Operation, Battery status alert – Airmar Acoustic Deterrent System—dB Plus II™ User Manual

Page 7

Operation

Power-up

Before activating the system, scan the area around the pens for the presence of divers in the water. When
the area is clear of divers, turn the power switch to the “ON” position. Note that the projectors will start
transmitting at 20% of power and take approximately 70 seconds to reach 100% power. This unique

Soft-start



safety feature allows both divers and marine mammals time to swim a safe distance away from

the projectors thus avoiding the possibility of hearing damage.

WARNING

: Before a diver enters the water within 150 m (500') of a

dB Plus II



system,

always turn the

power switch to “OFF” and secure it in the “OFF” position with the locking pin

attached to the diver’s

cover (see Figure 4). In addition,

the high visibility diver’s cover must be securely fastened over the

transmitter

, signaling the presence of a diver in the water. The pin and cover shall remain in place until the

area is clear of divers.

Normal Mode

The transmitter operates in the

normal mode

when the battery voltage is above 22VDC. It pulses each

projector sequentially for 2.5 seconds with a 2 second off period between transmissions. The total cycle
takes 18 seconds for all four projectors to transmit. The green light on the front panel of the transmitter
indicates

normal mode

when it is illuminated (see Figure 5).

Power Save Mode

When the battery voltage drops below 22VDC, the transmitter will automatically switch to the

power save

mode. This extends the off period between projector pulses to 6.5 seconds. Power consumption is cut by
50% while maintaining close to full sound output from the projectors. The total cycle time for all four
projectors to transmit extends to 36 seconds. When the yellow and red lights alternately illuminate on the
transmitter and the “Insufficient Power” alarm sounds, the

power save mode is active indicating that the

batteries need recharging (see Figure 5).

Caution: Do not run the system in the power save mode for an extended period of time. This will result in
less than optimal protection from predators. This feature is designed to allow for temporary coverage until
the batteries are recharged.

COVER

PROJECTOR

POWER CABLE

I/O PORT

FUSE

SERIAL No.

ON/OFF SWITCH

Figure 4. Bottom view of transmitter

locking pin

(from diver’s cover)

BREATHER

Figure 5. Transmitter panel

BATTERY STATUS

ALERT

INSUFFICIENT

POWER

TRANSMITTER

OFF

CHARGE

BATTERIES

POWER

SAVE

BATTERIES

NORMAL

OPERATION

MODE

Yellow

Red

Green