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1.5
Power supply
The compass is compatible with any DC power supply of between 8 and 30 Vdc.
Typical supply current during operation is approx. 25mA. The compass is
protected against reversed polarity.
Note that the operation of the LED adds another 10mA and that during auto-
calibration the consumption can be as high as 60mA.
Care should be taken to make sure the compass is not situated too close to the
power supply, as it’s accuracy may be affected by either t
he iron in the mains
transformer, or by magnetic field ‘noise’ from a switching power supply. It is not
possible to cover all possible scenarios here, and it remains up to the user to
determine the suitability of a possible location for the compass.
Note that the output takes several seconds to stabilize after a power is applied;
the time taken depends on the damping settings. There is a command - see
section 5
–
which can be used to suppress the output after power-up.
1.6
Mounting
The compass is fixed to the chassis of the vessel or vehicle in the upright position
using the fixing holes shown in the data sheet. It does not matter which way it
faces as the azimuth can be set to North at any time the chassis is orientated
North. Alternatively if the azimuth of the chassis is known, then the compass
may be rotated before fixing to North using a protractor. S2 is then pressed and
then the compass can be mounted on the chassis.
