DM-0044

Description

This driver can be used to interface to the EdgeTech 41XX/42XX/43XX sidescan sonar via the Discover software:

• 4100
• 4125
• 4150
• 4200
• 4300

Note

Note that for the 4600 system a different page exists.

The driver will decode data only and can not be used to control the sonar.

The Discover software of EdgeTech is used for control.
The data port to which driver will connect should be selected in the Discover software, the default port is 1800.

The driver will automatically connect to this port and receive data if sonar is pinging.
Make sure that the computer or topside that sends the data to Qinsy is time synchronized to PPS otherwise the time stamping is unreliable. 
The Discover software should run preferably on the same computer as Qinsy to prevent any timing issues.

Driver will connect to both the data port and control port.
It is assumed that the data port is on a port number one higher than the control port; by default the control port is 1800 and the data port is 1801.
Note that on some systems the default is 1900.

Driver Information

Driver	EdgeTech 4xxx/4000/4600	Interface Type	TCP-IP	Driver Class Type	Network
UTC Driver	-	Input / Output	Input	Executable	DrvEdgetechSocket.exe
Related Systems
Related Pages

Coding Notes

Decoding Notes

Driver decodes only SEGY packets (id 80). If multiple packets are necessary to transfer a ping then the driver will concatenate the packets automatically on reception by looking at the ping number.

Decoded data does not contain a sound velocity value so make sure to select a manual sound velocity in Database Setup.

Driver will also optionally decode

• Altitude
• Pressure (depth)
• Gyro 
• Temperature
• Pitch and Roll

If a Time Synchronization System is defined in the template then the decoded ping time from the packets will be used as the observation time.
If no Time Synchronization is used then the arrival time of the packet is used.

User definable gain

The Edgetech sidescan signal can be rather low for certain models not using the Qinsy sidescan sample range 0f 0-65535 properly.
The driver can apply a user definable scale factor to the amplitude data.
The scale factors should be entered in Database Setup's "Driver Specific Parameters" page (See below).

The registry is no longer used for this as of June 2013.
Make sure to re-enter the gain figures in Database Setup because the registry is not read anymore.
Note that a default gain of 1.0 means that no extra gain is applied.

System Interfacing

Interfacing Notes

Make sure to use a proper network cable and proper setup of the TCP/IP network.

System Config

System Configuration

The port number on which the Discover software will send data to Qinsy can be looked up in the Discover software through menu "Configuration|Network". 
This will launch the following dialog:

Advanced: if necessary the default port and IP addresses can be modified in the Discover JNI configuration file. Open the file "DiscoverLast4100.Jni" located in the Discover software program folder. This file can be modified with Notepad since it is ASCII.
Make sure that under header "[MessageTopsideCommand]" the host name is set to 0.0.0.0 and the port number to any number you require (default is 1800). Then check that under header "[MessageTopsideData]"the host name is also set to 0.0.0.0 and the port number is one higher than the control port.

Qinsy Config

Database Setup

Add new system of type 'Sidescan Sonar' and select driver 'EdgeTech 4XXX Sidescan'.

Set up proper IP address and port number of the EdgeTech computer or topside unit. 
If the Discover software runs on the same computer as Qinsy, then the IP address is: 127.0.0.1
Otherwise, it is as shown in the screen capture above: 192.9.0.101
Port Number is by default 1800 but is user definable in the EdgeTech configuration. (See above.)

On the next page the Driver Specific Parameters are set. Here the proper model should be selected, make sure to select "41XX/42XX/43XX".
Optionally fill in an additional fixed gain here per channel. Gain of 1.0 means that no extra gain is applied.
Make sure that the gain you enter is not too large as this may lead to a saturated signal which can not be recovered anymore in post processing!

Go to the next page and add either two channels or four channels.
If you operate the sidescan in simultaneous dual frequency mode you should define four channels, or else just two.

4100

The 4100 can only operate one frequency at a time so 2 channels will suffice when auto-detect slot number is used (see below).

Slot numbers

The slot numbers should be set properly or else no data will be decoded.

• The following slot numbers exist:

  900	Port	Auto detect
  901	Starboard	Auto detect
  200	Port	Low Frequency
  201	Starboard	Low Frequency
  210	Port	High Frequency
  211	Starboard	High frequency

  
  Auto-detect: In this mode it will pick either the low or the high frequency data, whichever is being utilized by the sonar.
  This will only work properly if only one frequency is used at a time.

Related Systems

The driver can also decode altitude, depth, gyro and temperature information.

Slot ID

Decoding will only work if the slot id’s are entered properly and in CAPITALS.

• Altitude and Depth
  Add new system of type "Underwater Sensor" and select driver 'EdgeTech 4XXX Sidescan (ROV Depth & Altitude)'. Make I/O parameters the same as for the sidescan system. Add observations:
  
  1. Altitude
     
     • Slot ID: "PING_ALT", 
       
       
  2. ROV Depth.
     The altitude is decoded in meters. The depth is the raw pressure value in PSI and should be converted to survey units by setting proper C-O and scale factors: 14.5038 PSI = 1 bar, 1 bar is approx. 10 meters of water depth.
     
     • Slot ID: "PING_PRES". 
       
       
       
• Gyro
  Add new system of type "Gyros and Compasses" and select driver 'EdgeTech 4XXX Sidescan (Gyro)'. Make I/O parameters the same as for the sidescan system. 
  
  • Slot ID: "PING_HDG".
    
    
• Temperature
  Add new system of type "Miscellaneous Systems" and select driver 'EdgeTech 4XXX Sidescan (Temperature)'. Make I/O parameters the same as for the sidescan system. 
  
  • Slot ID: "PING_TEMP".
    
    
    
• Pitch/Roll
  Add new system of type "Pitch Roll Heave sensor" and select driver 'EdgeTech 4XXX Sidescan R-P-H.' Make I/O parameters the same as for the sidescan system.

• •     Slot ID: "PING_ATT".

Slot ID Changes as of June 2013

From Qinsy releases newer than June 2013 the slot ID names have changed to allow for supporting the 4600 system.
The Old slots ID's "ALT", "PRES", "HDG", "TEMP" and empty for Pitch/Roll are internally upgraded in the driver so they will still work.
For future setups the new ID's should be used.