The answer to this question depends on your budget and your level of confidence that the entire system is functioning properly. When Sea-Bird receives CTDs that have integrated auxiliary sensors produced by other manufacturers, we test the functionality of the entire system. For a standard charge, we:
- Visually inspect the physical condition of the auxiliary sensor, connector, and interface cable.
- Visually inspect the mounting scheme of the auxiliary sensor on the CTD (a poor mounting scheme can result in poor data).*
- (For voltage sensors) Measure the open voltage and block voltage to ensure that the auxiliary sensor responds through the full 0 – 5V range.
- Check that the auxiliary sensor reads correctly when submerged in our cold salt water test baths for 30 – 60 minutes.
If the auxiliary sensor does not meet our standards*, we recommend that the sensor be sent to the other manufacturer for service. If the sensor is sent to the other manufacturer, we perform the same tests when it returns to us after servicing. Additionally, we update the configuration (.con or .xmlcon) file with any new calibration coefficients.
*Note: Sea-Bird can fix mounting scheme issues; we do not send the sensor to the other manufacturer for this.