LBL Products

Deck Test Unit - Battery Status Reporting - No: 10-001

Technical bulletin highlighting an occasional situation with Deck Test Units where the unit can report a 0% charge on a transponder battery pack irrespective of the actual state of charge. Firmware version V2.00.005 corrects this bug.

 

V10.08 Compatt 5 Firmware Upgrade - No: 09-001

Following the release of Compatt 5 firmware V10.08, two problems have been brought to light when installing the upgrade into older Compatt units.

 

PAN Battery Requirements - No: 08-005

Highlights how the new EU Battery Directive (2066/66/EU) will impact upon the availability of replacement nickel cadmium batteries for Sonardyne Type 7145 PAN instruments.

 

Selecting Compatt 5 power levels in Fusion software - No: 07-007

Compatt 5 has four power levels which can be selected by acoustic command. This bulletin explains the use of these levels and how they are selected when using Fusion software.

 

RovNav 4 & 5 Burton Connector - No: 07-001

RovNav 4 & 5 endcap upgrades are now available to help alleviate issues with Burton connector failures on these devices.

 

Compatt 5, DPT and DPTi Battery Consumption - No: 07-002

This document provides details of non-critical battery consumption issues affecting a limited number of Compatt 5, DPT and DPTi transponders

 

Compatt 5 - Interfacing an External Sound Speed Sensor - No: 06-010

This Technical Bulletin is intended to provide instructions for the correct interfacing of an external sound speed sensor to a Compatt 5 transponder.

 

RovNav 5 - Burton Connector - Advice on Correct Assembly Procedure- No: 06-011

This document provides details of how the numerous field issues relating to Burton connectors may be avoided through the use of the correct assembly of the Male to Female halves.

 

Compatt 5 - Validation of Wideband Ranging Accuracy - No: 06-004

Controlled trials completed in May 2006 validate the absolute accuracy of Wideband baseline measurements between 4 production standard omni-direction MF Compatt 5 transponders.

 

Wideband Implementation - Hardware / Firmware / Software Compatibility - No: 05-005

Sonardyne has this year introduced Wideband acoustic systems which provide an order of magnitude improvement in acoustic performance in the Medium Frequency band. This document provides details of the hardware, firmware and software versions that are needed to take full advantage of this technology.

 

Wideband Ranging Mode in Compatt 5 - No: 05-002

This Technical Bulletin is intended to provide a concise overview of the implementation of Wideband mode in Compatt 5 MF transponders.

USBL Products

Reduction of Boresight Angle for Wideband LUSBL Arrays in Deep Water - No: 09-005

Due to the much greater accuracy of Sonardyne Wideband ranges, it is possible to considerably reduce boresight agle whilst maintaining the same postion stability as legacy toneburst systems. This bulletin provides further information on the suject and a recommendation for the boresight angle to use in deep water.

 

Changes To The Operating Range of Ranger USBL Systems - No: 09-003

Announment that the operating range of Ranger USBL systems has been increased from 2,000 metres to 6,000 metres+. Also references the increase in depth rating of Type 8070 WSMs announced in TB 09-002 (below) .

 

Changes To The Depth Rating of Type 8070 Wideband Sub-Minis - No: 09-002

Announment that all Type 8070 Wideband Sub-Mins have been re-classified from a 3,000 metre depth rating to 4,000 metre depth rating.

 

Changes By Our Supplier To Their 4 Port Serial Hub Contained in Surface Interface Units- No: 08-012

Changes have been made by our supplier to their 4 port serial hub contained within Sonardyne's Surface Interface Unit. As a result of these changes the latest model QSU2 replaces the previous QSU.

 

WSM Chargers - No: 08-007_02

Due to batch tolerances, it has been found that the voltage output by a WSM charger at the end of the charge process (when the current drops to a trickle charge), can rise to 30 V or even higher. This high voltage has caused some failures to occur in transponders when they transmit an acoustic pulse.

 

Setting a SIU or SCU to Match HF USBL Scout Transceiver Auxiliary Port Serial Interface Protocol (RS232 or RS485) - No: 08-006

Customer driven requests to use long cabling with the Scout transceiver has resulted in a requirement for RS485 comms protocol instead of RS232. The result of this change is that the surface interface units require reconfiguring when swapping between old and new transceivers. 8024 Transceivers built from Jan 2008 onwards are marked with a label denoting the comms protocol. Transceivers older than this date will be RS232 comms.

 

Wideband Sub-Mini Spring Loaded Vent - No: 08-004

To reduce the risk of deploying Wideband Sub-Mini beacons without fully closing the pressure relief valve a sprung loaded pressure relief valve has been introduced. The new pressure relief valve has been incorporated in all new units effective from 25th February 2008. The new pressure relief valve is gold in colour (original valves are red) and is designed to fit flush with the switch end cap name plate when closed.

 

Installation Guide for Spring Loaded Vent Valve Kit on Type 8070 WSM Transponders - IG-8070-047

This guide details the procedure involved in installing a sprung loaded vent valve on Type 8070 Wideband Sub-Mini Transponders.

 

Loose Connectors on Programmable Generic Transponders - No: 08-003

This bulletin details the risk that the connectors fitted to certain versions of the PGT could become loose whilst in service due to excessive force having been applied to the connector locking sleeve. The bulletin lists the PGTs affected and a simple modification to prevent the connectors from rotating.

 

RS232 Converters Used with Sonardyne Navigation Software - No: 07-008

This bulletin covers the compatibility of the different types of RS232 interface that might be used as the link between a PC running Sonardyne Fusion or Ranger software to a Type 8021 Navigation Controller (NCU).

 

LUSBL Transceivers - Use of Protective Covers - No: 04-012

A number of L/USBL transceivers have been returned for repair with damage to the front face where the damage appears to have been caused by transceiver being scraped along the vessel deck. It is apparent that this is occurring on portable systems where the transceiver is fitted on an over the side pole arrangement.

 

Compatibility of New Digital USBL Transceiver with V6 LUSBL Software - No: 04-006

Some older versions of Sonardyne's L/USBL software do not allow sufficient time to allow a connection to be established to the latest generation of Generic Digital Transceivers (GDT).

Seismic Products

Board Change Notice For SIPS2 Transceivers - No: 06-006

Technical bulletin detailing the corrective actions required for some SIPS2 Transceiver Transit Boards exhibiting earlier than expected failure.

General Announcements

Upgrade to DORT/ ORT Vent Valve - No: 09-004

Technical bulletin detailing a change in design to the pressure release vent valve incorporated into DORT and ORT acoustic release transponders. Contains important safety information.

 

Cleaning USBL Transceiver Arrays - No: 08-008

Technical bulletin providing guidance on cleaning Sonardyne USBL transceiver arrays.

 

Care of Anodes- No: 08-001

Technical bulletin providing guidance on checking the effectiveness of sacrificial anodes installed on subsea equipment and corrective action.

 

Care and Lubrication of Subconn and Micro-Subconn Connectors - No: 04-010

Technical bulletin detailing the correct procedures for the care and lubrication of Subconn and Micro-Subconn connectors.