User`s manual

Manual revision 016 Section 5: Routine Maintenance and Calibration SBE 49

Handling Instructions for Plastic Housing

The FastCAT’s 7000-meter titanium housing offers the best durability with a

modest amount of care. A plastic housing saves money and weight. However,

more care and caution in handling is required. To get the same excellent

performance and longevity for the plastic-housing version, and if you need to

access the electronics (not typically done by the customer), observe the

following precautions:

• The FastCAT’s end caps are retained by screws through the side of the

housing. The screw holes are close to the end of the housing. Particularly

in a cold environment, where plastic is more brittle, the potential for

developing a crack around the screw hole(s) is greater for the plastic

housing than for the titanium housing.

Observe the following precautions –

 When removing end caps (to access the electronics), be careful to

avoid any impact in this area of the housing.

 When reinstalling end caps, do not use excess torque on the screws.

Sea-Bird recommends tightening the screws to 15 inch-lbs.

Alternatively, tighten the screws finger-tight, and then turn each

screw an additional 45 degrees.

• A plastic housing is more susceptible to scratches than a titanium housing.

Do not use screwdrivers or other metal tools to pry off the end caps.

 Of primary concern are scratches on O-ring mating and sealing

surfaces. Take extra precaution to avoid a scraping contact with these

surfaces when re-seating the end cap.

 Also take care to keep the O-ring lubricated surfaces clean – avoid

trapping any sand or fine grit that can scratch the critical sealing

surfaces. If the O-ring lubricant does accumulate any material or grit

that can cause a leak or make a scratch, it must be carefully cleaned

and replaced with fresh, clean lubricant (Parker Super O Lube).

 Shallow, external scratches are cosmetic only, and will not affect the

performance of the FastCAT. However, deep external scratches can

become points of weakness for deep deployments or fracture from

impact during very cold weather.

See Appendix II: Electronics Disassembly / Reassembly for detailed step-by-

step procedures for removing the FastCAT’s end caps.