The TCM-4 is a new current meter that is ideal for measuring water velocity in shallow coastal ponds, bays, rivers and tidal flats and other locations where the depth is too shallow for the TCM-1 current meter. The TCM-4 is only 10 inches (25 cm) long and is able to operate in less than one foot of water.
The TCM-4 Shallow Water Tilt Current Meter measures current using the drag-tilt principle. The logger is buoyant and is anchored to the bottom via a short flexible tether. Moving water tilts the logger in the direction of flow. The TCM-4 contains a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer for measuring tilt and bearing. The resulting orientation data is converted to current by applying calibration coefficients.
Windows® software is used to configure the TCM-4 for deployment and to convert binary data to text files. The built-in MAT-1 data logger includes a USB communication interface, a microSD flash memory card, and a long-life lithium battery.
Key Features & Benefits
Measures water velocity for a fraction of the cost of an acoustic meter
Operates in as little as 28 cm (11 inches) of water
Tilt compensated compass for bearing measurements
Simple, rugged, low maintenance design
User replaceable lithium battery allows continuous 1-minute current measurements for more than a year
8 GB memory card virtually eliminates memory concerns
Temperature sensor accurate to +/-0.1C
USB 2.0 with standard cable and drag and drop data file offload
