About us

Our Community of Practice

The Argo Technical Community of Practice was established by a small group of Technicians in 2021 as a forum for collaboration, knowledge sharing and coordinated action to establish, review and refine best practice procedures for pre-deployment testing of floats to eliminate premature deaths and performance-debilitating failures for core and BGC Argo.


We aim to create an environment where individuals working directly with Argo floats can discuss technical problems e.g. checkout testing, common issues, hardware design ideas, and deployment logistics. One of the primary goals is to identify issues that occur across programs which will then be presented to manufacturers with 'one voice'.


We aim to build an inclusive environment where we can share resources and coach smaller groups.



Participant Engagement

We meet quarterly over Zoom and rotate the chair and responsibility for each meeting.

We have 20 to 30 people dial in to our meetings from the USA, Japan, India and Australia

The group is not open to vendors, and is targeted at technical staff working directly with floats.

We welcome topics for investigation from PI's and we will capture and report our key findings to AST


Founding Members

Pat McMahon (CSIRO, Founding Chair)
Deb West-Mack (WHOI)
Ryan Anderson (WHOI)
Rick Rupan (UW)
Elizabeth Steffan (PMEL)
Chanelle Cadot (PMEL)

Get in touch

A call for Argo Technicians

If you are involved in preparing Argo floats for deployment and you'd like to join our community of practice please get in touch.


A call for PI's

We aim to foster an environment where we can share knowledge and resources. If we can assist to test your floats, or provide coaching to technicians we'd like to hear from you.


Contact: Pat McMahon pat.mcmahon@csiro.au


Event Calandar and Meeting Information





Next Meeting

Topics for discussion: Solo and Deep Solo

Date. 25th April 2023.

Agency Chair: Combined Meeting

Meeting Chair: Rick Rupan rupan@uw.edu

Zoom Registration: Contact Rick Rupan to Register for this meeting



Previous Meetings


Third Argo Tech CoP Meeting:

Argo Deployment methods and MBARI Coastal float development

1. UW Update on APEX bladder oiling to prevent stiction

2. PMEL Deep Solo and Core Navis Deployemnt Methods

3. WHOI: Core Solo and Navis BGC Deployment Methods

4. SIO: Deep/Core/BGC Solo Deployment Methods

5. UW: EM Apex Deployemnt Methods

6. CSIRO: Remote Control Argo Release

7. MBARI Coastal Float Presentation

Number of Attendees. 21.

Agency Chair: CSIRO

Meeting Chair: Pat McMahon



Second Argo Tech CoP Meeting:

Seabird Navis and Seabird BGC Argo floats

1. Introduction to the Community of Practice

2. Updates for Community and previous meeting Recap .

3. WHOI BGC Navis flow through sensor checks

4. PMEL Argo Core Navis flow through sensor checks

5. UW Apex system flow through sensor checks

6. Introduction to UW float members and Lab operation.

7. UW Overnight bladder checks and pneumatic testing/leak detection .

8. Apex Pneumatic Bladder issue overview.

8. Apex Pneumatic Bladder issues - Why is it happening and possible fixes.

Number of Attendees. 27.

Agency Chair: UW

Meeting Chair: Rick Rupan



First Argo Tech CoP Meeting:

Seabird Navis and Seabird BGC Argo floats

1. Overview of the Community of Practice

2. Discussion of the structure of the CoP and how we want it to operate.

3. CoP Slack for communication between meetings

4. Sharing of proprietary information

5. WHOI: Navis float

6. Common issues among users

7. Tests that users are performing beyond Seabird's recommendations.

8. Potential design changes, and recommendations that should be esclated to Seabird.

Number of Attendees. 21.

Agency Chair: WHOI

Meeting Chair: Ryan Anderson


Project - Remote Control Argo Release

Pat McMahon, CSIRO

What is the problem we set out to solve?

Argo floats are at their most vulnerable during deployment. The antennas and sensor package can

sustain mechanical damage if the float strikes the hull of the deployment vessel.


CSIRO deploy floats in cardboard boxes to protect against mechanical damage and rely on a small

soluble tablet to activate a water release to drop the floats in the ocean.


We have had a number of close calls where the soluble tablet has failed and the deployment

boxes have disintegrated during a deployment. The tablets are unreliable in cold conditions and

we've been forced to abandon using deployment boxes during high latitude deployments.

RC Argo Release RC Argo Release

(above) A close call when a mechanical release failed during an Argo deployment on RV Investigator in 2019





Proof of concept model

I used a standard servo from a remote control glider to actuate a tie down strap

fitted with a model aeroplane control horn to prove I could drop a 10kg weight.

A standard float weighs 25kg.

RC Argo Release

(above) Test rig used to drop a 10Kg weight using a standard servo at proof of concept stage





Full size model and considerations

I was encouraged by our initial proof of concept model and developed a full size model that

could release 25kg in a standard deployment box.


Servos

A standard JR servo running at 6VDC was able to release a 10kg weight, but struggled to release

15kg. The servo has a rated torque of 2.9kg-cm at 4.8VDC.


I decided to use SAVOX high torque waterproof digital servos with 40kg-cm torque at 7.4VDC

for the full-size model.


Water proofing

Deployment boxes are 2 metres long, so the device should never be closer than 2 metres from the

water.


I designed the release to be splashproof (IP67). The device is designed to release floats from

above and shouldn't be fully submerged. Multiple rubber gaskets provide sealing between layers

of the control box to prevent water ingress, but also to minimise the number of components that

could be compromised in the event of leaks.


I arranged the servos on their side to eliminate the potential for water ingress in the seals and

used RC boat pushrod seals to prevent water entering a 3D printed housing.


Custom Stainless Steel 3D printed mechanisms

I used stainless steel metal 3D printing technology to design a custom release. This eliminated

offsite

RC Argo Release

(above) High torque servos are housed inside a 3D printed base. RC boat pushrod seals are used to prevent water ingress






Initial deployments and adoption of technology

Early morning on 23 February 2022, the L'Astrolabe deployed an Argo float at 60S using CSIRO's Remote-Controlled Argo release.

The deployment was uneventful and the float started operating on deployment as expected.


The release has been successfully used on board RV Investigator to deploy 4 Argo floats over 3

voyages in the first and second quarters of 2022.


CSIRO's SIT (Ships Instrumentation Team) has adopted the release for use as the primary Argo

deployment method on board RV Investigator and have provided funding to construct two

additional remote control releases in 2022/2023.


RC Argo Release

(above) CSIRO's RC Argo release being used to launch a Seabird NAVIS Argo float on board RV Investigator.




Deployment video and feedback from RV Investigator

"From a user's perspective, this float was very easy to turn on and deploy

Excited to see more of these deployments on the next trips," Svenja Halfter, UTAS



"Great to know 1330 has activated.

The crew were extremely happy and surprised how easy and quick it was to deploy the float," Steve Thomas, CSIRO



(above) Video of NAVIS Hull f1330 being deployed on board RV Investigator using CSIRO's RC Release in June 2022




Argo Tech CoP website developed by Pat McMahon 2021