HydroDAS

The HydroDAS-based HydroProfiler system shown at right has been used extensively for HOBI Labs' research.  A typical configuration includes the following 10 instruments:

• HydroScat-2
• HydroScat-4
• HydroScat-6
• a-Beta
• c-Beta
• HydroBeta 12-angle VSF sensor
• Biospherical PRR-600
• 2 WET Labs AC-9s
• Sea-bird SBE-19 CTD

In a typical deployment it provides power and data interface through 2 wires of the ship's own 5600-meter cable.  On board, all instruments' raw data are displayed in real time as well as archived to files.  Several of the instruments' data are also typically sent to their "native" software packages for real-time graphical display.

HydroDAS can support larger sets of instruments—up to 11 digital and 16 analog—depending on their total power consumption and data rate.

For a data logging deployment like that shown at right, HydroDAS or MiniDAS is powered by an external battery pack and logs instrument data to internal flash memory.  The DAS periodically wakes up, turns on power to various instruments, and sends them any commands required to gather their data.  This process is controlled by a HydroScript program generated by DASHost's Script Wizard, and can be tailored to virtually any data collection schedule.  The host computer link is used only for configuration and data download, although it could be used simultaneously.

HydroDAS's versatile input and output options and easy programmability make it ideal as a buoy controller or mooring controller.  In addition to all the features described for the applications above, one of its many serial ports can be used to interface to a radio or cellular modem for real-time telemetry.