Aanderaa 4117 User manual

TD 302 OPERATING MANUAL
PRESSURE SENSOR 4117/4117R
TIDE SENSOR 5217/5217R
WAVE & TIDE SENSOR 5217/5217R
January 2014
PRESSURE SENSOR 4117/4117R
TIDE SENSOR 5217/5217R
WAVE AND TIDE SENSOR 5218/5218R

Page 2 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
1st Edition 30 June 2013 Preliminary
2nd Edition 05 September 2003 New version including general updates in text. Rebranded, Frame
Work 3 update, please refer Product change notification AADI
Document ID:DA-50009-01, Date: 09 December 2011
(ref Appendix 6 ).
3rd Edition 14 January 2014 New property “Installation Depth” added for Tide sensors,
effective version 8.1.1
© Copyright: Aanderaa Data Instruments AS

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218R Page 3
Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Purpose and scope................................................................................................................................................ 6
Document overview.............................................................................................................................................. 6
Applicable documents .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Abbreviations........................................................................................................................................................ 7
CHAPTER 1 Short description and specifications...................................................................................................... 8
1.1 Pin Configuration.......................................................................................................................................... 10
1.2 Pressure measurements for sensors 4117/4117R, 5217/5217R, 5218/5218R............................................ 11
1.3 Tide measurements for sensors 5217/5217R, 5218/5218R ........................................................................ 11
1.4 Wave measurements for sensor 5218/5218R ............................................................................................. 12
1.5 User accessible sensor properties................................................................................................................ 14
1.5.1 Sensor properties for Pressure sensor 4117/4117R ............................................................................ 14
1.5.2 Additional sensor properties for Tide Sensor 5217/5217R.................................................................. 16
1.5.3 Additional sensor properties for Wave and Tide Sensor 5218/5218R................................................. 17
1.6 Specifications ............................................................................................................................................... 17
1.7 Manufacturing and Quality Control ............................................................................................................. 18
CHAPTER 2 Measurement Principles and Parameters ........................................................................................... 19
2.1 Sensor Integrated Firmware......................................................................................................................... 19
2.2 Calculated parameters ................................................................................................................................. 20
2.3 Status codes ................................................................................................................................................. 21
2.4 Startup delay for calculated wave and tide parameters.............................................................................. 22
CHAPTER 3 Current drain........................................................................................................................................ 23
3.1 Pressure sensor 4117/4117R ....................................................................................................................... 23
3.2 Tide sensor 5217/5217R .............................................................................................................................. 24
3.3 Wave and Tide sensor 5218/5218R ............................................................................................................. 25
CHAPTER 4 Installation and deployment considerations ....................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER 5 Installation on SeaGuard ..................................................................................................................... 27
5.1 Installation on SeaGuard platform............................................................................................................... 27
5.2 Sensor Cable................................................................................................................................................. 29
5.3 Sensor Configuration Pressure sensor 4117 ................................................................................................ 29
5.3.1 System Configuration ........................................................................................................................... 29
5.3.2 Deployment Settings ............................................................................................................................ 30
5.3.3 User maintenance ................................................................................................................................ 30
5.4 Sensor Configuration Tide sensor 5217 ....................................................................................................... 32

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5.4.1 System configuration............................................................................................................................ 32
5.4.2 Deployment settings ............................................................................................................................ 33
5.4.3 User maintenance ................................................................................................................................ 33
5.5 Sensor Configuration Wave and Tide sensor 5218 ...................................................................................... 34
5.5.1 System configuration............................................................................................................................ 34
5.5.2 Deployment settings ............................................................................................................................ 35
5.5.3 User Maintenance ................................................................................................................................ 35
CHAPTER 6 Sensor configuration using AADI Real-Time Collector......................................................................... 38
CHAPTER 7 Connection to PC ................................................................................................................................. 42
7.1 Operation mode: AiCaP and Smart Sensor Terminal ................................................................................... 43
7.1.1 AiCaP sensors........................................................................................................................................ 43
7.1.2 R-version sensors.................................................................................................................................. 44
7.1.3 RS-422 transmission line ...................................................................................................................... 44
7.1.4 Polled mode.......................................................................................................................................... 45
7.1.5 Description of user configurable properties ........................................................................................ 46
7.1.6 Additional configuration of the Tide Sensor and Wave and Tide Sensor............................................. 47
7.2 Smart Sensor Terminal communication setup............................................................................................. 48
7.2.1 Polled Mode: ........................................................................................................................................ 48
7.2.2 Sensor startup ...................................................................................................................................... 48
7.2.3 Smart Sensor Terminal protocol........................................................................................................... 49
7.2.4 Passkey for write protection ................................................................................................................ 50
7.2.5 Save and Reset...................................................................................................................................... 51
7.2.6 Available commands............................................................................................................................. 52
7.2.7 The Get command ................................................................................................................................ 53
7.2.8 The Set command................................................................................................................................. 53
7.2.9 Formatting the output string................................................................................................................ 54
7.2.10 XML commands.................................................................................................................................. 55
7.3 Examples of Smart Sensor Terminal communication .................................................................................. 55
7.4 Scripting -sending a string of commands ..................................................................................................... 56
CHAPTER 8 Quality assurance, maintenance, calibration ...................................................................................... 57
8.1 Maintenance ................................................................................................................................................ 57
8.1.1 Maintenance procedure prior to every deployment ........................................................................... 57
8.2 Calibration .................................................................................................................................................... 57
8.3 Example of Test & Specification sheet and Calibration certificate .............................................................. 58
Appendix 1 Mechanical design of the sensors........................................................................................................ 60
Appendix 2 Sensor construction ............................................................................................................................. 61

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218R Page 5
Appendix 3 Calculating engineering values from raw data .................................................................................... 62
Appendix 4: Calculations of wave parameters (5218/5218R) ................................................................................ 64
Appendix 5 Illustations............................................................................................................................................ 73
Appendix 6 Product change notification: Frame Work3 ........................................................................................ 78

Page 6 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
Introduction
Purpose and scope
This document is intended to give the reader knowledge of how to operate and maintain the Aanderaa Pressure
Sensor 4117/4117R, Tide Sensor 5217/5217R and Wave and Tide Sensor 5218/5218R. These sensors are
described in a single manual since the measurement principle and the sensor housing is the same for all sensors.
Tide Sensor 5217 and Wave and Tide Sensor 5218 have extended capabilities compared to Pressure Sensor
4117.
It also aims to give insight into how the sensor works and how the pressure measurement can be converted to
depth.
With this revision Aanderaa is releasing a new firmware version to accommodate higher security and future
expansion. Both the Smart Sensor Terminal and the AADI Real Time protocols are updated in this version of the
Smart Sensor firmware.
AADI Smart Sensors utilize common communication protocols at the RS-232 and RS-422 interface where the
Smart Sensor Terminal protocol is a simple ASCII command string based protocol and the AADI Real Time is an
XML based protocol. The common updates of these protocols are called framework 3, and is released August
2012 for most of the AADI smart sensors. (See Appendix 6 )
Pressure Sensor 4117, Tide Sensor 5217 and Wave & Tide Sensor 5218 is designed to fit directly on the top-end
plate of SeaGuard or in a string system connected to SmartGuard or SeaGuard String logger using AiCaP. The
sensor can also be used as stand-alone sensor using RS-232. Pressure Sensor 4117R, Tide Sensor 5217R and
Wave & Tide Sensor 5218R are only RS-422 output and are intended for stand-alone use with longer cables than
can be used with the RS-232 version.
Document overview
Chapter 1 Short description of the sensors and lists the sensor properties
Chapter 2 Describes the measurement principles and the sensor output parameters
Chapter 3 Equations for calculating the sensor power consumption
Chapter 4 Common sensor installation and usage considerations
Chapter 5 SeaGuard applications; how to install and perform sensor configuration
Chapter 6 Sensor configuration using AADI Real-time Collector
Chapter 7 Procedure for Smart Sensor Terminal communication setup
Chapter 8 Recommended maintenance procedures and sensor calibration
Appendix 1 Mechanical design of the sensor
Appendix 2 Construction of the sensor
Appendix 3 How to calculate engineering data from measured raw data
Appendix 4 Wave Theory Primer regarding how wave parameters are calculated in the sensor
Appendix 5 Sensor power and communication cables
Appendix 6 Product Change Notification: Framework 3

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218R Page 7
Applicable documents
DID 50388 Assembly Drawing
V-8700 Sensor Cable 3855, Sensor to PC, Rs-232, laboratory use
V10501 Sensor Cable 4865, Sensor to PC, RS-232, field use
V-10488 Sensor Cable 4799, Sensor to PC, RS-422, field use
V-10331 Sensor Cable 4762, Sensor to free end, RS-232
V-10328 Sensor Cable 4763, Sensor to free end, RS-422
V-10388 Sensor Cable 4793, for remote sensor used on SeaGuard
Form 764 Test & Specification Sheet for 4117/4117R, 5217/5217R, 5218/5218R
Form 765 Calibration Certificate for 4117/4117R, 5217/5217R, 5218/5218R
D362 Data Sheet for Pressure Sensor 4117/4117R
D405 Data Sheet for Tide Sensor 5217/5217R
D407 Data Sheet for Wave and Tide Sensor 5218/5218R
TD 277 Calculation of current drain for the Pressure Sensor, Tide Sensor and Wave and Tide
Sensor.
Abbreviations
ADC
Analog to Digital Converter
AiCaP
Aanderaa Protocol: Automated idle Line CANbus Protocol
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange
CAN
Controller Area Network - sometimes referred to as CANbus
DSP
Digital Signal Processor
EPROM
Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
HCL
Hydrochloric acid (Muriatic acid)
MSB
Most significant bit
RTC
Real Time Clock
UART
Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
USB
Universal Serial Bus
WTS
Wave and Tide Sensor

Page 8 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
CHAPTER 1 Short description and specifications
In most measuring systems used in the sea, pressure is a vital parameter to derive other parameters like the
water density and the speed of sound. For deep water moorings the pressure can be used to determine the
actual depth of the instrument. For fixed installations on the seabed the pressure can be used for deriving the
water level and wave parameters.
The Pressure sensor, Tide sensor and the Wave and Tide sensor are compact yet intelligent sensors designed for
use on Aanderaa SeaGuard and SmartGuard as well as in other measuring systems. These sensors measure the
absolute pressure based on a silicon piezoresistive bridge. The pressure measurements are sampled and
temperature compensated by an advanced Digital Signal Processor. A temperature thermistor is located next to
the pressure bridge, Figure 1-1.
Since all calibration and raw data are stored inside the sensor, the parameters can be presented directly in
engineering units without any external calculations.
The output formats of the 4117, 5217, and 5218 are AiCaP and RS-232, while the output format of the 4117R,
5217R, and 5218R are RS-422. The sensors can be used in polled operation when set to Smart Sensor Terminal
mode.
The 4117, 5217, and 5218 version fits directly on to the top end plate of Aanderaa SeaGuard Platform. The
sensor is then used in AiCaP mode. When used with SmartGuard both AiCaP and RS-232 mode can be used. The
sensors may also be used as a stand-alone RS-232 sensor for other applications.
The R-versions (4117R, 5217R, and 5218R) cannot be used on a SeaGuard platform. This sensor is for use with
SmartGuard or as stand-alone RS-422 sensor on longer cables.
The first letter in the product number gives the maximum deployment depth for the sensor, refer datasheet for
more info.
IMPORTANT!
A 4117, 5217, and 5218 sensor cannot be made into an R-version, and a 4117R, 5217R, and 5218R sensor
cannot be made into a AiCaP or RS-232 sensor after delivery.

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218R Page 9
Figure 1-1 Illustration of sensor
Figure 1-2 Pin Configuration for 4117, 5217 and 5218 with AiCaP and RS-232
Figure 1-3 Pin Configuration for 4117R, 5217R and 5218R with RS-422

Page 10 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
1.1 Pin Configuration
The Pressure Sensor 4117,Tide Sensor 5217 and Wave & Tide Sensor 5218 pin configuration is given in Figure
1-2. Pressure Sensor 4117R, Tide Sensor 5217R and Wave & Tide Sensor 5218R pin configuration is given in
Figure 1-3. A description of the receptacle notation is given in Table 1–1.
Table 1-1 Description of the Pin Configuration
Signal Description
CAN_H CANbus line (dominant high)
NCG Node Communication Ground
NCR Node Communication Request
Gnd Ground
Positive supply 6-14V positive supply.
NCE Node Communication Enable
BOOT_EN Boot Load Enable (do not connect)
CAN_L CANbus line (dominant low)
RS-232 RXD RS-232 Receive line
RS-232 TXD RS-232 Transmit line
RS-422 TXD+ RS-422 Transmit signal+ (non-inverting output)
RS-422 TXD- RS-422 Transmit signal- (inverting output)
RS-422 RXD+ RS-422 Receive signal+ (non-inverting input)
RS-422 RXD- RS-422 Receive signal- (inverting output)
DNC Do Not Connect

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218RPage 11
1.2 Pressure measurements for sensors 4117/4117R, 5217/5217R, 5218/5218R
These sensors measure the absolute pressure at the installation depth. The 4117 sensor is a momentary /
instantaneous pressure measurement; the pressure is sampled at an update interval (output interval) from 1
second to 255 minutes (user configurable). The absolute pressure measured by the sensor is comprised by the
weight of the water column above the sensor (hydrostatic pressure), plus the atmospheric pressure at the sea
surface.
If the variation in the measured hydrostatic pressure is
dominated by surface waves and ocean swell, the Tide
sensor 5217/5217R and Wave & Tide sensor 5218/5218R
provide time averaged measurements, to compensate
for the dynamic water pressure variations seen by the
instrument at depth due to vertical movement of the sea
surface.
The sample set used to filter out waves is separate from
that used to calculate wave statistics. Refer chapter 1.3
for a description of the Tide sensor, and 1.4 for a
description of the Wave & Tide sensor
The main objective of the temperature reading is to
temperature-compensate the pressure reading. AADI
offers other sensors designed to measure the water
temperature more accurately if required.
1.3 Tide measurements for sensors 5217/5217R, 5218/5218R
Tide pressure measurements are an average of the sampled pressure time series measured over a user defined
time interval of 10 seconds to 8 minutes (user configurable average base), which filters out all but the longest or
low frequency dynamic variations of the water surface. The default sample rate is 2 Hz; the user can enable a
higher frequency sampling rate of 4 Hz.
The sensor update or output interval is user set from 1 second to 255 minutes. The tide parameter output value
will be sent as 0 in the beginning until the sensor has performed enough samples to satisfy the average base and
calculate the output value, refer chapter 2.4.
Figure 1-4 Illustration of the pressure
measurement situation.

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Note! The tide calculations are always based on the latest samples in time, so even though you specify a longer
averaging time, e.g. 8 minutes averaging, the computed value for tide will be calculated from a running sample
set and a new value sent as an output message at the 1s to 255minute interval according to your settings for the
output interval.
The sensor measures the pressure at the installation
depth. The tide pressure is the average of the measured
hydrostatic pressure, refer Eq. 1-1:
atm
P
gh
P+
= ρ
Eq. 1-1
Where Pis the measured averaged pressure,
ρ
is the
water density1, gis the local acceleration due to gravity,
and his the height of the water column.
The tide level above the sensor deployment depth is
calculated from Eq. 1-2:
0
h
g
PP
h
atm
−
−
=
ρ
Eq. 1-2
Where h0is the Installation Depth
Note! Patm, and g are sensor properties that must be set by
the user prior to deployment. The water density,
ρ , is
calculated from the measured water temperature and the
salinity2of the water. Pressure is set to 0. Salinity is set by
the user. If you can find precise values for the input
parameters at the deployment site, the sensor will
calculate the tide level more accurately.
If Patm can be measured at the site the tide level can be calculated more accurately by means of post processing.
The user of an R-version sensor can update the property Patm on request. Patm will not be presented together
with the measured data.
1.4 Wave measurements for sensor 5218/5218R
The wave measurements are calculated independent from tide and you may choose from 256, 512, 1024 or
2048 samples performed at a default rate of 2 Hz or a higher sample rate of 4 Hz (both settings are user
configurable). The pressure time series used to calculate wave statistics are therefore measured over a time
period of 64 seconds to 17 minutes (measuring time is the product of sample set size and sample frequency).
The wave parameters are calculated according to the linear wave theory, refer Appendix 4.
1Equation of state 1980 UNESCO polynomial implementation. Density calculated with pressure = 0.
2IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Vol. OE-5, No. 1, January 1980, page 14
Figure 1-5 Illustration of the tide measurement
situation.

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218RPage 13
The wave parameter output values will be 0 in the beginning of the recording until the sensor has performed
enough samples needed to calculate the wave statistics. When the sensor has sampled the required pressure
samples, all output parameters will be calculated and updated for each output interval. This means that the first
non-zero output from the sensor will be the smaller of the sample sets, i.e. tide pressure followed by wave
statistics.
Note! The wave calculations are always based on the latest sample values in the time series. The first set of
calculated parameters is presented sometime after the measurements start (at least 64 seconds), but the update
interval is according to your settings for the output interval.
Patm, and g are sensor properties that must be set by the user
prior to deployment. The water density,
ρ
3, is calculated
from the measured water temperature and the salinity4of
the water. Pressure is set to 0. The salinity is configured by
the user. If you can find precise values for the input
parameters at the deployment site, the sensor will calculate
the tide more accurately.
The Distance to seafloor is the distance between the sensor
and the sea floor. This distance must be set by the user so
that the sensor software selects the correct transfer function
in the wave calculations.
If the distance is longer than 50m, you can still type 50 m
since the measurement data will be processed using a “deep
water”-transfer function, refer Appendix 4.
If the wave measurements are calculated from 2048 samples,
the software splits the sampled pressure points into two sets
of 1024 samples in each set and calculates two wave
spectrums.
Next, the two power spectrums are averaged and the sensor
presents a single wave spectrum of 512 frequency
components. This procedure increases the statistical
reliability of the spectral estimates.
3Equation of state 1980 UNESCO polynomial implementation. Density calculated with pressure = 0.
4IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Vol. OE-5, No. 1, January 1980, page 14
Figure 1-6 Illustration of the wave
measurement situation.

Page 14 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
1.5 User accessible sensor properties
All configuration settings that determine the behavior of the sensor are called properties and are stored in a
persistent memory block (flash). One property can contain several data elements of equal type (Boolean,
character, integer etc.). The different properties also have different access levels.
Table 1–2 lists all user accessible properties for the Pressure sensor.
The user accessible properties of the Tide sensor are the properties of the pressure sensor plus the properties
listed in Table 1–3.
The user accessible properties of the Wave and Tide sensor are the properties of the pressure sensor plus the
properties listed in Table 1–4.
Some properties of the ‘AiCaP’ sensor will not be applicable/visible when the sensor is connected to a SeaGuard
instrument, as these properties will be controlled by the instrument, refer Table 1-2.
1.5.1 Sensor properties for Pressure sensor 4117/4117R
Table 1-2 Sensor properties for Pressure sensor, FC = Factory Configuration, UM = User Maintenance, SC = System
Configuration, DS = Deployment Setting. ENUM=Enumeration, INT =Integer, BOOL=Boolean(‘yes’/’no’)
Property Type
No of elements
Use
Configuration
Category
Access Protection
RS232/422 applications
Product Name String 31 AADI Product name
FC Read
Only
Product Number String 6 AADI Product number
Serial Number INT 1 Serial Number
SW ID String 11 Unique identifier for internal firmware
SW Version INT 3 Software version (Major, Minor, Built)
HW ID X String 19 Hardware Identifier, X =1..3
HW Version X String 9 Hardware Identifier, X =1..3
System Control INT 3 For AADI service personnel only
Production Date String 31 AADI production date, format YYYY-MM-DD
Last Service String 31 Last service date, format YYYY-MM-DD, empty by default
Last Calibration String 31 Last calibration date, format YYYY-MM-DD
Calibration Interval INT 1 Recommended calibration interval in days

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218RPage 15
Interval Float 1 Set the output interval in seconds DS No
Location String 31 User setting for location
Geographic Position String 31 User setting for geographic position
Vertical Position Float 1 User setting for describing sensor position
Reference String 31 User setting for describing sensor reference
Enable Temperature BOOL 1 Controls inclusion of Temperature in the output string SC Low
Enable Rawdata BOOL 1 Controls inclusion of raw data in the output string
Mode ENUM 1 Sets the sensor operation mode (AiCaP, Smart Sensor Terminal,
AADI Real-Time, Smart Sensor Terminal FW2)
Enable Sleep BOOL 1 Enable sleep mode
Enable Polled Mode BOOL 1
Enable polled mode for Smart Sensor Terminal Mode. When set to
‘no’ the sensor will sample at the interval given by the Interval
property. When set to ‘yes’ the sensor will wait for a Do Sample
command.
Enable Text BOOL 1 Controls the insertion of descriptive text, i.e. parameter names
Enable Decimalformat BOOL 1 Controls the use of decimal format in the output string
Node Description String 31 User text for describing node, placement etc UM High
Owner String 31 User setting for owner
Interface ENUM 1 Factory use only, RS232 for standard version, RS422 for R-version
Baudrate ENUM 1 RS232 baudrate: 4800, 9600, 57600, or 115200. Default baudrate
is 96005
Flow Control ENUM 1 RS232 flow control: ‘None’ or ‘Xon/Xoff’
Enable Comm Indicator BOOL 1 Enable communication sleep (’%’) and communication ready (‘!’)
indicators
Comm TimeOut ENUM 1 Time communication is active (Always On, 10 s, 20 s, 30 s, 1min, 2
min, 5 min, 10 min)
PT coeffs 0 Float 4 Pressure calibration coefficients
PT coeffs 1 Float 4 Pressure calibration coefficients
PT coeffs 2 Float 4 Pressure calibration coefficients
PT coeffs 3 Float 4 Pressure calibration coefficients
PT coeffs 4 Float 4 Pressure calibration coefficients
Temp coeffs Float 4 Temperature calibration coefficients
5Baud rates lower than 9600 may limit the sampling frequency

Page 16 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
1.5.2 Additional sensor properties for Tide Sensor 5217/5217R
Most user accessible properties of the Tide sensor are the same properties as for the Pressure sensor, refer
Table 1-2. Additional sensor properties are listed in Table 1–3.
Table 1-3 Additional sensor properties for Tide sensor, SC = System Configuration, DS = Deployment Setting.
ENUM=Enumeration, INT =Integer, BOOL=Boolean(‘yes’/’no’)
Property Type
No of elements
Use
Configuration Category
Access Protection
RS232/422 applications
Air Pressure Float 1 Nominal air pressure
DS No
Local gravity Float 1 Set the local gravity
Salinity Float 1 Set the salinity at the deployment site
Installation Depth Float 1 Installation depth in meter relative to chosen datum, by
default set to zero = instrument referred
DS Low
Enable Tide BOOL 1 Enable Tide output parameters
SC Low
Tidal Average Period ENUM 1
Set the averaging interval for the tide measurements (10 s, 20
s, 30 s, 40 s, 50 s, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, 6 min, 7
min, 8 min)
Enable high sample rate BOOL 1 Set the sample rate to 4 Hz

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218RPage 17
1.5.3 Additional sensor properties for Wave and Tide Sensor 5218/5218R
The user accessible properties of the Wave and Tide sensor are the same properties as for the Pressure sensor,
refer Table 1-2. Additional sensor properties are listed in Table 1–4.
Table 1-4 Additional sensor properties for Wave and Tide sensor, SC = System Configuration, DS = Deployment Setting.
ENUM=Enumeration, INT =Integer, BOOL=Boolean(‘yes’/’no’)
Property Type
No of elements
Use
Configuration Category
Access Protection
RS232/422 applications
Air Pressure Float 1 Nominal air pressure
DS No
Local gravity Float 1 Set the local gravity
Salinity Float 1 Set the salinity at the deployment site
Distance to seafloor Float 1 Set the distance between the sensor and the seafloor
Installation Depth Float 1 Installation depth in meter relative to chosen datum, by
default set to zero = instrument referred DS Low
Enable Wave BOOL 1 Enable Wave output parameters
SC Low
Number of samples ENUM 1 Set the number of samples: (256, 512, 1024, 2048)
Enable Tide BOOL 1 Enable Tide output parameters
Tidal Average Period ENUM 1
Set the averaging interval for the tide measurements (10 s, 20
s, 30 s, 40 s, 50 s, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min, 6 min, 7
min, 8 min)
Enable high sample rate BOOL 1 Set the sample rate to 4 Hz
Enable Spectrum BOOL 1 Controls inclusion of spectrum elements in the output string.
UM High
Enable Pressure Series BOOL 1 Controls inclusion of the measured hydrostatic pressure in
the output string.
1.6 Specifications
For product specifications refer Datasheet D362 for 4117/4117R, D405 for 5217/5217R, and D407 for
5218/5218R on our web site http://www.aanderaa.com or contact [email protected]
You will always find the latest version of our documentation on the web.

Page 18 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
Customers can register to obtain a username and password necessary to gain access to product manuals,
technical notes and software. Please contact [email protected]m for guidance.
1.7 Manufacturing and Quality Control
Aanderaa Data Instruments products have a record for proven reliability. With over 40 years experience
producing instruments for use in demanding environments around the globe, you can count on our reputation
of delivering the most reliable products available.
We are an ISO 9001 Certified Manufacturer. As a company we are guided by three underlying principles: quality,
service, and commitment. We take these principles seriously, as they form the foundation upon which we
provide lasting value to our customers.

January 2014 - TD 302 Operating Manual for Pressure 4117/4117R Tide 5217/5217R, Wave & Tide 5218/5218RPage 19
CHAPTER 2 Measurement Principles and Parameters
The Pressure Sensor 4117/4117R, Tide Sensor 5217/5217R and Wave and Tide Sensor 5218/5218R measure raw
data of Pressure and Temperature. The pressure measurement is based on a piezoresistive bridge. This bridge
consists of 4 resistors implemented on a silicon diaphragm. One side of the diaphragm is exposed to the water
pressure, while the other is facing a zero atmosphere vacuum chamber. When the diaphragm is flexed by the
hydrostatic pressure the resistance of the resistors will change. By applying a constant voltage over the bridge, a
voltage that varies with the pressure is generated. This voltage is sampled by a high resolution analog to digital
converter (ADC) controlled by a digital signal processor (DSP). A thermistor sensing the water temperature is
also sampled by this ADC. Engineering data are calculated by software in the sensor (Sensor Firmware) based on
these raw data and referred to sets of calibration coefficients stored in the sensor.
All pressure transducers have a temperature drift. By calibrating the sensor at different temperatures, this drift
can be determined. The DSP stores the data from the calibration and is thus able to temperature-compensate
sampled pressure data, as well as to convert the data into linearly calibrated data in engineering units.
All calibration coefficients and settings are stored in the DSP flash-memory. These properties can be displayed
and changed using the RS-232 or RS-422 port (see Chapter 7 for how to communicate with the sensor).
The Sensors can be logged directly by a PC (via the RS-232/RS-422 protocol) and by most PLC’s DCP’s i/o devices,
data loggers and systems.
2.1 Sensor Integrated Firmware
The firmware’s main task is to sample raw data, compute calibrated temperature compensated and linearized
pressure, and present the result at the different interfaces.
All calibration coefficients and settings are called sensor properties, and are stored in the DSP flash-memory.
These properties can be displayed and changed using the RS-232/RS-422 port (see Chapter 7 for how to
communicate with the sensor).

Page 20 Aanderaa Data Instruments AS – TD302
2.2 Calculated parameters
Based on the measured parameters described above the sensor software in the Tide sensor 5217 and in the
Wave and Tide sensor 5218 calculates additional parameters; refer Table 2-1.
Refer Appendix 4 for a primer describing the calculation of wave parameters.
Table 2-1 Calculated Sensor parameters.
Parameter Unit Pressure sensor
4117/4117R
Tide sensor
5217/5217R
Wave and Tide
sensor
5218/5218R
Pressure kPa x x x
Temperature °C x x x
Tide pressure kPa x x
Tide level m x x
Significant wave height m x
Maximum wave height m x
Mean period s x
Peak period s x
Energy wave period s x
Mean zero crossing period s x
Steepness - x
Irregularity of sea-state - x
Cut-off frequency Hz x
Pressure Series kPa x
Last Pressure Sample Index - x
Spectrum m
2
x