Zebra-Tech Turtle Dive Logger Technical Manual

Turtle Dive Logger

Submersible position, depth, temperature and

immersion status data logger

Technical Manual

Version 4.0

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Turtle Dive Logger Technical Manual

Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1

2. Turtle Dive Logger Specifications .............................................................................. 2

Schematics ............................................................................................................. 3

4. Operating the Turtle Dive Logger ............................................................................. 4

Overview ................................................................................................................ 4

Charging the Turtle Dive Logger ............................................................................. 5

Activating the wet sensor ...................................................................................... 6

5. Communicating with the Turtle Dive Logger ............................................................. 8

Installing TurtleCom ............................................................................................... 8

Operating TurtleCom ........................................................................................... 10

Radio Linked Turtle Diver Logger and Paua Boat Loggers .................................... 15

6. Google Earth .......................................................................................................... 18

7. Further Assistance .................................................................................................. 19

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Turtle Dive Logger Technical Manual

1. Introduction

The Turtle Dive Logger is a fully self-contained submersible data logger. It is very
simple to operate, logging automatically on contact with water. All the user need
do is download the data and charge the batteries.

The Turtle Dive Logger logs:

 The geographical position when

on the surface of the water

 Dive depth and temperature profile

while underwater

FRONT VIEW OF TURTLE DIVE LOGGER

Depth
sensor

Coms and
charging
connector
cap

BACK VIEW OF TURTLE DIVE LOGGER

Temperature sensor

TOP VIEW OF TURTLE DIVE LOGGER

GPS Antenna

Serial number

Status light

Indicator

Wet
sensor

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2. Turtle Dive Logger Specifications

Position:

Logging Interval:

GPS Module: Fastrax P500

Surface 10 to 60 seconds (user adjustable)
Dive 1 to 60 seconds (user adjustable)

Depth:

40m water depth

Temperature:

Range 0 to 40˚C

Batteries:

3 x Sanyo Eneloop Nickel Metal Hydride
Thermal and short circuit protection fitted

Memory:

4 megabytes: equivalent to about 200,000 surface records or
800,000 dive records.

Data is retained even if the batteries go flat

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Schematics

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3. Operating the Turtle Dive Logger

Overview

Operation of the Turtle Dive Logger has been designed to be as simple and
reliable as possible. When the Turtle Dive Logger is out of the water, it enters a
low power deep sleep mode. When it detects water, it wakes up and enters the
logging mode, logging data according to its situation, either on the surface or
diving.

On the surface the Turtle Dive Logger records the position data - latitude,
longitude and UTC date and time - from the GPS. During a dive, it records
temperature, water depth, UTC date and time.

The Turtle Dive Logger features a small flashing light visible through the housing.
The color and flashing sequence indicate the status and operation mode of the
Turtle Dive Logger (see table below).

Every 12 seconds

Description

1 flash

Green

Idle Red

Idle, low battery

2 flashes

Green Green

Good battery, good GPS fix

Red Green

Low battery, good GPS fix

Red Red

Low battery, invalid GPS fix

Green Red

Good battery, invalid GPS fix

Green Orange

Good battery, diving (GPS Off)

Red Orange

Low battery, diving (GPS Off)

3 flashes

All Red

Flat battery shutdown

4 flashes

All Red

Memory full

Long flash

Green

Dry to wet state change

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When the diver comes out of the water, the Turtle Dive Logger will continue to
record its position for 30 minutes, flashing as in surface swim mode before going
into deep sleep mode.

The Turtle Dive Logger can store many days of dive data. To offload the data, the
Turtle Dive Logger is connected to a computer using the download cable and then
the program ‘TurtleCom’ is used.

Charging your Turtle Dive Logger

CHARGING CONNECTOR

Using a coin, unscrew the connector cap and attach the charging connector onto
the Turtle Dive Logger.

Plug the charger into a mains power socket.

The red power and red charge light should light up and the green ‘ready’ light will
flash for the first minute. During this time the charger is assessing the status of
the batteries. After 1 minute the green light will stop flashing and the charge light
will remain on until charging is complete. The red charge light will go off and the
green ‘ready’ light will flash.

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Charging may take up to 4 hours.

Once the batteries are fully charged, disconnect the charger from the mains and
THEN disconnect the charging plug from the Turtle. Do not replace the connector
cap for at least 30 minutes, to allow any gas to vent off through the charging
connector.

Ensure the O ring on the connector cap is clean and has some grease on it. If it is
dry, apply a light wipe of grease, such as Vaseline. Screw the cap back into
position using a coin. It is not necessary to apply excessive force to tighten the
cap.

The batteries in the Turtle do not have a memory which reduces the capacity as
with some other battery types. However it is recommended that every 6 months
or so, the batteries should be completely discharged. This can be done by
pressing the ‘Discharge’ button on the charger prior to following the charging
sequence.

Activating the wet sensor

The stainless steel temperature sensor and charging vent plug are the contacts for
the Wet Sensor.

Sensor
plate

Temperature

sensor

Wet Sensor

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The Wet Sensor needs to be activated to prompt the Turtle to download data
from satellites which assist with rapid position fixing. To activate the Wet Sensor,
simply dip the Turtle briefly in water.

To minimize position acquisition time, it is recommended that the Turtle has 10
minutes of clear unobstructed sky view at the start of the day prior to use. This
enables it to map the relevant satellite data and so re-acquire position data more

quickly after a dive.

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4. Communicating with the Turtle

To communicate with Turtle Diver Loggers, the windows software Paua Logger is
required. This can be found on the USB flash drive supplied with the Logger coms
cable or downloaded from:

http://www.zebra-tech.co.nz/downloads.

Paua Logger will operate on XP, Vista and Windows 7 computer operating
systems. It will not run on a Mac.

Installing Paua Logger Software

Installation and operation of Paua Logger has been designed to be as simple as
possible. Unfortunately, computers are complicated and vary greatly due to
differing ages and operating system versions. As a result, there may be variations
in the installation procedure.

1) Insert the USB flash drive into your PC or visit the Zebra-Tech web site and

download the install file. Locate “Install Paua Logger” file and double click it.

NOTE!

Do not connect the Paua Logger to your computer until you
have installed the software.

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2) Clicking the install button should complete installation.

After installation, a separate install window will open whilst the necessary serial

drivers are installed. If the window doesn’t automatically close after 30 seconds,

then it should be closed manually by clicking the close button in the top right
hand corner.

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Operating Paua Logger Software

Once Paua logger software has been installed on your computer, connect the

Paua Logger to the computer using the communication cable. Wait a few seconds
while the computer detects the Boat Logger.

Locate Paua Logger. There should be an icon on your desktop. Double clicking
the icon should start Paua Logger.

Paua Logger Icon

Alternatively, Paua Logger can be started from your program list in the usual way.

(Click on ‘start’, then ‘All Programs’ and open ‘Paua Logger’ in your list of

programs.)

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TURTLECOM MAIN WINDOW

Update Interval

To change either the surface logging or dive logging intervals, select the required

interval and then press the ‘Update intervals’ button. Note that the logger

memory has to be erased before this can occur. Once set, the update interval
settings will always be retained, even if the battery runs flat.

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Erase Logger Memory

To avoid completely filling the Turtle Dive Logger memory, erase the memory
after you have offloaded the data.

About

This displays the current version of TurtleCom and the firmware version running
on your Turtle Dive Logger.

Diver Logger serial number

This is a unique number allocated to each Turtle Dive Logger. The same number
is engraved on the housing of the Turtle Dive Logger.

Battery voltage

When fully charged, the Turtle Dive Logger battery voltage is around 4 volts.
When the voltage is around 3.3 volts, the batteries are getting low and should be
charged. The Turtle Dive Logger stops functioning at around 3 volts.

Memory used

This displays the percentage of memory currently used.

GPS Position

If the Turtle Dive Logger is receiving satellite position data, the current GPS
position is displayed.

Current depth

This is the depth as measured by the sensor. At sea level in air, it should be
measuring around 0 meters. It will vary slightly due to changes in atmospheric
pressure.

Current temperature

This is the current temperature as measured by the Turtle Dive Logger. If you
touch the temperature sensor, you should see this change.

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Offload data

Press the ‘Offload data’ button to offload data from the Turtle Dive Logger to your
computer. The format of the data file is ASCII text, comma separated.

An example section of the data file is shown below:

1,6,5:22:51,26/12/2009,-42.41525, 173.65549,1,1,0.00,15.3,4.0
1,6,5:23:1,26/12/2009,-42.41523, 173.65543,1,.8,-0.01,15.4,4.0
1,6,5:23:11,26/12/2009,-42.41522, 173.65532,1,.8,0.00,15.4,4.0
1,6,5:23:21,26/12/2009,-42.41523, 173.65527,1,.8,0.00,15.3,4.0
2,6,5:23:23,26/12/2009,,,,,1.20,15.3,4.0
2,6,5:23:24,26/12/2009,,,,,2.31,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:23:25,26/12/2009,,,,,3.11,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:23:26,26/12/2009,,,,,3.81,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:23:27,26/12/2009,,,,,4.21,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:23:28,26/12/2009,,,,,4.13,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:23:29,26/12/2009,,,,,3.94,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:30,26/12/2009,,,,,3.99,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:31,26/12/2009,,,,,4.20,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:32,26/12/2009,,,,,4.42,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:33,26/12/2009,,,,,4.36,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:34,26/12/2009,,,,,4.07,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:35,26/12/2009,,,,,3.81,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:36,26/12/2009,,,,,3.42,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:37,26/12/2009,,,,,2.37,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:23:38,26/12/2009,,,,,0.79,15.2,4.0
1,6,5:24:3,26/12/2009,-42.41526, 173.65526,1,.8,0.00,15.2,4.0
1,6,5:24:13,26/12/2009,-42.41526, 173.65526,1,.9,0.00,15.5,4.0
1,6,5:24:23,26/12/2009,-42.41527, 173.65524,1,1.3,0.03,15.2,4.0
1,6,5:24:33,26/12/2009,-42.41523, 173.65526,1,.8,-0.01,15.3,4.0
2,6,5:24:37,26/12/2009,,,,,1.19,15.5,4.0
2,6,5:24:38,26/12/2009,,,,,2.16,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:24:39,26/12/2009,,,,,3.20,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:24:40,26/12/2009,,,,,4.18,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:24:41,26/12/2009,,,,,4.56,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:24:42,26/12/2009,,,,,4.85,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:24:43,26/12/2009,,,,,4.84,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:24:44,26/12/2009,,,,,4.47,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:24:45,26/12/2009,,,,,3.91,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:24:46,26/12/2009,,,,,3.24,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:24:47,26/12/2009,,,,,2.25,15.1,4.0
2,6,5:24:48,26/12/2009,,,,,0.95,15.2,4.0
1,6,5:25:10,26/12/2009,-42.41524, 173.65527,1,.8,0.02,15.2,4.0
1,6,5:25:20,26/12/2009,-42.41525, 173.65526,1,.8,-0.01,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:25:22,26/12/2009,,,,,0.86,15.4,4.0
2,6,5:25:23,26/12/2009,,,,,1.89,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:25:24,26/12/2009,,,,,2.37,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:25:25,26/12/2009,,,,,2.79,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:25:26,26/12/2009,,,,,3.13,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:25:27,26/12/2009,,,,,3.68,15.2,4.0
2,6,5:25:28,26/12/2009,,,,,3.98,15.1,4.0

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The table below provides descriptions of the columns in the data file.

Column:

Description:

1

Dive log/surface log (1 = Surface log & 2= dive log)

2

Turtle Dive Logger serial number

3

UTC Time (H:M:S)

4

UTC Date (D/M/Y)

5

Latitude (Degrees. Decimal degrees)

6

Longitude (Degrees. Decimal degrees)

7

Fix indicator (1 = valid, 0 = invalid)

8

HDop (see below)

9

Depth (meters)

10

Temperature (degrees C)

11

Battery voltage

HDop Value Rating Description

<1 Ideal This is the highest possible confidence level to be used for

applications demanding the highest possible precision at all times.

1-2 Excellent At this confidence level, positional measurements are

considered accurate enough to meet all but the most sensitive
applications.

2-5 Good Represents a level that marks the minimum appropriate for

making a business decision. Positional measurements could be used
to make reliable in-route navigation suggestions to the user.

5-10 Moderate Positional measurements could be used for calculations, but

the fix quality could still be improved. A more open view of the sky
is recommended.

10-20 Fair Represents a low confidence level. Positional measurements

should be discarded or used only to indicate a very rough estimate
of the current location.

>20 Poor At this level, measurements are inaccurate by as much as 300

meters with a 6 meter accurate device (50 DOP x 6 meters) and
should be discarded.

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After offloading data from the Turtle Dive Logger to your computer, check to
ensure the offloaded data file is present on your computer. Once you are sure
the data has been successfully offloaded, erase the Turtle Dive Logger memory
by pressing Erase Logger Memory to avoid offloading duplicate data next time
round.

Disconnect the communication cable from the Turtle. Ensure the O-ring on the
connector cap is clean and has some grease on it. If it is dry, apply a light wipe of
grease, such as Vaseline. Screw the cap back into position using a coin. It is not
necessary to apply excessive force to tighten the cap.

Radio Linked Turtle Diver Logger and Paua Boat
Loggers

A radio module can now be optionally fitted to the Turtle Diver Logger and Boat
Logger. This allows data to be transferred easily from the Turtle to the Boat
Logger.

How do you know if a Turtle or Boat Logger is Radio capable?

Radio capable loggers have a lightning bolt engraved next to the serial number on
the top face.

1234

How to offload data

The Boat Logger initiates the radio download. There are two places where this
can be done: Main menu and at the end of the fishing trip.

How many Turtles will the Boat logger download?

The Boat Logger will search for and download up to four Turtles during each
download event. If all Turtles are not downloaded, you can repeat the download
process.

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Will the Boat Logger offload any radio Turtle?

Yes, any radio Boat Logger will offload any radio Turtle dive logger within range.
All Turtle data values are Turtle serial number linked. So even if different Boat
Loggers offload a single Turtle, the data will be re-assembled by the Dragonfly
database.

What is the range?

The Turtle needs to be less than 4 meters away the Boat Logger for a reliable
radio link, although this may vary with conditions.

Is the data secure?

Yes, only Paua Boat Loggers can offload the data from Turtle Diver Loggers. Other
devices such as smart phones cannot access the data.

Is the battery life of the Radio Turtle Diver Logger reduced?

The radio system is ultra-low power, so the battery life of radio capable Turtles
and Boat Loggers should not have noticeably changed.

What data is offloaded?

Only a statistical summary of new dive data is offloaded via the radio link. This
includes:

 the start position of each dive
 the dive duration
 average dive depth
 maximum dive depth

Only new data that has been collected since the last radio download is off-loaded.
The more detailed dive data is retained on the Turtle as previously and can be
offloaded onto a PC in the usual way at any time.

Trouble Shooting
During the download, an Error occurs.
This may occur if:

 the distance between Turtle and Boat Logger is too great
 there is excessive interference from other devices
 there are too many radio Turtles within range
 the battery on the Turtle is getting flat

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The Boat Logger doesn’t detect any Radio Turtles

If you know there are Radio Turtles within range, try again.
The Turtle batteries may be getting too flat.

The data download takes a long time

The data rate of the radio link is slower than the PC data download method. If
there is a lot of data, this could take many minutes. To avoid long downloads,

download the Turtle regularly, ideally after every fishing trip.

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5. Google Earth

When data is offloaded from the Turtle, in addition to the data file, a file is
created containing of all the valid geographical positions logged. This file can be
displayed using Google Earth if installed on the PC.

The position data file can be found in the same location as the data file. It has the
same name as the data file, but the extension is .kml. Simply double clicking this
file should cause it to open it in Google Earth.

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6. Further Assistance

For further assistance with this or any other Zebra-Tech product, please contact:

Zebra-Tech Ltd
PO Box 1668
Nelson 7040
New Zealand

Tel: International 0064 3 548 0468
Fax: International 0064 3 548 0466

Email: [e-mail]

For up to date information about this and other Zebra-Tech products, please visit

the Zebra-Tech Ltd website at http://www.zebra-tech.co.nz.

Proudly designed and manufactured in New Zealand