Product Description
The Ping Sonar is a multipurpose single beam echosounder. It can be used as an altimeter for ROVs and AUVs, for bathymetry work aboard a USV, obstacle avoidance on autonomous vehicles, and other underwater distance measurement applications. The Ping Sonar combines a compact form factor and 300 meter depth rating with an open-source software to create a powerful new tool for marine robotics!
What is a Single Beam Echosounder?
An echosounder, like the Ping Sonar, is one of the simplest forms of underwater sonar. It operates by using a piezoelectric transducer to send an ultrasonic acoustic pulse into the water and then listens back for echoes to return. With that information, it can determine the distance to the strongest echo, which is usually the ocean floor or a large object. It can also provide the full echo response (echo strength versus time) which can be plotted like the display of a fishfinder sonar.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical | |
| Supply Voltage | 4.5–5.5 V |
| Logic Level Voltage | 3.3 V (5 V tolerant) |
| Transducer Drive Voltage | 27 V |
| Current Draw | 100 mA (typical) 900 mA (peak) |
| Communication | |
| Signal Protocol | TTL Serial (UART) |
| Available Firmware Baud Rates | 115200 bps (default) 9600 bps |
| Message Protocol | Ping Protocol |
| Message Subsets | common_ping1d |
| Software Development Libraries | |
| Supported Libraries |
Arduino ArduPilot (limited) C++ Python Rust Custom firmware |
| Cable | |
| Cable Used | BR-100452 |
| Cable Length | 875 mm 34.5 in |
| Maximum Cable Length | 8 m 26 ft |
| Conductor Gauge | 24 AWG |
| Wires |
Black – Ground Red – Vin White – TX (out) Green – RX (in) |
| Installed Penetrators | |
| Device Side | M06-4.5mm-LC |
| Cable End | M10-4.5mm-LC |
| Acoustics | |
| Frequency | 115 kHz |
| Source Level | 198 dB re 1 µPa @ 1 m |
| Beamwidth (-3 dB from peak) | 25 degrees |
| Typical Minimum Range | 0.3 m 1 ft |
| Typical Usable Range1 | 100 m 328 ft |
| Range Resolution | 0.5% of range |
| Range Resolution at 100 m (waterfall range, not measured range) | 50 cm 19.7 in |
| Range Resolution at 2 m (waterfall range, not measured range) | 1 cm 0.4 in |
| Physical | |
| Depth Rating | 300 m 984 ft |
| Temperature Range | 0–30°C 32–86°F |
| Weight in Air (w/ cable) | 187 g 0.41 lb |
| Weight in Water (w/ cable) | 100 g 0.22 lb |
| Mounting Bracket Screw Size | M5×16 mm |
| Internals | |
| Air Chamber O-Ring | AS568-030, Buna-N, 70A |
| 1Usable range depends on operating conditions (e.g. performance may suffer over variable density changes from tall vegetation, groups of fish, geysers, etc). | |
