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 Newsletter | Case Studies | CE and RoHS Certification CASE STUDIES Project Profile #1 - Moss Landing Marine Laboratory Project Profile #2 - Washington State Ferries Project Profile #3 - UNOLS/Oregon State University Project Profile #4 - Everett Engineering Project Profile #5 - NOAA, Pacific Marine Center Project Profile #6 - Scripps Oceanographic Institution Project Profile #7 - R/V "Weatherbird II" Project Profile #8 - Robway Crane Safety, Inc. Project Profile #9 - LCI-90 Customized for Bardex Corporation: Measurement Technology NW designs and manufactures sophisticated testing and measurement instrumentation systems for a variety of commercial, research, and government clients worldwide. Contact: Dave Heiss Measurement Technology NW Email: daveh@mtnw-usa.com Phone: 206-634-1308 Fax: 206-634-1309 Project Profile #1 - Moss Landing Marine Laboratory (Download Case Study PDF >>) You're off the coast of California in 8,000 feet of water aboard the R/V Point Sur, a 135' oceanographic research vessel operated by the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Over the side of the ship is a ¾" wire rope attached to a multi-core sediment sampling unit that has been descending at 60' per minute for the last 2 hours. When sonar reports showed the package was approximately 30' above the ocean floor the winch came to a stop, and now, at last, it's showtime. All eyes are focused on winch monitors that track the multi-core's final slow, controlled drop to the bottom and the beginning of the sampling process.  "Make a mistake during a coring cast," cautions Richard Muller, Marine Superintendent of Moss Landing Marine Labs, "and especially in deep water, you've blown half a day. To be successful, our winch operators need precise, real time winch data to have a clear picture of what's going on at the end of the wire. Our old winch data acquisition system was quickly becoming obsolete, and since we were installing a new CUBE6 winch from Markey Machinery Company, we decided to also investigate new winch monitoring equipment. Measurement Technology NW stood out as the only qualified group who could assist us with our needs."Measurement Technology NW engineers visited the R/V Point Sur, discussed the situation with the ship's Marine Technicians and crew, and settled upon the idea of continuing to have all three ship winches monitored and controlled from the bridge. A PC software program was developed that interfaced with rugged LCI-90 line control hardware, transforming the received data into a sophisticated graphical display of line payout, speed, and tension. This exciting program, called WinchDAC, also features data logging capabilities that made it easy for scientists aboard the R/V Point Sur to match collected samples with information about where and when they were obtained.  "We were very pleased with the way the system worked on our last voyage." confirmed Richard Muller. "The graphical WinchDAC display was perfect for executing the fine, detailed work we must do to gather undisturbed cores, and the program also let us verify at a glance that winch operations were remaining in safe zones."Measurement Technology Northwest's exclusive winch monitoring system is a highly versatile platform that displays line tension, payout, and speed for multi-winch installations through a central operator computer interface. Signals from count and force sensors mounted on each winch are captured and converted into engineering units by an LCI processor, and the resulting data is communicated through a serial interface to a central PC with an optional touch-screen display. There, WinchDAC software generates a user-friendly graphical interface showing speed, tension, and payout alarm status.  The WinchDAC program has the ability to log and summarize cast data, replay the time history plot for line payout, speed, and tension from past casts on a second screen, calibrate winch tension and count sensors directly from the central computer (multi-winch version only), and allows operators to customize the display to their specific requirements.The WinchDAC software package has been developed to accommodate any winch configuration involving one to eight separate winches. "We deal with a great many vendors," added Richard, "and Measurement Technology NW is about as good as it gets. We needed this new system to come together and perform the first time out, and they listened to us, worked hard, figured out the problems, and delivered a great product." Measurement Technology NW produces a wide range of precision line control products, including the LCI-90 and LCI-100 series, WinchDAC, and more. To learn how we can help your company improve the odds of success, contact us at 206-634-1308, or send an email inquiry to lci@mtnw-usa.com. Measurement Technology NW 4211 - 24th Avenue West Seattle, WA 98199 www.mtnw-usa.com Project Profile #2 - Washington State Ferries (Download Case Study PDF >>) Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the United States, serving eight counties within Washington and the Province of British Columbia in Canada. The existing system consists of 10 routes and 20 terminals served by 29 vessels, and it's an essential part of Western Washington's highway network - carrying over 11 million vehicles and 26 million people per year. For several Puget Sound island communities, WSF ferries provide the only link for automobile travel with the mainland.
Measurement Technology Northwest was called in to develop a dedicated line monitoring system consisting of an LCI-100 Dual Tension Display (modified for this application), one or two 7,000 pound tension links, and interconnect cables. The LCI-100 interfaces with the analog output of the tension links, and provides a visual display of line tension along with the added safety of high/low tension alarm setpoints. This new system shuts off the winch automatically so tension stays on the cable and miswinding cannot occur. The only requirements are annual calibration checks and visual inspections to ensure continued trouble-free performance.
The LCI-100 line control instrument is a robust, full-featured workhorse that offers exceptional performance and readability in demanding environments from -40°C to +75°C. Both the LCI-100 and the LCI-90 units are available in Dual Tension Display configurations, allowing them to display two channels of line tension for winch and wire rope applications.
"As an engineer, I know that there will always be some quirks discovered during an equipment installation," noted James. "Measurement Technology NW's support during this phase was awesome. They were super-dependable, always there to help with the fine-tuning, and when we agreed on modifications they would automatically upgrade all our previously installed units to the same level of performance. WSF was so impressed we decided to sole-source this system -- a very unusual move for a state agency!" Measurement Technology NW produces a wide range of precision line control products, including the LCI-90 and LCI-100 series, WinchDAC, and more. To learn how we can help your company reach its goals, contact us at 206-634-1308, or send an email inquiry to lci@mtnw-usa.com.
Measurement Technology NW Project Profile #3 - UNOLS/Oregon State University (Download Case Study PDF >>) GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics) is a worldwide oceanographic research endeavor that will ultimately lead to an understanding of how global change affects the ocean ecosystem, its major subsystems, and help predict the overall impact of change on the abundance, diversity and productivity of marine populations.
"I couldn't be happier with the decision to purchase LCI-90 and LCI-90R winch monitors from Measurement Technology NW", confirmed Marc. "The LCI units slipped right into our existing panel cutouts, and they're easy to program, easy to use, and have been far more reliable than our previous displays ever were. The winch operators really like the one touch counter reset feature, and I like the quick calibration process and the way all the menu functions can be accessed through 5 pushbuttons on the front panel."
The R/V Wecoma installation was completed in March of 2002, and Marc remembers it well. "Measurement Technology NW was terrific. During installation they helped us figure out solutions to a problem we were having with the encoder interface, and through the whole retrofit process they provided constant support. I didn't expect it to be that easy, but the Measurement Technology NW team either had or were able to track down answers to every question I asked. The product documentation they supplied was first-class, and best of all, the LCI equipment continues to work great. It's one of the few products I've been able to install and then forget about." Measurement Technology NW produces a wide range of precision line control products, including the LCI-90 and LCI-100 series, WinchDAC, and more. To learn how we can help your company stay on the cutting edge, contact us at 206-634-1308, or send an email inquiry to lci@mtnw-usa.com.
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As part of a safety upgrade to state ferry terminals, WSF engineers wanted to install line tension monitors to the heavily used auto and passenger transfer spans that connect vessel and terminal. "We have hoist systems that raise and lower the transfer spans onto load pins once a ferry is in position at the dock," explained James Schufreider, Marine Mechanical Engineer with Washington State Ferries. "When a span is lowered onto the pins, our winch operators would sometimes payout too much cable - causing it to slacken on the drum and get tangled/miswound later when the span was raised. We were very concerned about potential cable damage causing early failure of this system."
According to James Schufreider, "the LCI system is terrific. We can program custom setpoints on-site for each installation to accommodate varying equipment loads, brands, ages, and placement. We can also calibrate unbalanced loads so there isn't any excessive counterweighting. Now our winch operators are better able to do their jobs safely and with more consistent results. Overall it's been a great experience. I can't say enough about the equipment or the technical support we've received from Measurement Technology NW."
The UL-approved LCI series also feature an easy-to-follow English language menu for field calibration changes, I/O channel configuration, alarm settings, network settings, and screen layout - all accessed through the five pushbutton front keypad.
Participating in this major project is a regular occurrence for the crew and scientists of the R/V Wecoma, operated by Oregon State University for the National
Science Foundation as part of the UNOLS fleet. "A typical year finds us out to sea between 180 and 220 days," said Marc Willis, Marine Technician Superintendent for OSU. "We get involved in all types of GLOBEC-related oceanographic work - fisheries research, climate studies, upwellings, and more. The R/V Wecoma's capabilities make her a popular choice for large-scale, long-term ocean research, but with that demand comes the responsibility to ensure all our ship information systems are up-to-date, reliable and accurate."
When Marc found that their existing winch monitoring equipment was outdated and no longer supported by the manufacturer, it was clearly time to make a change. Not wanting to replace more than was necessary, Marc completed an inventory of installed winch sensors and equipment, and then began looking at compatible, drop-in line monitoring units that could take over the task right out of the box. All leads pointed toward Measurement Technology NW.
The UL-approved LCI-90 and LCI-90R are rugged winch line instruments designed as drop-in replacements for existing line monitoring equipment. Tension, payout, and line speed are displayed on a high performance 320x240 electroluminescent display for unmatched readability in all light conditions. Four I/O channels and serial networking capability provide flexibility in line monitoring, weighing, or SCADA applications, and the LCI-90 can be linked with up to 32 remote LCI-90R displays to create a shipwide monitoring network.