Copyright: Copyright 2001 - Sippican, Inc.


Data Acq Data
WinMK21 Data Acquisition

This section describes necessary steps in acquiring data with the WinMK21 application, as well as additional features which aid in post-acquisition data processing.


Data Acq Data Annotate
Annotate Launch Information After Probe Descent

Following completion of the probe descent, the operator may annotate the Launch Information to reflect observations made after launch.  The updated file may then be rewritten to disk, either as an overwrite on the original data file that was stored immediately after completion of the drop, or as a new file with a new filename.

Follow these steps:

Update the Launch Information by choosing Options, then Launch Information, and then editing the appropriate fields.  It is recommended that you do not modify the sequence number.  The Launch Information dialog will show the updates upon completion.  Save the file by selecting the Save menu item from the File menu.  This will save the new launch information to the disk.


Data Acq Data LoadProbe/Exit
Load Another Probe or Exit the Program

The following options are now available to the user:

A new probe drop can be performed. Simply close the current file by clicking File, then Close, and then create a new file by selecting New Drop from the File menu, and repeating the steps listed in this section.

Exit the WinMK21 program by selecting File, then Exit.


Data Acq Data ReleaseProbe
Release Probe

Once the probe is selected, and all options for the probe and the probe drop are set to the desired values, the Acquisition State panel will read Load Probe.

An unused probe can then be loaded and prepared for launch.  If the Acquisition State panel reads Spent Canister, the system is sensing a canister in the launcher.  Open the launcher breech.  The Acquisition State panel should advance to Load Probe.  If there is a left-over canister in the launcher, it should be removed.

Insert an unused probe into the launcher and close the breech.  The Acquisition State panel will indicate Testing Probe, at which time the software is performing testing procedures on the probe. Upon completion of the testing, the Acquisition State panel will read Prepare for Launch for several seconds.  In some cases, the WinMK21 application requires the serial number of the probe to locate the calibration data and pressure point information.  The Serial Number dialog is displayed and the user is prompted to enter the probe's serial number.  The WinMK21 application uses the serial number to locate the necessary information in the external data files.  Upon successfully preparing the probe for launch, the Acquisition State panel will read Launch Probe

Signal the launch operator to release the probe.  The probe is released from the canister by withdrawing the release pin.  When the probe enters the water the following actions will occur:

Acquisition State will advance to Collecting MK21 Data.

Computer data acquisition will begin.

The graphical display will begin showing one or two data traces, depending on probe type (temperature for XBTs, sound velocity for XSVs, or temperature and conductivity for XCTDs).

If, for some reason, external circumstances make continued data acquisition undesirable or unnecessary, for example when operating in shallow water, it is possible to terminate data acquisition by selecting Actions, then Terminate.  Data acquired prior to the Terminate command will be saved in a data file and can be viewed just as if the file had been obtained in a full-length exercise.


Data Acq Data Serial Number Dialog
Enter Probe Serial Number

The Serial Number dialog prompts you to enter the complete 8-digit serial number for the probe.  The serial number is used as a reference to locate calibration information for the specific probe.

For analog XCTD probes, the .CON file will contain valid calibration coefficients for the probe and the .PPT file will contain the calibrated depth for the pressure point calibration.

For T-12 probes, the .TCO file will contain valid calibration coefficients for the probe and the .PPT file will contain the calibrated depth for the pressure point calibration.


Data Acq Data Setup
Setup Overview

Once the Data Acquisition main window is displayed and the MK21 is in the Ready state, it is possible to load and launch a probe, thereby beginning the actual data acquisition.  However, it likely that the user will want or need to change some of the setup parameters for each probe drop (such as Probe Type, Serial Number, etc), and possibly some parameters for the probe itself (such as the terminal depth and the drop rate coefficients). Although many of these parameters are either initialized to default values or do not need modification, some parameters will need to be modified on occasion.  The following list shows which parameters should be examined before each probe drop, and others which are optional.  For more information on how each parameter is modified, click on the underlined topics.

Required Setup Parameters:

Select desired probe - The first step in starting a new drop is to make sure the desired probe is actually the currently selected probe.

Name of file containing data - The file name is automatically generated by the system.

Directory containing the data file - The path of the data file, or the directory in which the data file is stored, is initialized automatically when the user initiates a new drop, although it is possible to redefine the directory in which these files are stored.

Date and time of launch - The date and time of launch are initialized automatically by the system.  These parameters cannot be changed by the user.

Probe serial number - The probe serial number is entered in Launch Information.

Latitude and longitude - The latitude and longitude at which the probe is dropped can be defined by the user. Alternatively, the position information can be entered automatically by an external navigational device as outlined in the Navigation Input parameters.

Sequence number - The sequence number is initialized manually but incremented automatically.

Memo - A memo with a maximum of 15 lines and 68 characters per line each can be entered manually.

Any additional operator defined parameters - Since some users might want to store additional information with each probe drop, it is possible to define up to eight custom parameters which can then be assigned values.

Optional Setup Parameters:

System parameters - The system parameters include options to modify the I/O Base Address for the MK21 Interface Board, select whether the data is to be displayed in metric or English units, and specifying data storage options.

Scaling - The minimum and maximum default scaling values for the various profile displays can be modified prior to probe launch as well as after data acquisition.

Post processing parameters - The Post Processing parameters dialog allows the user to set the default post-processing settings such as the default salinity for XBT sound velocity calculations, the noise threshold and averaging window and the automatic profile calculation settings.

Navigation input parameters - The WinMK21 program is capable of accepting NMEA 0813 navigational information on a serial port.

Data transmit parameters - Data from the probes may be transmitted to a an external device via an NTDS interface board or the serial port.


Data Acq Data StartProg/EnterDataAcq
Start Program / Enter Data Acquisition Mode

The first step in acquiring data with the WinMK21 software is starting the WinMK21 program.  When the program is launched, the main window appears as displayed below:

Entering Data Acquisition Mode

At startup, the system is in neither Data Acquisition(Acq) nor Post-Processing mode.  Acq mode is entered by choosing either New Drop from the File Menu, or by clicking the New Drop button in the tool bar.  When this is done, the main window displays the following:

The main screen contains six important parts as shown:  The Title Bar, Menu Bar, Tool Bar, Graphical Display, Acquisition State Panel, and the Status Bar.

The Title Bar informs the user of the current mode.  If the program is in data acquisition mode, the Title Bar reads Real-time Data Acquisition as shown above.  If the program is in post-processing mode, then the name of the data file is displayed.  The Menu Bar displays the various commands which the user can click to perform some function.  The Tool Bar provides one click shortcuts to certain frequently-used commands.  The Graphical Display shows the data traces for a probe drop.  The Acquisition State Panel displays instructions and information which assist the user through the various data acquisition steps.  Finally, the Status Bar on the bottom displays helpful information.

Entering Post Acquisition Mode

It is possible to enter Post Acquisition mode directly after start up by opening a file containing previously acquired data which has been stored to disk.  Click File, and Open..., and a dialog is displayed which prompts the user to select a file.

Startup Options

It is possible to control the display upon startup of the WinMK21 software.  Click Options, and User, and the dialog shown below appears which displays the various display options at startup.

Clicking the corresponding checkboxes in the section labeled Start Up Options will display the Launch Information and System Status dialog at startup.  The checkbox labeled Show active Probe Drop window will automatically start the program in Data Acquisition Mode when it is enabled.


Data Acq Data TerminalDepth
Probe Reaches Terminal Depth

When the probe reaches its terminal depth, the Acquisition State advances to Spent Canister and the acquired data points are stored in the target disk data file.  The profiles on the graphical display are retained for the operator's inspection.  The operation state automatically switches to Post-Acquisition mode at the completion of the probe drop.

The operator is now free to examine the acquired and derived data, including sound velocity computed from XBT or XCTD data, and salinity or density from XCTD data.  Filtered and noise-reduced data may be examined, and data from any probe type can be enlarged and the datapoints' numeric values listed.  An export file may be generated if desired.


Data Acq Modes
Operation Modes

The MK21 system can be thought of as operating in either of two modes: Real-time Data Acquisition and Post-Acquisition.  When in Real-time Data Acquisition mode (Acq mode), the system collects, stores, and displays oceanographic data as a probe falls through the water.  Post-Acquisition mode (Post-Acq) provides the operator with a number of functions handling previously acquired data.  The major internal distinction between the two modes is in their file-handling: in Acq mode, the system acquires real-time data and generates new data files, while in Post-Acq mode it displays, modifies, and exports previously-stored data files.  The external distinction is indicated in the title bar of the main window.  When in Acq mode, the title bar displays [Real-time Data Acquisition].  In Post-Acq mode, the title bar displays the file name of the currently opened data file.

Upon selecting the New Drop menu option, the system enters Acq mode automatically.  Switching between modes at any time is readily accomplished by opening or closing data files.

Major functions in Real-time Data Acquisition mode:

Display of the hardware status of the MK21 interface board

Display of Acquisition State: Load Probe, Prepare for Launch, Collecting MK21 Data, or Spent Canister

Operator selection of probe type: XBT, XSV, or XCTD

Operator pre-launch update of launch information, including vessel position

Acquisition of oceanographic data as probe descends

Real-time graphical display of acquired data during probe descent

Creation and storage on disk of data file containing acquired data.

Operations on previously-acquired data in Post-Acquisition mode:

Operator selection of any data file

Graphical display of selected file's acquired and derived data (salinity, sound velocity, and density)

On-screen magnification of graphically displayed data

Tabular numeric display of acquired and derived data

Printing of graphically displayed data

Operator entry of annotations to the data file's launch information

Preparation of text-format export data files for use by external application software, such as spreadsheets.


Data Acq Overview
WinMK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition System

This online help manual has been written to assist users of Sippican MK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition Systems (ODAS) make ocean measurements from surface ships in a straightforward and reliable fashion.

The online manual is organized in three subsections.  Much of the information contained in the manual requires only occasional reference.  However, it is recommended that first time users thoroughly read the WinMK21 System Description in order to be acquainted with the system on the whole.  The subsections are listed below along with a short description.

WinMK21 System Description 	This section introduces each component of the WinMK21 system and provides a description of the installation procedure.  Methods for verifying proper system operation are also provided.

WinMK21 Data Acquisition	This section contains step-by-step operating procedures, with graphic examples of the computer displays.

WinMK21 Software Reference	This section contains a description of WinMK21 menus and commands.

Sippican, Inc., welcomes suggestions for improvement of our user documentation.  Please do not hesitate to inform us of steps we can take to make this manual clearer and more useful to you and other WinMK21 users.

For more information:

Marketing:

Jim Hannon, Marketing Manager

Phone:	(508) 748-1160, ext. 183

Fax:	(508) 748-3626

E-mail:	 oceansupport@sippican.com

Technical:

Steve Fischer, Software Engineer

Phone:	(508) 748-1160, ext. 437

Fax:	(508) 748-3626

E-mail:	oceansupport@sippican.com


Data Acq Post
Post-Acquisition Mode

The Post-Acquisition mode enables the operator to perform the following actions on previously-stored data files:

Graphical and numeric display of acquired and derived data (salinity, sound velocity, and density).

Filtering of acquired data for display or export.

Hardcopy printout of graphical data.

Data file header information update.

Preparation of export files for use with external application software, such as spreadsheets.

Entering Post Acquisition Mode

Post-Acq is entered by one of two ways:

Opening a data file from disk.

Automatically after a probe drop has been completed.


Data Acq Post Export/Storage
Generate Export Data File

Any raw data file may be converted to a text-format export data file compatible with external application software such as spreadsheets.  The export file format has an extension of EDF (Export Data File) instead of RDF (Raw Data File).  To create an export data file, open a WinMK21 raw data file so that it is displayed on the graphical display, and then select File, then Export....  A dialog will appear which will prompt the user to select the directory in which the export data file is to be created.  After this file has been created, it can be opened in either a text editor, or a spreadsheet application such Microsoft Excel.


Data Acq Post Overlay
Compare Two Profiles Using the Overlay Function

A useful function for visually comparing two separate profiles is the Overlay function.  This function draws a profile using a file containing data from a previous launch on the graphical display.  The overlay file is drawn using a lighter color than the current profile.  To lay one profile on top of another, select Profile, Overlay, and then Set from the menu bar.  A dialog will appear which prompts the user to select a file containing data from a previous launch.  Once the file is selected, the profile is drawn in the graphical display.  The name of the overlay profile is appended to the title of the current data file.  The overlay profile is removed by selecting Profile, Overlay, and then Remove from the menu bar.


Data Acq Post Pressure Point
Pressure Point

Probe depth is determined using a depth equation as a function of elapsed time after detection of seawater entry.  The general expression for probe depth is a quadratic equation with two probe specific coefficients.  These coefficients have been determined empirically for each probe and have been demonstrated to be consistent with the actual descent characteristics of the specific probes.

However, for analog XCTD and T-12 probes that have been pressure point enabled, it is possible to obtain a greater absolute precision for the probe depth.  A pressure sensor in the probe, when triggered at its calibrated pressure (psi), will add a pressure point signature to the probe data.  The calibrated pressure for the pressure sensor is either read from the probe's EEPROM for analog XCTD probes or from a .ppt file for both analog XCTD and T-12 probes.  Only analog XCTD and T-12 probes are pressure point enabled.

WinMK21 allows the user to graphically correlate the trigger depth and the calibrated depth of the probe's pressure sensor.  The resulting correction is the required percentage change that must be applied to the derived depth in order to force the trigger depth of the pressure point signature in the probe data to be located correctly at the calibrated depth of the pressure sensor.

Correct Probe Depth with Pressure Point

The depth of the calibrated pressure point is indicated in the profile window with a dashed green line.  If a green line is not visible, then either the probe is not pressure point enabled, or the calibrated pressure point has not been properly defined.  To define the pressure point, select Options, Probe and then Attributes.  The Probe Attributes dialog will appear.  If the probe is pressure point enabled, the Pressure Pt. button will appear on the right and the Pressure Point Status information will be displayed.  Clicking the Pressure Pt. button displays the Pressure Point dialog which will allow the user to define the calibrated depth for the pressure point.

Setting Trigger Depth of Pressure Point

To manually set the location of the pressure point, select Profile, Pressure Pt, and then Set from the menu bar.  The trigger depth for the pressure point will be set to the depth as indicated by the profile marker.  To manually remove the trigger depth for the pressure point select Profile, Pressure Pt, and then Remove from the menu bar.

To automatically set the location of the pressure point, select Profile, Pressure Pt, and then Auto-Find from the menu bar.  WinMK21 will search the probe data for the pressure point signature.  The Auto-Found Pressure Confirmation Dialog is displayed indicating the status of the search.  If a trigger depth has been located, the user will be asked to confirm the settings.  Likewise, if a trigger depth was not located in the search, the user is informed of this case also.


Data Acq Post Profiles
Profiles

The WinMK21 software displays a trace of either the acquired data in its raw form, one of three derived data profiles, or one of two filtered profiles.

Derived Data Profiles

If the open file was produced from an XBT launch, a Sound Velocity profile derived from the temperature vs. depth data can be displayed.  The velocity profile is computed assuming a constant, but user-selectable, salinity.  To view an XBT-derived sound velocity profile, select the Sound Velocity menu item from the Profile menu.  A trace of the Sound Velocity versus Depth is displayed.  If the salinity values should be edited, select Options, then Post-processing.  The Post-Processing Parameters dialog will appear, allowing the user to edit the default salinity.  To switch the display back to its original profile, select the Original menu item in the Profile menu.

If the open data file was produced from an XCTD launch, derived profiles for Salinity, Sound Velocity, and Density may be displayed.  The simultaneous temperature and conductivity data are sufficient to derive salinity, so the density and sound velocity profiles need no user assumptions for salinity, as the previous step does.  To observe a derived profile, select Profile from the menu bar.  Select Salinity, Sound Velocity, or Density from the Profile menu.  This will display the selected profile type.  Note that a derived profile will be computed from filtered temperature and conductivity data if either of the operations are selected in the Post-Processing Parameters dialog. To switch the display back to its original profile, select the Original menu item in the Profile menu.

Filtered Profiles

Data files may be filtered for display and for preparation of export files.  Two filter modes are available: Noise Reduction and Averaging.  When noise reduction is selected, each data point whose value exceeds a selectable threshold is deleted.  Averaging may include optional noise reduction and then multi-point averaging of the noise-reduced data.  To set the noise threshold and size of the averaging window, select Options, Post-Processing from the menu bar.  Set the appropriate options in the Post-Processing Parameters dialog.  The noise reduced profile is displayed by selecting Noise from the Profile menu.  The averaged profile is displayed by selecting Averaged from the Profile menu.


Data Acq Post Scaling/Enlarge
Scaling / Enlarge Horizontal Display

The horizontal scaling can be adjusted to provide greater display resolution.  Any profile display can be rescaled, including derived profiles.  Select Display and then select Scaling.  The Graph Scaling - Defaults dialog showing the maximum and minimum values for each profile will appear.  Simply enter a new value for the desired profile and click Ok.  The display will then be updated using the values just entered.

Enlarge a portion of the graphical display

Any portion of the display may be enlarged by selecting the area with the mouse.  Move the mouse to the upper left corner and press the left button.  Keeping the button pressed, move the mouse to the lower right corner.  You will see a selection rectangle displaying the selected portion.  Release the mouse button to enlarge the selected area.

The display will be redrawn, displaying only the data within the region selected, and the examination region will be outlined in the display on the left.

To return to the original graphical display, select Profile, and then select Scaling, then Default, or click the right mouse button, and select Scaling, and then Default from the context menu which appears.  Other options allowing the user to manipulate the graphical display also exist.  For example, the graph can be rescaled such that the graph is proportional to the size of the entire graphical display.  If this desired, select Profile, Scaling, Auto from the menu bar, or click the right mouse button, and select Scaling, and then Auto from the context menu. It is also possible to "Zoom out" after the graphical display has been previously enlarged.  For this option, select Profile, Scaling, Zoom Out from the menu bar or Scaling, and then Zoom Out from the context menu.


Data Acq Post Tabular Data
Display Tabular Numeric Data

The Tabular Data dialog contains the numeric data collected during data acquisition mode can be opened by selecting Profile, Tabular Data.  This is useful for scrolling through the data set to find specific data points of interest.


Data Acq Post Units
Change Units of Displayed Data

The units of the data being displayed can be changed at any time by clicking Options, then System.  The System Parameters dialog then appears, and from this dialog the user can choose the units in which the data is to be displayed.


Reference AddInfo DepthEquation
Depth Equation

Probe depth is determined as a function of elapsed time after detection of seawater entry.  The general expression for probe depth is a quadratic equation as follows:

Depth= A * time + B * time * time

The linear term is terminal velocity and the second-order term accounts for the slight reduction in probe mass as its wire dereels, reducing its descent speed as depth increases.  Because probe types vary in geometry and mass, the equation coefficients also vary from type to type.

WinMK21 maintains a set of drop rate coefficients for each probe.  The drop rate coefficients for all probe types were originally determined by Sippican.   In 1995, The Integrated Global Ocean Services System (IGOSS) Task Team on Quality Control Procedures for Automated Systems* published an extensive study refining the drop rate coefficients for the T-4, T-6 and T-7 XBTs.  For these probes the IGOSS coefficients have been implemented as the default values.  Where there are no IGOSS coefficients available, the original Sippican values are used as defaults (IGOSS option is not selectable).  Note that the coefficients can also be modified by the user to custom values.  Use of the custom coefficients is extremely rare and is not recommended without consulting with Sippican - Technical Support first.

The current selection for drop rate is displayed in the Launch Information Dialog as Depth Equation.  Any selection other than the default selection for a given probe type will be displayed in red to alert the operator that non-default values are being used.  In Real-time Data Acquisition mode, to view or change the drop rate coefficients click on Options | Probe | Selection | More...  In Post-Processing mode, click on Options | Probe | Attributes.  In either case the Probe Attributes dialog is displayed for the active probe.

XCTD-Deep Depth Equation

The XCTD-Deep analog probe allows a multi-stage depth equation.  This is a customized depth equation for use with the XCTD-Deep probe that divides the probe descent into multiple stages based on time.  Each stage has a unique set of drop rate coefficients and three additional correction factors.  The Multi-Stage equation was designed to model the empirically measured descent of the XCTD-Deep probe.  If required, please contact Sippican - Technical Support for more information on the XCTD-Deep depth equation.

Digital XCTD Depth Equation

The digital XCTD probes do not allow the operator to modify the drop rate coefficients.  The drop rate coefficients are stored on the EEPROM and are determined at the time the probe is loaded in the launcher.  The digital XCTD EEPROM format has allocated space for four drop rate coefficients for use with the depth equation.  However, it is only using two terms, the linear and second-order terms, at this time.  If a non-standard set of drop rate coefficients are read from a probe's EEPROM and subsequently used in the depth equation, this non-standard state is indicated in red in the Launch Information dialog.

*K. Hanawa, P. Rual, R. Bailey, A. Sy, and M. Szabados, A New Depth-Time Equation for Sippican or TSK T-7, T-6 and T-4 Expendable Bathythermographs (XBT) published in IOC Technical Series No. 42.


Reference AddInfo ExportData
Export Data Format

The Export Data Format is an ASCII output file of the profile data.  The file contains launch and probe information in the header.  The complete profile data is then listed in tab-delimited format with a single data sample set on each line.  A single data sample set consists of the calculated depth and the measured and derived data for each probe, i.e. temperature, sound velocity, conductivity, etc.  An example of such a file is displayed below.

// This is a MK21 EXPORT DATA FILE  (EDF)

//

Date of Launch:  10/10/2000

Time of Launch:  08:49:38

Sequence #    :  49

Latitude      :  4 0.000S

Longitude     :  4 0.300E

Serial #      :  0

//

// Here are the contents of the memo fields.

//

//

// Here is some probe information for this drop.

//

Probe Type       :  T-4

Terminal Depth   :  460 m

Depth Equation   :  Standard

Depth Coeff. 1   :  0.0

Depth Coeff. 2   :  6.691

Depth Coeff. 3   :  -0.00225

Depth Coeff. 4   :  0.0

Pressure Pt Correction:  100.0%

//

Raw Data Filename:  C:\SIPPICAN\WINMK21\DATA\T4_00049.RDF

//

Display Units    :  Metric

//

// This XBT export file has been noise reduced and averaged.

Noise Threshold :  10.0 (0.0% spikes)

Averaging Window:  7

//

// Sound velocity derived with assumed salinity: 30.00 ppt

//

Depth (m) - Temperature (°C) - Sound Velocity (m/s)

4.7	20.91	1575.30

5.4	20.91	1575.31

6.0	20.91	1575.32

6.7	20.91	1575.33

7.4	20.90	1575.34

8.0	20.90	1575.35

8.7	20.90	1575.36

...

454.8	9.91	1552.97

455.4	9.91	1552.98

456.1	9.91	1552.99

456.7	9.91	1553.00

457.3	9.91	1553.01

458.0	9.91	1553.02

458.6	9.91	1553.03


Reference AddInfo Filename
Probe Filenames

The data filename is constructed automatically from the probe type and sequence number.  The first two characters of each data filename identify the probe type.  The table below shows the prefixes for each probe type:

Probe type	Prefix

XBT	T-4 	T4_

T-5	T5_

T-6	T6_

T-7	T7_

T-10	T0_

T-11(Fine Structure)	T1_

Deep Blue	TD_

Fast Deep	TF_

T-12	T2_

XSV	XSV-01	S1_

XSV-02	S2_

XSV-03	S3_

XCTD	XCTD (Analog)	C1_

XCTD Deep (Analog)	C2_

XCTD-1 (Digital)	C3_

XCTD-2 (Digital)	C4_

The numeric portion of the data filename is taken from the sequence number.


Reference AddInfo NavigationInput
Navigation Input Reference - NMEA 0183

The NMEA 0183 Standard for Interfacing Marine Electronic Navigational Devices was adopted by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) to allow marine instruments to transmit and receive information via a serial cable.  This communication between a single talker and multiple listeners is based on a block transmission.  Blocks, or groups of NMEA 0183 sentences, are transmitted over the serial cable.  Each sentence has a header that uniquely identifies the talker and the information contained in the sentence.  An external navigational device that supports the NMEA 0183 protocol continuously transmits at least the minimum implementation of sentences.  A serial cable connects the external navigational device (talker) to a serial port of the WinMK21 control computer (listener).

The WinMK21 application will accept NMEA 0183 navigational information on a serial port.  The WinMK21 application looks for the navigational information in the following sentences:

RMC:	Recommended Minimum Specific GPS/TRANSIT Data

RMA:	Recommended Minimum Specific Loran-C Data

GGA:	Global Positioning System Fix Data

GLL:	Geographic Position - Latitude/Longitude

When any of the position-related NMEA sentences are received by WinMK21 application, the latitude and longitude information is displayed in the Launch Information Window.  The position quality is appended to the latitude (SPS Mode, Differential GPS, PPS Mode or "Fix not avail. or invalid").

Furthermore, the WinMK21 application allows you to reset the computer system clock based on the external navigational device time provided by the ZDA, Time & Date sentence.  The time-related ZDA sentence must be selected in the Navigation Input Parameters dialog.


Reference AddInfo NTDS
NTDS Interface Reference

The NTDS interface is a 16 bit parallel interface with a fast and slow version.

The temperature data range is between 28 F and 96 F, +/-0.2 F.  The sound velocity data range is between 4610 ft/sec and 5118 ft/sec, +/-0.8 ft/sec.  The external interface depth interval is 2 ft, with an accuracy of +/- 0.5% if depth, or 2 ft, which ever is greater.

The NTDS format is available only for T-4, T-5 and T-7 type XBTs, and XSV-01 type XSVs.  XCTD probes may have their data transmitted in the corresponding XBT or XSV format, which is selectable by the user (refer to Options|Transmit for selecting this feature).  For each probe type the total number of data/depth samples sent is:

T-4	750

T-5	3000

T-7	1250

XSV-01	1395

Data can be transmitted via the external interface at any time.  The only requirement is that the profile for the desired data be currently open.

To select the characteristics of the external interface refer to Options|Transmit.


Reference AddInfo Overview
Additional Information Overview

This section briefly explains some issues not related to other topics in this help file.

Restore Storage File

Configuration Log File

Password Protection

Probe Filenames

Raw Data Format

Export Data Format

Depth Equation

Terminal Depth

Navigation Input Reference - NMEA 0183

NTDS Interface Reference

Serial-Binary Interface Reference


Reference AddInfo RawData
Raw Data Format

The Raw Data Format is a proprietary binary file format of the profile data.  This file is the standard storage format for WinMK21, WinMK12 and the DOS-based MK12 applications.  Although WinMK21 is able to convert files generated by the WinMK12 and DOS-based MK12 applications, the WinMK21 RDF data files are not compatible with the earlier WinMK12 and DOS-based MK12 applications.  As such, the earlier WinMK12 and DOS-based MK12 applications can not read RDF files generated by WinMK21.


Reference AddInfo TerminalDepth
Terminal Depth

Sippican probes are rated for specific depths.  This rated depth will appear as the default value in the Probe Selection dialog.

Some users may be interested in modifying this depth.  To modify the terminal depth for a specific probe type, click the More... button in the Probe Selection dialog to display the Probe Attributes dialog for the selected probe.

The terminal depth can be decreased for purposes of saving time in the case of shallow depth profiles.  Alternatively, the terminal depth can be increased to maximize the amount of data collected in the case of monitoring the probe beyond it's rated depth, until data transmission is terminated by a wire break.  In the event of monitoring the probe beyond the rated depth, Sippican does not recommend increasing the terminal depth by more than 20%. Also, Sippican cautions that data collected when the wire is being stretched prior to breaking is often suspect.  Furthermore, termination of the data transmission by breaking of the wire can cause the data collection program to appear to be hung up, particularly if the terminal depth has been reset to be very deep relative to the rated depth.  In this event, terminate the data collection by selecting the Terminate menu item from the Actions menu.  All data collected until that time will be written to disk.


Reference Dialogs LaunchInformation
Launch Information

The Launch Information Window displays the information related specifically to the currently active profile.  This dialog displays the:

Probe Parameters	Probe type, Terminal Depth, Drop Rate Equation, Serial number.

Storage Parameters	Data Filename, Data Path.

Launch Parameters	Date and Time, Sequence Number, Latitude and Longitude position.

Custom Parameters	Custom label and contents if available.


Reference Dialogs NavigationInput
Navigation Input Status

The Navigation Input Status dialog displays diagnostic information related to the navigational input parameters and a scrolling display of the incoming serial data on the active communications port.

The horizontal bars at the bottom of the dialog indicate the status and activity of the two serial input buffers as follows:

Operating System Input Buffer Status

The top bar indicates the amount of bytes in the operating system's input buffer.  Under normal operating conditions this bar will appear empty unless an internal process has temporarily delayed the WinMK21 application's ability to retrieve the serial information from the operating system's input buffer.  The top square to the right of the indicator flashes when activity is detected on the operating system's input buffer.

Internal WinMK21 Input Buffer Status

The bottom bar indicates the number of bytes in the internal WinMK21 input buffer.  Under normal operating conditions this bar will appear empty.  However, it is possible for the internal WinMK21 input buffer to begin to fill up if a lengthy internal process has temporarily delayed the WinMK21 application's ability to process the data in this input buffer.  Once the WinMK21 is able to process the data in the internal input buffer, the indicator will revert to empty. The bottom square to the right of the indicator flashes when activity is detected on the internal WinMK21 input buffer.

The WinMK21 input buffer will fill up if the WinMK21 application is unable to process the data in the input buffer.  This typically occurs if the navigation input serial settings, such as the baud rate, are not specified correctly for the incoming data stream.

In this example, the navigation input serial settings have been set to a baud rate of 9600.  The incoming data stream from the external navigation device is set to a baud rate of 4800.  The WinMk21 application is still able to read the data from the serial port, however, it is unable to process the data since it doesn't make any sense because of the incorrect serial settings.  As a result, the internal WinMK21 input buffer simply fills up with the unprocessed serial data until an overflow is detected.  Upon detecting an overflow, the WinMK21 application clears the internal input buffer and warns the operator of the possible problem.

Diagnostics

The Diagnostic... button activates the diagnostics feature.  If not already active, a diagnostics file is automatically named and created in the default data directory.  This file will contain diagnostic system information related to the serial communications and records all incoming serial data and changes to the communications settings.  Selecting the Diagnostic button a second time will stop recording the navigation input information to the current diagnostics file.


Reference Dialogs Overview
Dialog Overview

This section provides information on a few selected dialogs.  These dialogs include:

Launch Information Dialog

System Status Dialog

Navigation Input Dialog


Reference Dialogs SystemStatus
System Status

The System Status window displays the current system status parameters.  This dialog displays the:

MK21 Status	Indicates MK21 interface board state (Ready or Standby).

Nav. Input	Indicates communications port state and settings.

Data Transmit	Indicates if the collected data is to be transmitted to an external device.

Storage Mode	Indicates automatic export storage mode (.rdf and .edf) or standard storage mode (.rdf only).

Disk Space	Indicates amount of free space available in the current default data path as the number of drops for the currently selected probe.

Display Units	Indicates universal system units (metric or English).


Reference MainWnd Overview
Real-time Data Acquisition Window

The Real-time Data Acquisition Window shows launch state, i.e. Load Probe, Testing Probe, Launch Probe, Collecting MK21 Data, and Spent Canister, the measured parameter(s) as a function of depth, and the graphical representation of the data being collected.  This window is invoked by the File|New Drop command.  There can be only one Real-time Data Acquisition window for collecting data.  However, other data windows can display data in Post-Acquisition mode from previous drops.


Reference MenuBar Actions Abort
Terminate

The Action|Terminate command aborts the current operation.  This menu item is only enabled when a Terminate operation is allowed.  For example, the menu item is available during the data acquisition.  Once the terminate operation is initiated, the user is informed that the data acquisition has been terminated.  The program is then reset to a state in which it is simply checking for the presence of a probe in the launcher.


Reference MenuBar Actions Mk21IO
MK21 I/O Board

Selecting MK21 I/O Board from the Actions menu displays a popup menu that allow you to either manually initiate the MK21 interface board or set the MK21 interface board to Standby mode.

Initiate	Initiate the MK21 Interface Board.

Standby	Set the MK21 Interface Board to standby mode.


Reference MenuBar Actions Mk21IO Initiate
MK21 I/O Board - Initiate

After launching the software, the MK21 interface board is held in Standby mode.  The MK21 interface board can be initialized automatically when the user proceeds into data acquisition, or as a separate event.  After installing a MK21 interface board in a new machine,  the user may want to manually initiate a MK21 interface board initialization to verify the board is functioning properly.  To do this select Actions, then MK21 I/O Board, then Initiate.  Initialization of the MK21 board takes about 7 seconds and is accompanied by  'Detect MK21' and 'Test MK21' messages.  During this time the MK21 board is

1)	confirmed to be detected at the address selected by the software settings, and

2)	verified to pass internal diagnostic tests.

If the MK21 interface board should fail to be detected, the base address may be in conflict with some other process of the computer.  Please refer to the MK21 interface board port address section for more information on changing the port address.

Contact Sippican - Technical Support if the MK21 board repeatedly fails one of the internal diagnostic tests.


Reference MenuBar Actions Mk21IO Standby
MK21 I/O Board - Standby

After a successful initialization, the MK21 interface board is held in Ready mode even after a data acquisition has been completed.  This is indicated by the Ready status shown in the System Status dialog.  Select Actions, then MK21 I/O Board, then Standby to revert the the MK21 interface board back to Standby mode.


Reference MenuBar Actions Overview
Action Menu

The Action menu provides commands for initiating an action related to the operation of the MK21 interface board.

Terminate	Terminate the current the operation.

MK21 I/O Board	Display pop-up menu for MK21 interface board operations.


Reference MenuBar File Close
Close

File|Close closes the currently active data window.


Reference MenuBar File Exit
Exit

The File|Exit command exits the WinMK21 program.


Reference MenuBar File Export
Export...

The File|Export... command allows the user to save a profile in the Export Data Format (.EDF).  The command displays the Save File As... dialog box.  The new file name, including the drive and directory, can be entered.  If an existing file name is chosen,  the user is prompted to indicate whether the existing file should be overwritten.


Reference MenuBar File NewDrop
New Drop...

The File|New command creates a new Real-time Data Acquisition window, and makes it the active window.


Reference MenuBar File Open
Open...

The File|Open command allows the user to load a Raw Data file (.RDF).  The standard Windows Open dialog will appear from which the user can select the file to be opened.


Reference MenuBar File Overview
File Commands

The File menu provides commands for displaying the Real-time Data Acquisition window, opening existing profiles, saving profiles, printing profiles, and exiting the application.

New Drop	Display the Real-time Data Acquisition window.

Open...	Open an existing profile.

Close	Close the current profile.

Save	Save the current profile in the Raw Data Format (.rdf).

Save As...	Save the current profile with a new name in the Raw Data Format (.rdf).

Export...	Export the current profile in the Export Data Format (.edf)

Transmit...	Transmit the current profile to an external device.

Print Preview...	View a sample printout of the current profile.

Print...	Print the current profile.

Print Setup...	Set the default printer characteristics.

Exit	Exit WinMK21 application.


Reference MenuBar File Print
Print...

The File|Print command prints the profile of the active window.  Use File|Print Preview to see how the profile in the active window will appear when printed.  Use File|Print Setup... to select a printer and to set printer options.


Reference MenuBar File PrintPreview
Print Preview...

File|Print Preview opens a special window that shows how the profile in the active window will appear when printed.  The preview window shows the data profile as it would be laid out on the printer page.


Reference MenuBar File PrintSetup
Print Setup...

The File|Print Setup command displays the Printer Setup dialog box which allows the user to select and configure the current printer.


Reference MenuBar File Save
Save

The File|Save command allows the user to save any changes made to the profile in the active data window.

Note:	If the profile data has been modified by the operator an asterik (*) is appended to the file name in the caption bar of the profile window.  The asterik indicates that the profile data, or more precisely a parameter that affects the profile display, has been modified since the data file was last saved.


Reference MenuBar File SaveAs
Save As...

The File|Save As... command allows the user to save the profile in the active data window in a Raw Data File (.rdf) under a new name, or in a new location on disk.  The command displays the Save File As... dialog box.  The new file name, including the drive and directory, can be entered.  The active window containing this profile is updated with the new name.  If an existing file name is chosen, the user is prompted to indicate if the existing file should be overwritten.


Reference MenuBar File Transmit
Transmit...

The File|Transmit... command allows the transmission of the current profile to an external device using the currently selected Data Transmit parameters.  These options can be accessed by selecting Options, and then Transmit from the menu bar.

During the data transmission, the Transmit Status dialog is displayed.  The Transmit Status dialog allows the operator to monitor the completion status of the transmission as well as monitor the integrity of the data transmission.

The binary values and the interpreted values of the transmitted data are displayed on the dialog.

The bottom bar indicates the number of bytes in the operating system's output buffer.  Under correct operating conditions this bar will appear empty since the data bytes in the output buffer should be transmitted as soon as they are sent to the output buffer.  However, if the transmission serial settings do not allow the data bytes to be transmitted as fast as the WinMK21 application sends them to the output buffer, the output buffer will fill up.  The short bar to the right of the bottom bar indicates if the output buffer has overflowed.  Even if the output buffer is no longer full, this indicator will remain highlighted in order to indicate the overflow situation.  An overflow situation will indicate a transmission failure.  In this case, the baud rate of the transmit serial settings should be increased.  The bottom square to the right of the two indicators flashes when activity is detected on the operating system's output buffer.


Reference MenuBar Help
Help and Sippican Contact Information

Online Help

The WinMK21 application provides online help to assist users in using the WinMK21 software.  If there are questions not answered by the online help, additional assistance is available by contacting Sippican as follows:

Marketing:

Jim Hannon, Marketing Manager

Phone:	(508) 748-1160, ext. 183

Fax:	(508) 748-3626

E-mail:	 oceansupport@sippican.com

Technical:

Steve Fischer, Software Engineer

Phone:	(508) 748-1160, ext. 437

Fax:	(508) 748-3626

E-mail:	oceansupport@sippican.com


Reference MenuBar Help About
WinMK21 About...

The About WinMK21 dialog displays the version information for the application and its support files.  Additional information is listed for the device driver.

Click the Tech. Support button to display information on how to contact the Sippican - Technical Support.  Click the MK21 IO Board button to display the About MK21 IO Board dialog that displays version information about the MK21 interface board.


Reference MenuBar Options CommPort Settings
Communications Port Parameters

This dialog allows the operator to set the communications port number, baud rate, parity, and number of data and stop bits for a serial port.  All WinMK21 options that make use of the serial ports, such as Data Transmit and Navigation Input, allow the operator to define the communications port using this dialog.


Reference MenuBar Options LaunchInfo Custom Labels
Launch Information - Custom Information Labels

The Custom Information Labels dialog allows you to define additional custom labels to display user-specific information in the Launch Information Window.  It is possible to define up to eight custom information labels which can then be assigned values.  A labeled field will appear in the Launch Information dialog for each parameter, and a value can then be entered according to the needs of the user.  Furthermore, the  information recorded in these custom fields is included in the exported data files.

The value entered into each of the fields will serve as the label for an operator defined parameter.  It is not necessary to enter a value for each of the fields in this dialog.  If a value has been entered into only three fields, then there are likewise three operator defined parameters.  Once the user is finished and the OK button has been clicked, the new operator-defined parameters appear in the Launch Information Parameters dialog box as shown below:

Now each parameter can be assigned a value, and that value is stored along with the data and all other information.


Reference MenuBar Options LaunchInformation
Launch Information Parameters

The Launch Information Parameters dialog displays the information related specifically to the currently active profile.   Select Options, and then Launch Information, and the dialog appears as follows:

This dialog displays the:

Sequence #	The sequence number is initialized manually, but incremented automatically.  Fill in the field labelled Sequence # to initialize this parameter.

Serial #	Each probe is assigned a unique serial number at the time of manufacture.  The serial number must be entered manually for XBTs and XSVs.  However, the serial number, which is stored on the probes' EEPROM, is entered automatically for XCTDs.

Latitude/Longitude	The latitude and longitude at which the probe is dropped can be defined by the user.  The position information can be entered automatically by an external navigational device as outlined in the Navigation Input parameters.

Memo	A memo can be entered manually.  Enter the desired text in the field labeled Memo.  Note that typing the carriage return key or the enter key is similar to clicking the OK button.  The cursor can be placed on a new line in this field by typing <Ctrl> Return, or <Ctrl> Enter.

Custom Fields	Since some users might want to store additional information with each probe drop, it is possible to define up to eight custom parameters which can then be assigned values.  A labeled field will appear in the Launch Information dialog for each parameter, and a value can then be entered according to the needs of the user.  Click the More... button, and the Custom Information Labels dialog appears.  Any new operator-defined parameters, such as Operator ID and Station ID, appear in the Launch Information Parameters dialog box as shown below:

Now each parameter can be assigned a value, and that value is stored along with the data and all other information.


Reference MenuBar Options NavigationInput
Navigation Input Parameters

The WinMK21 program is capable of accepting NMEA 0813 navigational information on a serial port.  WinMK21 is a listener for NMEA 0813 talkers like a GPS or LORAN C, and accepts GGA, GLL, RMC, RMA and ZDA sentences.  When any of the position-related NMEA 0183 sentences are received by WinMK21, the latitude and longitude information is displayed in the Launch Information Window.  The position quality is appended to the latitude (SPS Mode, Differential GPS, PPS Mode or "Fix not avail. or invalid").  Furthermore, if the time-related ZDA sentence is selected, the internal clock on the host computer is reset by the date/time of the contents of the ZDA sentence.

To enable Navigation Input, select Options, and then Navigation Input.  The Navigation Input dialog is displayed as shown below:

Select the NMEA 0183 option to enable the navigation input option.  Select at least one of the NMEA 0183 sentences that is output by your navigational device so the WinMK21 can look at incoming serial transmissions for the navigational information.  Select the ZDA options if you want the internal clock on the host computer to be reset by the date/time of the contents of the ZDA sentence.

The communications port settings are displayed in the Communications Port section.  Click the Settings button to modify the settings.  The Communications Port Parameters dialog will appear.


Reference MenuBar Options Overview
Options Menu

The Options menu provides commands for setting the WinMK21 options.

Probe	Displays pop up menu for probe settings - selection of probe type and probe attributes.

System	Set display units, storage mode and view hardware settings for the MK21 Interface Board.

Transmit	Set data transmission settings.

User	Set user interface settings

Scaling	Set profile scaling settings.

Post-Processing	Set profile post-processing parameters.

Launch Information	Set launch information for the active profile

Navigation Input	Set navigation input parameters.


Reference MenuBar Options PostProcessing
Post-processing Parameters

Noise spike removal and a moving average can be done to profiles.  The noise threshold value and the number of points in the average are user selectable.  Implementation of the noise spike removal and averaging can be selected to be automatic at the end of data collection.  The Post-processing parameters dialog allows the user to set the post-processing settings such as the default salinity for XBT sound velocity calculations, the noise threshold and averaging window and the automatic profile calculation settings.

Select Options, and then Post-processing.  The dialog box as shown below displays the values used to do subsequent calculations with data profiles.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes
Probe - Attributes

In data acquisition mode, the probe attributes are displayed by clicking the More... button in the Probe Selection dialog.  In data acquisition mode, changes made to the probe attributes will affect all subsequent profiles that use the edited probe type.

In post-processing mode, select Options, Probe, and then Attributes menu items to display the attributes for the probe in the currently active profile.  The Attributes menu item is only available in post-processing mode.  In post-processing mode, changes made to the probe attributes are specific to the probe in the currently active profile only.

Probe Attributes Dialog

The Probe Attributes dialog allows the user to edit the probe's terminal depth as well as verify or modify drop rate coefficients (Original, IGOSS, or Custom).  The IGOSS drop rates are the preferred drop rates.  Unless there is a special need for the the use of custom coefficients it is best to use the default coefficients for all of the probe types. Furthermore, in post-processing mode, the user will be able to define Pressure Pt and Calibration coefficients if they are available.  The following dialog is displayed:

The probe type, in this case a T-4, is displayed in the caption bar of the dialog.  Furthermore, a picture of the probe is displayed to avoid confusion.  If the user changes any of the values in this dialog, they can be reset back to the default values by clicking the Default button.  Note that this dialog will have a different appearance for each probe type.  For example, the XCTD Deep Probe Attributes dialog displays an optional Multi-Stage Equation in calculating the depth

In another special case, the digital XCTD-1 and XCTD-2 probes transmit the terminal depth and drop rate coefficients from an EEPROM on the probe during the probe loading process.  Thus, unlike all of the other probes, the user is not able to set the probe specific parameters prior to initiating an XCTD-1 probe.

Post-Processing Attributes

In post-processing mode, the user will be able to define the calibrated depth of the pressure point and edit the data calibration coefficients.  If the feature is supported by the probe, a corresponding button appears in the dialog box for the Pressure Pt. and Calibration Coefficients dialogs.  Clicking the Pressure Pt. button displays the Pressure Point dialog.  Correspondingly, clicking the Cal. Coeff. button displays Calibration Coefficients dialog box.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes Calibration Coefficients
Probe Attributes - Calibration Coefficients

The Calibration Coefficients dialog allows the user to modify the data calibration coefficients used by WinMK21 to convert the raw data collected by the probe's sensors to engineering units.  The calibration coefficients, which are only used for analog XCTD, digital XCTD and T-12 probes are determined during the probe load sequence.

Click on the probe above to view the probe-specific calibration coefficients dialog.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes Calibration Coefficients ET
T-12 Calibration Coefficients

The user may select either Actual, Generic or Custom calibration coefficients for the temperature calibration coefficients.  The Actual coefficients are defined during the probe load process from the probe's corresponding .TCO file.  If the Actual coefficients are not available, the user can elect to use Generic coefficients for the data acquisition process.  In Post Processing mode the user can also enter Custom coefficients, however, this is not recommended unless otherwise instructed by Sippican, Inc.  You cannot edit either the Actual or Generic coefficients.

Clicking the Update button allows the user to update the calibration coefficients from the corresponding .TCO file, in which the eight-digit serial number of the probe is used for the filename of the .TCO file.  If the corresponding .TCO file cannot be located automatically by the WinMK21, the user is prompted to search for the .TCO file manually.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes Calibration Coefficients TSKXCTD
Digital XCTD Calibration Coefficients

The Actual coefficients for the digital XCTD probes are defined during the probe load process directly from the EEPROM on the probe.  If the Actual coefficients are not available from the EEPROM, you cannot continue with the data acquisition process.  The user cannot elect to use Generic coefficients for the data acquisition process.  In Post Processing mode the user can enter Custom coefficients, however, this is not recommended unless otherwise instructed by Sippican, Inc.  You cannot edit the Actual coefficients.

.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes Calibration Coefficients XCTD
Analog XCTD and XCTD Deep Calibration Coefficients

The user may select either Actual, Generic or Custom calibration coefficients for both the temperature and conductivity calibration coefficients.  The Actual coefficients are defined during the probe load process either directly from the EEPROM on the probe or from the probe's corresponding .CON file.  If the Actual coefficients are not available, the user can elect to use Generic coefficients for the data acquisition process.  In Post Processing mode the user can also enter Custom coefficients, however, this is not recommended unless otherwise instructed by Sippican, Inc.  You cannot edit either the Actual or Generic coefficients.

Clicking the Update button allows the user to update the calibration coefficients from the corresponding .CON file, in which the eight-digit serial number of the probe is used for the filename of the .CON file.  If the corresponding .CON file cannot be located automatically by the WinMK21, the user is prompted to search for the .CON file manually.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes Pressure Pt
Probe Attributes - Pressure Point

The Pressure Point dialog allows the user to define the calibrated depth of the probe's pressure sensor.  Furthermore, the user can manually modify or remove the trigger depth of the pressure point.

The calibrated depth is recorded as a pressure in psi.   The calibrated depth in psi is then converted to a depth in meters (or feet depending on the current units).  If the latitude of the probe drop is available, the WinMK21 will automatically compensate the psi to meters conversion based on the known latitude.

The trigger depth is displayed in meters (or feet).  If this value is blank, then the pressure point is considered to be "Free."  Otherwise, this value reflects the current trigger depth whether it was obtained automatically using Auto-Find or set manually by the user.  To remove the trigger depth for the pressure point, simply remove the value and leave the field blank.

If the trigger depth is set, the resulting correction coefficient is displayed.  The correction is indicated as a required percentage change that must be applied to the derived depth in order to force the trigger depth of the pressure point signature in the probe data to be located correctly at the calibrated depth of the pressure sensor.

Clicking the Default button resets the calibrated depth to the default value.

Clicking the Update button allows the user to update the calibrated depth from the corresponding .PPT file, in which the eight-digit serial number of the probe is used for the filename of the .PTT file.  If the corresponding .PPT file cannot be located automatically by the WinMK21, the user is prompted to search for the .PPT file manually.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Selection
Probe - Selection

There can be only one active probe type for the data acquisition mode.  When a new probe drop has been initiated, the system will use the currently active probe type by default.  Thus, if an XSV-01 probe is the currently selected data acquisition probe type, when the user starts a new drop sequence, the system will prepare the MK21 interface board for an XSV-01 probe.  Therefore, the first step in starting a new drop is to ensure the desired probe type is actually the currently selected data acquisition probe type.  If a different probe is desired, click Options, then Probe, then Selection.  The following dialog appears which allows the user to select a different probe.

Simply click on the desired probe, and then click OK.  Clicking the More... button displays the Probe Attributes dialog box for the currently selected probe.  Clicking the Default button resets the attributes of all of the probes to their corresponding default values.  The Default button is disabled if all of the probe attributes are currently set to their default values.


Reference MenuBar Options Scaling
Graph Scaling - Defaults

The minimum and maximum default scaling values for the various profile displays can be modified prior to probe launch as well as after data acquisition.  Click Options, and then Scaling, and the following dialog appears:

If the any of the values have been modified, clicking the Default button will return the values back to their associated defaults.


Reference MenuBar Options System
System Parameters

The system parameters include options to modify the MK21 interface board port address, select whether the data is to be displayed in metric units or English units, and determine how and where the collected data is to be stored.  Click Options, and then System to display the dialog for these options:

MK21 Interface Board

In the MK21/USB configuration, the port address may be modified by the WinMK21 application.  Click the Settings button to display the MK21 Interface Board Port Address dialog to modify the port address.  The user cannot modify the port address if the MK21 interface board is in Ready mode.  A properly functioning MK21 interface board in Ready mode indicates that the port address is correct and that it does not need to be modified.

Alternatively, in the ISA configuration, the port address for the MK21 interface board is maintained by the MK21 device driver and cannot be changed by the WinMK21 application.  In Windows NT a separate utility program, SetMK21, has been supplied to reset the port address for the MK21 device driver.  In Windows 2000/XP the port address can be modified using the Device Manager.  However, you can view the designated port address in this dialog.

Please refer to the MK21 interface board port address section for more information on the port address.

Units

To select the units in which the data is to be displayed, simply click either the Metric or the English option.

Data Storage

Click either the Standard button or the Export button to indicate the storage mode.

Standard 	all unprocessed (raw) acquired data will be stored in the designated data directory.  Raw data files have the extension .rdf.

Export 	all unprocessed (raw) acquired data and an additional export file will be stored in the designated data directory.  Export files are recorded as text files using ASCII characters for use by other applications such as spreadsheets.  The export file will be stored in the same directory as the associated raw data file, and under the same name, but with the extension .edf rather than the raw data file's .rdf extension.

Select the Automatically backup data check box to create a second raw data file that is written to the designated backup directory automatically.  If the Export mode is currently selected, a second export data file will also be written to the backup destination.

The user can select the data and backup directories by selecting the corresponding Browse button.  The following dialog will appear:

The user can select the directory by navigating through the directory structure until the desired directory has been found, and then clicking the OK button.  The newly selected path will be displayed in the System Parameters dialog.


Reference MenuBar Options Transmit
Data Transmit Parameters

The profile data may be transmitted to an external device via a serial port or an NTDS interface card.  The profile data may be transmitted as follows:

Serial-ASCII:	ASCII profile data transmitted via serial port

Serial-Binary:	Proprietary binary data format based on NTDS protocol transmitted via serial port

NTDS-Fast:	NTDS protocol (proprietary binary data format) transmitted via NTDS-Fast interface card

NTDS-Slow:	NTDS protocol (proprietary binary data format) transmitted via NTDS-Slow interface card

To specify the type of external interface select Options, and then Transmit.  The Data Transmit Parameters dialog will appear:

Enable Data Transmission

To enable data transmission, the box labeled Transmit data to an external device must be selected.  If this box is selected, the profile data from valid probes will be automatically transmitted to the selected external device at the completion of a probe drop.  The user will always be prompted to confirm the data transmission.   Select the transmit mode depending on the interface to the external interface.  Various options may be set depending on the selected transmit mode.

All Transmit Modes

All transmit modes allow you to set the Data Record Transmission Delay.  The transmission delay is used to control data flow as required.  Some external readers cannot keep up with an uninterrupted data transmission either because their input buffer overflows or they are too slow.  As a result, they will miss transmitted data.  A variable transmission delay is a simple method to accommodate slower readers or readers with limited buffering capability.  Setting the transmission delay will help control the data flow should timing between the WinMK21 and the receiver become a problem by adding a delay in milliseconds between each record that is transmitted.

Serial-ASCII Mode

The Serial-ASCII mode transmits the data via the serial port.  The profile data from all probes may be transmitted in this mode.  Click the Settings button in the Serial - Communications Port section to set the communications port settings.  The Communications Port Parameters dialog will appear.  The Serial-ASCII transmit mode can transmit an extended header prior to the profile data.  The extended header information is similar to the header information in the Export Data Format (.edf) data file.

Serial-Binary Mode

There are three different protocols available for the Serial-Binary mode.  Please refer to the Serial-Binary Interface Reference for more information on the various protocols.  The Serial-Binary mode transmits the data via the serial port.  Click the Settings button in the Serial - Communications Port section to set the communications port settings.  The Communications Port Parameters dialog will appear.

NTDS-Slow Mode

The NTDS-Slow mode transmits the data via an NTDS-Slow interface card.  In order to remain compatible with existing systems, it may be necessary to specify an Interval Delay in milliseconds.  The interval delay causes the NTDS-Slow transmission to pause between each byte in a data record transmission.  The delay allows older NTDS readers enough time to read the data value before the next byte in the data record is transmitted.

Valid Probes for Serial-Binary and NTDS Transmit Modes

The Serial-Binary, NTDS-Fast and NTDS-Slow modes transmit the data using a proprietary binary data format.  The protocol only allows the profile data from specific probes to be transmitted as follows:

Serial-Binary:	T-4, T-5, T-6, T-7 and T-10 XBT and XSV-01 and XSV-02 XSV probes; however, not all of the listed probes are available for all Serial-Binary modes.

NTDS-Fast:	T-4, T-5 and T-7 XBT and XSV-01 probes

NTDS-Slow:	T-7 probes only

Since an XCTD has both temperature and sound velocity information, WinMK21 allows the the profile data to be transmitted as XBT-like or XSV-like.  When XCTD data is being transferred the operator will be asked to specify whether the XCTD data should be transmitted as XBT or XSV data.  The operator is always prompted to specify the data format with the XCTD Transmit Format dialog; however, this setting is used to set the default selection.


Reference MenuBar Options User
User Interface Parameters

It is possible to control the display upon startup of the WinMK21 software.  Click Options, and User, and the dialog shown below appears which displays the various display options at startup.

Clicking the checkboxes in the section labeled Start Up Options will display the Launch Information and System Status dialog at startup.  The checkbox labeled Show Active Window will automatically start the program in Data Acquisition Mode when it is enabled.  The Status Boxes Toggle Options enable/disable the display of both the active window with the Launch Information window whenever an active window is launched, as well as the Real-Time Data Acquisition window with the System Status window whenever a new data acquisition is launched.  General Operations allows the user to enable or disable verification of critical actions.  The Require password to change settings option allows the user to protect system options with a password.


Reference MenuBar Overview
Menu Bar

This section provides a discussion of all commands which are accessible from the menu bar.

File

Options

Actions

Tools

Profile

Window

Help

Additional Information


Reference MenuBar Profile Averaged
Averaged Profile

The Averaged profile is a trace of the data with the data averaged.  To display the averaged profile select the Average menu item from the Profile menu.  This function rewrites the trace while retaining the current scaling of the graphical display.

The WinMK21 application can optionally create a Noise Reduced profile first.  Then the value of each remaining data point is averaged using a variable averaging window.

The averaging of data points can be influenced through the Averaging Window as defined in the Post-processing Parameters dialog.  Select Options, and then Post-Processing to display the Post-processing dialog.

Enter a valid odd number in the Averaging Window field to change the number of values used in generating the Averaged profile.  If the Automatically calculate Noise-Reduced Profile option has been selected in the Post-processing Parameters dialog, the acquired data will be automatically noise-reduced using the current settings before the data is averaged.  Also note that this function does not modify the raw data file.


Reference MenuBar Profile Density
Density Profile

The Profile|Density command computes and displays the derived water density data in the graphical display.  This profile display option is only available for XCTD probes.

If the Automatic Post-processing options have been activated in the Post-processing Parameters dialog, the acquired data will be automatically noise-reduced and/or averaged using the current settings before the water density profile is derived.  The spike removal threshold, the percentage of data points that have been deleted and the size of the averaging window are displayed in the Post-processing section of the profile window.


Reference MenuBar Profile Noise
Noise Reduced Profile

The Noise Reduced profile is a trace of the data with the noise spikes removed.  To display the noise reduced profile select the Noise menu item from the Profile menu.  This function rewrites the trace while retaining the current scaling of the graphical display.

This function is performed by scanning each individual data point, and comparing the value of that data point with the value of the previous datapoint.  If the difference between these two values is greater than the Noise Spike Threshold defined in the Post-Processing Parameters dialog, the current datapoint will be removed from the Noise Reduced profile.  Subsequent datapoints are also compared to the last acceptable datapoint, and removed if their differences exceed the threshold.  As the trace continues to be examined, the reference point is advanced when the difference drops below the threshold.  After the trace is complete, there is a note in the Post-processing section of the profile window showing the percentage of points removed.  For the XCTD probe, both datasets (conductivity and temperature) are processed in parallel.  If either dataset has a value which is suspect, then that datapoint is removed from both profiles.

The removal of datapoints can be influenced through the Noise Spike Threshold as defined in the Post-processing Parameters dialog.  Select Options, and then Post-Processing to display the Post-processing dialog.

The value in the field labeled Noise Threshold defines the difference between datapoint values at which that datapoint will be removed.  Simply enter a new value into this field to define a new threshold.  Note that if the entered threshold value is too small, large voids can result in the display as groups of valid datapoints will be removed.  Also note that this function does not modify the raw data file.


Reference MenuBar Profile Original
Original Profile

The original profile is a trace of the acquired and unfiltered data.  To display the original profile select the Original menu item from the Profile menu.  This action rewrites the original trace to the graphical display, retaining the current scaling.   The acquired data is as follows for the different probes:

XBT	Temperature

XSV	Sound Velocity

XCTD	Temperature and Conductivity


Reference MenuBar Profile Overlay Overview
Overlay - Overview

An overlay allows you to view a profile from a previous launch on the graphical display, but does so using a lighter color than the current profile.  The file name of the overlay profile is indicated in the caption bar of the profile window.

In some cases the overlay may not be able to draw a matching profile.  The probe data in the selected overlay must be able to automatically calculate the matching data set in order to draw the overlay profile.  For example, the data from an XSV probe drop cannot be used as an overlay for an XBT because the matching temperature profile cannot be derived automatically from the XSV data.  As another example, the data from an XBT probe drop can be used as a partial overlay for an XCTD probe because at least the matching temperature profile is available in the XBT data.

The Overlay menu provides commands for adding and removing an overlay for the current profile.

Set	Add an overlay profile.

Remove	Remove an overlay profile.


Reference MenuBar Profile Overlay Remove
Overlay - Remove

Select Profile, Overlay, and then Remove from the menu bar to remove an existing overlay profile from the current profile.  This menu item is only available if an overlay has been set for the current profile.


Reference MenuBar Profile Overlay Set
Overlay - Set

Select Profile, Overlay, and then Set from the menu bar to add an overlay profile to the current profile.  A dialog will appear which prompts the user to select a .RDF data file of a previous launch.  Once the file is selected, the overlay profile is drawn in the graphical display using a lighter color than the current profile.  Furthermore, the file name of the overlay profile is indicated in the caption bar of the profile window.

Select Profile, Overlay, and then Set from the menu bar to replace an existing overlay profile with a different overlay profile.  You do not need to remove the existing overlay first.


Reference MenuBar Profile Overview
Profile Menu

The Profile menu provides commands for setting the profile display options.  The Profile menu item is only available when the Real-time Data Acquisition Window is open, or a previously acquired profile is being displayed.

Scaling	Displays pop up menu for scaling settings.

Tabular Data	Toggle display of Tabular Data dialog for the current profile.

Original	Display the acquired unfiltered data.

Noise	Display the noise reduced data.

Averaged	Display the averaged data.

Salinity	Display the derived salinity data.

Sound Velocity	Display the derived sound velocity data.

Density	Display the derived water density data.

Pressure Pt	Displays pop up menu for pressure point settings.

Overlay	Displays pop up menu for overlay settings.


Reference MenuBar Profile PressurePt
Pressure Point - Overview

The Pressure Point Pop Up menu provides commands for setting the pressure point trigger depth for the current profile.

Set	Manually set the location of the pressure point signature at the current profile marker.

Remove	Manually remove the trigger depth indicating the pressure point signature.

Auto-Find	Automatically search the probe data for the pressure point signature.


Reference MenuBar Profile PressurePt AutoFind
Pressure Point - Auto-Find

Select Profile, Pressure Pt, and then Auto-Find from the menu bar to automatically set the location of the pressure point.  WinMK21 will search the probe data for the pressure point signature.  The results of the search are displayed in the Auto-Found Pressure Confirmation Dialog.

If the user confirms a successful search, the profile data is redrawn with the new corrected depths.  The pressure point signature will be displayed at the calibrated depth and all the other probe depths will be adjusted accordingly.


Reference MenuBar Profile PressurePt Set
Pressure Point - Set

Select the Set menu item from the Profile|Pressure Pt menu to manually set the location of the pressure point signature.  The trigger depth for the pressure point will be set to the current depth as indicated by the profile marker.

The Profile, Pressure Point, Set menu item is only available if the current probe is pressure point enabled and the calibrated depth of the pressure point has been properly defined.  Only analog XCTD and T-12 probes are pressure point enabled. The calibrated depth of the pressure point is either read from an analog XCTD probe's EEPROM or from a .ppt file for both analog XCTD and T-12 probes.

To define the calibrated depth of the pressure point, select the Attributes menu item from the  Options|Probe menu.  The Probe Attributes dialog will appear.  If the probe is pressure point enabled the Pressure Pt. button is enabled.  Click the Pressure Pt. button to display the Pressure Point dialog.  The user can now define the calibrated depth of the pressure point for the current probe.


Reference MenuBar Profile PressurePt Undo
Pressure Point - Undo

Select Profile, Pressure Pt, and then Undo from the menu bar to manually remove the trigger depth for the pressure point.  This action effectively clears any existing pressure point correction to the depth equation.

The Profile, Pressure Point, Undo menu item is only available if the current probe is pressure point enabled and both the calibrated and trigger depth of the pressure point have been properly defined.  Only analog XCTD and T-12 probes are pressure point enabled.


Reference MenuBar Profile Salinity
Salinity Profile

The Salinity profile provides computation and display of salinity.  This profile display option is only available for XCTD probes.  To display the salinity profile select the Salinity menu item from the Profile menu.  This function rewrites the trace while retaining the current scaling of the graphical display.  If the Automatic Post-processing options have been activated in the Post-Processing Parameters dialog, the acquired data will be automatically noise-reduced and/or averaged using the current settings before the salinity profile is derived.

The equation used to calculate salinity as a function temperature and conductivity is referred to in the literature as SAL78.


Reference MenuBar Profile Scaling
Scaling

The Scaling Pop Up menu provides commands for setting the scaling options for the current profile.

Default	Set the current profile scaling values to default values.

Auto	Set the current profile scaling values automatically.

Zoom Out	Zoom out from the current profile scaling settings.

Set	Set profile scaling settings.


Reference MenuBar Profile Scaling Auto
Auto Scaling

The Scaling|Auto command sets the current profile scaling values based on the minimum and maximum values of the profile data.  A default profile appears as follows:

Default scaling

Selecting the Auto menu item from the Profile|Scaling menu redraws the profile as follows:

Automatic Scaling


Reference MenuBar Profile Scaling Default
Default Scaling

The Scaling|Default command sets the current profile scaling values to default values.  The default scaling values are set by the Scaling Parameters dialog box accessed, accessed either by the Options|Scaling or Scaling|Set menu items.

If the profile has been zoomed, it appears as follows:

Profile which has been zoomed

Selecting the Default menu item from the Profile|Scaling menu redraws the profile as follows:

Profile with default scaling


Reference MenuBar Profile Scaling Set
Set Scaling

The Scaling|Set command displays the Graph Scaling - Defaults dialog so you can set the minimum and maximum default scaling values for the various profile displays.  This dialog box is also accessed by the Options|Scaling menu item.


Reference MenuBar Profile Scaling ZoomOut
Zoom Out Scaling

The Scaling|Zoom Out command in the Scaling menu will expand the view of the current profile by doubling the current scaling values.  A zoomed profile appears as follows:

Figure 1 - Zoomed profile

Selecting the Zoom Out menu item from the Profile|Scaling menu redraws the profile as follows:

Figure 2 - Profile after Zoom out


Reference MenuBar Profile SoundVelocity
Sound Velocity Profile

The Profile|Sound Velocity command computes and displays the derived sound velocity data in the graphical display.  This profile display option is available for both:

XBT probes	using the acquired temperature data and a default salinity value as set in the Post-Processing Parameters dialog.

XCTD probes	using the acquired temperature and conductivity data.

If the Automatic Post-processing options have been activated in the Post-Processing Parameters dialog, the acquired data will be automatically noise-reduced and/or averaged using the current settings before the sound velocity profile is derived.  The spike removal threshold, the percentage of data points that have been deleted and the size of the averaging window are displayed in the Post-processing section of the profile window.


Reference MenuBar Profile TabularData
Tabular Data

The Profile|Tabular Data command toggles the display of the Tabular Data Window.  This dialog displays the profile data in a tabular format listed sequentially by depth.  A check mark will appear next to the menu item to indicate the dialog for the active profile is currently visible.  This dialog is shown below.


Reference MenuBar Tools Diagnostics
Diagnostic

The Tools|Diagnostic command provides commands for setting the diagnostic options.

Log to Disk	Toggle diagnostic log to disk feature

Settings	Set diagnostic settings.


Reference MenuBar Tools Diagnostics LogToDisk
Diagnostic - Log To Disk

The Diagnostic|Log to Disk command is a feature which, when enabled, saves certain selectable information to a file on disk.  This information can be later viewed and assists in situations when either the MK21 interface board or the WinMK21 software does not seemed to be functioning properly.  When enabled, a check mark will appear next to the menu item to indicate that the diagnostic information is currently being logged to disk.  To stop writing the diagnostic information to disk, select this menu item again.

The Start Diagnostics dialog will appear.  This dialog allows the user to select the items to be included in the diagnostic file header as well as items that are to be recorded continuously while the file is open.

The diagnostic information written to disk includes:

Header Information

System:	The current operating system and computer configuration
Display:	Video Display Configuration
Printer: WinMK21 DLLs:	Printer configuration WinMK21 DLL version information
System Files:	WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files

Continuously Recorded Information

Navigation Input:	Serial input settings and navigational information

WinMK21 Operation:	WinMK21 internal operations

WinMK21 Settings:	WinMK21 software settings


Reference MenuBar Tools Diagnostics Setting
Diagnostic Parameters

If diagnostic information is already being recorded, then a dialog can be opened which allows the user to change what is being recorded to disk.

This dialog sets the parameters for a currently open diagnostics file such as:

Header Information

System:	The current operating system and computer configuration
Display:	Video Display Configuration
Printer: WinMK21 DLLs:	Printer configuration WinMK21 DLL version information
System Files:	WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files

Any Header Information item that has already been written to the file will be gray.  This indicates that this item cannot be removed from the header information once it has been written to disk.

Continuous Recording

Navigation Input:	Serial input settings and navigational information

WinMK21 Operation:	WinMK21 internal operations

WinMK21 Settings:	WinMK21 software settings


Reference MenuBar Tools Overview
Tools Menu

The Tools menu provides commands for the WinMK21 diagnostic feature, modifying fundamental profile attributes and for interacting with the hardware of the MK21 interface board and probes.

Diagnostic	Displays pop up menu for diagnostic feature.

Convert	Convert profile probe attributes

Read Probe EEPROM	Reads the contents of the EEPROMs on XCTD probes.

Update Firmware	Updates the firmware of the MK21 interface board


Reference MenuBar Tools ReadEEPROM
Read EEPROM (XCTD Probes only)

The Read EEPROM tool reads the contents of the EEPROM on both the analog and digital XCTD probes.   If the active probe is an XCTD probe, then the Read EEPROM tool will attempt to read the contents of the currently active probe.  The active probe is set using the Probe Selection dialog.

Normally the acquisition and utilization of the contents of the probe EEPROM happens at the beginning of each launch, and is completely transparent to the user.  This feature can be used as a prelaunch verification check to ensure the system integrity (computer, launcher, cable connections, and probe) prior to launching the probe.

Analog XCTD Probes

The sensors on the analog XCTD probes are individually calibrated.  The calibration coefficients are stored on the EEPROM of each probe and are used by the WinMK21 application to convert the sampled data into temperature and conductivity values.  The analog XCTD maintains three temperature and three conductivity calibration coefficients.  Furthermore, the EEPROM on the analog XCTD probes contains the serial number and may contain a Pressure Point calibration value.

Digital XCTD Probes

The sensors on the digital XCTD probes are individually calibrated.  The calibration coefficients are stored on the EEPROM of each probe and are used by the WinMK21 application to convert the sampled data into temperature and conductivity values.  The digital XCTD maintains four temperature and four conductivity calibration coefficients.  Furthermore, the EEPROM on the digital XCTD probes contains the serial number, drop rate coefficients and terminal depth for the probe.

Save EEPROM Contents

Click the Save... button to save the EEPROM contents to disk in ASCII text format.  The user will be prompted to specify the filename and location for the resulting text file.


Reference MenuBar Tools UpdateFirmware
Update Firmware

The MK21 interface board firmware can be updated by the user.  This should only be done when a new release of the firmware has been made available by Sippican.  The process for updating the firmware is simple; however, there are several safeguards in place to prevent the possibility of inadvertently erasing the existing firmware on the MK21 interface board.  It is expected this feature will be used only when new firmware has been provided by Sippican to add additional capability to the software, or fix a problem that has been identified to be repairable with a firmware change.

Identifying the Current Firmware Version

The version of firmware resident on a MK21 interface board is identified by the date.  To obtain the version date, select Help, then About..., then MK21 I/O Board.  The About MK21 Interface Board dialog will be displayed.  The version date is specified under Firmware Id.   If the MK21 I/O Board button in the About WinMK21 dialog is grayed out, the MK21 interface board needs to be initialized.   To do this, select Actions, then MK21 I/O Board, then Initiate.  Then repeat the previous procedure to obtain the Firmware Id.

Firmware Update Procedure:

1.	Obtain the MK21 firmware update file from Sippican.  This is a file identified with a .LDR extension.  It may be on a floppy disk, or copied to any disk space accessible by the WinMK21 program.

2.	Select the Update Firmware menu item from the Tools menu.  Using the browser, select the .LDR firmware update file discussed in the previous step.

3.	The MK21 Firmware Update window prompts the user to set the Program/Run switch to PROGRAM.  This switch is the 2-position toggle switch on the edge connector of the MK21 interface board located above the DB-9 launcher cable connector and the red/white DIP switch.  Toggle the switch in the direction away from the DB-9 launcher cable connector.   Press OK to proceed with the download.

4.	At this point, the update procedure will require you to confirm the desire to continue with the firmware update using the specified .LDR file.  The version of selected firmware update as identified by the date is displayed.  This is the last chance to cancel the firmware update procedure.  Answer Yes to proceed with the firmware update.  If you select either No or Cancel, the operation will be cancelled.

5.	The firmware update will now be performed.  For the ISA configuration, the update process takes only a few seconds.  However, for the MK21/USB configuration, the update process takes considerably longer.  A progress dialog is displayed during the update process for the MK21/USB configuration.

Warning:	Do not try to perform any other action with the computer during the update.  Do not turn off the computer while the update is in progress.  Otherwise, the firmware on the MK21 interface board may become corrupted and MK21 interface board may become inoperable.

6.	Once the update is completed, the MK21 Firmware Update window prompts the user to set the Program/Run switch back to RUN.  At this time toggle the switch back to its original position, in the direction towards the DB-9 launcher cable connector.   Select OK.

7.	The update procedure now indicates that the update has been completed, and confirms that the Program/Run switch has been set to the RUN position properly.


Reference MenuBar Window Overview
Window

The Window menu provides commands to control the position and layout of the application's windows.

The Status Pop Up menu allows you to toggle the display of the various status windows.  A check mark will appear next to the name of the status window if it is currently displayed.

Launch Information	Toggle display of Launch Information Window
System Status	Toggle display of System Status Window
Navigation Input Status	Toggle display of Navigation Input Status Window
The following menu items allow you organize the profile windows.

Cascade	Resize and position all profile windows in an overlapping pattern.
Tile	Resize and position all profile windows in non-overlapping pattern.
Arrange Icons	Align all iconized windows along a grid.
Close All	Close all profile windows.


Reference Overview

This section provides information on the following topics:

Real-time Data Acquisition Window

Menu Bar

Tool Bar

Status Dialogs

Raw Data Format

Export Data Format

Depth Equation

Terminal Depth

Navigation Input

NTDS Serial Interface

Serial-Binary Interface

Restore Storage File


Reference ToolBar Overview
WinMK21 Tool Bar

The WinMK21 Tool Bar is a row of buttons at the top of the main window which represent application commands.  Clicking one of the buttons is a quick alternative to choosing a command from the menu.  Buttons on the tool bar activate and deactivate according to the state of the application.

Button	Action	Menu Equivalent

Drop a new probe	File|New Drop

Open a profile	File|Open...

Save the profile	File|Save

Save the profile with a new name	File|Save As...

Export the profile in the active window	File|Export...

Print the profile in the active window	File|Print...

Toggle Launch Information display	Window|Status|Launch Information

Toggle System Status display	Window|Status|System Status

Toggle Navigation Input Status display	Window|Status|Navigation Input Status

Display help file contents	Help|Contents


System Equipment Launcher Deck-Mounted
Deck-Mounted Launcher

The LM2A consists of a launch tube, breech, breech adapter, stanchion, and 100 feet of electrical cable for connection to the WinMK21 connector box.  The launcher is mounted so the launch tube protrudes beyond the edge of the ship's deck.  (While the LM2A may be temporarily strapped to a rail stanchion, a welded, permanent installation provides greater stability and personnel safety.)  Connection to the three contacts on the probe canister is made automatically by pins in the breech when the breech is closed.  When the operator withdraws the release pin from the canister the probe separates from the canister, drops through the launch tube, and enters the water.  Following completion of the descent, the operator breaks the trailing wire free.  The spent canister is retained in the launcher to protect the contacts until the probe/canister assembly for the next launch is loaded

LM2A - Deck-Mounted Launcher

If connectors are required to extend the cable length, they must be made in waterproof junction boxes.  The total cable length from connector box to launcher must not exceed 600 ft.


System Equipment Launcher Hand-Held
Hand-Held Launcher

The LM3A is a lightweight, easy-to-use alternative to the deck-mounted LM2A.  It consists of a body, a yoke, a contact-pin assembly, a contact lever, and a 50-foot electrical cable for connection to the WinMK21 connector box.  Sippican can supply the LM3A with a longer cable upon request.

The LM3A is intended for use on vessels where a permanent LM2A installation is impractical.  To launch a probe, the operator lays the probe-canister assembly in the cradle and then swings the contact lever down, thereby pulling the yoke and canister towards the rear.  The launcher's contact pins penetrate the insulation on the back of the canister, making a firm electrical connection with the canister contacts.  The operator holds the launcher over the edge of the stern or quarter deck and pulls the release pin away from the canister, allowing the probe to fall into the seawater.  The operator must hold the launcher and canister far enough over the edge of the deck to avoid contact of the probe wire with any other part of ship for the duration of the launch and probe descent, a period as long as 11 minutes.  At the end of the probe's descent, he lifts the contact lever and removes the spent canister, breaking the wire and allowing it to sink into the seawater.

LM3A - Hand-Held Launcher


System Equipment Launcher Overview
Launchers

Sippican manufactures three kinds of launchers intended for use on surface ships, as follows:

Deck-Mounted Launcher, Model LM2A

Hand-Held Launcher, Model LM3A

Thru-Hull Launcher, Model LM4A


System Equipment Launcher Thru-Hull
Thru-Hull Launcher

The LM4A is intended for permanent installation in ocean-going vessels.  It provides the launch operator complete isolation from outside weather.  If the LM4A is installed near the WinMK21 and its PC, a single operator can handle all operational launcher and PC tasks.  The LM4A is normally supplied with 40 feet cable.

The LM4A consists of a breech and a breech adapter that are essentially the same as on the LM2A Deck-Mounted Launcher.  The launch tube, which penetrates the hull, is made of urethane and is mounted on a ship's adapter and a manually-operated ball valve.  The adapter, welded to the interior plating of the ship's hull, provides a rigid mount for the entire assembly.  The ball-valve, normally closed, is opened to allow loading of a probe/canister assembly just prior to launch.  After completion of the probe's descent, the spent canister is removed and the trailing wire is broken and allowed to fall into the water.  The ball-valve is then closed to maintain the vessel's watertight integrity.  (It is essential to make sure the ball valve is clear of wire before it is closed.  Closing the valve with wire present is likely to damage the valve.)

  1.	Flange of Launch Tube

  2.	Ball Valve

  3.	Breech Adaptor

  4.	Breech

  5.	Breech Handle

  6.	Ship's Adaptor

  7.	Ground Strap

  8.	Launcher Cable

  9.	Ball Valve Handle

10.	Ring Washer

11.	Hull

12.	Launcher Tube


System Equipment MK21 Interface Board
MK21 Interface Board

The MK21 interface board is a 5/8 ISA card for industry-standard IBM-type personal computers (PCs).  It contains a nine-pin connector to interface with the launcher via a cable and connector box, supplied with the MK21 board.  The MK21 interface board also has a BNC connector to receive RF airborne-probe systems (not covered by this manual).  The MK21 interface board can be either installed directly in an ISA slot in the PC or installed in a MK21/USB device that is connected to the USB port of the PC.

The MK21 interface board contains a DC bridge for measuring the resistance of the thermistors in XBT probes and balancing out the associated wire resistance.  It automatically detects XBT entry into the water by closure of the sea-water ground path.  The MK21 board also contains a DSP for collecting the frequency signals generated by XSV, XCTD, T-12 and XCP probes.  The data acquisitions are handled by the MK21 board, and only sampled data are transferred to the host PC.  The firmware governing data acquisition is field programmable so adaptation of the board to future probe types can be handled by firmware updates rather than hardware revisions.

About MK21 Interface Board Dialog

The serial number and build date of the MK21 Interface Board is displayed in the About MK21 IO Board dialog.  The firmware identification number, which indicates the firmware version, is also displayed.  To display the About MK21 IO Board dialog select the About menu item in the Help menu and click the MK21 IO Board button in the About WinMK21 dialog.


System Equipment Overview
WinMK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition System

A WinMK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition System is shown schematically below.  It comprises the following:

XBT, XSV, or XCTD probe/canister assemblies packed 12/case

Deck-mounted, hand-held, or thru-hull launcher with launcher cable

User-supplied Windows personal computer (PC)

MK21 interface board installed in the PC or MK21/USB device connected to PC

Mating cable with connector box (refer to launcher type for details)

WinMK21 software for data acquisition and display

XBT or XCTD test canister (not shown)


System Equipment Probe Overview
Expendable Probes

Sippican expendable oceanographic probes are small sensors that can free-fall through the ocean at a known rate.  Each probe is housed in a tubular protective canister that is inserted by the launch operator into a special launcher aboard a vessel.  Contacts on the canister provide electrical connections via a launcher cable to a WinMK21 interface board in a personal computer (PC).  When the operator is ready to deploy the probe he pulls out a retaining pin, enabling the probe to fall from the launcher into the ocean.  The probe's hydrodynamic shape allows it to descend through the water at a stable and known rate, so its depth after launch can be readily calculated.  As the probe descends through the water its internal sensors measure water properties such as temperature, conductivity, and sound velocity.  The measurements are continuously transmitted via an insulated wire back to the PC on the launching vessel, where they are digitized and stored.  The wire dereels from a spool in the probe as it sinks and from a spool in the canister as the ship moves along the surface.  This dual spooling technique enables the wire to remain stationary in the water, allowing the use of very fine wire (39 AWG).  More than a mile of wire can be contained in a probe less than half a meter in length.  Soon after the probe reaches terminal depth its wire becomes expended and breaks away from the probe, which continues to fall to the ocean floor.  The operator removes the spent canister from the launcher and breaks the trailing wire which then sinks to the bottom.

Types of Probes

Three varieties of Sippican expendable probes are addressed in this manual:

XBT  	temperature-sensing

XSV   	sound velocity-sensing

XCTD	conductivity / temperature-sensing

The XBT utilizes a thermistor as its sensing element, monitored by a DC bridge in the WinMK21 interface board.  The XSV and the XCTD employ active electronics in their probes, transmitting the sensed data by audio-frequency electrical signal over the dereeling wire to the PC and the WinMK21 interface board.

How the Probes Work

As each probe descends through the water, its measurements are digitized and stored by the WinMK21 interface board and its PC.  The measurements are also displayed on the PC's screen.  The figure below shows the display of a typical launch of an Expendable Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth profiler (XCTD).  The large graphical display shows the temperature and conductivity data vs. depth.  The Launch Information panel to the left shows critical information about the drop.  All of the measured data and all of the Launch Information are automatically recorded to the hard drive at the end of the probe's descent for later use with spreadsheets and other analytical tools.

WinMK21 Display at Completion of XCTD Probe Launch


System Equipment Probe XBT
XBT  -  eXpendable BathyThermograph

XBT

The XBT, operating with the WinMK21 system, provides a convenient means of collecting and displaying seawater temperature data.  In regions of constant (and known) salinity vs. depth, the MK21 can also compute and display sound velocity from XBT temperature data.

What an XBT is

Each XBT comprises a probe and its canister.  The release pin retains the probe within the canister until the probe is launched.  The probe contains a temperature-sensing thermistor connected to a 39 AWG two-conductor insulated wire wound on a spool.  The other end of the wire is wound around the canister spool.  The probe nose is also a seawater electrode, providing an electrical ground path to the launching vessel.

How an XBT Works

The operator prepares to launch the probe by removing the canister's end cap and inserting the canister/probe assembly into the launcher.  He then closes the breech of the launcher, which makes connection with the contact pins located in the end of the canister.  When the operator pulls the release pin, the probe separates from the canister and falls through the water, dereeling wire from the probe spool.  The probe's entry into the water completes the seawater signal path, automatically initiating data recording and display on the PC.

Because the probe is hydrodynamically shaped, spin-stabilized, and precisely weighted it descends vertically at a known rate, providing measurement of temperature vs. depth.  The XBT's thermistor is thermally isolated from the nose and housing, but in intimate contact with the water column, enhancing measurement accuracy and speeding response to temperature variations

Sippican produces a variety of XBT models with rated depths from 200 m to 1830 m and maximum vessel speeds from 6 kt to 30 kt.  The XBT models and their performance characteristics are listed in the following table.

TYPE	APPLICATION	RATED DEPTH	RATED VESSEL SPEED
T-4	Std Navy applications	460 m or 1500 ft	30 knots
T-5	Deep ocean scientific & military	1830 m or 6000 ft	6 knots
Fast Deep	Enhanced depth and vessel speed	1000 m or 3280 ft	20 knots
T-6	Oceanography	460 m or 1500 ft	15 knots
T-7	Special military applications	760 m or 2500 ft	15 knots
Deep Blue	Medium deep oceanography	760 m or 2500 ft	20 knots
T-10	Commercial fisheries	200 m or 660 ft	10 knots
T-11 (FS)	Extra fine depth resolution	460 m or 1500 ft	6 knots
T-12	Fast ship launch speed,  deep depth	2000 m or 6560 ft	20 knots


System Equipment Probe XCTD
XCTD  -  eXpendable Conductivity, Temperature and Depth probe

   Analog XCTD              Digital XCTD

The XCTD provides direct measurement of seawater conductivity and temperature vs depth.  They are mechanically similar to the XBT and XSV probes, but are slightly longer and have a drag ring on the tail for stability enhancement.  The XCTD also computes salinity, density, and sound velocity in near real-time from the measured data.

There are two types of XCTDs - analog XCTDs and digital XCTDs.  All contain a conductivity cell, thermistor, active frequency-encoding electronics, a battery, and a two-conductor wire link to the MK21 Interface Board and PC aboard the surface vessel.  The temperature sensor is a high-stability, fast-response encapsulated thermistor.  The conductivity sensor for the analog XCTDs is a four-electrode conductivity cell, whereas there is a toroid inductor in the digital XCTDs.  All XCTDs measure temperature and conductivity, and compute salinity, as described below:

Temperature	-2.2C to 35C	+/- 0.02 C

Conductivity 	20 to 75 mS/cm	+/- 0.035 C mS/cm

Salinity	30 to 40 psu	+/- 0.05 psu

XCTD Calibration

Each XCTD probe is calibrated during the final step of manufacturing against temperature and conductivity standards in three saltwater baths.  The data for each probe are used to determine the calibration coefficients for the polynomials used for the conductivity cell and thermistor.  The coefficients are then stored in a non-volatile internal memory circuit.  When an XCTD probe/canister assembly is loaded into a launcher, the memory circuit is automatically queried by the MK21 Interface Board.  The coefficients are used during probe descent to enhance the accuracy of the acquired conductivity and temperature data.  (The XCTD serial number is also stored with the calibration data and is automatically recorded by the MK21 Interface Board with the measured conductivity and temperature data.)

Launch Operation

*IMPORTANT NOTE:  When launching an XCTD the user needs to be careful to select the same type of XCTD in the MK21 software.  There are differences in the prelaunch protocol for the XCTD/XCTD Deep and the XCTD-1/XCTD-2 type probes.  The labels for each type of probe, on the end of the canister that is captured by the launcher, are shown below:

Probe XCTD/XCTD Deep Label                     Probe XCTD-1/XCTD-2 Label

For all XCTD probes, the serial number and calibration data are read once the probe is loaded.  For the XCTD and XCTD Deep probes this is accomplished by a low voltage three wire EEPROM reading sequence.  For the XCTD-1 and XCTD-2 probes this is accomplished by detecting a short between pins B and C on the launcher and then applying approximately 60V to the probe.  Various safeguards are included in the MK21 software to verify the probe type loaded in the launcher matches the probe type selected in the software, prior to the application of 60V.   The user is urged to exercise caution to match the probe types, particularly if the user is switching back and forth between digital XCTD and other types of non-XCTD probes (XBTs and XSVs).


System Equipment Probe XSV
XSV  -  eXpendable Sound Velocimeter probe

XSV

The XSV provides direct measurement of ocean sound velocity for applications in ASW, coastal mine countermeasures, and oceanographic research.  It is particularly useful in regions where salinity varies vs. depth, thus making computation of velocity from XBT temperature data impractical.  The XSV is mechanically similar to the XBT, but uses an active electronic sensor in the probe and a single-conductor fine wire to transmit sound velocity data to the WinMK21 via the canister and launcher.  A sea-water battery in the probe provides power for its electronics.

How the XSV Works

The XSV measures the speed of sound in water using a sing-around sensor.  A piezoelectric transducer within the XSV's nose and immersed in the flowing water column is pulsed at 6.5 mHz, producing an acoustic signal.  The signal is reflected back to the transducer over a water path length of 52 mm, triggering a new 6.5 mHz pulse.  This feedback operation causes the transducer to "sing-around" at a frequency from 27 kHz to 30 kHz, depending on water salinity, temperature, and depth.  The sing-around frequency, which is linearly proportional to sound velocity, is counted down to a low audio range (210 Hz to 233 Hz) and then transmitted up the dereeling wire to the WinMK21 system.  The WinMK21 converts the audio frequency signal to sound velocity data which is stored on disk and displayed to the operator.  The XSV and WinMK21 obtain real-time sound velocity data over a range of 1400 to 1550 m/sec.

Sippican produces three types of XSV probes.  The following table shows their performance characteristics.

TYPE	APPLICATION	RATED DEPTH	RATED VESSEL SPEED
XSV-01	ASW, oceanography	850 m or 2790 ft	15 knots
XSV-02	Deep ocean scientific & military	2000 m or 6560 ft	15 knots
XSV-03	Enhanced depth resolution	850 m or 2790 ft	5 knots


System Equipment Software Overview
WinMK21 Software Overview

The WinMK21 software application for the MK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition System (ODAS) operates in two modes.

Data Acquisition Mode

The first mode is the data acquisition mode, a real-time task which detects the presence of a probe in the launcher, the subsequent release of the probe and its entry into the water and then displays the acquired data.  This mode is monitored by the Real-time Data Acquisition Window in which the real-time data is displayed graphically.  After the completion of probe drop the system switches automatically to Post-Acquisition mode.  The WinMK21 application is designed to store the acquired profile data safely on disk without requiring any operator action.

Post-Acquisition Mode

The second mode is a post-processing operation in which the program can display graphically the data recorded during any earlier probe descent.  This mode supports various data analysis, presentation and export operations.


System Equipment Software PC Requirements
PC Minimum Requirements

Before you install the WinMK21 application on your system, please make sure that it meets these minimum requirements:

Pentium or faster processor running Windows 32-bit operating system (such as Win98/Me, Windows NT4, or Windows 2000/XP)

256-color or greater display adapter

For ISA installation - at least one full-size ISA expansion slot available

For MK21/USB installation - at least one USB port available

CD-ROM for installation and one 3½" diskette drive (preferred)

Normal PC RAM and hard drive capacities should be more than adequate, as the WinMK21 software occupies less than 500 KB of RAM and each probe drop generates 23 KB of data.

Note for XSV Users:  For best XSV data acquisition, Sippican strongly recommends the MK21 system be connected to an isolation transformer.  This setup is also recommended when using other probe types.  A Topaz Ultra Isolator, model 91095-12 (EPE Technologies, Inc., Costa Mesa, CA) or equivalent is recommended.  In addition, an Isolation Plug should be used on the load side of the isolation transformer.  This is to ensure there is no third wire ground connection between the ship’s ground and the MK21 system, including peripherals such as a printer.


System Equipment Test Canisters
Test Canisters

The XBT (P/N 301040-1) and XCTD test canisters are self-contained, reusable probe simulators which are used to verify the operation of the WinMK21 system.  They provide the operator with operational confirmation without expending actual probes.  Specifically, they are intended to exercise the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and PC with its software.  They are very useful for system verification.  The test canisters resemble the actual probe/canister assemblies; however, the XBT test canister is bright red and is shorter than a regular XBT.

The XBT test canister contains a precision resistor with the same resistance value as a thermistor in 1.5 +/- 0.1 C water.  The XCTD-1 and XCTD-2 test canisters contain battery-powered electronics which simulate a probe drop in water of about 15C and conductivity of about 40 mS/cm.  For an XCTD-1 test canister, the electronics are activated by a toggle switch on one end of the canister.  For an XCTD-2 test canister, the electronics are activated by a toggle switch and by pulling the release pin.  An indicator illuminates when the electronics are active.


System Installation

This section discusses the steps necessary to install the WinMK21 software and its associated hardware.

Launcher Installation

MK21 Interface Board Installation

Software Installation


System Installation Launcher
Launcher Installation

Installation of a launcher includes the following:

Physical mounting

Grounding

Cable routing

Wiring to the mating cable's connector box

See the individual launcher types for specifics on launcher installation.  Note: The grounding procedure for the hand-held launcher is different from that for the deck-mounted launcher.  Follow the installation instructions carefully to assure a good sea-water ground connection.  This is critical to successful data acquisition.

Deck-Mounted Launcher

Hand-Held Launcher

Thru-Hull Launcher

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL LAUNCHER INSTALLATIONS:  Care must be taken to make sure the launcher or connector box (refer to launcher installation) is grounded properly.  This will be the only ground for the WinMK21 system and failure to do this could result in no data.


System Installation Launcher DeckMounted
Deck Mounted Launcher Installation

The LM2A launcher is intended for semi-permanent installation, either by bolting to an existing rail post or by welding to the deck.  It is to be mounted on the stern of the vessel or on the port or starboard quarter of the ship, with the launch tube extended beyond the deck.  The launch tube should be installed at an angle of approximately 90º with the edge of the deck and 55º or less with the ship's centerline.

The LM2A launcher, as shipped from Sippican, Inc., includes a launcher assembly (an openable breech with launch tube), a tubular mounting stanchion, and an accessory kit.  The launcher assembly slips into the top of the stanchion and is retained by a toggle pin.  The launcher assembly can be rotated for stowage alongside the rail, so that it will not be damaged when docking.

Follow these steps to install and connect the deck-mounted launcher:

Mount the Launcher

1.	Position the launcher stanchion so that it is upright and the launch tube will extend beyond the edge of the deck.  Two 3" U-bolts are provided in the accessory kit for mounting the launcher to a post.  Identify the two pairs of toggle-pin holes near the top of the stanchion.  The axis of one pair of holes must be parallel to the edge of the deck.  (The second pair of holes allows stowage of the launcher.)  Mount the stanchion with the U-bolts so that the toggle-pin will not be blocked by a rail or post.  Assure that sufficient side room exists to open the breech fully and to insert canister assemblies.

2. 	Install the launcher assembly by setting its X-shaped mounting boss into the stanchion.

3.	Insert the toggle-pin (from the launcher's accessory kit) through the stanchion and mounting boss to prevent the launcher from rotating.  Attach the free end of the 12" toggle-pin cable to the tapped hole in the stanchion with the ¼"-20 machine screw and flat washer from the accessory kit.

4.	There is a safety-line hole in the top of the breech adapter (the casting atop the mounting boss).  Using the snap-bolt provided in the accessory kit, secure the launcher with a line from this hole to the ship's structure.

Install the Ground Wire

5.	Attach the white grounding cable on the launcher breech to a good sea-water ground.  A welded ground lug on the deck of a metal ship is desirable.  On non-metal hulls, the plumbing or the rudder shaft can serve as a ground when connected to the ¼"-20 ground screw on the breech through a #12 AWG or larger cable.  The ground must provide an excellent metal-to-metal contact and should be secured with a locking mechanism that will not vibrate loose.  The connection should be protected from corrosion.

NOTE:	If an adequate sea-water ground cannot be obtained in the vicinity of the launcher, an alternative approach is to ground the system at the connector box on the mating cable.  See step 11 below.

6.	Cover the launcher breech with the canvas cover.  Secure the cover with a bronze clip from the accessory kit.

Wire the Launcher

7. 	Route the launcher cable to the connector box on the MK21 cable.  A cable gland is provided in the accessory kit.  Watertight junction boxes can be used as long as the parallel leakage resistances exceed 50 megaOhms.  If junction boxes are used, make sure that all the cable wires are isolated from the housings and local grounds.  The shield should be carried through the boxes but must not be grounded locally.

8.  The connector box on the MK21 cable should be fixed to a bulkhead or bench a few feet from the PC.  The opposite end of the cable must be disconnected from the MK21 board while the launcher cable connections are being made.

9.  Flush-cut the end of the launcher cable.  Strip the jacket about 2" and cut off the shield, as it is not carried any farther.  Strip back about 1/2" of insulation on each wire.

10.	Remove the connector box cover and feed the stripped launcher cable into the box  Connect the stripped wires to the proper points on the terminal block, as shown on Figure 1.  (Use of ring lugs is preferred to bare wires.)  The white launcher wire should be connected to the yellow wire from the interface board and to the wire from the ground post.  Do not connect the shields.

Figure 1  WinMK21 Connector Box Wiring

Grounding at the Connector Box

11. If a satisfactory sea-water ground was not obtained at the launcher, connect the ground post on the outside of the connector box to a good sea-water ground, such as the ship's plumbing.  Use a heavy wire (#12 AWG).  Do not use clip leads and do not use the third-wire power ground.

NOTE: 	If the ground is made at the connector box make sure that the ground wire at the launcher is isolated from any accidental ground contact.  It is critical that only a single ground exist on the launcher cabling to avoid ground-loops.

12. Replace the connector box cover.  Feed the cable to the PC in anticipation of installation of the MK21 interface board.  If the sea-water ground has been made at the launcher (as described in step 5) insulate the ground post on the side of the connector box with electrical tape to avoid accidental contact with other conducting surfaces.


System Installation Launcher HandHeld
Hand-Held Launcher Installation

The LM3A is a lightweight, easy-to-use alternative to the deck-mounted LM2A.  The LM3A hand-held launcher is to be used in the stern region between the port and starboard quarters.  When in use the launcher is held over the leeward rail and beyond the edge of the deck to avoid contact between the probe wire and any part of the vessel.

Follow these steps to connect the hand-held launcher to the MK21 interface board and to the PC:

Route the Launcher Cable

1.  Route the launcher cable to the connector box on the MK21 cable.  Quick-disconnect connectors or watertight junction boxes may be used in the cable path as long as the parallel leakage resistances exceed 50 megaOhms.  All cable wires must be isolated from the housings and local grounds.  The shield is to be carried through the connectors or J-boxes.  Do not allow the cable shield to short circuit to the connector shells; the shield must be grounded only through the internal cabling.

2.  The connector box on the MK21 cable should be fixed to a bulkhead or bench a few feet from the PC.  The opposite end of the cable must be disconnected from the WinMK21 board while the launcher cable connections are being made.

Wire the Cable to the Connector Box

3.  Flush-cut the end of the launcher cable.  Strip the jacket about 2" and separate the shield from the four colored wires.  Strip back about 1/2" of insulation on each wire.  Cut off the shield, as it is terminated internally in the LM3A launcher on the white wire, and therefore terminated when the white wire is terminated in the connector box.

4.  Remove the connector box cover and feed the stripped launcher cable into the box.  Connect the wires to the proper points on the terminal block, as shown on the MK21 Connector Box Wiring (see Figure 1 in Deck-Mounted Launcher).  Use of ring lugs is preferred to bare wires.  The white launcher wire should be connected to the yellow wire from the interface board and to the wire from the ground post.  Do not connect the shields.  Replace the box's cover.

5.  Connect the ground lug on the outside of the box to the best available sea-water ground.  This may be the metal hull or a component of the ship's plumbing.  Use a good clamp with a vibration-proof locking mechanism.  Do not use clip leads.  Do not use the third-wire power ground.

6.  Feed the cable to the PC for installation of the MK21 interface board.

Note on Grounding

The grounding approach for the hand-held launcher differs from the approach for the deck-mounted and thru-hull launchers.  For the hand-held launcher the ground is made at the connector box, while for the others it is usually right at the launcher.  In either case only a single ground point should exist on the launcher and its cabling to the PC.


System Installation Launcher ThruHull
Thru-Hull Launcher Installation

The LM4A launcher installation entails penetrating the vessel's hull and welding the launcher to the opening.  The drawings and the installation procedure are elaborate and are not included in this manual.  Contact Sippican, Inc., for LM4A installation information.


System Installation Mk21InterfaceBoard
MK21 Interface Board Installation

New ISA Installation

If this is your first encounter with a MK21 interface board, the MK21 is a 5/8ths size card, that fits in one of the ISA expansion slots of a PC.  To install the board, follow these steps:

1.	Disconnect the power cable from the PC and remove the case cover to gain access to the expansion slots.

2.	Locate an unoccupied slot that can accommodate the MK21 interface board.

3.	Remove the back plate and retaining screw associated with this slot.

4.	Remove the MK21 interface board from its protective wrapping (observe ESD precautions).  It is recommended to initially use the factory default settings on the MK21 interface board.  The MK21 interface board is designed to not interfere with other operations of your computer, and in most cases the default settings will be the preferred settings.

5.	Tip the board so the connectors on the bracket fit through the access opening.  Following any available card guides in the card cage, align the MK21 edge connector with the card receptacle slot, and while holding the board level, press it into the slot.

6.	Replace the retaining screw, securing the card bracket to the PC chassis.

7.	Check that the Program/Run Switch, the toggle switch located at the top of the bracket, is in the Run position (towards the BNC connector).

8.	For surface platforms, attach the launcher cable DB9 connector (from the Connector Box) to the mating DB9 connector on the MK21 interface board bracket.  For air launched (RF linked) probes, connect the antenna BNC connector to the mating BNC connector on the MK21 interface board bracket.

9.	Once the MK21 interface board has been installed, follow the procedure outlined in the section MK21 I/O Initiate to verify the operation of the MK21 interface board.

Replacement of MK12 Interface Board

The MK21 interface board is a direct replacement for the MK12 interface board.  If you already have a MK12 interface board in the PC, simply remove it, and place the MK21 interface board in the vacated ISA slot.  There is no need to set any jumper settings on the MK21 interface.  The MK21 interface board does not require an IRQ, and the default base address location is designed to not interfere with other operations of the computer.


System Installation Software
Software Installation

Installing the WinMK21 software is a simple process.  We have included the InstallShield Wizard to guide you through the entire process and automate the installation.

First Time Installation

To install WinMK21 on your system for the first time:

1.	Load the WinMK21 CD-ROM.

If your Windows system is set to auto-launch CD-ROMs (the default setting), the WinMK21 Installation will appear automatically.  If your system does not automatically launch, use the Windows Explorer to locate the WinMK21 CD-ROM, and double click on setup.exe.

2.	InstallShield launches the install setup process and presents you with the Welcome screen.  Read this text and click the Next> button to proceed to the next dialog.

3.	The WinMK21 Software License Agreement is displayed.  Read the text completely and then click the Yes button to accept the terms of the License Agreement.  If you chose Yes, the installation will continue.  Click the No button if you do not agree to the terms of the License Agreement.  If you choose No, the installation will close.

4.	Specify a directory on your system for the application files.  The default path appears in the Destination Directory preview.  To specify another directory on your system, click the Browse... button, use the Choose Directory dialog to select another directory on your system, and click OK.  When you have specified the desired destination directory, click the Next> button to proceed to the next setup.

5.	Specify a folder for the program files.  The default program folder is displayed.  If you do not want to use the default, you can choose an existing folder or type the name of a new folder in the Program Folder box.  Click the Next> button.

6.	A summary of the installation settings is displayed.  Click the <Back button to change any of the settings.  Click the Next> button to install the WinMK21 program files.

Upgrade Installation or Reinstallation

If you are upgrading the WinMK21 application, you must use the uninstall utility to remove the existing WinMK21 program files from your system.  If you do not properly remove the program files of the previous version, WinMK21 may not run correctly on your system.

1.	Select the Uninstall menu item from the Start|Programs|Sippican - WinMK21 menu.  UninstallShield launches and proceeds to remove all WinMK21 program files.  If the Uninstall menu item is not available, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel to remove the WinMK21 program files.

This process will not delete any data files that have been saved on your system.

2.	Follow the preceding instructions in First Time Installation to install the new WinMK21 application.


System Overview
WinMK21 System Description

The WinMK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition System (ODAS) measures and displays ocean temperature, conductivity, and sound velocity versus depth.  These parameters are measured by small, expendable sensors (probes) launched from surface ships.  The measurements are displayed in real time by standard personal computers (PCs) and are recorded on disk for later study and evaluation.  The system can be operated by non-technical personnel with little training or experience.

Sippican, Inc. produces a variety of probes, launchers, and data recorders.  This manual is specifically intended to aid in the installation and operation of these Sippican products:

Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT)

Expendable Sound Velocimeter (XSV)

Expendable Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth Profiler (XCTD)

LM2A Deck-Mounted Launcher

LM3A Hand-Held Launcher

LM4A Thru-Hull Launcher

MK21 Interface Board installed in a user-provided personal computer (PC) or

MK21/USB connected to user-provided personal computer (PC)

WinMK21 Software - to be loaded into the PC

XBT or XCTD Test Canister

These devices are designed for use on surface vessels.  Sippican also manufactures systems for use on submarines and aircraft.  The installation and operation of these systems are described in other manuals.


System Verification Overview

This section describes three different methods for verifying the installation and performance of the WinMK21 Oceanographic Data Acquisition System.  The first verification technique uses Sippican test canisters for the XBT and XCTD systems.  The second technique involves the use of actual XBT, XSV, and XCTD probes.  The final verification approach uses common laboratory equipment and readily available electronic components.

System Verification using Test Canisters

System Verification using Probes

System Verification using Laboratory Equipment


System Verification with Laboratory Equipment Overview
System Verification using Laboratory Equipment

System verification tests can be performed using common laboratory equipment.  This technique can test the MK21 sufficiently for XBT and XSV operation.  The XSV test also checks out a good part of the XCTD data acquisition functionality.


System Verification with Laboratory Equipment XBT
System Verification for XBT using Laboratory Equipment

This test will run through a simulated XBT drop using the setup shown in the figure below.  The test will verify functional performance but is not adequate for system calibration (for which resistors of 0.01% tolerance are required).  The setup is best made at the connector box (pictured at the bottom of the LM2A installation description).  Connect the leads labeled RED, GREEN, and BLACK to the corresponding terminals in the connector box.  Start with both switches open.

Simulated XBT Test Setup

Set up the equipment as shown above, leaving both switches open.  Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 application.

2.  	Click the New Drop button in the task bar, or select File, and then New Drop from the menu bar to initiate a new drop sequence.  Ensure that the MK21 interface board is in ready mode by inspecting the System Status dialog.  In this dialog, MK21 Status:  Ready should be seen.  To view this dialog, click the System Status button in the task bar.

3.  	The Acquisition State Panel of the Real-time Data Acquisition Window displays Load Probe.  The Probe Type should indicate an XBT probe.  Any type of XBT, except for the T-12, can be shown, as all other XBT probes share the same electrical characteristics.  The T-12 cannot be selected because it has different electrical characteristics from the standard XBT probes.  If a valid XBT probe is not displayed as the currently selected probe, then select Options, then Probe, and then Selection from the menu bar.  A dialog is displayed from which the user can select the appropriate probe.  After the probe has been selected, any further parameters required when initiating a new probe drop must be appropriately set.  See the section describing Data Acquisition for a complete discussion of the procedure for initiating a new probe drop.

4.   	When the Acquisition State Panel reads Load Probe, the system is ready to go.  Simulate an XBT load by closing the Load switch (see figure above).  The Acquisition State Panel should now read Testing Probe for a few seconds, and then advance to Launch Probe.

5.  	A probe launch is simulated by closing the Seawater switch (see figure above).   The Acquisition State Panel should now read Collecting MK21 Data.  As the sensor resistance is varied from 18.3 kiloOhms to 3.2 kiloOhms, the displayed temperature should vary from -2C to + 35C.  The accuracy of the display will depend on the accuracy of the sensor resistor and the match of the two lead resistors.

6.  	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister.  Open the Load and the Seawater switches.  The Acquisition State Panel will revert to the Load Probe message.

This completes the verification using a simulated XBT.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Laboratory Equipment XSV
System Verification of XSV using Laboratory Equipment

This test will run through a simulated XSV drop using the setup shown in the figure below.

The setup is best made at the connector box (pictured at the bottom of LM2A installation description) .  Connect the Red, Green, and Black leads to the corresponding terminals in the connector box.  (The launcher cable may remain connected if the launcher is empty.)  Adjust the output level to a sine wave at about 500 mV P-P.  A frequency between 210 Hz to 230 Hz permits the application to plot a profile within the scale limits.

Simulated XSV Test Setup

Set up the equipment as shown above, leaving both switches open.  Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 application.

2.  	Click the New Drop button in the task bar, or select File, and then New Drop from the menu bar to initiate a new drop sequence.  Ensure that the MK21 interface board is in ready mode by inspecting the System Status dialog.  In this dialog, MK21 Status:  Ready should be seen.  To view this dialog, click the System Status button in the task bar.

3.  	The Acquisition State Panel of the Real-time Data Acquisition Window displays Load Probe.  The Probe Type should indicate an XSV probe.  Any type of XSV can be shown, as all XSV probes share the same electrical characteristics.  If a valid XSV probe is not displayed as the currently selected probe, then select Options, then Probe, and then Selection from the menu bar.  A dialog is displayed from which the user can select the appropriate probe.  After the probe has been selected, any further parameters required when initiating a new probe drop must be appropriately set.  See the section describing Data Acquisition for a complete discussion of the procedure for initiating a new probe drop.

4.   	When the Acquisition State Panel reads Load Probe, the system is ready to go.  Simulate an XSV load by closing the Load switch (see figure above).  The Acquisition State Panel should now read Testing Probe for a few seconds, and then advance to Launch Probe.

5.  	A probe launch is simulated by closing the Launch switch (see figure above).   The Acquisition State Panel should now read Collecting MK21 Data.  As long as the output frequency from the oscillator remains between 210 Hz and 230 Hz, the profile should remain within the scale limits.

6.  	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister.  Open the Load and the Launch switches.  The Acquisition State Panel will revert to the Load Probe message.

This completes the verification using a simulated XSV.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Probe XBT
System Verification using an XBT Probe

This test is performed using any XBT model probe and an LM3A hand-held launcher.  It requires a container of sufficient size to immerse the XBT (nose-down) to a depth of about 3".  The container is filled with a seawater solution (either actual or prepared).  Place an electrically conductive object with several square inches of surface area and attached to a heavy gauge conductor into the container.  The conductive object provides the seawater return path to the recorder.  Attach the seawater-path conductor to the ground stud on the MK21 Connector Box.

Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 application.

2.  	Click the New Drop button in the task bar, or select File, and then New Drop from the menu bar to initiate a new drop sequence.  Ensure that the MK21 interface board is in ready mode by inspecting the System Status dialog.  In this dialog, MK21 Status:  Ready should be seen.  To view this dialog, click the System Status button in the task bar.

3.  	The Acquisition State Panel of the Real-time Data Acquisition Window displays Load Probe.  The Probe Type should indicate an XBT probe.  Any type of XBT can be shown, as all probes for each group share the same electrical characteristics.  However, the T-12 cannot be selected since it has different electrical characteristics from the standard XBT probes.  If this probe is not displayed as the currently selected probe, then select Options, then Probe, and then Selection from the menu bar.  A dialog is displayed from which the user can select the appropriate probe.  After the probe has been selected, any further parameters required when initiating a new probe drop must be appropriately set.  See the section describing Data Acquisition for a complete discussion of the procedure for initiating a new probe drop.

4.   	When the Acquisition State Panel reads Load Probe, load the XBT into the launcher with the loop of the release pin pointing down.  Close the launcher breech.  The Acquisition State Panel should read Testing Probe for a few seconds, and then advance to Launch Probe.

5.  	Remove the end cap from the canister.  Retaining the XBT in the launcher, immerse probe and canister into the seawater, nose first, to a depth of about 3".  The upper part of the launcher must stay dry.  The Acquisition State Panel should now display Collecting MK21 Data and a numerical display of Depth (m) and Temperature (C).  Note that the temperature profile will tend to rise as the thermistor self-heats, due to a lack of water flow through the XBT's flow tube.

6.  	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister and then the program will switch automatically to Post-Acquisition mode.  Remove the XBT from the seawater container and rinse by dunking several times in a bath of fresh water the part of the probe that contacted the seawater.  Try not to get the back half of the probe wet.  It is usable for an actual launch if it is rinsed adequately and not damaged.

This completes the system verification using an XBT probe.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Probe XSV
System Verification using an XSV Probe

This test is performed with any XSV model and an LM3A hand-held launcher.  It requires a container of sufficient size to immerse the XSV (nose-down) to a depth of about 5".  The container is filled with a seawater solution (either actual or prepared).  Place an electrically conductive object with several square inches of surface area and attached to a heavy gauge braided conductor into the container.  The conductive object provides the seawater return path to the recorder.  The seawater-path conductor must be attached to the ground stud on the MK21's connector box.

CAUTION:	The XSV probe is powered by silver chloride batteries that are activated on sea water entry.  The batteries provide power for a total duration of approximately 10 minutes.  It is highly recommended that the probe be immersed for only as long as the verification test requires.  Once the test is completed remove the probe as quickly as possible, and holding the probe vertical, allow the  water to drain.  This will break the sea water switch and allow the batteries to stop.  If the silver chloride batteries are allowed to drain, the probe will be rendered inoperable.

Follow these steps:

Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 application.

2.  	Click the New Drop button in the task bar, or select File, and then New Drop from the menu bar to initiate a new drop sequence.  Ensure that the MK21 interface board is in ready mode by inspecting the System Status dialog.  In this dialog, MK21 Status:  Ready should be seen.  To view this dialog, click the System Status button in the task bar.

3.  	The Acquisition State Panel of the  Real-time Data Acquisition Window displays Load Probe.  The Probe Type should indicate an XSV probe.  Any type of XSV can be shown, as all XSV probes share the same electrical characteristics.  If this probe is not displayed as the currently selected probe, then select Options, then Probe, and then Selection from the menu bar.  A dialog is displayed from which the user can select the appropriate probe.  After the probe has been selected, any further parameters required when initiating a new probe drop must be appropriately set.  See the section describing Data Acquisition for a complete discussion of the procedure for initiating a new probe drop.

4.   	When the Acquisition State Panel reads Load Probe, load the XSV into the launcher with the loop of the release pin pointing down.  Close the launcher breech.  The Acquisition State Panel should now read Testing Probe for a few seconds, and then advance to Launch Probe.

5.  	Remove the end cap from the canister.  Retaining the XSV in the launcher, immerse probe and canister into the seawater, nose first, to a depth just below the release pin.  The launcher contacts and the upper part of the launcher must stay dry.  Agitate the probe/canister assembly to eliminate air bubbles from it's flow tube.  This initiates data acquisition, and the Acquisition State Panel should now read Collecting MK21 Data and a numerical display of Depth (m) and Sound Velocity (m/s).  The sound velocity value should be on scale unless air remains trapped within the flow tube.

6.  	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister and then the program will switch automatically to Post-Acquisition mode.

7.  	Remove the assembly from the seawater container and, holding the probe vertical, allow the water to drain from the probe. Keep in mind that if the probe stays immersed in the seawater container and the batteries are depleted, the probe will be rendered inoperable.

This completes the system verification using an XSV probe.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Probes Overview
System Verification using XBT, XSV and XCTD probes

System verification can be performed using actual probe/canister assemblies in seawater baths - the "bucket tests."  While less straightforward than the test canister method, these tests can be particularly helpful at sea.  The probes are not separated from the canisters for the bucket tests, so if they are properly rinsed and dried they often can be reused for actual launches.

Verification using an XBT probe

Verification using an XSV probe

Verification using an XCTD probe


System Verification with Probes XCTD
System Verification using an analog XCTD Probe

This test is performed with an analog XCTD and an LM3A hand-held launcher.  It requires a container of sufficient size to immerse the analog XCTD (nose-down) to a depth of 12", covering the launch pin while leaving the canister's contact end dry.  The container is filled with a seawater solution (either actual or prepared).  Place an electrically conductive object with several square inches of surface area and attached to a heavy gauge braided conductor into the container.  The conductive object provides the seawater return path to the recorder.  The seawater path conductor must be attached to the ground stud on the Mk21's connector box.

CAUTION:	The analog XCTD probe is powered by silver chloride batteries that are activated on sea water entry.  The batteries provide power for a total duration of approximately 10 minutes.  It is highly recommended that the probe be immersed for only as long as the verification test requires.  Once the test is completed remove the probe as quickly as possible, and holding the probe vertical, allow the  water to drain.  This will break the sea water switch and allow the batteries to stop.  If the silver chloride batteries are allowed to drain, the probe will be rendered inoperable.

Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 program.

Check System Status

2.  	Observe the System Status Dialog.  The MK21 Status should be MK21 READY, indicating that the MK21 interface board, the program, and the PC are operating properly and are ready to record data.

3.  	Observe the Launch Information Dialog.  The Probe Type should indicate an XCTD probe.  If the Launch Information Window shows XCTD, skip to step 6.  If Probe Type is not an XCTD, continue with step 4.

Select XCTD Probe Type

4.  	Select Options|Probe|Selection from the menu bar.  Click on XCTD (analog), and then Ok.

5.  	Verify that XCTD is posted in the Probe Type field of the Launch Information Window.

Check Launch Information

6.  	Verify the following fields of the Launch Information Window.

Probe Type:	XCTD

Data Filename:	C1_xxxxx.RDF    (where xxxxx is the current sequence number)

Data Path:	c:\sippican\winmk21\data    (or a previously-specified pathname)

7.  	The Acquisition State Panel of the Real-time Data Acquisition Window should display Load Probe.  If it does not, check the MK21 Status in the System Status Window.  It should read MK21 READY.  If the Acquisition State panel reads Spent Canister, the system is sensing a canister in the launcher with a closed breech.  Open the launcher breech.

Load the XCTD

8.  	When the Acquisition State Panel reads Load Probe, the system is ready to go.  Load the analog XCTD into the launcher and close the breech.  The Acquisition State Panel should read Testing Probe for a few seconds, and advance to Launch Probe.

Initiate Data Acquisition

9.  	Remove the end cap from the canister.  Retaining the analog XCTD in the launcher, immerse the probe and canister into the seawater, nose first, to just above the release pin.  The contact end of the canister and the upper part of the launcher must stay dry.  Agitate the probe/canister assembly to eliminate air bubbles from it's flow tube.

10. 	This initiates data acquisition, and the Acquisition State Panel should now display Collecting MK21 Data and a numerical display of Depth (m), Temperature (C), and Conductivity (mS/cm).   The temperature value should be on scale but the conductivity value will most likely plot to the high or low scale limits.

Complete Data Acquisition

11. 	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister and then the program will switch automatically to Post-Acquisition mode.

12. 	Remove the assembly from the seawater container and, holding the probe vertical, allow the water to drain from the probe. Try not to get the back half of the probe wet since this section contains the EEPROM circuitry.  Keep in mind that if the probe stays immersed in the seawater container and the batteries are depleted, the probe will be rendered inoperable.

This completes the bucket test using an analog XCTD.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Test Canister XBT
System Verification with XBT Test Canister

This exercise will simulate a complete XBT probe deployment.  The purpose is to test the MK21 equipment installation including the launcher, cabling, MK21 Interface Board, and the WinMK21 application software.   If a hand-held launcher is available it can be wired locally to the PC to reduce the need for a separate launch operator.  Otherwise, the verification procedure requires an operator at the PC and one at the launcher, along with some means of communications between them.

Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 application.

2.  	Click the New Drop button in the task bar, or select File, and then New Drop from the menu bar to initiate a new drop sequence.  Ensure that the MK21 interface board is in ready mode by inspecting the System Status dialog.  In this dialog, MK21 Status:  Ready should be seen.  To view this dialog, click the System Status button in the task bar.

3.  	The Acquisition State Panel of the Real-time Data Acquisition Window displays Load Probe.  The Probe Type should indicate an XBT probe.  Any type of XBT can be shown, as all probes for each group share the same electrical characteristics.  However, the T-12 cannot be selected since it has different electrical characteristics from the standard XBT probes.  If this probe is not displayed as the currently selected probe, then select Options, then Probe, and then Selection from the menu bar.  A dialog is displayed from which the user can select the appropriate probe.  After the probe has been selected, any further parameters required when initiating a new probe drop must be appropriately set.  See the section describing Data Acquisition for a complete discussion of the procedure for initiating a new probe drop.

4.   	Insert the test canister into the launcher, and secure the contact lever.  The Acquisition State Panel should read Testing Probe for a few seconds, and then advance to Launch Probe.

5.   	When the Acquisition State Panel reads Launch Probe, connect the probe's release pin to the ship's hull or other metal ground using a clip lead.  Collecting MK21 Data is displayed in the Acquisition State Panel and data acquisition begins as if a real probe has been launched.  Data acquisition continues until the probe's terminal depth is achieved.

6.  	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued early by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister and then the program will switch automatically to Post-Acquisition mode.

This completes system verification using an XBT test canister.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Test Canister XCTD
System Verification with XCTD Test Canister

This exercise will simulate a complete XCTD-1 probe deployment.  The purpose is to test the MK21 equipment installation including the launcher, cabling, MK21 Interface Board, and the WinMK21 application software.   If a hand-held launcher is available it can be wired locally to the PC to reduce the need for a separate launch operator.  Otherwise, the verification procedure requires an operator at the PC and one at the launcher, along with some means of communications between them.

Follow these steps:

1.  	Launch the WinMK21 application.

2.  	Ensure that the probe selected for launch is the XCTD-1 by verifying that XCTD-1 is posted in the Probe Type field of the Launch Information Window.  If this probe is not displayed as the currently selected probe, then select Options, then Probe, and then Selection from the menu bar.  A dialog will be displayed from which the user can select the XCTD-1 probe.  After the probe has been selected, any further parameters required when initiating a new probe drop must be appropriately set.  See the section describing Data Acquisition for a complete discussion of the procedure for initiating a new probe drop.

3.	Click the New Drop button in the task bar, or select File, and then New Drop from the menu bar to initiate a new drop sequence.  Ensure that the MK21 interface board is in ready mode by inspecting the System Status dialog.  In this dialog, MK21 Status:  Ready should be seen.  To view this dialog, click the System Status button in the task bar.

4.	The Real-time Data Acquisition Window opens with Load Probe displayed in the Acquisition State panel, and the probe type displayed in the Launch Information display.

5.   	Activate the XCTD-1 test canister electronics by switching on the toggle switch on the end of the canister.  An indicator should illuminate.

6.	Insert the test canister into the launcher, and secure the contact lever.  The display in the Acquisition State panel changes to Testing Probe for a few seconds, then advances to Launch Probe.

7.   	Collecting MK21 Data is immediately displayed in the Acquisition State panel and data acquisition begins as if a real probe has been launched.  Data acquisition continues until the probe's terminal depth is reached.

8.	The probe's simulated profile may be discontinued early by selecting Actions, then Terminate from the menu bar.  The message in the Acquisition State Panel will advance to Spent Canister and then the program will switch automatically to Post-Acquisition mode.

9.  	Verify the obtained temperature and conductivity values match those stated on the side of the XCTD test canister.

This completes system verification using an XCTD-1 test canister.  It has shown the proper operation of the launcher, cabling, MK21 interface board, and the WinMK21 data acquisition software.


System Verification with Test Canisters Overview
System Verification Using Sippican Test Canisters

Sippican-manufactured XBT and XCTD test canisters simulate the signals generated by XBT and XCTD probes.  The test canisters are simple and self-contained and useful for MK21 system checkout, operator training, and troubleshooting.

System verification using an XBT test canister

System verification using an XCTD test canister


Reference AddInfo Password Protection Reference
Password Protection Overview

The Password Protection option allows the supervisor to restrict access to specific system options.  The user can only access the restricted options if a valid password is entered.  The password can contain up to 32 context sensitive alphanumeric characters, including spaces.

The Password Protection option is enabled by selecting the Require password to change settings option in the User Parameters dialog.  The New Password dialog will appear and the supervisor is prompted to enter a new password.  Once a new password has been activated, a user will be required to enter the password in the Password Protection dialog to access specific parameters.

If you have lost or forgotten the supervisor password, contact Technical Support for assistance.


Reference AddInfo New Password
New Password Dialog

This dialog allows you to set a new password.  The new password must be entered twice to verify the correct spelling.  The password can contain up to 32 context sensitive alphanumeric characters, including spaces.

The Password Protection option allows the supervisor to restrict access to specific system options.  The user can only access the restricted options if a valid password is entered.  The password can contain up to 32 context sensitive alphanumeric characters, including spaces.

If you have lost or forgotten the supervisor password, contact Technical Support for assistance.


Reference AddInfo Password Protection
Password Protection Dialog

This dialog is presented when you are attempting to perform an action that is protected by a password.  The dialog prompts you to enter the current supervisor password.  If the password is entered correctly, you are allowed to proceed.  If the password is entered incorrectly, you are not allowed to proceed.

The Password Protection option allows the supervisor to restrict access to specific system options.  The user can only access the restricted options if a valid password is entered.  The password can contain up to 32 context sensitive alphanumeric characters, including spaces.

If you have lost or forgotten the supervisor password, contact Technical Support for assistance.


Reference AddInfo NTDS Transmit XCTD As
XCTD Transmit Format for Serial-Binary and NTDS Transmission

The Serial-Binary and NTDS interfaces do not specifically allow the data from XCTD probes to be transmitted.  However, since an XCTD has both temperature and sound velocity information, WinMK21 allows the the profile data to be transmitted as XBT-like or XSV-like.  When XCTD data is being transferred the operator is prompted to specify the data format.

If you select the XBT option and click the Yes button the Depth-Temperature data for the XCTD is transmitted using the T-7 data format.  If you select the XSV option and click the Yes button the Depth-Sound Velocity data for the XCTD is transmitted using the XSV-01 data format.


Reference AddInfo Serial Binary
Serial-Binary Interface Reference

Note:	Please refer to the latest Interface Requirements Specification for the WinMK21 Serial-Binary Data Transmission document for the most recent information.

The Serial-Binary interface is a 32-bit serial transmission that has been derived from the NTDS data transmission protocol.  There are three different protocols available for the Serial-Binary Mode as follows:

AN/BQH-7A(V) Interface Design Specification v1.0

This is the original Serial-Binary data transmission protocol.  The original AN/BQH Data Recorders used this protocol.  T-4, T-5, and T-7 type XBTs, and XSV-01 type XSV probes are supported.  The XBT probe header is comprised of zeroes and the XSV header is comprised of ones.  This protocol is included for compatibility with older systems.

MK8 RS-232C External Interface

This protocol is essentially the same as the AN/BQH-7A(V) protocol; however, there are significant changes.  Firstly, support for T-6 and T-10 type XBTs and XSV-02 type XSV probes was added.  Secondly, the XSV header was changed to all zeroes to conform to the XBT header.  This protocol was only active for older MK8 systems.  This protocol is included for compatibility with older systems.

WinMK21 Serial-Binary Data Transmission

This final protocol accommodates all of the needs of the current set of data recorders.  All of the probes from the MK8 protocol are included and the XSV header has been reset to all ones to remain compatible with requirements of the AN/BQH-7A(V) protocol.  All new implementations of the Serial-Binary mode should conform to this this protocol.

All Protocols

The temperature data range is between 28 F and 96 F, +/-0.36 F.  The sound velocity data range is between 4610 ft/sec and 5118 ft/sec, +/-0.8 ft/sec.  The external interface depth interval is 2 ft, with an accuracy of +/- 0.5% if depth, or 2 ft, which ever is greater.

The Serial-Binary format is available only for T-4, T-5, T-6, T-7 and T-10 type XBTs, and XSV-01 and XSV-02 type XSVs.  XCTD probes may have their data transmitted in the corresponding XBT or XSV format, which is selectable by the user.  For each probe type the total number of data/depth samples sent is:

T-4	750

T-5	3000

T-6	750

T-7	1250

T-10	330

XSV-01	1395

XSV-02	3281

The data/depth data words are transmitted in a consecutive data word stream.  Data can be transmitted to the external device at any time.  The only requirement is that the profile for the desired data must be open and the currently active window.

To select the characteristics of the external interface refer to the Data Transmit Parameters dialog.


System Equipment MK21 Interface Board Port Address
MK21 Interface Board Port Address

The factory default port address of the MK21 interface board is 0C00.  The MK21 interface board communicates with the WinMK21 software by using up to 32 consecutive I/O locations starting at the designated port address.

It is recommended to initially use the factory default settings on the MK21 interface board.  The MK21 interface board is designed to not interfere with other operations of your computer, and in most cases the default settings will be the preferred settings.

NOTE:	The WinMK21 application and MK21 device drivers do not automatically detect the port address of the MK21 interface board.  The port address settings for the WinMK21 application and MK21 device drivers must be set to match the physical address as indicated by the DIP switch on the MK21 interface board.  Thus, if it is necessary to change the port address of the MK21 interface board it is very important to change both the physical address as indicated by the DIP switch on MK21 interface board and the port address settings used by either the WinMK21 application or MK21 device driver to locate the MK21 interface board.

Determine Available Port Address For Use by MK21 Interface Board

The Device Manager system tool will allow you to determine which I/O port address locations are available on the PC for use by the MK21 interface board.  An I/O port base address is indicated by a 4-digit hexadecimal number, such as 0C00.  The MK21 interface board has a number of requirements when selecting a valid port address as follows:

For the 4-digit hexadecimal port address WXYZ:

1.	W may be any value from 0 to F

2. 	X must be either 4 or C.

For example: 1400 and 0C00 are valid; however, 1200 and 0D00 are invalid.

3.	Y must be even.

For example: 1480 and 0C20 are valid; however, 1410 and 0CD0 are invalid

4.	Z must be zero

For example: 1480 and 0C20 are valid; however, 1482 and 0C2C are invalid

Changing the Port Address Settings in the WinMK21 application or MK21 device driver

For the MK21/USB configuration, the port address is modified from the System Parameters dialog.  However, for the ISA configuration, the port address is maintained by the MK21 device driver.  In Windows NT a separate utility, SetMK21, is provided to modify the port address setting for the device driver.  In Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, the port address is modified using the Device Manager.

Changing the Port Address Settings on the MK21 Interface Board

The port address on the MK21 interface board is set using the 8 position DIP switch (S1) on the MK21 interface board.  The 8 position DIP switch is located in the middle lower section of the MK21 interface board.  Each individual switch, as indicated by the number along the bottom, is a toggle switch which can be either On or Off.  A switch is considered On when the tab is in the position closest to the On label.  The switch is considered Off when the tab is in the position away from the On label.  In the figure to the left, switch 4 is in the Off position.  All of the other switches are in the On position.

Setting the 8 position DIP switch using the 4-digit port address, WXYZ,  is a three part process as follows:

1.	Set the DIP positions 1 - 3 based on the Y value of the port address as follows:

Y	1	2	3

0	On	On	On	*** Default - OCOO (Y = 0)

2	Off	On	On

4	On	Off	On

6	Off	Off	On

8	On	On	Off

A	Off	On	Off

C	On	Off	Off

E	Off	Off	Off

2.	Set the DIP position 4 based on the X value of the port address as follows:

X	4

4	On

C	Off	*** Default - OCOO (X = C)

3.	Set the DIP positions 5 - 8 based on the W value of the port address as follows:

W	5	6	7	8

0	On	On	On	On	*** Default - OCOO (W = 0)

1	Off	On	On	On

2	On	Off	On	On

3	Off	Off	On	On

4	On	On	Off	On

5	Off	On	Off	On

6	On	Off	Off	On

7	Off	Off	Off	On

8	On	On	On	Off

9	Off	On	On	Off

A	On	Off	On	Off

B	Off	Off	On	Off

C	On	On	Off	Off

D	Off	On	Off	Off

E	On	Off	Off	Off

F	Off	Off	Off	Off

Samples

The following samples illustrate the conversion from the 4-digit hexadecimal port address to the 8 position DIP switch.

Port Address	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
0400	On	On	On	On	On	On	On	On
0C00	On	On	On	Off	On	On	On	On
0C60	Off	Off	On	Off	On	On	On	On
1400	On	On	On	On	Off	On	On	On
4CE0	Off	Off	Off	Off	On	On	Off	On


Reference MenuBar Options System Port Address
System Parameters - MK21 Interface Board Port Address

It is possible to change the MK21 interface board port address if the default port address is not available.  Please refer to the MK21 interface board port address section for more information on the port address.

The user cannot modify the port address if the MK21 interface board is in Ready mode.  A properly functioning MK21 interface board in Ready mode indicates that the port address is correct and that it does not need to be modified.  Thus, in order to exercise this option, it is necessary to make sure that the MK21 interface board is in Standby mode.


Reference MenuBar Tools Convert
Convert

The Convert tool allows the operator to change the probe type of an existing data file.  On occasion a probe is dropped with the incorrect probe type specified in the WinMK21 application.  This can occur because all of the probes for each group share the same electrical characteristics.  For example, the WinMK21 application is unable to distinguish the difference between a T-4 and a T-10.  All XBT probes are treated the same by the data acquisition process in the WinMK21 application.  However, it is important to specify the correct probe type since each probe within the probe group have unique drop rate coefficients which directly impact the depth calculation for the collected data.  Furthermore, each probe has a unique terminal depth which determines the end of the data collection process.

To convert a profile, select Tools and then Convert from the menu bar.  The Convert Profile dialog is displayed for the active profile.

The current probe attributes are listed in the top section.  The new probe attributes are listed in the bottom section.  Compatible probe types are listed in the Probe selection box.  The operator can only convert to a probe type that has compatible electrical characteristics.  For example, it is not possible to convert a T-10 to an XSV-01.  Upon selection of a compatible probe type, the probe attributes are listed in the bottom section.  The terminal depth of the current probe attributes are maintained for the new probe attributes.

Click the Attributes button to specify custom probe attributes for the new probe type.

Upon selecting the OK button, the profile is converted to the new probe type, with the specified probe attributes.  The filename is also converted using the correct prefix for the new probe type.  However, the operator must resave the file to disk.


Reference AddInfo Configuration Log File
Configuration Log File

WinMK21 maintains a configuration log file, MK21CFG.LOG, in the Windows directory of the computer.  The configuration log file records the original configuration settings and any subsequent changes to the WinMK21 settings.  The configuration log file should never be deleted unless specifically requested by the Sippican - Technical Support.  Furthermore, the configuration log file should not be maintained or viewed by the operator.  The sole purpose of the file is to aid the Sippican - Technical Support in determining the original configuration of the WinMK21 settings and subsequent changes for technical support situations.


Reference AddInfo Restore File
Restore Storage File

WinMK21 automatically creates a temporary restore storage file, MK21RSTR.SIP, in the default data folder for every probe drop.  If the probe drop is completed successfully and the data is recorded to a valid RDF data file, the temporary restore storage file is automatically removed.  However, if an unexpected error occurs that results in an incomplete probe drop or an unsuccessful storage of the data in a valid RDF file, the restore file remains available in the default data folder.

Upon restarting WinMK21, the restore file is automatically detected.  The operator is presented with a list of options as follows:

Upon selecting Yes, WinMK21 will attempt to restore the data from the restore storage file.  If the data recovery is successful, the data profile is displayed in a Data Window.  The operator must manually save the profile to an RDF file.  If the data recovery is unsuccessful, the operator is prompted to store the invalid restore storage file in a new location and send the file to the Sippican - Technical Support for further analysis.  If the restore storage file is not moved to a new location, it will be overwritten automatically at the beginning of the next probe drop.

Upon selecting No, the restore storage file will be deleted immediately.

Upon selecting Cancel the operator is prompted to move the restore storage file to a new location with an optional new name.  This option allows the operator to record multiple restore storage files.


Reference MenuBar Options Probe Attributes MultiStage
Probe - Attributes - Multi-Stage Equation

The XCTD Deep probe can use a Multi-Stage Equation in calculating the depth.  The Probe Attributes dialog for the XCTD Deep probe is as follows:

For the XCTD Deep probe, the user can decide to use the standard equation like other probe types, or the Multi-Stage Equation.  Unless instructed by Sippican, Inc, or if there is a special need for the use of the Multi-Stage Equation, it is best to use the Standard Equation with the default coefficients.

Post-Processing Attributes

In post-processing mode, the user will be able to define the calibrated depth of the pressure point and edit the data calibration coefficients.  If the feature is supported by the probe, a corresponding button appears in the dialog box for the Pressure Pt. and Calibration Coefficients dialogs.  Clicking the Pressure Pt. button displays the Pressure Point dialog.  Correspondingly, clicking the Cal. Coeff. button displays Calibration Coefficients dialog box.