Icefield Instruments ECM2 Series User manual

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 1
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
Handheld ECM Unit, Version 3
Designed, manufactured and programmed by:
Icefield Instruments Inc.
P.O. Box 30036
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 5M2
tel: [phone]
fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
www: http://www.icefield.yk.ca
rev. 23 January 2019

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 2
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
1INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................3
2OPERATING INSTRUCTION....................................................................................................4
2.1 Charging the unit: .............................................................................................................4
2.2 Turning the unit on:...........................................................................................................4
2.3 Entering commands..........................................................................................................4
2.4 The keyboard....................................................................................................................4
2.5 Serial port .........................................................................................................................5
2.6 Basic Commands..............................................................................................................5
2.7 Special Commands...........................................................................................................6
3ECM setup.................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Encoder configuration (r3 only) ........................................................................................7
4Running an ECM survey ...........................................................................................................9
4.1 R3 wand............................................................................................................................9
4.2 R3 wand wiring .............................................................................................................. 10
5The r2 ECM program.............................................................................................................. 11
5.1 Setup.............................................................................................................................. 12
5.2 Operation ....................................................................................................................... 13
5.2.1 Set clock .................................................................................................................... 13
5.2.2 Check battery............................................................................................................. 13
5.2.3 Collect Data ............................................................................................................... 13
5.2.4 Clear Memory ............................................................................................................ 14
6The r3 ECM software ............................................................................................................. 14
7Battery data ............................................................................................................................ 15
7.1 Lifetime .......................................................................................................................... 15
7.2 Transport ....................................................................................................................... 15

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 3
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
1 INTRODUCTION
The handheld ECM unit provides the user with a lightweight instrument for measuring the
electrical conductivity of ice cores.
This manual covers both revision 2 (r2) ECMs (those having serial numbers beginning with
ECM2), and revision 3 (r3) ECMs (those having serial numbers beginning with ECM3).
Features include:
•Automatic power down after 2 minutes inactivity.
•Non-volatile data storage depends on the ECM revision (denoted by r2 or r3):
or2: approximately 100 minutes of data storage (corresponds to 140m of ice core
at 2cm/sec).
or3: approximately 18 hours of data storage (corresponds to 1300m of ice core at
2cm/sec).
•An optical encoder option is available which records position information at the same time
as data acquisition - this option reduces data storage capacity by a factor of two. For r2
ECMs, the maximum length data record that can be stored by the encoder option is
14.5m with a resolution of 0.22mm (r2) or 0.015 –0.056mm (r3). R3 ECMs have no
practical limit to the length of a single core (the limit is over 30km).
•Protection of the high-voltage supply by limiting survey time to 200 seconds (r3 ECMs
only).
•Each data set is identified by a core identifier which also serves as the file name of the
retrieved data file. For r2 ECMs, the identifier can be up to 8 character. For r3 ECMs the
identifier can be up to 10 characters. When characters are entered on the keypad, they
are limited to uppercase non-accented roman characters, numbers, and some special
characters (see table below). When using the supplied PC software, lowercase letter may
also be used. At this time, the ECM does not support Unicode characters.
•Electrode voltage can be adjusted, but default setting is 1000 VDC.
•Charges from any 9-12 VAC or VDC power supply.
•Serial interface for connection to IBM-PC computer. Note that a serial-USB converter will
be necessary for modern computers. The ECM does not use a direct USB connection
because of concerns with interference from the high-voltage supply.
•Power supply is a 6V sealed lead-acid battery with excellent cold-weather performance.
This battery is completely safe and certified for transport by aircraft (see certification at
the end of this document).
•The maximum ECM current that can be measured by this unit is:
or2 ECM: 50 μA.
or3 ECM: 100μA (analogue meter limited to 50μA)
•The sampling rate for the ECM is as follows:
or2: approximately 5Hz
or3: 6.25Hz

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 4
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
2 OPERATING INSTRUCTION
2.1 Charging the unit:
The ECM unit contains a 6V Sealed lead-acid battery. Whenever the unit is not in use (including
during storage), it is recommended that the battery be connected to a 9-12 VAC or VDC power
supply. This will ensure that the battery remains fully charged (float condition).
A universal 155/230VAC 50/60Hz charger is provided with plugs for North America, Europe, UK,
and Australia. At the ECM unit, the connector is a 2.5mm circular plug. When using a DC
charging supply, remember that the polarity is not important.
Charge indication is different for different modems. For r2 ECMs, a green LED will illuminate
below the LCD screen when charging is complete. For r3 ECMs, the reverse is true –the green
LED will extinguish when charging is complete.
2.2 Turning the unit on:
The ECM unit is turned on with the main power switch. This switch connects and/or disconnects
the battery from the ECM electronics, but not from the charging circuit - the battery charger circuit
is always connected to the battery through a resettable thermal fuse.
If the unit has turned itself off, it can be turned on again by toggling the switch to the OFF position
and then back to ON.
The battery is protected with thermal fuse. When the unit is turned on, the LCD display will show
the unit serial number, battery voltage and temperature followed by the command prompt.
Except when performing data acquisition, the unit will enter standby mode after an inactive period
of two minutes.
2.3 Entering commands
Commands to the ECM unit can be entered through the keypad and/or the serial port. From an
operational standpoint, the two sources are equivalent and interchangeable (the one exception to
this rule concerns early termination of the D command).
2.4 The keyboard
Whenever a key is pressed on the keyboard, the
unit produces a high-pitched "beep" to
acknowledge the key press.
To enter the characters 0-9, * and #, the key is
pressed once (which produces the above-mentioned "beep") and then released. If a key is
pushed two or more times in quick succession, the alphabetical characters associated with that
key are entered. The keys 2-9 have their letters printed on them (as on a North American
telephone keypad). Additional characters are associated with the 1 and 0 keys (punctuation and
other letters, respectively) as per the following table:

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Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
Key
1 push
2 pushes
3 pushes
4 pushes
1
1
!
-
_ (underscore)
2
2
A
B
C
3
3
D
E
F
4
4
G
H
I
5
5
J
K
L
6
6
M
N
O
7
7
P
R
S
8
8
T
U
V
9
9
W
X
Y
0
0
_ (underscore)
Q
Z
*
*
*
*
*
#
#
#
#
#
2.5 Serial port
The serial port communicates at 19200 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, one stop bit. There is no flow
control (hardware or software). To connect to a computer, use a straight-through 9-pin cable
(male at one end, female at the other), or a USB-serial converter. A USB interface is not used in
order to avoid interference issues with the high-voltage supply. The pinout of the 9-pin connector
is as follows:
Pin
Function
5
Ground
2
Transmit
3
Receive
2.6 Basic Commands
There are a number of basic commands that can be entered through the keyboard or serial port.
These commands perform the following operations:
•display clock
•set clock
•set line frequency rejection mode (r2 only)
•configure encoder (r3 only)
•clear data storage memory
•retrieve data

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Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
•collect ECM data
Under normal circumstances, these commands are issued by the ECM PC software over the
serial port link. The ECM PC software makes the use of these commends transparent to the user.
NOTE: Most commands can be aborted by entering a '#' or ‘!’
Command
Revision
Function
* (asterix)
r2, r3
Enter survey command mode
4
r2, r3
Dump entire contents of FLASH memory to serial port (for
debugging only)
A
r2, r3
Print battery voltage and temperature to serial port
C
r2, r3
Print clock to serial port once per second
D
r2, r3
Dump raw data to serial port
E
r3
Configure encoder parameters
F
r2, r3
Dump formatted data in engineering units to serial port (this is
normally used to retrieve data)
H
r3
Show power-on greeting
P
r2, r3
Turn instrument off
R
r2, r3
Reset ECM unit (power on takes about 4 seconds)
S
r2, r3
Set time using serial port
CTRL-C
r2, r3
Clear memory
2.7 Special Commands
After entering survey command mode (Basic command *) a new set of commands are available.
Command
Revision
Function
* (asterix)
r2, r3
Return to basic command mode
1
r2
Turn on high voltage (we strongly suggest you
never use this command as there is no warning
that the high voltage is energized as there is
during an ECM survey)
WARNING: The electrode voltage is potentially
lethal –take extreme caution.
2
r2, r3
Turn off high voltage
4
r2, r3
Set time using keyboard
6
r2, r3
Collect ECM data
C
r2, r3
Clear ECM memory

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 7
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
3 ECM setup
The ECM unit consists of a base unit connected by two rubber high-voltage wires to a handheld
electrode assembly. If you have the encoder option, there is an arm attached to the electrode with
an encoder.
The encoder plugs into the male 9-pin connector at the back of the ECM unit, and the electrode
plugs into the red and black banana plugs. The voltage generated by the ECM unit is
approximately
1000VDC (red =
positive, black =
negative).
If you have the
encoder option, the
special wire supplied
with the ECM unit
should be stretched
alongside, and
behind, the ice core.
Crimp eye
terminations are
supplied and can be
attached to the cable
once it is cut to length
for your setup. You
can use a rubber
band or small
extension spring to
maintain tension. The
wire should be
threaded over the
encoder pulley as
shown below.
The picture above shows the orientation of the encoder unit if the
measurements are to be made from left to right on the core, with the wire
behind the core. The encoder arm can be reversed if you want to
operate in the other direction (e.g. if the operator is left-handed).
3.1 Encoder configuration (r3 only)
The r2 ECM counts “forward” pulses
regardless of the direction of rotation
of the encoder. The r3 ECM is
sensitive to the direction of rotation of
the encoder. If you find that your
installation produces negative position
readings, you have two choices:
1. use the basic command “E” via
the serial port, to change the encoder
polarity, or
2. thread the Syncromesh® cable
through the encoder and idle pulleys
such that the cable is on the other
side of the encoder (and the encoder therefore turns in the opposite direction).

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 8
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
To change the encoder configuration (which is stored in non-volatile memory), connect the ECM
to a computer using a terminal emulator (we recommend the open-source program called
TeraTerm). This configuration cannot be made through the ECM PC software. Issue the
command “E” and confirm. You will now be asked three questions:
•“Enter encoder ppr: " enter the number of pulses-per-revolution for your encoder. This
value will depend on the encoder installed in the ECM. Hengstler encoders will have a
part number RI32-O/nnnAR, where nnn is the number of pulses-per-revolution. Note that
the r3 ECM is able to resolve 4 times this value.
•“Enter encoder polarity (0 or 1): " represents the direction of rotation. R3 ECMs are
delivered from the factory with a polarity value of 0.
•"Enter wheel circumference in um: " represents the circumference of the Synchromesh®
drive wheel attached to the encoder. For the factory-installed wheel, the value is
57150μm (57.15mm).
After entering these values, the stored values will be echoed back to you. Note that the ECM will
automatically multiply the pulses-per-revolution value by 4.

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 9
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
4 Running an ECM survey
The Special command “6” runs an ECM survey. You will be prompted for the name of the core.
The name may be up to 8 characters long (10 on a r3 ECM). If you enter a duplicate name (i.e.
one for which a survey in the ECM unit already exists, or one that already has a data file on your
computer), do not worry –the download program will save all data and will never overwrite data.
However, you will get multiple data files with similar file names referring to the core (see section
on file names).
1. If you want to abort the survey, press *.
2. If the survey name is not 8 or 10 characters long, press #
to finish entering the name and continue with the survey.
3. The ECM will ask you to press the 1 or 3 key to start the
survey. R3 ECMs will also permit the use of the red
button on the want (see section 4.1). After you press this
key (or press the red button), the high voltage with turn
on. There will also be a warning tone and a red LED lamp
to indicate that high voltage is present on the electrodes.
4. Data will be collected when ANY button on the keypad is
pressed, or the red button is held down. The encoder
position will be initialized to zero and the red LED will
begin to flash.
oR3 ECMs will shut off the high voltage automatically after 10 seconds if you do
not proceed with this step (i.e. the survey will be aborted).
5. As soon as the key is released, the high voltage will turn off and the survey is finished.
Voltages on the electrodes drop to safe levels within a few seconds.
6. R3 ECMs will display the position and speed of the electrodes, and well as the elapsed
time for the survey.
4.1 R3 wand
New r3 ECMs are supplied with an updated wand that includes a large red button (which can be
used to initiate and sustain a survey –see section 4). The r3 wand also includes a smaller black
button which can be used to reset the encoder to zero. Note that the encoder is always zeroed
when a survey is started, so this
black reset button does not normally
need to be used.

Handheld ECM Unit, Revision 2 and 3 10
Icefield Instruments Inc. www.icefield.yk.ca 23 January 2019
4.2 R3 wand wiring
The wiring for the r3 ECM wand is as follows:
Pin
Function
3
Encoder phase B
4
Encoder phase A
5
Ground
6
Normally-open high voltage button, grounded when pressed.
7
+5VDC encoder supply voltage
8
Normally-open encoder zero button, grounded when pressed.
9
Wand LED (no series resistor)