Altimeter
Marine Electronics Model 5001 500 kHz Altimeter. It is capable of 1 mm
resolution up to a range of 25 meters.
T
he
Altimeter was provided by Marine
Electronics at a substantial discount. We were able to purchase the
electronics and the ceramics at half price and we proceeded to build our own PVC
housing. It is calibrated to operate at a range of 25 meters and provides 1mm
resolution. The device has a very narrow, 4 degree, beam width that insures the
depth reading is the depth of the water column directly beneath the vehicle. The
sensor runs on 24 volts, which is provided by a +/- 12 Volt DC->DC switch run
from our 12 volt system buses. The depth readings are brought into the computer
via an RS232 Serial link at approximately 30 Hz. The unit is very configurable.
Via the serial link we are able to adjust the gain and sensitivity of the
responses, as well as on the circuit board itself via numerous potentiometers.
This unit provides very reliable data feedback that is used for our navigation
algorithms and most importantly for determining the depth of each prospective
box as Barracuda positions itself over the top.
T
he
Altimeter was provided by Marine
Electronics at a substantial discount. We were able to purchase the
electronics and the ceramics at half price and we proceeded to build our own PVC
housing. It is calibrated to operate at a range of 25 meters and provides 1mm
resolution. The device has a very narrow, 4 degree, beam width that insures the
depth reading is the depth of the water column directly beneath the vehicle. The
sensor runs on 24 volts, which is provided by a +/- 12 Volt DC->DC switch run
from our 12 volt system buses. The depth readings are brought into the computer
via an RS232 Serial link at approximately 30 Hz. The unit is very configurable.
Via the serial link we are able to adjust the gain and sensitivity of the
responses, as well as on the circuit board itself via numerous potentiometers.
This unit provides very reliable data feedback that is used for our navigation
algorithms and most importantly for determining the depth of each prospective
box as Barracuda positions itself over the top.