Tilt Current Meter

The TCM-1 tilt current meter is ideal for measuring water velocity from inland to the edge of the continental shelf. The simple design and lower cost of the TCM-1 make it feasible to measure current in many locations simultaneously.

The core of the TCM-1 is the MAT-1 Data Logger. The MAT-1 data logger was designed for NOAA and is ideally suited as the “brains” of a tilt current meter.

The TCM-1 is field configurable for either low or high current range by simply adding or removing a calibrated ballast. Housed rugged PVC, with no external sensors, the TCM-1 is easy to deploy and recover. The built-in data logger includes a USB communication interface, a microSD flash memory card, and a long-life lithium battery.

The TCM-1 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-1 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-1 for deployment and to process data and saved as text file (.csv).

• Water velocity for a fraction of the cost of an acoustic meter
• Tilt compensated compass for bearing measurements
• Simple, rugged, low maintenance design
• Seaweed snag-resistant
• Change range in the field without software
• Temperature sensor accurate to +/-0.1C
• 4GB memory card eliminates memory concerns
• Lithium battery allows continuous 4Hz sampling for more than 1 year
• USB 2.0 with standard cable and drag and drop data file offload

• MAT-1 Data Logger
• 46 cm (18″) current meter housing
• Bronze “low-range” ballast washer and bolt
• Lithium battery (installed in logger)
• 4 GB microSD card (installed in data logger)
• 1 m (3 ft) USB A to micro-B Cable
• Spare O-ring (pre-lubricated)
• 30 cm (12″) lanyard