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1999 Projects

Current Projects

Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) Benthic processes
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) Midwater research
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) Upper ocean biogeochemistry
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) New research platforms
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) ROV improvements
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) Mooring improvements
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) New in-situ Instruments
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) Information management and archiving
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) Education and outreach
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) 1998 Projects
Green_Ball.gif (257 bytes) 1997 Projects

 

1999 Projects: New in-situ Instruments

Low-power, high-performance instrument controller

Project lead/manager: Wayne Radochonski
Project team: Andrew Pearce, Dave Wright, John Zsori (contractor)

Technological constraints have limited microprocessors to providing either low functionality, with low power requirements, or high-power performance at the expense of power consumption. Recent advances in semiconductors offer 200 times the performance of existing low-power microprocessors, yet consume even less energy than those currently used. This project will exploit the new technology to build a microprocessor-based controller with significant advantages over MBARI’s existing designs. Industry standards for form factor, bus protocol, and software will be followed to ensure that the new controller will be adaptable to use with future oceanographic instruments and vehicles. Likely applications for the new controller in the near term will be the MBARI seismic data-loggers, the Aquatic Autosampler, and the AUVs.

Last updated: 07 October 2004