Application of Solid-State Recorders to Long-Term Deployment Oceonographic Instrumentation

Until recently, long-term tide and wave measurements were limited by the storage capacity and the overall reliability of the recording mechanism. Now, through the latest in static RAM, EPROM and EEPROM memory technology, data can be saved in solid-state recorders and maintained over a long period of time, both safely and efficiently. Solid-state recorders offer distinct advantages over their mechanical predecessors: They free of moving parts, lightweight and compact. The Sea Data 605 recorder utilizes hardware safely interlocks and daisy-chain protocol to initiate tape style sequential memory access. A hardware memory-pointer and counter is a significant improvement over the random access style memory storage because it eliminates the possibility of d previously recorded data. The oceanographic industry has greatly benefited from technological advances in solid-state storage techniques. For example, the MTXR Modular Temperature and Depth Recorder combines high-density static RAM data storage with ultra-precise sensors to offer high resolution-measurements with reliable data storage. The MTXR offers a range of storage configurations from 30,000 to 450,000 each of temperature and wave/tide data points. Data can be read via RS- 232 standard interface to a personal computer for processing and storage, or via a telemetry link for real-time data transmission.