SonTek/YSI
ADVField/Hydra Operation Manual (September 1, 2001) 15
2.3.2. Real-Time Operation Using SonTek Software
The simplest way to operate the ADVField is to use the data acquisition software (
ADF.EXE
). The
following steps explain how to test the ADV and how to collect data in a DOS environment. See
the ADVField Software Manual for details about all software associated with the ADV. For test-
ing purposes, you should have a bucket of water on hand.
1. If necessary, install the DOS software on your computer (§2.1).
2. If you are simply testing ADV operation, suspend the probe head in a bucket of water (at least
30-cm deep for 16/10-MHz ADV probes; 45 cm for the 5-MHz ADVOcean probe) with a
teaspoon of seeding material. Note
: Operating the probe out of water will not cause any dam-
age, although the velocity data will be meaningless.
3. Before every use/deployment of the ADVField, we suggest you run the
ADFCHECK
diagnostic
program. Run the program by typing
ADFCHECK -p1
at the DOS prompt, where
1
is the serial
port for the ADV (-
p1
for COM1,
-p2
for COM2). Place the ADV probe in a bucket of wa-
ter, and compare the output with the examples in the ADVField Software Manual.
NOTE
The most common communication problem is an incorrect baud rate or COM port setting.
A simple way to determine the correct settings is through the SonUtils|Terminal program.
4. Now run the data acquisition program
ADF.EXE
by typing
ADF
at the DOS prompt. This will
place you in the program’s Setup Mode. At this point, you would enter the data collection pa-
rameters for your application. Use the ADV Principles of Operation and the ADVField Soft-
ware Manual as guidelines for selecting these parameters. Note
: If you are just making a
quick check to see if the ADV is functioning, you can set the
Sampling Rate
to 10 Hz and the
Velocity Range
to 100 cm/s.
5. After entering your data collection parameters, select the
START Data Acquisition
button and
press <
Enter
> to start data collection. This will place you in the Boundary Adjustment Mode.
6. In the Boundary Adjustment Mode, the ADV continuously scans the region in front of the
probe to detect the presence of a solid or surface boundary. The screen will display the dis-
tances from the tip of the probe to the boundary and from the center of the sampling volume
to that boundary. If no boundary is detected, a
NOT DETECTED
message is displayed. This
boundary check is necessary because the ADV must adjust its operation to prevent boundary
reflections from interfering with signals from the sampling volume. For more information
about the Boundary Adjustment Mode, see the ADVField Software Manual.
7. After viewing the boundary information (and making any changes to probe positioning if
necessary), press <
F10
> to exit the Boundary Adjustment Mode and to enter the Data Acquisi-
tion Mode. The real-time data display should now be shown.
8. Now press <
Enter
> to start real-time data collection. The on-screen information will begin to
change based on the information received by the probe. From within the Data Collection
Mode, several on-screen options are available to you. Refer to the ADVField Software Man-
ual for details. Note
: If you are just making a quick check to see if the ADV is functioning,
you can move the probe within the bucket of water and watch the velocity traces change.
For more details, see the ADVField Software Manual. The ADV and its software are designed to
be reasonably robust; as such, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the operation of
the instrument and its software.
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