissions can cause a decrease in acoustic sensitivity Handli...

Page 27: ...over the side pipe mount type This type of installation is achieved with the following list of materials Part Number Item Quantity P02590 StrataBox Transducer 1 P04462 StrataBox Transducer Mounting A...

Page 28: ...ations And Maintenance Manual Refer to Figure 2 4 below while reading and implementing the Installation procedure listed below Figure 2 4 Over The Side Transducer Mounting INSTALLATION 2 8 2006 SyQwes...

Page 29: ...ps Insure that the transducer is deep enough into the water that sea conditions will not cause the transducer to get to the surface 9 Fasten the line s or cable s fore and aft with sufficient tension...

Page 30: ...llow faster survey speeds however significant loss of subbottom performance may result due to the attenuation loss in the hull Locate the transducer where the hull is solid fiberglass resin to maximiz...

Page 31: ...interconnect for the system Figure 2 5 StrataBox Sensor Unit Connections Figure 2 5 shows the basic connections to the unit In all installations all of the connections must be made for the unit to fun...

Page 32: ...nt that the fuse is blown it should be replaced with a fuse of the same amperage Installing an incorrect fuse can result in damage or fire to the unit if it is not operating properly The Power Connect...

Page 33: ...he Data Interface Connector on the Sensor Unit is shown below in Figure 2 7 Figure 2 7 StrataBox Sensor Data Connector Transducer Connection The StrataBox transducer wiring is comprised of 2 cable sec...

Page 34: ...o the TDU in either Acquisition or Playback mode Figure 2 9 Printer Port The standard TDU Printer cable is provided with the printer and is 12 feet long and does not require any user wiring Installers...

Page 35: ...nd Sample Data for playback A Minimal installation will only install the StrataBox application Additionally you can choose Custom to manually select what you would like installed Click the next button...

Page 36: ...STRATABOX Operations And Maintenance Manual INSTALLATION 2 16 2006 SyQwest Incorporated THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK...

Page 37: ...n animated compass with heading marks in degrees GPS Position Time Date Ping Count available disk space for data storage and StrataBox Sensor status The Data field is located in the right portion of t...

Page 38: ...ecimal place in both Feet and Meters and is displayed in a large font to make viewing easier from a distance The depth value is updated once per ping and will show if the depth is not found or invalid...

Page 39: ...Depth is 40 0 meters Range is set to 0 80 meters BT Gain is set to 0 5 dB m DC Gain is set to 30 dB From 0 40 meters the total gain will remain 30 dB as set by the DC Gain control After 40 meters how...

Page 40: ...begun communicating Initializing The StrataBox software is handshaking with the Sensor to establish a reliable connection Idle A connection between the PC and the StrataBox Sensor has been established...

Page 41: ...clicking the left mouse button A window will appear containing the digital depth value in feet or meters depending on which has been selected This window may be conveniently moved anywhere on the scre...

Page 42: ...MM 2 digit Month DD 2 digits Days hh 2 digits for Hours mm 2 digits for Minutes ss 2 digits for Seconds odc ODEC s Proprietary File Extension NOTE Once recording is started this option will become St...

Page 43: ...hoose a format compatible with your GPS receiver Check your GPS manual for more information The Synchronize System Time to GPS Time option is provided as a means to synchronize the internal PC clock t...

Page 44: ...allows the StrataBox software to insert events at a specific interval depending on the number of minutes entered by the user While in periodic mode the user may still insert manual event marks in add...

Page 45: ...TDU 1200 and the TDU 2000 In addition to Enabling or Disabling the printer there are a number of other options available to the user These settings only affect the thermal printout not the on screen...

Page 46: ...e recording and playback options By selecting Playback files continuously the current playback file will repeat from the beginning when it reaches the end The StrataBox software stores recorded data f...

Page 47: ...or by simply clicking on the windows default close button 3 1 2 2 The Edit Menu Insert Event Mark Selecting this option will generate and insert a formatted event mark on the display in the recorded...

Page 48: ...nced zoom modes enabled When enabled two zoom bars will appear on the scalebar of the Normal Data window These bars can be dragged up or down in order to set the GUI zoom range Data displayed in GUI Z...

Page 49: ...e zoom range will begin This is accomplished by dragging the marker zoom bar up or down the normal view scalebar to the point you want the zoom range to begin The start of the zoom range can be observ...

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Page 51: ...taBox PC Software will detect this problem and notify the user Refer to Troubleshooting Section 4 4 If the Sensor passes these tests the green LED will blink at 1 Hz indicating that it s working and w...

Page 52: ...pdate The StrataBox PC Software is designed to automatically detect the presence of a firmware update file upon startup If the file is detected the user will be notified and asked whether the firmware...

Page 53: ...C Software Troubleshooting Symptom Possible Cause Solution Sensor State always shows Unknown PC Software not receiving communication from Sensor 1 Check connections between PC and Sensor 2 Make sure t...

Page 54: ...STRATABOX Operations And Maintenance Manual MAINTENANCE 4 4 2006 SyQwest Incorporated OPTIONAL EXTERNAL INTERFACE CONNECTIONS Figure 4 1 Optional Interface Connections END OF MANUAL...

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