The Tritech Micron EchoSounder DST is an ultra-compact sonar altimeter with versatile communication options, making it compatible with a wide range of products. Upon ordering the Tritech Micron EchoSounder DST, Tritech will request a desired communication configuration. Information for determining the best configuration for use with a NexSens monitoring system is below.
Communication: RS-232 or RS-485. If the cable length from the EchoSounder to the Nexsens iSIC data logger is 500 ft or more, then RS-485 must be used. If the cable length is less than 500 ft, then either can be used. The Micron EchoSounder DST does not provide multi-drop protocol for RS-485, so if the EchoSounder is using RS-485, no other RS-485 sensor may be connected to the iSIC. In that case, RS-232 and a cable less than 500 ft in length must be used.
Protocol: NMEA 0183 or ASCII. The NMEA 0183 protocol can output depths in both feet and meters while ASCII can only output depth in meters. ASCII will output data containing up to 3 decimal places while NMEA 0183 will output data containing only 2 decimal places.
Baud rate: Even though the iSIC can support baud rates from 1200 to 115,200, NexSens recommends the baud rate be set at 9600 for either RS-232 or RS-485. This is because lower baud rates are generally more reliable than higher ones.
Note: For RS-485, setting the baud rate higher than 57,600 requires changing the signal timing, which involves a capacitor change on the iSIC circuit board. Such a baud rate is not recommended unless the iSIC PCB (particle circuit board) is upgraded by NexSens manufacturing.
Mode: The mode should be set to ‘free running’ for use with an iSIC.
Message: If using ASCII, then use the message ‘xxx.xxxm’.
REV: 13G29