: I am reading data from the device via a custom script/driver. I noticed that the transmit duration values are extremely low (oscillating between 5 and 10), as shown in the attached terminal screenshots.
Is this behavior expected? (e.g., does the auto-tuning minimize duration when testing in a small container/bucket?)
Or does this indicate a configuration issue where the device isn’t utilizing higher power?
No - the 0 angle is where the cable enters. The firmware doesn’t have great handling of auto_transmit functionality for sector scans pointing towards the zero / full-rotation threshold mark, so I assume the front was set in the opposite direction to minimise potential issues with that.
As I understand it there is no auto-tuning in the device - there are just some safety thresholds to prevent device damage.
If you set the Ping Viewer scanning range to a low value (e.g. 2m) then it is expected the sonar pulses will be minimally absorbed or spread by distance travelled through the water, so only short transducer pulses are necessary to get a response. This allows the sonar to reduce power usage, while also reducing the resonance noise effects that occur during and die down after transmission.
Short scans also typically mean there’s less rest time between transmissions, because there’s less time spent waiting for echoes. That means the transmit electronics are used for a greater proportion of each ping, and are more at risk of overheating/damage, so it’s a good idea not to have overly high transmit durations then anyway.
