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Tiltmeter Installation Guide

530  Beth Bartel November 20, 2009  Tiltmeters

How to install a tiltmeter for PBO

Install the Tiltmeter into the Ground

  1. Pick install location.

    • The standard comms cables are 60 ft and there are optional 110 ft cables available on special request. The cable can of course be lengthened with proper comms wire but remember it’s RS232 at 19200 baud so there is a max length of 100 – 140 ft. [For runs longer than 100 ft the baud rate can be lowered to 9600.] The casing is typically 30 ft and there needs to be a few feet of cable at the top of the casing and a few feet to get to the receiver in the enclosure. The instrument is approximately 3 feet long and the cable connects to the top. The work area for drilling the hole should be relatively flat for a radius of about 5 ft from the hole location.

  2. Drill/case the hole.

    • Place the LB drill rig or equivalent over the proposed location and drill a 3-7/8in hole to 30 ft.

    • Screw together 2 pieces of casing then carefully lower into hole. Have one person hold the casing, then attach the 3rd piece. Use duct tape on the connection to add strength and use a screw cap to seal the bottom end. Mix 1 bag of thin cement, and pour around the casing while wiggling the casing so the cement works its way to the bottom. The cement should not contain large rock or gravel. Finish filling around the casing with sand or other small loose material. Cut the casing about 1ft above ground, let cement set and move rig out of the way.

  3. Cover for casing.

    • Dig a small depression around the casing about 1ft radius and a trench to the equipment enclosure. Run conduit (w/90-degree connector at TM end) from casing location to equipment enclosure and pull TM comms cable into it. Connect conduit 90-degree end to PVC base for TM cover. Mix and pour 1 bag of cement around casing and place PVC base w/conduit into cement. Level as best as possible.

  4. Set the TM.

    • Place approximately 4 inches of fine sand in the bottom of the casing using calibrated measuring container 1. Attach TM top hanger and guide to TM. Attach a length of 3/32 SS cable to the top hook of the TM and attach TM comms cable. To aid in comms cable attachment use a small amount of silicone grease. Using the alignment jig and a compass take a bearing on the top of the casing. Make sure the jig is tightly locked to the spline in the casing, record azimuth and remove jig. Place the instrument in the casing aligning the x-axis markings on the top of the TM as close as possible to North. Lower the instrument into the casing using the SS cable but also keep slight tension on the comms cable so both cables are straight and not tangled. Once the TM is on bottom pour the contents of calibrated measuring container 2 in the hole. This will cover the TM to a mid point on the hanger. The settling process will take place over the next few days. Cut a notch in the top of the casing about ½ wide x 1.5in deep and place the cable in it. Place the slip in cap on the top of the casing.

  5. Finish up.

    • On the TM side tuck the SS cable and excess wire into the PVC cover and screw onto base. On the equipment enclosure side terminate the conduit run to enclosure and run the cable to the NetRS receiver (or Marmot or other logging gear). For a NetRS, connect the TM cable to Port 2. For connection to Marmot use UNAVCO cable s/nCOM-073 (and gender changer). The 2 power wires (that should be red + and black -) should be connected to the load bus on the backpanel. Once connected, program the NetRS as described below or Marmot TBD.

Level the Tiltmeter

NetRS Autolevel-

  1. Direct connection.

    • Temporarily disconnect from NetRS and plug into PC. Use HyperTerm or equivalent set to 19200*, 8N1 and connect to the TM.

    • To run autolevel set to simple mode-
      *9900SO-SIM

      Then-
      *9900XY-LEVEL,1,1,0.0150,2.5,10,100,-100

    • To stop autolevel-
      *9900XY-LEVEL,0

    • Return to XDR mode-
      *9900SO-XDR

    • Leave the TM in XDR mode.

      The proper output from a *9900XY command should look something like –
      $YXXDR,A,-02.929,M,N,A,-12.495,M,E,C,07.44,C,T-N7053*50

    • Re-connect the TM to the NetRS.

  2. Remote connection.

    • Connect to NetRS and stop logging on the ‘Tilt’session. Go to ‘I/O Connection’-‘Serial Port2’. To send commands enter them in the “Command” window on the Serial Port2 page.

    • Set “Schedule” to 1 minute and click OK. This will bring you to the Port Summary Page.

    • Let a minute roll over so it will send twice (once when you say OK and at top of min).

    • Go back to the Serial Port2 page and send the next command.

    • Set to simple mode-
      *9900SO-SIM

    • Start Leveling-
      *9900XY-LEVEL,1,1,0.0150,2.5,10,100,-100

    • After the level command has been sent go back to the Serial Port2 page and set Schedule to “OFF” then “OK”. On the Port Summary page disable Serial Port2.

    • Let run for about 5 min then stop autolevel. The command will need to be re-entered and the Schedule reset to 1 minute. -
      *9900XY-LEVEL,0

    • Once back at Port Summary page re-enable Serial Port2 and wait 2 min.

    • Return to XDR mode-
      *9900SO-XDR

    • Leave the TM in XDR mode.

    • Go to the Sessions page and re-enable the Tilt session.

    • Wait about 5 minutes and disable the Tilt session. Browse to the latest tilt file, download, open, and check latest data string to see if it worked.

    • The proper output from a *9900XY command should look something like –
      $YXXDR,A,-02.929,M,N,A,-12.495,M,E,C,07.44,C,T-N7053*50

    • If the data are good re-enable session, file report, and have a nice day. If it’s still not level try again. If syntax is wrong it won’t run; try cut/paste the level command. It does need to be in SIM mode to run. If you don’t stop logging and disable port as described the receiver may need to be rebooted to clear the serial buffer. If the Schedule is not set to OFF the level command is resent every minute and the test will keep restarting and therefore never complete.

Marmot Autolevel-

  1. Direct connection.

    • Temporarily disconnect from Marmot and plug into PC. Use HyperTerm or equivalent set to 19200*, 8N1 and connect to the TM.

    • To run autolevel-
      *9900XY-LEVEL,1,1,0.0150,2.5,10,100,-100

    • To stop autolevel-
      *9900XY-LEVEL,0

    • Leave the TM in SIM mode.

    • The proper output from a *9900XY command should look something like –
      $-2.929,-12.495,7.44,N7053

    • Re-connect the TM to the Marmot.

  2. Remote connection.

    • Log into Marmot and run Kermit.
      [kmi@B206:~]$ su
      Password:
      [root@B206:/home/kmi]# kermit
      C-Kermit 7.0.196, 1 Jan 2000, for Linux
      Copyright (C) 1985, 2000,
      Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York.
      Type ? or HELP for help.
      (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>set line /dev/ttyS0
      (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>set speed 19200
      /dev/ttyS0, 19200 bps
      (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>set carrier-watch off
      (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>connect
      Connecting to /dev/ttyS0, speed 19200.
      The escape character is Ctrl- (ASCII 28, FS)
      Type the escape character followed by C to get prompt,
      or followed by ? to see other options.

    • Exit when finished.

    • Edit tilt to orb field, yes to no, in rtexec.pf

    • Once running Kermit run the leveling as if you are connected directly.

      • To run autolevel-
        *9900XY-LEVEL,1,1,0.0150,2.5,10,100,-100

      • To stop autolevel-
        *9900XY-LEVEL,0

      • The leveling can be run while the other sampling is also running.

      • Leave the TM in SIM mode.

      • The proper output from a *9900XY command should look something like –
        $-2.929,-12.495,7.44,N7053

    • After leveling exit Kermit and file report.

Check the data

NetRS-

  • For the NetRS run it for a few minutes then stop the Tilt (t) session. Go to the data files and download the t file and open with Notepad. There will be some unreadable characters but the tilt output string should be in there.

    The .bnx viewed with ‘Notepad’ will look something like-

    â___䮨____BINEX Stream Restarted!ùâ___䮨______1.1-2,19/APR/2005¦â_X_䮨@__PMET Data: 482401|*9900XY|$YXXDR,A,108.958,M,N,A,032.839,M,E,C,05.06,C,T-N6566*53‡â_!_䮨@___MET Data: 482401||*9900XYìâ_____Î_ 
_ x€²H_____5____«°__8x_€___50ìØ_?â±0_iµ¾?Œô·h___@´!±É___2___C€(_4Â__Á€À_µD__6Àà_¿è„_1 _®À_¡šCCK?íò_O…H±9”_¯_À_A ______ç´â_____Î_ 
_ x€± _____1____,¤__9$¼@___10áˆ_¿ã`æ_h_ß?x8T€___@´!¸Úà__²À__CI€_4___A‡__5‡@_7_X_¿þ_ô䍚߿ú:Åd’ûƒ?íÜ~ó__œ±5¬_/j€_A ______[ëâ_____Î_ 
_ x€±À_____g____+ð__6{ˆ____g0ÒÐ_?â_¹[wò;?”“©D___@´!©¤À__´”__C´$_2°__˜0_¶‚_5Ô€_@_„ƒ_=-É?ö§§Üh ?ï_…_3˜ý±B__¯
    à_Aà______6câ_____Î_ 
_ x€±_____[____,¸__9ƒš___[0â__@_=!%cŒ6?†    ÎÜ___@´!¯¦@__3„__C: _³ì__A[€_5=€_7_è_¿ÿ__#õ­)?ê?3_qУ?ížþ”)xP±0f_/cà_Aà_______¹â_____Î_ 
_ x€²œ_____«________9]È€___«0È4_¿þ_Ñ«b_C?t_¸@___@´!«]€__3h__C_@_2ð__B’ð_6__7M0_?Ó_Öÿý)_¿ý9$J_9É?î?a…Ͻô±+´_®¼@_B ______äMâ_____Î_ 
_ x€²x_____7____+ __8
    Ÿ____70ˬ_À_2ˆ_?_?s¼_0___@´!²¶ __²Ð__CdX_2Ð__AÙ__5Ì@_7_ð_¿üL7О8J¿âŒëHÃSu?k_p±.â_/V€_A ______dâ___
    _Î_ 
_ xp²___________,˜__¹‚    ð____0²ð_À_®æVüéq?ojy€___@´!¶Y __4___C™h_³¸__C    À_6ð _6–__?õV¸ Œ9À_rYº“/ì?ï¦_K)_
    ±/¾_/    €_A ______H_â_____Î_ 
_ x€²8_____7____,˜__¹’þà___70É„_¿âþKìÈQé?ƒ†’____@´!³§___3˜__Cø_3ô__B‘_6„€_7J@_?Ò«àqLvSÀ__™Á(¼!?îR¸çèKR±/$_®Ê€_A ______€
    â_X_䮩@__PMET Data: 482461|*9900XY|$YXXDR,A,108.937,M,N,A,032.815,M,E,C,04.79,C,T-N6566*5Dùâ_!_䮩@___MET Data: 482461||*9900XYëâ_X_䮪D__PMET Data: 482522|*9900XY|$YXXDR,A,108.924,M,N,A,032.793,M,E,C,04.78,C,T-N6566*5Føâ_!_䮪D___MET Data: 482522||*9900XYêâ_____Î_ ]__ x€±@_____=____,p__9Ÿz0___=0¯¼_@_£k_p3B?ŒxÚx___@´!Ö_€__4(__C__

    There are many unreadable characters but the TM output string is clearly visible:

    *9900XY|$YXXDR,A,108.945,M,N,A,032.775,M,E,C,04.84,C,T-N6566*53

    If you prefer you can also run teqc on the file using the following command-
    teqc filename.bnx

Marmot-

  • For connection to a Marmot:

    Log into Marmot to get to the prompt.

    [kmi@B206:~]$ su
    Password:
    [root@B206:/home/kmi]# kermit
    C-Kermit 7.0.196, 1 Jan 2000, for Linux
    Copyright (C) 1985, 2000,
    Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York.
    Type ? or HELP for help.
    (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>set line /dev/ttyS0
    (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>set speed 19200
    /dev/ttyS0, 19200 bps
    (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>set carrier-watch off
    (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>connect
    Connecting to /dev/ttyS0, speed 19200.
    The escape character is Ctrl- (ASCII 28, FS)
    Type the escape character followed by C to get back,
    or followed by ? to see other options.

    Edit tilt to orb field, yes to no, in rtexec.pf
    ---------------------------------------------------- 11503nbsp; -6.481, 3.079,311.86, 40.64,01/02/00 18:47:47,12.69,N6926
    *9900XY

    While connected with Kermit you can use all of the Lily Titlmeter commands. They can be found in the Lily Titlmeter manual and a shorter ‘cheat sheat’ can be found below.

    After Ctrl- C you get back to
    (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>
    then (/home/kmi/) C-Kermit>exit cr back to marmot.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the site metadata include -

  • The output from the following dump commands.
    *9900XY-DUMP-SETTINGS
    *9900XY-DUMP2

  • The Lat/Lon/elevation of the casing

  • The x-axis alignment

  • TM UNID

  • TM S/N

  • Description of location of casing with respect to hut, gps monument, etc.

  • Description of material encountered at various depth while drilling.

  • Description of connection to receiver and power system.

  • Depth of casing from ground surface to bottom.

  • Bnum or Pnum of site.

  • Full set of pictures.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To set up NetRS for Lily Tilt Meter

  1. Create ’TILT_t’ data logging session and enable

    • continuous logging

    • file duration ’60’min

    • T00 ’off’ Binex ’on’

    • Binex options

      • Measurements

        • ’15 Sec’ interval

        • all options ’off’

        • System Status Record ’off’

      • Metadata

        • ’30 Min’ interval

        • Site decription ’on’

        • Station ID ’on’

        • Firmware Version ’on’

        • All others ’off’

      • File naming (The Session Identifier) ’t’

      • Directroy options ’Create Per-SessionID subdirectories’

  2. Set reserve space for ’p’ session data.

    • Set Autodelete to ’10’ MBytes

    • Set pool ’t’ size to ’100’ MBytes and enable Autodelete

    • Reset pool ’c’ size to ’500’ MBytes

  3. Set I/O SerialPort 2 and enable

    • Service ’Met-Tilt’

    • Baud 19200

    • Parity ’None’

    • Flow Control ’None’

    • Parameters for Met/Tilt mode

      *9900XY 1 minutes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily Tiltmeter key commands

  • For normal operation leave in XDR mode-
    *9900SO-XDR

  • To run autolevel set to simple mode-
    *9900SO-SIM

    Then-
    *9900XY-LEVEL,1

    To stop autolevel-
    *9900XY-LEVEL,0

    Return to XDR mode-
    *9900SO-XDR

  • If the Autolevel fails with an ‘axis out of range’ error, use the following level command-
    *9900XY-LEVEL,1,1,0.0150,2.5,10,100,-100

    It will be necessary to use this command if the instrument is cold.

  • To get level output-
    *9900XY

  • To get steady level output-
    *9900XYC

    To stop steady level output-
    *9900XYC-OFF

  • To get TM parameters-
    *9900XY-DUMP-SETTINGS
    *9900XY-DUMP2
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Last modified: 2019-12-27  16:36:35  America/Denver