APPLIED ACOUSTICS Easytrak Alpha 2665 Series User manual

Easytrak Alpha
2665 Series
Operation Manual
EZT-2665-8000/6

2665 SeriesOperationManual
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Thankyou forchoosingApplied AcousticEngineering as oneof your subsea equipment suppliers.
Wehopeyou experience manyyearsofreliableoperationalusefromourproducts.
If you do encounteranytechnicalissues withanyofour productsthen contact ourTechnical Team
viathe followingmethods.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
AppliedAcousticEngineering Ltdhasmadeeveryefforttoensurethatthe informationcontainedin this
manual iscorrect at timeof print. However our policyof continual productimprovement meansthat we
cannot assumeliabilityfor anyerrorswhichmayoccur.
Thesewritten instructionsmust be followed fullyfor reliableand safeoperationof the equipmentthat
thismanualrefersto. AppliedAcousticEngineeringLtdcannot be heldresponsible for anyissues
arising fromthe improperuseor maintenanceof equipmentreferredtointhis manual or failureofthe
operator toadheretotheinstructionslaidout inthismanual.The usermust befamiliar withthe
contentsof thismanualbeforeuseor operation.

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Tableof Contents
1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................5
2. BASIC THEORY..........................................................................................................................................................7
3. SYSTEMDESCRIPTION........................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 EASYTRAK ALPHA COMMAND CONSOLE................................................................................................................. 8
3.2 TRANSDUCERAND DECK CABLE..............................................................................................................................8
3.3 GPS ANTENNA......................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.4 POWER SUPPLY....................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.5 COMPUTER...............................................................................................................................................................8
3.6 BEACON/S................................................................................................................................................................8
4. INSTALLATION........................................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1 COMPUTER...............................................................................................................................................................9
4.2 EASYTRAK ALPHA COMMAND CONSOLE................................................................................................................. 9
4.3 GPS ANTENNA......................................................................................................................................................... 9
4.4 TRANSDUCER........................................................................................................................................................... 9
4.4.1 SUSPENDED DEPLOYMENT............................................................................................................................. 9
4.4.2 POLE DEPLOYMENT ........................................................................................................................................9
4.5 DECK CABLE .......................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.6 SYSTEM CABLING................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.7 POWER SUPPLY..................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.8 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ..................................................................................................................................... 11
4.8.1 USB DRIVER SOFTWARE INSTALLATION...................................................................................................... 11
4.8.1.1WINDOWS XP DEVICEDRIVERSET-UP................................................................................................. 12
4.8.1.2WINDOWS 7DEVICE DRIVERSET-UP .................................................................................................... 16
4.8.2 USER INTERFACE SOFTWARE INSTALLATION............................................................................................... 19
5. PLANNINGAN OPERATION.................................................................................................................................. 20
5.1WHATNEEDSSETTINGUP...................................................................................................................................... 20
5.2WHATEQUIPMENTISREQUIRED............................................................................................................................ 20
5.3 BEACONPOSITIONING............................................................................................................................................ 20
5.4WHATLOCALPOWERISAVAILABLE ....................................................................................................................... 20
5.5 TRANSDUCERMOUNTING....................................................................................................................................... 20
5.6 ABSOLUTE ORARELATIVEPOSITIONING ............................................................................................................... 21
5.7WHATRANGE ......................................................................................................................................................... 21
5.8WHATACCURACYISREQUIRED............................................................................................................................. 21
6. EASYTRAK ALPHADISPLAY................................................................................................................................ 22
7. SPECIAL MOUSEOPERATIONS.......................................................................................................................... 23
8. EASYTRAK ALPHAMENUS................................................................................................................................... 24
8.1 SET UP................................................................................................................................................................... 24
8.1.1 BEACON CONFIGURATION............................................................................................................................. 25
8.1.2 FIX INTERVAL................................................................................................................................................. 26
8.1.3 VELOCITY OF SOUND.................................................................................................................................... 26
8.1.4Offsets.......................................................................................................................................................... 27
8.1.5 COMPASS...................................................................................................................................................... 29
8.1.6 DATA OUTPUT............................................................................................................................................... 30
8.1.7 SMOOTHED POSITION................................................................................................................................... 31
8.1.8 DISPLAY......................................................................................................................................................... 31
8.1.9 COMMUNICATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 31

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8.2 SURVEY.................................................................................................................................................................. 32
8.2.1 GPS.............................................................................................................................................................. 32
8.2.2 UTM ZONES.................................................................................................................................................. 33
8.2.3WAYPOINTS................................................................................................................................................... 34
8.2.4 DISTANCE ALARM.......................................................................................................................................... 35
8.3 PRINT ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36
8.4 HELP....................................................................................................................................................................... 36
8.4.1 DIAGNOSTICS ................................................................................................................................................ 36
8.4.2 ABOUT ........................................................................................................................................................... 37
9. FUNCTION KEYS..................................................................................................................................................... 38
APPENDIXA– EASYTRAKALPHACONFIGURATION GUIDE.......................................................................... 39
APPENDIXB– DATAOUTPUTFORMATS............................................................................................................. 43
APPENDIXC – SYSTEMSPECIFICATION.............................................................................................................. 51
APPENDIXD – BEACON CHANNELSPECIFICATION......................................................................................... 53
APPENDIXE– MINIMUMCOMPUTERSPECIFICATION .................................................................................... 55
APPENDIXF– TROUBLESHOOTING...................................................................................................................... 56
APPENDIXG– CONNECTOR PIN OUTS................................................................................................................ 60
APPENDIXH – TRANSDUCER CABLE.................................................................................................................... 61
APPENDIXI – HANDLING........................................................................................................................................... 62
APPENDIXJ– RECYCLING/ DISPOSAL................................................................................................................ 62
INDEX.............................................................................................................................................................................. 63

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1. INTRODUCTION TOTHE 2665 EASYTRAK ALPHA
Thismanualprovidesthe userwithinformation on the installation,operation and
maintenanceofthe 2665 EasytrakAlpha Ultra-ShortBaseLine (USBL)underwater
acousticpositioningsystem.
USBL systemsareused topositionunderwateritemsincludingSideScanSonars1,
ROVs2, AUVs3, anddivers.
Withnocompass input, apositionwill be SHIP (bow)referenced,e.g.123m‘X’
means123mfromthestarboardside ofthe ship,whereas,withacompass,a
positionwouldbe NORTHreferenced;123m‘X’means123mfromthe shipEast.
Aposition caneitherbe‘relative’forexample123m‘X’and 234m‘Y’fromthe ship,
or‘absolute’forexample412789mEast,5823456mNorth,ifaGPS receiverand
compass isenabled.
EasytrakAlpha hasbeendesignedsothatitrequiresthe minimumofuser
intervention;the systemcan be rangingtobeaconsassoon asthe transducer
entersthewater.Thecurrentset–upisautomaticallysaved on programpower-
downallowingaquick resumption ofworkon the next power-up.
Thedisplaynotonlygivespositioningdataintextform,butalsographically.
Beaconsareindividuallyidentified and colour-coded, GREEN –position OK,
ORANGE –caution,prediction beingused,and RED –signallostandcannot
predict safely.
Becauseofmulti-pathreflectionsandothertypesofacousticinterference,the
position canoccasionallybe corrupted. Insmoothingmode, EasytrakAlpha hasthe
facilityto‘gate-out’wildvaluesofvelocity.The‘outofgate’positionsarereplaced
bypredicted values. Notethe compass mustbe enabled.
TheEasytrakAlpha transducerisfittedwithinternalcompass,pitchand roll
sensors.Thepitchand roll sensorsworkto ±80°,morethan sufficientforboat
work.
Note: Strong magnetic anomaliescanbebeyondthecalibration range of theinternal compass.It is
advisable,thatabearingcheckbe performedprior touse.
1Sonarsystemforseabed mapping
2RemotelyOperatedVehicle
3AutonomousUnderwaterVehicle

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EasytrakAlpha isidealforsmall surveys.WiththeinternalGlobalPositioning
System(GPS)receiver,absolutepositioningofdivers,sonarfish,ROVs,orseabed
objectsinUTM(UniversalTransverseMercator) co-ordinatescanbe achieved.
EasytrakAlpha canworkwitheitherthe internalGPSreceiveroran external
receiver.WithGPS, EasytrakAlpha can alsobe usedtonavigatetoand fromthe
worksiteindicated byan entered waypoint. Easytrakcan alsoworktoalocalgridif
sorequired byturningthe internalGPS receiveroff.OnceonsitetheROV orsonar
fishcanbefittedwithabeacon,deployed, andworkcan begin.
Note:WhenusingGPS, bearingsarerelativetoGRID North; without GPS, bearingsarerelativeto
TRUE Northor withthe compass switched off, the vessel’sBow.
ThoughEasytrakAlphaissimpletouse,thesystemprovidesaverypowerfuland
flexibletoolforsurveyuse.
Note:EasytrakAlpha takesabout 1minutetoinitialisefrompower up.

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2. BASIC THEORY
EasytrakAlpha isan UltraShortBaseLine(USBL)AcousticNavigation System.
Alpha usesasinglecompacttransducercontainingmultiplereceivingceramics and
an interrogateceramic.
Thereceivingceramics aresoarranged thateachcan detectan acousticsignal
fromatarget’stransmission.The acousticsignalsmayarriveatslightlydifferent
timesduetotheir differentsignalpaths.Fromthesetimedifferences,the bearing
and depression angle4tothetargetarecomputed.
ForaTRANSPONDER,timetakenfromthe vesselinterrogatetransmission through
the watertothereception of thetarget acousticsignalprovidestherange:
Range=VOSxTravel-time (m)
2
Thedivide by2isbecausesound hastotraveltoand fromthe targeti.e.twicethe
distance.
ForaRESPONDER,timetaken fromthevesselelectricalinterrogatesignalthrough
acabletothereceptionofthetarget acousticsignalprovidestherange:
Range=VOSxTravel-time(m)
Given range,bearing,andthedepressionangle,therelativeposition ofthetarget
beacon tothe vesseltransducercanbedetermined.
4The verticalangle betweenthe horizonand the target.

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3. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
EasytrakAlpha consistsofaCommandConsole,powersupply,GPS antenna,
transducerwithdeck cableand thecomputer.
3.1 EASYTRAK ALPHA COMMAND CONSOLE
TheEasytrakAlphaCommand Consolecontrolsthe signalacquisition and
processing.TheCommand Consoleinterfacestothecomputer,navigation
computer,externalGPSreceiver(optional),and transducer.The unitcan provide a
keypulsetotheresponder.
3.2 TRANSDUCERAND DECK CABLE
TheEasytrakTransducercontainsreceiveceramics and amplifiersthatprocessthe
received signalspriortosignalprocessing inthe EasytrakAlpha Command
Console.The transduceralsocontainstheinterrogateceramic.The transduceris
fitted withcompass,pitch,and roll sensors.TheEasytrakdeck cableis‘hardwired’
totheTransducerandplugsintothe AlphaCommand Console.
3.3 GPS ANTENNA
Theantenna plugsintothe EasytrakAlphaCommand Consolerequired forthe
internalGPS receiver.
3.4 POWER SUPPLY
Theexternalpowersupplyprovidespowertothe Command Consoleandthe
transducer.
TheEasytrakdeck cableconnectsthe EasytrakAlpha CommandConsoletothe
Transducer.
Additional Items:
3.5 COMPUTER
Thecomputerprovidesthe user-interfaceforEasytrakAlpha.Thecomputercanbe
eitheradesktop oralaptop.Forthe recommendedminimumspecification forthe
computer,pleasesee APPENDIX E.
3.6 BEACON/S
Types-200,300SeriesMicro, 900Series,or1000Series

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4. INSTALLATION
4.1 COMPUTER
Ensurethecomputerissecuredtopreventfallingorslidingduetovessel
movement.
Pleasereadthecomputerusermanualregardingthe connectionofthebaseunit,
monitor, keyboard, andmouse.
4.2 EASYTRAK ALPHA COMMAND CONSOLE
EnsuretheCommandConsoleissecuredtopreventfallingorsliding due tovessel
movement.
4.3 GPS ANTENNA
Locatethe suppliedGPS antennainaposition whereithasaclearvisibilityofthe
skyinall directions.
4.4 TRANSDUCER
4.4.1 SUSPENDEDOVERTHESIDE:Thisisthesimplestmethodofdeployment,
however,the transducerismorepronetorelativemovementwithrespectto
the vessel.Caremustbe taken thatthetransducerdoesnotspinasthe
internalcompass,pitchand roll sensorshavealimiteddynamicresponse.
Ensurethatwhen deployed the transducerisbelowthe draft ofthevesselby
at least 1metreand hasclearhorizontalvisibilitythroughout 360°.
Note: the suspendedover theside methodcannotbe usedifthe compassisnot enabled, asthe
systemwould haveno orientation reference.Also, if GPS positioning isrequired, the antenna mustbe
directlyover thetransducer, otherwise offseterrorscanoccur.
4.4.2 OVER THESIDEONAPOLE:The Easytraktransducercan be fixedoverthe
side ofashipwithasuitablenon-magneticpole.UsingJubileeclipsor
similar,clampthe poletothe recessed partofthe transducer.Ensurethe
transducerisaft ofthepoleand thatthepoledoesnotprotrudebeyond the
faceofthetransducer.The diameterofthepolewill dependonthe length
required andthe anticipatedmaximumspeed oftheship.Itisrecommended
thatthepolebesecured bycablesforeand aft topreventbendingand
strummingwhen theshipisunderway.
Pleasedonotusethethreadedholesat thetopof the transducer for mounting,theyareused during
manufacturing.
Ensurethatwhen deployed the transducerisatleast1metrebelowthe draft ofthe
vesseland thatithasclearhorizontalvisibilitythrough360°.Ensurethe alignment
markon thetransducerisinline (forward)withthe forward/aftline ofthe vessel.
Extremecarehastobetaken inshallowwaterthatthetransducerdoesnotstrike

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the seabed otherwise,damagetothetransducerand poleislikelytooccur.Note
thatpriortoavesselgoingalongside,therighasusuallytoberecovered.
4.5 DECK CABLE
Connectsthe TRANSDUCER tothe EASYTRAK COMMAND CONSOLE.Toprevent
damagetothecableand minimisepotentialproblems,pleaseensurethefollowing
pointsareobserved:
•Ensurepersonnelcannot step on,ortripover, the deck cable.
•Keep the cableawayfromsourcesofelectricalnoisesuchaselectrical
generators, sonarsources(bangboxesetc).
•Avoidtrappingthecableindoorways, hatchesandalike.
•Ensurethecableisnotbent less thantheminimumbend radiusof 150mm.
•Ensurethecableisnotlaidoversharpedges.
•When deployed overthe side ofavessel,ensurethatthecableissecured to
anymountingpoletoprevent chaffing, strumming, andexcessivemovement.
•Ensurethepolyurethane outerjacketofthe cableisnotbreached allowing
wateringress.
4.6 SYSTEM CABLING
•WiththeEasytrakAlpha Command Consoleswitched off, connectthedeck
cabletothe Command Console.
•Ifthe internalGPS receiverisrequired, connect the suppliedGPS antenna cable
totheCommandConsole.
•Connect theUSB leadbetween the ComputerandtheCommandConsole.
•If required,connectaserialleadbetween theCommandConsoleandanydata
loggingcomputerorserialprinter.
•Ifrequired,connectaseriallead betweenthe Command Consoleandan
EXTERNAL GPS receiver.
•If required,aBNC leadshouldbeconnectedbetween theEasytrakCommand
Consoleandtheresponder.
4.7 POWER SUPPLY
Thesuppliedpowersupplyisauto-ranging(115 –230VAC50/60Hz)and doesnot
requireuserintervention.Plugintothe nearestpoweroutletsocket. The6.3mm
connectorplugsintotheEasytrakCommandConsole.