Topic: The "LowBird" Y cable for using the LSS 2 on the HB SI

[rnvinc]

This is kind of an offshoot idea that came out of this thread...

http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=5388.0

We already knew guys like Rickard (and others) were successfully using the SideScan elements of the LSS 2 on the HB SI units...

I had already been conducting experiments with different configurations of DI piezo setups thru my 1197...

I decided that it would be neat to be able to also use the LSS 2 DownScan element thru the right SI channel of my 1197...

I also thought it would really handy to build a "plug and play" scenario where I could easily reconfigure channel routes for different experiments...

Some of the following posts were "copied" from the thread mentioned above to separate the "LowBird Y cable" experiment from the rest of the DI xducer experiments mentioned in that thread...:

This posted by me August 16, 2013:

Ok...so I was finally able to get some time off from work to do some initial on the water testing of the new experimental LowBird setup...

I basically built a Y cable that splits the LSS 2 SideScan piezo elements from the DownScan piezo element and plugs directly into my HB TS3 switch...(basically a "plug and play" Y cable to run a LSS 2 on a HB)...

This setup allows me to select SideScan separately from DownScan (dedicated DI) from the LSS 2 with the HB TS3 switch running to my HB 1197c SI Combo...i

I will post some screenshots later when I get them put together in "forum ready fashion"...

But I wanted to give some initial thoughts of my findings so far running the LSS 2 on my HB....

1st (and most important to me) ...was comfirming that it is possible to identify and splice all the correct wires into the correct configuration to actually be able to build a "plug and play" Y cable that separates the LSS 2 SideScan elements from the single DownScan element.....and it operate correctly on a HB SI unit...

2nd...the SI image quality of the LowBird LSS 2 setup seems marginally better than the HDSI Side Imaging setup..but more importantly...the LowBird LSS 2 SideScan has better "Sensitivity" adjustability....meaning the LSS 2 can be ran at a lower sensitivity setting to get the same brightness level needed with the HDSI....(this is beneficial because there are times that the HDSI sensitivity had to be ran "maxed out" at 800kHz on a mud bottom to get enough brightness to suit me...the LowBird LSS 2 still had 5 clicks adjustability before max)....

3rd...the LowBird LSS 2 DownScan stills needs more experiments...there is definate improvement in target echo returns compared to the "DI from SI" of the HDSI ...but I'm still getting a DI "double echo" phenomenon that I have to figure out...(I'm not sure yet if it is caused by the HB unit image post processing or from the extra large sound wave sidelobes created by the longer array in the LSS 2 as mentioned previously by Rickard)....

What I find most interesting with the LowBird LSS 2 Y cable is the ease of experimenting with different xducer configurations with simple "plug and play" capability ...I now have several options of which xducer and which piezoes I want to run thru which feature of the HB SI unit...

Oh...and by the way...I also experimented with 1 HDSI xducer rotated 60° clockwise linked with a 2nd HDSI xducer rotated 60° counterclockwise on a AS SILR Y cable to see what the blended DI from SI would be from 2 separate HDSI piezo elements pointed straight down together....interesting results but that's a topic for later....

Right now I'm using LSS 2 SideScan on 1 leg of the HB TS3 switch and the HB XTM 9 WIDE DI 20 T dedicated DI xducer on the 2nd leg of the HB TS3 switch ....

LSS 2 SideScan and HB dedicated DI on my 1197c SI Combo....pretty cool...

I'll get some screenshots up soon...

Rickie

[rnvinc]

This is my post from August 19, 2013...::

I'm still compiling forum worthy screenshots from the new LSS 2 setup on my 1197c SI Combo...
 
In the meantime...here are the diagrams for the new "LowBird Y cable" pinout and the "LSS 2 on 1197" setup configuration to get this all to work...
 




 
It may be important to note here the parts I used to build the "LowBird Y cable".....
 
*1 Female end of Lowrance 9 pin EX-10BLK xducer extension cable part no...00099-006
http://www.amazon.com/Lowrance-10EX-BLK-Extension-Cable-Transducer/dp/B00DP0A92G/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1376919154&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=lowrance+xt+10blk
 
*Male end of 2 separate HB AS T Y cables part no....720075-1
http://store.humminbird.com/products/465356/AS_T_Y
 
It's also important to note here that I chose the HB AS T Y cable because it had 2 completely separate bare wires for ground/drain....(both bare wire ground/drains tied to the same #7 center pin in the HB cable connector end...)
 
This allowed me to have a separate ground/drain wire for each leg of the "LowBird Y cable"...(1 each for the SI path sonar data and 1 each for the DI path sonar data)...
 
The benefit of this setup using the HB TS3 switch is to be able to completely isolate the LSS 2 SideScan element(2) operation from the LSS 2 DownScan element(1) operation...(Even a Lowrance unit cannot do this sonar isolation)...
 
Another point I want to bring up is the importance of keeping all the shielding foil intact to use in the construction of the "LowBird Y cable"...
 
The Lowrance XT 10BLK cable has foil shielding around pairs (except the Temp channel)...and a main foil shielding around all wires....
The HB AS T Y cables have foil shielding around all wires except the bare ground/drain...
 
After I had the Y cable constructed to the point of all the smaller foil shielding being re-applied...
*I used the bare wire of the Lowrance XT 10BLK to wrap around the completed wire bundle supplying the SI leg of the "LowBird Y cable"...
*I stripped the insulation from the black wire of the Lowrance XT 10BLK and wrapped the now bare wire around the completed wire bundle supplying the DI leg of the "LowBird Y cable...
 
*Then I used the main foil shielding of the Lowrance XT 10BLk to wrap the entire wire collection wire bundle up to the point where the "LowBird Y cable" split into separate legs for the SI and the DI....
 
I also used "double layer heat shrink" on most all connections.....
*The "1st layer" heat shrink tubing I used regular heat shrink tubing insulation over the soldered connections ...(Lowrance channel to HB channel soldered connections)
*Then I used a "2nd layer" heat shrink tubing (with EMI/RFI construction) over the "1st layer" heat shrink tubing....
http://www.mcmaster.com/#heat-shrink-tubing/=o4s5g4
 
It was a very interesting project...
 
Rickie

 
 
 
 
 
 

[rnvinc]

Here is my xducer setup for the different experiments I conduct...



Rickie

[rnvinc]

Since the time of these posts, Rickard came up with an alternate cabling configuration that would require only 1 HB Dual Beam xducer...
 

 http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr134/rnvinc/LSS%202/LSS2cablingdiagramalternatepng_zpsd7bda00c.png
 
Thanks Rickard...
 
Rickie

[LocDown]

that's a lot of money in transducers.

[rnvinc]

that's a lot of money in transducers.

My hobbies always seem to get into my back pocket...

Rickie

[LocDown]

I'm not getting what's going on below the TS3 switch. You have it separate but together. From the hardware picture, you are using 3 transducers, LSS2, HDSI, and DI transducers. Does the switch either have the HB transducers on(LSS2 off) or off(LSS2 on). Or is there something more that is being switched? I see the line through and switch through but I'm confused. lol.

"When I'm on this screen, I flip the switch to this", would help me understand better.

[rnvinc]

The LowBird "Y" cable splits the data coming from the LSS 2 xducer...the SI data comes thru 1 leg of the Y cable...the DI data comes thru the 2nd leg of the Y cable..:

The HB HB TS3 switch allows me to select either the DI or the SideScan that was split in the Y cable...(but not both at the same time)...

When I have the HB TS3 switch set to "Line Thru"..all views in my 1197 are the same as if the HDSI xducer were attached ...but the SI/DI (composite DI) images in the 1197 are from data received in the LSS 2 SideScan piezoes...

When I have the HB TS3 switch set to "Switch Thru"...all views in my 1197 are the same as if the HDSI were attached...but the SI/DI (composite DI) images in the 1197 are from data received in the LSS 2 DownScan piezo...

As there is only 1 DownScan piezo in the LSS 2 ...this data is being channeled to the "right SI" channel in the 1197....which shows in the 1197 SI image as a "right SI" only..(the left SI in the image is blank)...

When I select a DI view in the 1197...the Composite DI is basically the "right SI" blended with the "blank" left SI ...which shows in the DI view as a "Di view"...(the blank left SI is not seen)...

The advantage here in using the LSS 2 DownScan piezo ...is in the direction that the DownScan piezo is pointing....down...not out to the side like the SideScan piezoes...

My xducer setup seen in a previous post is just the way I have all my experimental xducer's mounted....

When I am using the LowBird Y cable setup...I am only using the LSS 2 xducer plus the 2d element in the XHS 9 HDSI 180 T (the AS SIDB Y Cable only connects the 2d piezo in the XHS 9 HDSI 180 T...not the DI piezo in the XHS 9 HDSI 180 T)...

Rickie