Q: What known limitations driver wise NaviPac version 4 has ?


A: NaviPac config version 4 has driver limitations (number of uses). Most of them are easy to identify, either by being numbered or by disappearing from the list once used. Some of them do not have visible limits and are listed below:


1. User defined input drivers - 10 drivers numbered from 1 to 10.

  • NaviPac 4.14 and later: there is one “User defined input” driver in the New instrument window, which can be added up to 10 times. Give each instance its own name, so you can tell them apart in outputs, Helmsman and logs. Once 10 instances have been added, the driver can’t be added again.
  • Before NaviPac 4.14: there are 10 separate drivers, numbered 1 to 10. Do not exceed the limit or copy them. Best practice is to add them one by one from the New instrument window:




2. User defined output drivers - 25 drivers starting with version 4.6.4 and prior to this version 15 drivers (see chapter 4.2.4.1 page 22 from NaviPac Release notes ).



3. Free acquisition driver - 1 driver per configuration. This is a super acquisition driver to read up to 20 channels and it is supposed to be used only once. If multiple are required and are not exceeding 3 channels, user defined input drivers can be used instead.

 


More than one can be added, but with these limitations:

  • All Free acquisition drivers share one driver setup. The settings of the last one in the list (prefix, number of bytes, number of telegrams and driver type) are used for all of them. If the prefixes differ, only the last driver gets data and the others report “No Data”. If you use several, give them identical settings and change only the port.
  • User defined outputs can only output data from the first Free acquisition driver. An output that uses the second or a later one sends the data of the first.
  • A maximum of 10 Free acquisition drivers can be added to a custom log.


4. POI - 49 in total per configuration



5. Hipap USBL drivers - 17 transponders defined. Each usbl driver supports a total of 17 transponders to be defined. The number of transponders must be set at max 17 at all times to avoid errors of positioning during survey. Other USBL drivers have a lower limit of 16 transponders (sonardyne USBL, Posidonia USBL, iUSBL, Nautronix RS9 USBL, Ore Trackpoint II and Ore bats).


6. POI and dragged offset drivers conflict if all POIs number are used with the dragged offset drivers in the same configuration. This is because their IDs are overlapping. POI IDs are from 801 to 849 and Dragged offset 841-843. To avoid this situation do not use the POIs with the IDs 841,842 and 843 meaning have POI 1 to 40 and 44 to 49. 


Please note Total number of instruments (ports) that NaviPac can support is 128 until version 4.11.1. Since NaviPac 4.13 the limit is extended to 256 (chapter 211 NaviPac Release notes )