This should probably be a question to WaterLinked, but posting here for visibility…
The Waterlinked A50 will overheat with the ROV out of the water and the sonar sensors enabled. The advice is to turn the acoustics sensors off (in Configuration) or submerge the DVL in water (in a container somehow?).
Any reason the software can’t be a bit smarter here? Can we sense the ROV is out of the water (from the DVL acoustic sensor response or ROV sensing) and automatically turn the acoustics off? Would this be enough? I think I’ve had the overheating message even with the acoustics turned off.
It’s a pricey piece of kit and this feels like a fundamental issue. I can’t imagine it’ll last long once we hand the ROV over to a non technical operations team. Someone’s bound to forget to take the extra steps necessary.
I want to alleviate any worries you might have about the potential for harm to the DVL when operated dry. Rest assured, the DVL is equipped with a thermal protection mechanism that safeguards it from overheating during normal operation. This feature ensures the DVL remains within safe operating temperatures.
During the software upgrade, the thermal protection feature is however turned off. To prevent the DVL from overheating, it is important to submerge the DVL in water throughout the update process.
The recommendation to deactivate the acoustics is merely a precaution to delay the onset of thermal protection, thereby extending the operational period before any protective measures kick in.
Under optimal conditions, the DVL should be used in water, which naturally prevents the activation of the thermal protection, ensuring continuous operation and data transmission from the DVL.