Pressure Tolerant Electronic Systems

Pressure Tolerant Electronics (PTE) is the technique of submitting electronic components to the full ambient pressure of the ocean by packaging them in a thin-walled housing filled with oil. Several PTE systems have been fabricated at the Naval Ocean System Center, including amplifiers, signal processing subassemblies, power control systems, command and control subsystems, and a television camera. Two of these systems will be described-one an acoustic imaging system, the other a command and control system for a submersible tools system called the Work Systems Package. The strategies for selecting components, developing circuits, testing, and maintaining of PTE systems as well as when to use and when not to use PTE systems will be presented using these two systems as examples.