AML Oceanographic MVP is a microprocessor-controlled winch system used to deploy and recover an underwater tow vehicle or tow fish, while being able to conduct pre-programmed profiling operations. The tow vehicle is connected to the winch via a tow cable which is wound around a winch drum.
The MVP winch is microprocessor controlled with local and remote modes of operation. The system has the ability to winch out and winch in cable, rotate the boom left and right, and control the depth of the tow vehicle during profiling operations.
AML Oceanographic MVP is a microprocessor-controlled winch system used to deploy and recover an underwater tow vehicle or tow fish, while being able to conduct pre-programmed profiling operations. The tow vehicle is connected to the winch via a tow cable which is wound around a winch drum.
The MVP winch is microprocessor controlled with local and remote modes of operation. The system has the ability to winch out and winch in cable, rotate the boom left and right, and control the depth of the tow vehicle during profiling operations.
This document is provided for viewing purposes only. Any changes to
the text, images and technical information contained within are not
authorized by AML Oceanographic Ltd. AML Oceanographic Ltd. will
not be responsible for any circumstances that arise from such
changes.
MVP OPERATORS’ GUIDE
OM-09000-Z-04-004D October 2017
WARNING - THE MVP SYSTEM SHOULD
ONLY BE OPERATED BY TRAINED
PERSONNEL
Winch hardware is microprocessor controlled with local and
remote modes of operation. Ensure that personnel are clear of
all moving parts (including boom) whenever main power is ON.
WARNING: The Main Circuit Breaker at the High Power Electrical Box and the
Controller Interface Box in the lab must be turned OFF whenever
working on the tow cable and cabling in the Free Fall Fish. High
Voltage is present in these cables.
If the winch is to be operated in hand mode with the Power Module or
DTM disconnected from the tow cable, the Controller Interface Box in the
lab must be turned OFF.
If the end of the tow cable is to be submerged, ensure a dummy plug is
connected to the end of the tow cable to eliminate damage to the
connector and cable.
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i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 PRE-OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS ................................................................... 1
1.1 INITIAL STARTUP ...................................................................................................... 1
1.2 SETTING THE TOW CABLE MESSENGERS ............................................................. 1
1.3 INSTALLING THE MESSENGER ............................................................................... 2
2 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS ................................................................................ 3
2.1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 SETUP AND LAUNCHING OF THE TOW FISH ........................................................... 4
2.3 FREEWHEELING IN MANUAL MODE ........................................................................ 5
2.4 AUTOMATIC PROFILING........................................................................................... 6
2.5 MANUAL PROFILING ................................................................................................. 7
2.6 RETRIEVING AND STOWING THE FISH ................................................................... 7
3 MVP OPERATION QUICK START REFERENCE ................................................... 8
3.1 WINCH - DEPLOYING THE TOW FISH ............................................................................. 8
3.2 LAB – UNDERWAY PROFILING ....................................................................................... 9
4 EMERGENCY MANUAL OVERRIDE .................................................................... 10
4.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MANUAL OVERRIDE ............................................................10
4.2 TO USE THE EMERGENCY MANUAL OVERRIDE ...............................................................11
5 SYSTEM STOWAGE ............................................................................................. 13
6 Contact AML Oceanographic .............................................................................. 14
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1 PRE-OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
1.1 INITIAL STARTUP
1. Ensure that the winch tow cable is secured tightly to the drum and there is no evidence
of slack cable. It is important to maintain tension on the tow cable at all times during
winch IN and winch OUT operations.
2. Ensure that the hydraulic oil reservoir has been filled and the shut off valve has been
opened.
3. Turn the Main Power Lever on the High Power Electrical Box to ON, the green power
lamp on the control box will illuminate. Press the reset button to clear the inner sheave
reset circuit and turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to Hand mode to start the electric motor.
CAUTION: Never Perform Electrical Work on the High Power Electrical Box when the
power is On:
1 De-energize the main power to the Electrical Power Box.
2 Lockout and tag the main power breaker/switch.
3 Wear appropriate PPE for the ARC FLASH voltage potential.
4 Open the high power electrical box.
5 Test for dead using proving unit.
6 Perform required work.
7 Close the high power electrical box.
8 Remove tag and lock from breaker/switch.
9 Energize the power to the Electrical Power Box.
4. Using the joystick on the Main Control Box, slowly winch OUT and winch IN cable as
required.
1.2 SETTING THE TOW CABLE MESSENGERS
The messengers are installed at three locations on the tow cable. The ’Cable End’ messenger is
located at the end of the second layer of the cable just before the third layer on the drum. It is
installed at the factory when the tow cable is spooled onto the drum under tension.
The ‘Dock’ messenger is located between the two sheaves when the fish is in the towed
position (refer to Figure 1). The position of this messenger is determined by towing the fish 2-
3m below the surface at the intended vessel survey speed or where normal deployments will be
CAUTION: The Winch hardware is microprocessor controlled with local and remote
modes of operation. Ensure that personnel are clear of all moving parts
(including the boom) whenever the main power lever at the winch is ON.
CAUTION: Ensure tension on the cable is maintained as cable is removed from the
drum during winch IN and winch OUT operational testing. Slowly rotate the
boom in the left and right directions to verify operations. Operate the winch
and boom for three to five minutes to remove any trapped air in the hydraulic
lines.
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conducted and marking the cable. The fish can then be recovered onto the deck, winch OUT
cable until the mark on the cable can be viewed and install the messenger at the marked
location.
The third messenger is installed 3-5m back from the Dock messenger toward the fish; this
messenger acts as a backup to the Dock messenger.
Figure 1: Messenger Locations on Tow Cable
1.3 INSTALLING THE MESSENGER
If the limit switch on the Outer Sheave does not detect the Dock messenger, the winch will
continue to recover the tow cable. As a fail-safe to keep the fish from being hauled into the
Outer Sheave a second limit switch has been installed on the Inner Sheave. This will halt the
recovery portion of the profile by generating a soft Emergency Stop (will halt operations but will
not shut down the electric motor).
The ‘messenger’ (refer to ) is a piece of ¼” outside diameter polyethylene spiral wrap,
approximately 0.05” thick, that is secured to the tow cable using 3M™ Super33 (or Super88)
electrical tape.
CAUTION: Do not substitute the messenger with a different size spiral wrap
material. The diameter of the messenger is critical to reliable limit switch
operation. (Use the material provided in the spares kit).
CAUTION: Do not substitute tape with inexpensive electrical tape; experience has shown
that other tapes are not robust enough to withstand the intended application. If
tape from alternative manufacturers are to be experimented with, please
ensure that regular inspections of the messenger condition are conducted.
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Figure 2: Attaching the Tow Cable Messenger
2 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION: It is highly recommended to not use Freewheel Mode when performing
stationary profiles (when the vessel is not underway). Conducting
Freewheel operations will deliver a shock load to the tow cable on the
system when the brake is applied, especially in shallow water deployments.
When performing underway Freewheel deployments, the tow cable creates a
virtual underwater sheave which prevents a shock load on the tow cable
from occurring. When performing computer automated Stationary Profiles,
the profiling mode in the MVP Controller software should be set to Constant
Speed or Constant RPM.
2.1 OVERVIEW
Once the ‘messengers’ are installed, specific to the intended vessel survey speed, profiling
operations can begin by turning the system on in HAND mode, manually winching the fish out of
its deck cradle, rotating the boom overboard (securing with a side stay if operating off the side of
the ship) and lowering the fish into the water to its pre-determined towed position.
NOTE: At the towed position, the Dock messenger should be positioned between the
Inner and Outer Sheave limit switches (the Dock messenger is to be installed
according to Section 1.3).
The winch is then switched to AUTO mode and computer automated profiles can now be
conducted from the lab. Each profile conducted will start and finish with the fish at the towed
position. When profiling operations are complete, the winch is switched back to HAND mode,
the fish is manually winched out of the water, the boom is rotated inboard and the fish lowered
into its deck cradle. The system is then switched to OFF from HAND mode and shut down.
If the system has been idle for a couple of days or longer, the Main Power Lever at the High
Power Electrical Box should be turned on 12 hours prior to operating the winch. This will allow
the anti-condensation heaters in the electric motor to remove any condensation.
WARNING: The MVP system should only be operated by trained personnel. Keep all
personnel away from the winch during profiling operations.
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2.2 SETUP AND LAUNCHING OF THE TOW FISH
1. Turn on the MVP Controller and start the MVP Controller software.
CAUTION: The MVP Controller is intended to be a stand-alone, dedicated controlling
device; when operating the MVP Controller software, close down any
programs that may be running in the background. This includes virus
scanning software and disk cleanup utilities such as ScanDisk and Defrag
as they may affect system performance.
It is also highly recommended that non-MVP related software NOT be
installed on the MVP Controller computer.
CAUTION: Whenever the winch drum is rotated in HAND mode, the operator must first
ensure that there is no slack cable present on the drum. Slack cable on the
drum will cause cable to wrap itself around the hydraulic motor/brake and/or
slip ring assembly and could cause considerable damage to the tow cable
or winch parts. Always ensure that the cable is tight on the drum before
activating the winch using the manual joystick on the Main Control Box.
2. At the Main Control Box, ensure that the Hand/Off/Auto switch is in the OFF position, the
Local/Remote switch is in the Local position, Freewheel and Freewheel plus linepuller
switches are in the OFF position and the local E-stop button is pulled out.
3. Turn ON the Main Power Lever on the High Power Electrical Box.
4. Push the red ‘Inner Sheave Reset’ button. This will reset the Inner-Sheave/Cable-End
Detection circuit and the Emergency Stop circuit. The red light on the ‘Reset’ button
should go out; if it doesn’t, the inner-sheave/cable-end limit switch circuit needs to be
checked.
5. The red light on the ‘Emergency Stop’ button on the Main Control Box should not be lit
on startup. If so, check to ensure that the ‘Emergency Stop’ button on the Controller
Interface Box, the Main Electrical Box, the Remote Control Unit (if applicable) and the
Remote Pendant (if applicable) are all pulled out.
6. Turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to Hand mode. The Hand/Off/Auto switch lamp will
illuminate after a short (5sec) delay and the electric motor will turn on.
7. Using the joystick on the Main Control Box, slowly winch IN cable to lift the tow fish out
of its deck cradle and high enough to clear the railing on the side of the vessel.
8. Using the joystick on the Main Control Box, rotate the boom over the side or stern of the
vessel to its intended operational position.
Note: This switch also includes a door interlock mechanism and cannot be rotated
unless the door is closed and locked.
Note: The winch joystick operations are sensitive so the operator must proceed slowly
to acquire a feel for the joystick controls. The mechanical termination on the tow
cable should NOT be winched into the Outer Sheave as this may affect the
operational reliability of the outer sheave limit switch.
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9. If towing from the side of the vessel, attach a boom support stay and rotate the boom
until there is tension on the stay.
10. Deploy the fish into the water using the winch OUT function until it is at the desired tow
depth, making sure that the Dock messenger has not passed the Outer Sheave limit
switch and is positioned between the Inner and Outer Sheaves in the boom.
When the messengers are attempted to be winched OUT past the Inner Sheave limit
switch, the limit switch will trigger, operations will be halted, the Main Control Box yellow
status lamps will flash and the alarm will sound on the winch.
If the ‘messenger’ has triggered the limit switch, press the Inner Sheave reset button and
continue with joystick operation until the messenger can be seen exiting the Outer
Sheave. If the ‘messenger’ has remained below the limit switch trip arm, pressing the
Inner Sheave reset button will not clear the soft Emergency Stop condition. In this case,
press and hold down the Inner Sheave reset button while slowly winching OUT cable
with the joystick until the messenger has cleared its position below the limit switch trip
arm. This feature of holding down the Inner Sheave reset button overrides the soft
Emergency Stop to allow ‘messengers’ to be manually deployed off the drum.
11. At the Main Control Box, turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch from Hand to the Auto position.
During this procedure, wait for a few seconds at the OFF position to allow the embedded
controller in the Main Control Box to properly re-initialize when placed in Auto mode. The
system is now ready for automatic deployments.
2.3 FREEWHEELING IN MANUAL MODE
If tow cable needs to be removed off the drum, the winch can be manually placed into freewheel
mode from the Main Control Box at the winch.
1. Turn on the Main Power Lever on the High Power Electrical Box; the green power lamp
and Inner Sheave Reset Button should illuminate (the ‘Emergency Stop’ button should
not be illuminated).
2. Press the ‘Inner Sheave Reset’ button, the reset button light should go out.
3. Turn the Hand/Off/ Auto switch to Hand mode, the electric motor will start after a delay.
4. Turn the Freewheel switch to ON and slowly pull off as much tow cable as necessary.
5. Turning the Freewheel switch to OFF will apply the brake and lock the drum.
CAUTION: Failure to attach a support stay when towing the boom from the side of the
vessel will result in system damage.
CAUTION: If the above does not occur when the ‘messengers’ are being deployed, do
not proceed any further until the ‘messenger’ and/or the limit switch have
been inspected for proper adjustment and the problem is resolved.
CAUTION: Make sure the fish is not hanging from the boom when manual freewheel
mode is activated from the Main Control Box. If the fish is hanging, serious
injury or damage could result to personnel or equipment.
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2.4 AUTOMATIC PROFILING
1. Turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to Auto mode.
2. Confirm all data is being successfully interfaced to the MVP Controller software. Once
confirmed, press the ‘RESET’ button in the MVP Controller software. This will re-initialize
software settings, remove the ‘COMM ERR’ alarm indicator and start up the electric motor
at the winch.
3. At the MVP Controller computer, enter the desired Deployment Criteria for the intended
profile in the Main Operator Window.
4. From the ‘Edit / System Configuration’ menu in the Main Operator Window, select the
root filename in the Data Logging panel; subsequent deployments will increment the
filename extension by one.
5. Ensure all personnel are clear of the winch and when the vessel is underway at its
operational survey speed, select the ‘START’ button on the Deployment Control Panel.
The winch will then enter ‘Freewheel’ mode, allowing the fish to Free Fall through the water
column until one of the profile termination criteria is met (assuming an operator does not
halt the profile or an Emergency Stop condition has not been encountered). At this point,
the brake is applied and the winch hydraulic motor is engaged. The winch will recover tow
cable based on the recovery speed selected in the MVP Controller software until a
‘messenger‘ is detected at the Outer Sheave (Dock) limit switch. When a Dock ‘messenger’
is detected, the winch stops recovering cable and the brake is applied and the system waits
for the next deployment with the fish at the towed position.
6. If a number of automatic deployments are desired, set the Minute Intervals in the
Deployment Control panel in the Main Operator Window to the desired interval by
clicking the up/down arrows or double clicking the numerical display and entering a
value. The ‘Next In’ display will show the time to the next deployment. Enable the Auto
Deploy feature by toggling the ‘Disabled’ button to ‘Enabled’. The Next In display will
count down the minutes and seconds until the next deployment after the initial auto
deployment is completed. When the required number of auto deployment profiles is
completed, disable the Auto Deploy feature anytime during the completion of the last profile
(while the profile is being conducted).
CAUTION: If the winch has been idle for a week or more and wet conditions exist (rain,
mist, salt spray, etc.) the winch brake may be wet and may not perform
properly until dampness is removed from the brake. This will result in the
brake slipping when attempting to stop the drum. It is recommended that a
number of shallow deployments be performed to dry the brake. Observe the
Tow Body Depth on the Strip Chart Panel in the MVP Controller software to
ensure that the Maximum Depth value is not exceeded. If so, repeat the
shallow deployments until the value is not exceeded (within 5 m).
FAILURE TO DRY THE BRAKE MAY CAUSE COLLISIONS WITH THE SEAFLOOR.
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The MVP can be configured to profile continuously without operator intervention. It is therefore
easy to become complacent with the system in Auto mode, so it is important to remember that it is
a high-speed winch with a heavy tow body attached to the end of the tow cable.
CAUTION: Do not leave your watch with the system in this mode without informing
your replacement and do not forget that it is operating.
The MVP Controller software also enables viewing of the completed profiles automatically, but this
feature should be used with due consideration. When the ‘View Profile’ option is enabled in the
Main Operator Window, most of the window will be obscured due to the appearance of plots
displayed of the most recently completed MVP profile.
These windows should not be left displayed for long periods of time during operations as the
operator will have no indication of what the fish is doing as it is being deployed and recovered.
NOTE: For an explanation of all options available in the MVP software and their
function, refer to the Software Manual.
2.5 MANUAL PROFILING
The Manual Logging feature in the Main Operator Window is used to select logging of data from
the Free Fall fish instrument during manual stationary profiles. The switch may be used to
enable Manual Data Logging for test purposes or to do a manual profile similar to a
conventional CTD profile when the winch is in Hand mode.
When logging is enabled, a window will appear asking the user to confirm the new file name.
The selected Sound Velocity data files are automatically generated when manual logging is
turned off after logging of a manual profile has been completed.
2.6 RETRIEVING AND STOWING THE FISH
1. Turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to ‘Hand’ mode; the electric motor will start.
2. Recover the tow fish clear of the water and slowly hoist the fish high enough to clear the
bulwarks/railing. Remember that the Inner Sheave limit switch circuit will trigger if the
‘messenger’ is recovered into the Inner Sheave. The inner sheave limit switch detection
can be bypassed by holding in the ‘Inner Sheave Reset’ button as the ‘messenger’
passes the Inner Sheave.
3. Rotate the boom inboard, making sure to check the boom support stay (if applicable).
Use caution as a heavy swinging fish can cause serious injury.
4. Slowly lower the fish into its deck cradle and secure. Do not deploy excess cable once
cable tension is removed.
CAUTION: Do not execute any tight turns with the vessel while a profile is being
conducted as this could result in:
- The tow cable being tangled with other towed devices causing
damage to the MVP tow cable.
- The tow body hitting the side of the vessel. If the tow body is in
danger of hitting the side of the vessel, it should be retrieved during
the turning process and returned to the water once the turn is completed.
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5. To shut down the system, turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to OFF and turn the Main
Power Lever on the High Power Electrical Box to OFF.
6. Cover the Main Control Box with the tarp between profiling operations.
3 MVP OPERATION QUICK START REFERENCE
3.1 WINCH - DEPLOYING THE TOW FISH
1. At the winch, turn the Main Power Lever on the High Power Electrical Box to ON.
2. Verify the power lamp is illuminated green and the ‘RESET’ button lamp is illuminated
red.
3. Push the ‘RESET’ button and verify the reset button lamp goes out (if not, the
messenger may be under the Inner Sheave limit switch).
4. Turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to Hand mode.
5. Verify the electric motor turns ON and the charge pressure gauge is reading between
300 and 450 PSI.
6. Operate the joystick to deploy the tow fish over the side of the vessel. Keep the ‘RESET’
button pushed in when deploying the fish, this will override the ‘messengers’ as they
come off the drum and trip the Inner Sheave limit switch. If the ‘RESET’ button is not
pushed in when deploying, the ‘messengers’ will trip the inner sheave limit switch and
halt operations.
7. Verify the tow fish is tail down when deploying and confirm that the tow fish is nose
forward when it enters below the water surface.
8. Continue to winch OUT cable until the two Dock ‘messengers’, that are installed for the
vessel survey speed, can be seen deployed outside the Outer Sheave.
9. Winch IN cable until one of the two ‘messengers’ is positioned between the Inner and
Outer Sheaves and the other ‘messenger’ is positioned outside the Outer Sheave; the
tow fish is now in the ’towed’ position.
10. Turn the Hand/Off/Auto switch to Auto mode. When switching between Hand and Auto
modes, be sure to leave the switch in the OFF position for at least two seconds, this will
allow the embedded controller in the winch to initialize properly.
11. The winch is now ready for deployments from the MVP Controller computer in the lab.
CAUTION: Securely tie down the boom when not in operation to prevent excessive
motion in heavy seas.
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3.2 LAB – UNDERWAY PROFILING
1. Start the MVP Controller software by double clicking the MVP icon on the desktop.
2. Verify the MVP Controller Interface Box is turned ON. Confirm the ‘24v Winch’ LED on
the front panel is ON and the ‘Fish TX’ and ‘Winch TX’ LED’s are flashing.
3. Press the ‘RESET’ button in the Main Operator Window to clear the ‘COMM Err’
indicator alarm, start the winch motor and initialize the software.
4. Confirm FISH, WINCH and NAV data can be viewed in the Deployment Data panel in
the Main Operator Window. If not, check the settings in the System Configuration
Window.
5. Confirm that the filename and path for the data storage on the MVP hard drive is correct.
If not, change the settings in the System Configuration Window.
6. Verify the Deployment Configuration settings in the Main Operator Window are defined;
these settings will determine the deployment criteria that will be used when the profile is
started.
7. Press the ‘START’ button for a single profile or toggle the ‘Disabled’ button to ‘Enabled’
to start Auto Deployments. The time between Auto Deployments can be specified by
selecting the number of minutes between profiles in the adjacent text box.
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4 EMERGENCY MANUAL OVERRIDE
In the event of a control system failure, the MVP may not respond to commands from either the
MVP Controller in Auto mode or from the joystick, remote control unit or remote pendant in
Hand mode. If a failure should occur during MVP operations, the Emergency Manual Override
will enable the fish to be retrieved without control commands from the embedded controller.
The Hydraulic Solenoid Valves are equipped with manual control knobs that mechanically
actuate the spools; this enables the valves to be actuated without power to the solenoids. A
step-by-step procedure on the use of the Emergency Manual Override is described later in this
section.
4.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MANUAL OVERRIDE
The Hydraulic Manifold Box is located to the left of the Main Control Box. Inside the Manifold
Box are the hydraulic valves which operate the system, open the box to access the valves. Four
of the valves have plastic manual override knobs attached to them and are labelled from left to
right, Line Puller Enable, Brake Release, Winch Enable and Boom Enable (refer to Figure 3).
Figure 3: Manifold Box Manual Controls
The manual override knobs are spring loaded and will self center if you release them. However,
if turned far enough counter clockwise (CCW), they will snap into a detent. When they are
snapped in the detent the valves will hold their position until they are released.
The descriptions of the valves indicate what function they control. The Brake Release valve
controls the winch brake and when the valve is in the detent position the brake is released,
conversely if the valve is snapped out of the detent position and allowed to spring to its normal
position, the winch brake is applied. The Winch Enable valve controls the winch drum and the
winch drum is enabled when the valve is in the detent position. The winch drum is non-
functional when the valve is in its normal position. The Boom Enable valve controls the boom
and the boom is enabled when the valve is in the detent position. The boom is non-functional
when the valve is in its normal position. By turning the Winch Enable or Boom Enable manual
override valves into the detent position you do not actually make the winch or boom actuate.
CAUTION: The Winch Enable valve and the Boom Enable valve should not be enabled
(in the detent position) at the same time. This is dangerous as both the winch
and the boom may operate at the same time.
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A manual control valve with a lever is located to the left of the Main Control Box. This valve is
normally disabled by closing the small ball valve just to the right of the manual control valve.
Opening the ball valve enables the manual control valve. The manual control valve is actuated
by pulling or pushing on the lever, this in turn actuates either the winch or the boom depending
on which one of them is enabled inside the Hydraulic Manifold Box. The manual control valve
effectively overrides S1 and S2 (Pump ‘A’ and Pump ‘B’) depending on which way the manual
control valve is actuated. Pump ‘A’ (S1) is activated by pushing the valve away from the
operator which deploys cable from the winch drum or rotates the boom CCW. Pump ‘B’ (S2) is
actuated by pulling the valve toward the operator which recovers cable onto the winch drum or
rotates the Boom CW.
4.2 TO USE THE EMERGENCY MANUAL OVERRIDE
1. Ensure the Hand/Off/Auto switch at the Main Control Box is ‘OFF’.
2. Turn the Main Power Lever at the High Power Electrical Box to ‘ON’.
3. Pull the Manual Motor Run switch all the way out to start the electric motor driving the
hydraulic pump (push the switch all the way in to stop the motor).
4. Open the Manifold Box (refer to Figure 4).
5. Turn the Winch Enable manual control knob counter clockwise (CCW) until it clicks into
a Detent; this will take the winch out of ‘Freewheel’ mode and enable the winch hydraulic
motor.
6. Turn the Brake Release manual control knob CCW until it clicks into a detent; the brake
cylinder will extend, releasing the brake.
7. Turn the ball valve, located below the manual valve lever, CCW to the open position.
8. Pull the manual valve lever toward the operator to recover cable and the tow fish. The
further the lever is pulled, the faster the drum recovery speed.
9. When the tow fish reaches the surface, slow down the recovery speed and carefully
raise the fish out of the water.
10. When at the appropriate hanging position, release the manual valve lever and the tow
fish will stop recovering.
Figure 4: Manifold Box Controls
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11. Turn the Brake Release manual control knob clockwise (CW) snapping it out of its detent
and allowing it to proceed to its neutral position. Ensure that the brake has been applied
with the brake cylinder retracted.
12. Turn the Boom Enable manual control knob CCW until it clicks into its detent; this will
select the boom rotator motor.
13. Turn the Winch Enable manual control knob CW snapping it out of its detent and
allowing it to proceed to its neutral position. This will put the winch in ‘Freewheel’ mode
and disable the winch hydraulic motor.
14. Pull the manual valve lever toward the operator to rotate the boom CW or push it away
from the operator to rotate the boom CCW. The further the lever is pulled, the faster the
rotational speed of the boom.
15. Rotate the boom with the tow fish over the deck, stopping it by releasing the manual
valve lever in the appropriate position.
16. Turn the Boom Enable manual control knob CW snapping it out of its detent and
allowing it to proceed to its neutral position.
17. Turn the Winch Enable manual control knob CCW until it clicks into a detent; this will
take the winch out of ‘Freewheel’ mode and enable the winch.
18. Turn the Brake Release manual control knob CCW until it clicks into a detent; the brake
cylinder will extend, releasing the brake.
19. Push the manual valve lever outwards to lower the tow fish to the deck and then secure
the tow fish.
20. Turn the Brake Release manual control knob CW snapping it out of its detent and
allowing it to proceed to its neutral position. Ensure that the brake has been applied with
the brake cylinder retracted.
21. Turn the Winch Enable manual control knob CW snapping it out of its detent and
allowing it to proceed to its neutral position; this will disable the winch hydraulic motor.
22. Turn the ball valve beside the manual valve CW to the closed position; the manual valve
is now disabled.
23. Push in the Manual Motor Run switch; the electric motor will shut off.
24. Turn OFF the Main Power Lever on the High Power Electrical Box; the system is now in
a ‘rest’ state and troubleshooting of the control system can begin.
CAUTION: Be very careful when using the Emergency Manual Override controls to lower
the fish onto the deck. Operate the manual control knobs ‘SLOWLY’ as they
are very sensitive.
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5 SYSTEM STOWAGE
Figure 5: Boom Straps
The system should be covered with a tarp or something similar, when not in use for an extended
period of time. Ensure the tarp is tightly secured to the system to prevent possible tearing due to
severe weather (refer to Figure 6).
MVP200 MVP300
Figure 6: MVP Cover
WARNING: Always tie off the boom in both directions when not in use (refer to Figure 5).
This is extremely important in rough weather as the boom can swing from
side to side causing possible damage to the system, components or vessel
personnel.
MVP Operators’ Guide 14
OM-09000-Z-04-004D AML Oceanographic Ltd.
6 Contact AML Oceanographic
Service
To request an RMA or technical support
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-250-656-0771
Phone: 1-800-663-8721 (NA)
Fax: 1-250-655-3655
Sales
For all general sales inquiries
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-250-656-0771
Phone : 1-800-663-8721 (NA)
Fax: 1-250-655-3655
Website
www.AMLoceanographic.com
Pacific Location
AML Oceanographic
2071 Malaview Ave.
Sidney, BC V8L 5X6
Canada
Atlantic Location
AML Oceanographic
800A Windmill Rd., Unit 6C
Dartmouth, NS B3B 1L1
Canada
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AML Oceanographic MVP is a microprocessor-controlled winch system used to deploy and recover an underwater tow vehicle or tow fish, while being able to conduct pre-programmed profiling operations. The tow vehicle is connected to the winch via a tow cable which is wound around a winch drum.
The MVP winch is microprocessor controlled with local and remote modes of operation. The system has the ability to winch out and winch in cable, rotate the boom left and right, and control the depth of the tow vehicle during profiling operations.
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