AnnouncementsAnnouncements
MicroCAT Batteries | Company Spotlight | V2 SEACATplus | Water Quality Monitor (WQM) | Plastic Housing Options | Plastic Shipping Cases | SBE 55 ECO Water Sampler | Field Service Bulletins
Attention MicroCAT Users --
Change Notice -- 25 April 2008
(April 2008)
Two important design
changes are being implemented in SBE 37 MicroCATs. The original MicroCAT battery
pack is being replaced with a new retrofit battery pack, and the electronics
have been redesigned in new SBE
37-SM, 37-SMP,
37-SI, and
37-SIP MicroCATs (firmware
version 3.0 and higher). The changes bring significant benefits and some minor
changes without increasing the prices for new MicroCATs.
Click here for more
details on the battery pack.
Company Spotlight
(March 2008)
See the
Sea-Bird company
spotlight, as published in Ocean News & Technology, Volume 14, Issue 2,
March 2008.
New
Version
2 (V2) SEACATplus (March 2008)
The SBE
16plus V2, 16plus-IM
V2, and 19plus V2
are the next generation SEACATs, continuing to bring high accuracy and
resolution, reliability, and ease-of-use to the wide range of research,
monitoring, and engineering applications pioneered by their legendary
predecessors. The V2 SEACATs can acquire data from 6 auxiliary voltage sensors (vs
4) as well as from an RS-232 sensor, have a larger memory (64 Mbyte vs 8), and
can provide XML output (in addition to raw and ASCII engineering unit formats).
An optional Digiquartz pressure sensor (previously only available in the 16plus
and 16plus-IM) is now also available in the 19plus V2. The
instrument dimensions are identical to their predecessors, so no mounting
modifications are required for substituting these CTDs on an existing system.
And the old data output formats are still available, so any custom data
processing software developed by a customer will be compatible with the new
CTDs.
New
Sea-Bird
and WET Labs Co-Develop Water Quality Monitor
(September 2007)
Sea-Bird and WET Labs have combined
CTD, Dissolved Oxygen, Chlorophyll, and Turbidity sensors with an innovative
strategy of active and passive anti-fouling measures to create the WQM, a Water
Quality Monitor for coastal and estuarine moorings that produces research-grade measurements for
an entire season, without periodic cleaning or maintenance. The WQM consists of
elements from Sea-Bird's pumped CTD and Dissolved Oxygen sensors and WET Labs'
ECO series fluorometer and turbidity sensor, all of which are known for high
accuracy and stability. Bio-fouling and sediment loads are the dominant factors
that degrade and limit data quality from the WQM's sensors. These factors
can overwhelm inadequately protected sensors and invalidate their data — often
in just a few days. The WQM employs active flow control, passive flow restriction, light-blocking, active biocide injection, and passive
fouling inhibitors to
effectively and safely combat internal and external fouling. With fouling
minimized, the superior inherent stability of the WQM sensors translates
directly to superior long-term data quality.
Click here for more details about Sea-Bird's development and testing of the WQM.
The WQM is available only from WET Labs.
New
Instruments with Plastic Housings
(May 2007)
Sea-Bird has added plastic housing options for several instruments and sensors, saving money and weight.
- SBE 5M Miniature Submersible Pump is available with a 600-meter plastic housing in place of the
standard 10,500-meter titanium housing.
- A new pump, the
SBE 5P Plastic Submersible Pump, has the operational
characteristics of the SBE 5T Titanium Submersible Pump, but with a 600-meter
plastic housing.
- SBE 43 Dissolved Oxygen Sensor
is available with a 600-meter plastic housing in place of the standard
7000-meter titanium housing.
- SBE 37 MicroCAT CTDs (37-SM,
SMP,
IM,
IMP,
SI,
SIP) are available with the
ShallowCAT housing, a 250-meter plastic housing in place of the standard
7000-meter titanium housing.
Titanium offers the best durability with the least amount of care, and is always
a wise investment. But when budgets demand it, these plastic housing options let
you put more instruments in the water for less money. Contact
Sea-Bird for pricing information.
Plastic Shipping Cases
Now Available
(May 2007)
Optional plastic shipping cases are now available for a number of instruments.
Click on photos below (not to scale) to get a quick peek at the cases; see the product configuration pages for the SBE
9plus,
19plus
V2,
25,
37 (IMP,
IM,
SMP,
SM,
SIP,
SI),
39,
and 39-IM for details.
 Hardigg case for SBE 9plus (shown in photo), 25, or 19plus V2 |
 Storm case for SBE 37 (IMP, IM, SMP, SM, SIP, SI) |
 Storm case for SBE 39 (shown in photo) or 39-IM |
|
|
New
SBE 55 ECO
Water Sampler
(April 2007)
The
ECO Sampler is the ideal
small-boat water sampler for coastal, estuarine, and large lake ecological
monitoring. The ECO Sampler is light and economical and can be integrated with
an SBE 19, 19plus, 19plus
V2, or
25 CTD. It is available in a
three-bottle or six-bottle configuration with 4-liter ECO sample bottles,
uniquely designed for the ECO Sampler. The ECO Sampler can operate
autonomously on internal batteries and be programmed to close bottles at
selected depths, allowing deployment using non-electrical wire or line. It
also can be used with an SBE 33
Carousel Deck Unit and an electro-mechanical cable and slip-ring
equipped winch for real-time CTD data acquisition and water sampling
operation.
Recent
Field Service Bulletins
-
SBE 39 and 39-IM Leap
Year Error (March 2008):
Firmware error related to leap year; upload new firmware to correct error.
-
Retrofit for SBE
39s with Firmware Version 2.0 through 2.2 (May 2007):
Modification required to eliminate the potential for a short that can cause
premature battery failure.
-
Link to all Field Service
Bulletins
For old announcements, see our Announcement Archive page!
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