DBS280B

SEISMOGRAPH

User Manual

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Software Installation
Refer to the folder / directory of the installation file , whose name is:

Installation Disk DBS280V2

In it there is a file with the name :

Installing USB Drivers FTDI.pdf

Open it and follow the prompts to install the USB drivers needed to operate the equipment.

After installation of the driver, run the installation file:

setupDBS280V2.exe

Will be created in C drive (default ): JEA247ESAC folder , with inside the application file , with the
name: JEA247ESAC.exe .

Since the application also makes use of a software for geoseismic interpretation SmartRefract,
(wich makes use of acquired data) , you need to copy a folder in the following way .

Go to the installation folder: Installation Disk DBS280V2, in which is contained the directory:
SmartRefract .

Copy this folder inside the directory created by the installation program on your computer
(which is usually c: DBS280BV2 )

Then go to www.java.com and download and install “java” in the computer.

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FIRST CONNECTION
Please read carefully this section.
After you have installed the USB driver and application DBS280BV2 (see file "Install USB Driver
FTDI.pdf"), connect the DBS280B box to your PC, using the USB wire.

Verify PORT

Launch the application whose icone is on desktop or lunch DBS280BV2.exe.

As soon DBS280B is plugged to the USB port, the led on it will flash some time.
If this does not happen, hardware problem is to take in consideration.
Once the application is launched, you will notice something like this:

In the green box appears the RS232 ports available on PC.

(which in this example are the number 1, 3).

Port numbers range from 1 to 16.

To remove ambiguity about which port is dedicated to the equipment, just disconnect the USB port
and run the software again. The correct number will be that disappeared.

The other parameters are the default ones.

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Note:

It 'still possible that at the first plugging of the device (MOM), the operating system decides to
assign a different number (over 16) to the port.
In this case, the port would not appear in the green box, and you have to change its number.

Go to the Control Panel System Device Manager Ports (COM & LPT)

In this example, port 20 can not be seen, to change the number to go to USB Serial Port (COM20),
right click, Properties, Port Settings, Advanced, Number of the COM port, then set a number less
than or equal to 16.

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Setting Parameters

Once you have entered the correct number of the communication port, enter the number of units
(for ex. 24) in the box: Geophones Number.

As you can see, the 24 channels have been labelled (if you exit this setup will be remembered).
All 24 channels are enabled (check below); channels not enabled will not be shown in the graph.
The circle/dot in the top of each unit represents the choice of the place to connect the trigger verify
that some unit has this option cheked.
In this example has been set a sampling frequency of 4000Hz, for a number of samples per channel
equal to 256 (open the Parameters window to set).
As is shown, the acquisition lasts for 64 msec.
In fact, 256 samples / 4000Hz = 64 msec.

It is possible to see in real time while the system acquires all the channels set, but first remember to
Set all Channels and to check the option for trigger.

By default, the amplification (screen) is "autoranging", then you will see even the slightest signal.
Press now "GO running".
If there are not connected geophones, what you will see is the background noise of the apparatus.

All graphs will be updated as faste as lower is the number of samples set (now 256), as the sampling
and receiving process will lasts less with less data.

To end, press STOP; units will flash in a different way and after about 2 seconds, the system will be
ready for a new command.

The command "GO running" is usefull to verify connection between units and geophones.

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Retriving files

On the upper left corner the menu: FILE allows to retrive an old (trigger) acquisition.
Choose the appropriate .txt or .sg2 file and it will be loaded and the parameters on top menu are set
to the new values (Samples, GEOPHONE Number, Sampling Frequency, Sampling Duration).
Geometry will be updated too.

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Acquisition in Running

Once the device is connected to the PC, and you have verified that the led has flashed, you can
press the button:

GO running

And you will see that DBS280B will show 12 or 24 traces on the PC screen.

Even with no wires connected, you are able to see the traces; if “autorange” is enabled, what you
see is the electronic noise magnified.

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Acquisition with Trigger

For operation with trigger, sampling frequency must be set equal to:

1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz, 8000Hz, 16000Hz, 32000Hz

In the "Parameters" window, define whether the trigger signal will work in opening (eg. Explosion)
or closing (eg. Hammer) of the contact.
Then verify that a unit as been set as “trigger unit”.
For example, for a seismic refraction can be suitable the value of 512 samples and sampling
frequency of 2000Hz.

TRIGGER and press the GO button.

Window of geometry will show:

Set the distance between geophones (which in the example is four meters) and the position of the
trigger with respect to the first unit (now 46 meters to the right of first unit).
By clicking OK, the geometry disappears and a message "WAITING FOR TRIGGER ..." will begin
to flash.
The system is waiting for a trigger event, but if for some reason you want to leave this condition,
you just have to click on exit.

When the trigger acquisition is finished, the application will ask whether to save the acquired data.
If you decide to save, two versions of the file will be saved, one with extension Sg2 and the other
with extension txt.
File.txt will be useful in case you want to review recently file previously saved.

Below is an example of acquisition with 96 channels:

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Moving the mouse over a track and clicking, in the CH box will be displayed its number.

Moving the mouse over a point in a track, in a window will be visible the relative time from trigger
instant.

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STACKING

In the goal of reducing the Gaussian noise, it is theoretically sufficient to mediate.

The STACKING do this, as it lets you add together the traces acquired (through trigger) at
successive times.

The resulting signal should be more clean, as long as the trigger is always carried out in the same
exact condition and nothing has changed in the geometry.

To acquire with the method "Stacking", go to the menu and select stacking.

The graph will become blue.

At every triggering, tracks will be added together.

On top left corner a progressive number appears showing the number of acquisition.

After each triggering will be shown "Keep on staking?" Answer no, it ends the process of stacking
and the file acquisition can be saved

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REFRACTION

From Menu select: REFRACTION.

You are asked to write the project name and then to begin acquiring in trigger mode.
After each acquisition, enter the file name and save it if satisfied.
Then you have to decide if the project is ended or to keep to perform the acquisition process.
When the project will be terminated, the processing software SMARTREFRACT will open
automatically.

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SPECTRUM
In the menu you can select "Spectrum", to carry out the spectral analysis of a track.
In following example has been selected track 1.

Moving the mouse over the graph, we can determine the value of the frequency accurately.

Being 2000Hz the acquisition frequency, the maximum frequency of 1000Hz is displayed in the
graph, in accordance with the sampling theorem.

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DISPLAY

This menu is only active in the acquisition triggered.

Going to the menu "Display", you can choose the type of visualization of the acquired traces.
For example, the following shows three different views:

normal:

black:

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Blue / Red:

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"File" menu:
From the "File" menu, you can reload the acquisitions done in the "Trigger" mode.
Go to the folder where you saved the files relating to previous acquisitions and download the file
with the extension .txt and .sg2

Files xxx.txt and data_trigger.txt

The application creates, for each acquisition with trigger, a file: data_trigger.txt and another:
xxx.sgy, and xxx.txt.
The name xxx must be provided by the user.

File: data_trigger.txt is updated every acquisition and located in program directory; it is necessary
fro internal use.

In running operation is not saved any file.

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SMARTREFRACT

See www.vs30.it

About this software: is free for refraction postprocessing and also the customer have the right for
internet assistance for any problems concerning postprocessing.

Special DOLANG Service

Is available to make the processing, upon payment of a small amount.

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Sampling Rate
To perform a correct acquisition should be thoroughly learned what it means "signal", what is its
spectrum, filtering, reconstruction of signal from its samples, sample rate etc ...., otherwise you may
set the parameters without understanding why and do not correctly interpret what happens.

The basic parameters of the process of acquisition is the sampling frequency

(Fs, from sampling frequency) and resolution (see below).

The reciprocal value of Fs is the sampling interval (Ts, by sampling time).

In the application, in the Parameters window, it acts directly on Fs (Hz) and as a result, of Ts
(milliseconds).

To find out how long is the acquisition process, the formula is as follows:

Acquisition Time = Number of samples / Fs

or

Acquisition Time = Number of samples x Ts

For example, if I want a long acquisition time at a high Fs, I expect a large number of samples.

It is not simple to deal with a large number of samples; for cases where it is required a long period
of acquisition, a low Fs is used.

A basic rule of sampling is that Fs must be at least twice the highest frequency contained in the
signal to be acquired (Nyquist theorem).

If the rule is broken, the acquired signal contains errors (aliasing).

By the nature of the signals to be acquired, which are coming from a geophone, the spectrum barely
reaches a few hundred Hz, starting from a minimum of a few Hz, depending on the geophone used,
thus not requiring a high Fs.

So in the case of a geophone that, when triggered, it is expected to provide signals until 300/400Hz,
the sampling frequency must be at least twice, or 800Hz.

This consideration is only theoretical, because in reality, to acquire a signal that has any practical
value, you must acquire a much higher frequency. Otherwise, the available samples would be too
few to easily reconstruct the original signal.

The application JEA247ESAC acquires always at Fs = 32000Hz.

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The lower sample rates are derived from the actual 32000Hz averaging.
For example the frequency of 4000 Hz is obtained from the average of 8 samples.
This process of "downsampling" carries out an average on the signal that corresponds to a low pass
filtering, which is useful to diminish any higher frequencies and noise present.
Nevertheless, to acquire 250Hz, the minimum expected Fs, exposes us to possible aliasing errors in
case in the signal was a strong component over the 125Hz.

A hardware filter on this unit provides to eliminate / mitigate frequencies not useful coming from
geophone.

In sampling without trigger, even if you can acquire at 250Hz, it is better to opt for the higher
frequency of 500Hz, to avoid the danger of aliasing error.

Resolution
The resolution is determined by the number of bits of the AD converter.
The higher the resolution, the more the sampling system can "see" small signals.
JEA247ESAC uses a 24-bit converter, so if it is assumed that the geophone can give a maximum
signal between 1V and -1V, matching the range of AD converter, the theoretical minimum
measurable signal is:
2volt / 2 ^ 24 = 119 NV = 0.119 millivolts microvolts = 0.000119 = 0.000000119 volts
Although this measure is theoretical and is incredibly low, the amount of bits gives us another
factor to measure the goodness of an acquisition.

An acquisition at 16-bit, at least theoretically, is 256 times worse than at 24-bit.

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Signal / noise ratio
This parameter is very important , as it can measure and tell us what is actually possible to
discriminate a signal acquired in the presence of noise.
The problem to recover a signal from the noise is universal and always present in every situation .
If you remove the geophone and short-circuit the inputs of the unit , the signal only noise source is
internal to the equipment, or from electromagnetic interference , and eventually due to the digital
conversion process , which gives rise to the quantization noise. The quantization noise decreases
with the increase of the bits of conversion.

This noise is reduced by the averages that are performed to get Fs from 32000Hz . For example . at
4000Hz there is a quantization noise slightly lower than 8000Hz .
This process of noise reduction is called " Noise Shaping " .

The equipment in question provides a value for this ratio , better than 124dB for Fs = 1 kHz or so,
which is a very good result .

If the noise was completely invalid , and this was only the quantization noise , with 24 bits for the
relationship we have approximately 144dB , which is a theoretical ideal value , even remotely
accessible .
This value is often not very seriously stated on many devices , along with other parameters more or
less invented.

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 Technical Data of DBS280B
> WATER PROOF <

Structure Device connected by USB/RS485 to PC

Max geophones 24 or 12

Resolution 24 bit

AD Converter Sigma Delta

Sampling Frequency (Fs) 244Hz, 488Hz, 977Hz, 1953Hz, 3906Hz,

7812Hz

Number of samples 10922 samples

Max Sampling duration With Fs = 250Hz is 44.76 sec

Trigger You can connect a wire trigger of desired

length, to work in contact opening or closing.

Power The power comes from the USB port of PC

Bandwidth Up to 500Hz, 2 poles low pass filter, DC

component rejection

Input impedence 47000 ohm

Nyquist frequency 3906Hz at every Fs

Signal/RSM noise ratio 122dB at Fs=977Hz, input shorted

Connection Units serially connected to PC by RS485
standard, at 1MHz baudrate
Software Application for Windows XP, 7 and 8 allows
easy setting of all acquisition parameters and
produces a .sgy file for further analisys

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