I will mount the Ping Sonar to a modular ship that i am building. It consists of two parts that are connected in the middle by magnets. Each part has 2 motors located at their stern.
I want to place my sonar at the front(bow) of the back part. The problem is i am worried that the sonar data will be distorted because of the waves created by the motor that is located on the stern of the front part. It will be pushing the waves in the transducers direction, but since the sounds direction of travel and return both pass through that turbulant water, i also think it wont matter.
It is a small BLDC motor for RC Boats with 280 Watts.
Will that interfere with the Ping Sonar Altimeter ?
Hi @mutluson -
Welcome to the forums!
Turbulent water won’t affect the Ping sonar results to any noticeable degree, however if bubbles are present in front of the transducer they will reflect the sound and definitely drop the confidence of the distance measurements!
The BlueBoat mounts the Ping below the water line, away from bubbles in most situations, and as a result you can take good data even at speeds greater than 1.5 m/s.
I would disagree, we have conducted extensive tests both on static benches and field, and the data recorded was terrible in cases of turbulence. For example, in still water in a 4’ by 4’ tub, the sonar gave a reasonable value(close to 4’ with good confidence). Now I agitated the water and the distances were completely unreliable - the sensor started fluctuating to very high values(~300’) with constantly no confidence. We also tested this in the field by varying the location of the sensor from near the thrusters to away, and found that the values are more stable when away.
tldr: I would say turbulence does affect sensor readings and confidences, better to move them away from the thrusters.