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If you have a Smart Mooring shipped prior to July 2022, please see the legacy guide below:

Isolating and Checking Smart Mooring Sensor Modules [SM v2 and earlier - prior to July 2022]

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Often when we see data loss from one or more sensors on a Smart Mooring system it is difficult to determine exactly where the failure occurs. Use this guide to isolate and determine whether or not a Sofar temperature module is functioning correctly.

A Smart Mooring element that has failed, whether it be a yellow Smart Mooring cable, jumper, or sensor module, will usually mean you can’t get data from any modules below that element. So if the top sensor is reporting but the bottom sensor is not (in a two-sensor configuration) it could be any of the elements between them—just like a string of old Christmas lights where if one bulb goes out all the ones after it goes out.

Follow these steps to find out which element has failed.

Step 1: Prepare the Smart Mooring

1. Take time to inspect each element of the buoy. Noticing and photographing any interesting or damaged parts can help to quickly identify where something has gone wrong.
2. Clean and dry each element of the buoy.
3. Label or tag each of the elements of the buoy (e.g. cable #1, sensor #1, cable #2, sensor #2) so you can remember which element went where in the system.
4. Disconnect any jumpers and yellow cables from the Spotter.
5. Fully charge the Spotter.
6. Save the SD card data somewhere in case we need it later.
7. Install a new or freshly formatted SD card into the Spotter.

Step 2: Run an Isolation Test

Option A (Longer to test each element but easier): Using the Spotter Dashboard.

1. Connect just the sensor module that you suspect has failed to the Spotter directly, by itself. It should look like this:

   

2. Turn on the buoy for 2 hours, somewhere outside or near a lot of windows where Spotter can see the sky and connect to GPS.