NOAA TAPS-8
Jeff Napp at NOAA Seattle has
been using the original TAPS-8 moored sensors in the Gulf
of Alaska and the Bering Sea for several years now. These
sensors have provided him with data unobtainable with
customary samplers. Unfortunately, they are getting rather
long in the tooth. They utilize a single transducer block
with one poured epoxy face that makes transducer
replacement difficult and chancy. The processor is slow and
memory is limited. Time for an upgrade.
We are working on applying some of the technology of the
TAPS-6 NewGen to the TAPS-8 moored sensor to improve the
data storage capacity while keeping the low-power, timed
data collection function of the TAPS-8. In addition, we are
moving to external transducers to allow easy replacement in
the case of damage or failure.
Jeff has given me permission to post the designs and
similar data here on this website. Most of the cards are
done, I just need to pull the files together and post them.
NOAA is doing the case design. Transonics is building the first sets
of transducers (covering the frequency range from 50 to
700 kHz, appropriate for sensing euphausiids). I am
doing the electronics design and melding the old TAPS-8
code with the TAPS-6 NewGen controller code. Since this
code is in Forth, and Forth is (and always has been and
probably will be for the foreseeable future) archaic,
they are looking towards replacing the controller
completely with a modern doo-dad coded in (ugh) C++
sometime in the future. One thing for sure, you will NOT
see it here!
The first system was completed and calibrated in July,
2010. It spent the winter in the Chukchi Sea. Brrrrr. The
second and third units were completed this past spring and
are taking their turns dodging ice cubes.
It turned out that the 68HC12 card from New Micros could
not be made to STOP in a low-current mode as I had done
with their 68HC11 cards previously. I have spent endless
hours attempting to achieve the 100 micro-amp quiescent
currents I did in a previous version and have, finally,
given up. As, I might add, others who have tried this on
other SBC cards. While NOAA comes to a decision as to what
direction to take on a replacement CONTROLLER card that
will enter a low-current sleep mode, I combined the designs
for the previous TAPS-8 CONTROLLER card with the latest
version. Preliminary schematics are available on the
Revised Controller? page.