ProCompass

SDI-12 Compass and Inclinometer Scienterra Limited

Version A-0x03-1 24 September 2008

For sales inquiries please contact: ENVCO Environmental Collective 31 Sandringham Rd Kingsland, Auckland 1024 New Zealand http://www.envco.co.nz/ For technical inquiries please contact: Scienterra Limited 225 Whiterocks Rd Oamaru 9492 New Zealand Phone: +64 3 434 9761

CONTENTS: 1 2 3 4 4.1 4.2 5 Purpose Wiring Product overview Description of operating modes SDI-12 Interface Direct to compass (via serial dongle) interface Specifications

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Scienterra ProCompass module is obtain heading, pitch, roll, and diagnostic temperature via an SDI-12 interface. Such an instrument is useful on buoys, vehicles, boats, rockets, and other non-stationary data logger installations. 2 WIRING:

Three wires connect each ProCompass to all other equipment present. RED WHITE BLACK 7-20 volts DC SDI-12 data Ground

PRODUCT OVERVIEW:

The ProCompass is built on the OS5000-S compass platform, by OceanServer. A small (25mm x 25mm) circuit board contains a solid-state, tilt-compensated compass and inclinometer. This board outputs serial data via an RS-232 interface. An additional circuit board is provided to convert the compass data to SDI-12 format. The ProCompass will function seamlessly with any logger that is compliant to SDI-12 protocol. See http://www.sdi-12.org/ for details on this protocol. As the compass draws a rather large current (29mA), power consumption is an issue. To overcome this, the power applied to the compass is cycled by the SDI-12 circuit board. When a measurement is required, the compass is powered up. In the time intervals between data points, the compass is turned off. This reduces power consumption by more than 90%. Note: The compass module should be mounted away from metallic objects and other items that distort the earths magnetic field.

DESCRIPTION OF OPERATING MODES:

The ProCompass is typically operated by connecting the three wires to an SDI-12 compatible data logger. The data logger must be configured to poll the ProCompass for data. This mode is described in detail in Section 4.1. To configure and test the OceanServer compass module, a small serial dongle is provided. This allows a serial port (RS232) of a computer to connect directly to the OS5000-S compass module. Knowledge of a communications program (Hyperterminal, TeraTerm, etc.) is assumed. This mode is described in detail in Section 4.2.

4.1 SDI-12 Interface

The ProCompass accepts the aM! command and the aC0! command, as described in the SDI-12 protocol. These commands might be transparent to the user, depending on the data logger being used. In detail, a typical data exchange would look like this: 0M! 00014<cr><lf> 0<cr><lf> 0D0! 0+358.9+12.4-2.1+18.4<cr><lf> address 0, start measurement address 0 here, will provide 4 values in 1 second address 0 here, ready to transmit data address 0, transmit data address 0 here, heading, pitch, roll, temperature

The aC0! data exchange differs only in that the service request (0<cr><lf>) is absent. Other supported SDI-12 commands are as follows: ?! Request address aI! Request identification aAn! Change address to n aXFn! Extended command, define frame count to be n The only command that is not standard is the aXFn! command. This defines the number of data frames before the reading is sent to the SDI-12 data logger. Empirical data shows that the first several data frames are inaccurate, because the compass has not been properly degaussed (see next section). Reliable results have been obtained by setting this variable to 6. A larger value ensures more stability, at the expense of time and power.

4.2

Direct to Compass (via Serial Dongle) Interface:

To connect to the compass module directly, it is possible to connect via a computer serial port. This mode is useful for testing, and to change the configuration of the compass module itself. The ProCompass has been tested using two freeware terminal emulator software packages, each running on both Windows XP and Vista operating systems. These freeware programs are downloadable from the following websites: Hyperterminal: http://www.hilgraeve.com/htpe/index.html Teraterm: http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html To connect, plug the serial dongle provided into a standard RS232 serial cable, and set the terminal emulator program to use the appropriate serial port: 19200 baud No parity 8 data bits 1 stop bit Disconnect the 3-way connector from the ProCompass interface circuit board, and plug the dongle into the connector as shown below. (All other connectors must remain connected as if the instrument and logger are deployed.)

Compass connected to SDI-12 interface pcb

Disconnect 3-pin connector

Attach serial dongle, supplied Now apply power to the system. When the data logger polls the ProCompass, the power to the compass module will turn on. Data will stream to the terminal screen. To enter a command, press the <esc> key, followed by the key code for the command you wish. Some useful commands are: <esc>S n Degauss every n data frames (set to 2) <esc>+ n Set temperature calibration offset (one-point calibration) <esc>R n Output rate (set to 12) <esc>D n Decimation filter (set to 3) <esc>Q n Declination (location specific: e.g. to set to 20.3 degrees East, enter 203) Note that the + and Q commands require the parameter to be multiplied by 10. For example, to enter a temperature calibration offset of 2.7 degrees, the user must enter 27 as the parameter. 6

Note also that the temperature reading is provided as a rough indication of instrument health. It is not meant to be used as a high-quality temperature measurement. This measurement varies widely (by 10 degrees or more,) depending on how long the instrument is kept active and powered-up. Therefore, the temperature calibration offset must be checked by using the SDI-12 logger, to best emulate the operation during deployment. Using the serial dongle to check the temperature calibration will result in poor agreement.

Further configuration: The preceding configuration commands are documented fully in the OS5000 manual, which is provided on CD-ROM, or available online at: http://www.ocean-server.com/download/OS5000_Compass_Manual.pdf This manual describes other compass settings that can be changed. For example, the compass can be calibrated to correct for local magnetic deflection by metal objects (hardiron and soft-iron compensation). The orientation of the compass data can be changed to suit the mounting constraints of the application. To tinker with these settings (and more), consult the OS5000 manual.

SPECIFICATIONS: Heading, pitch, roll, temperature 25 mm x 25 mm (compass) 15 mm x 65 mm (SDI-12 interface) <40 g 1 m, unless specified otherwise Serial RS232 DB9 female connector SDI-12, three tinned wires 0.5 degrees heading, 1 degree pitch/roll 0.1 degrees 7-20 VDC, 12V nominal 2.3 mA (31 mA during measurement) Operating temperature -40 to +80C; 10% to 90% humidity (non-condensing)

Data provided Dimensions Weight Cord length Configuration interface Data interface Accuracy Resolution Electrical requirements Power draw (@ 12 Vdc) Environmental conditions