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https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD

The OpenCTD is a low-cost, open-source CTD for researchers and citizen scientists.
https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD

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The OpenCTD is a low-cost, open-source CTD for researchers and citizen scientists.

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README 

        
Build your own research-quality oceanographic instrument for a fraction of the cost of commercial alternatives. 



Let's explore the ocean, together. 



**Updated 5/21/2023**



### Development Notes: 

> Please be advised that the rubber o-rings in the yellow Cherne brand endcaps is much stiffer than the rubber used in other endcap brands and has been found to fail consistently in cold water. We do not recommend using Cherne endcaps in you CTD build.

>

> A new version of the control board is in production. If you have a Rev 6 control board, we have released [Power Management Upgrade for OpenCTD rev 6](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/blob/main/Documentation/Manual/OpenCTD_PowerManagementUpgrade_rev6.pdf), a guide to fixing the annoying "must be on to charge" feature of the OpenCTD rev 6 control board.

> Some batteries ordered from Amazon have the positive and negative termninal reversed. Please check battery polarity before attempting to power your CTD. 



# OpenCTD: Oceanography for Everyone



The [OpenCTD Construction and

Operation](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/tree/main/Documentation/Manual)

manual provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to building your own

OpenCTD, with a standard construction pathway as well as numerous alternatives

depending on parts availability and technical skills. 



The OpenCTD [core software](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/tree/main/Software) is designed

to be used with an M0-style Arduino microcontroller, for which we recommend the

[Adafruit Adalogger Feather M0](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2796). 



---



There is something radical about making and using your own scientific

instruments. The structure of scientific inquiry has coalesced around a model

that is, in general, both expensive and exclusive. This centralizes knowledge

production within a small circle of individuals, organizations, and

institutions who have access to substantial financial resources. This circle

rarely reflects the breadth of identities, experiences, and ways of knowing

that are most directly connected to the places being explored.



By building your own instruments to study and understand the natural world, you

are expanding the circle of knowledge production. A scientist who can make

their own instruments is not beholden to the cycles of funding and access that

constrain formal, institutional inquiry. A researcher who can build and repair

their own equipment is not dependent on the whims of academic sentiment to

decide what is and is not worthy of study. A community leader who has the tools

to create their own data does not have to wait for institutions to take notice

of an emerging crisis before taking action.



![The OpenCTD](Documentation/Images/IMG_20190727_150858%20(2).jpg)



**You don’t need to ask for permission to understand your world.**



Nowhere is this inequality of access more pronounced than in the ocean

sciences, where all but a few entities have the capital to mount major

oceanographic research campaigns. Even localized coastal research can be

thwarted by lack of access to vessels, equipment, and instruments. As the need

to understand the dramatic changes at the surface and beneath the waves

accelerates, baring the participation of ocean stakeholders erodes our

power to understand, anticipate, and mitigate those changes.



The ocean belongs to everyone. The tools to study the ocean should be

accessible to anyone with the curiosity and motivation to pursue that inquiry.

Chief among these tools is the workhorse of oceanography, the CTD, an

instrument that measures salinity, temperature, and depth. By these

characteristics, scientists can begin to unlock ocean patterns hidden beneath

the sea's surface.



CTDs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and applications. Most oceanographic

research vessels have a CTD connected to a rosette platform, which houses other

instruments and collects water samples in parallel with real-time data. CTDs

are also commonly attached to fixed moorings, autonomous underwater vehicles

(AUVs), remote-operated vehicles (ROVs), and even to marine animals.



Unfortunately, commercial CTDs are expensive. The most affordable models cost

several thousand dollars. For near-shore oceanographic research on the

relatively shallow continental shelf, this cost can be prohibitive. This

effectively excludes formal researchers from low and middle income countries,

and small island states. Even in high-income countries, formal researchers at

teaching institutions or at early career stages may also find themselves priced

out of ocean research. Informal researchers such as citizen oceanographers,

educators, conservation and management practitioners and students of all levels

face severe challenges accessing expensive scientific instruments. 



### Build Your Own CTD



The OpenCTD is a low-cost, open-source CTD designed for budget-restricted

scientists, educators, and researchers working in nearshore coastal ecosystems.

In these waterways, entire research projects can be conducted for less than the

cost of a commercial CTD. OpenCTD was developed by a core team of marine

ecologists in collaboration with a community of scientists, engineers, makers,

and conservation practitioners from around the world. It is assembled from

components commonly available at large hardware stores or through major online

retailers. An Arduino-based microcontroller controls an array of sensors sealed

within a PVC pipe. Power is provided by a standard 3.7V lithium polymer battery

and data are stored in a tab-delimited text file accessed via SD card.  All

OpenCTD software is released open source with no restrictions on use. 



The OpenCTD is designed to be built by the end-user, providing both access to

the tools of oceanography as well as the skills to maintain, repair, and

replace OpenCTDs. For scientists working in remote settings, the repairability

of the OpenCTD is intended to prevent equipment failures from spiraling into

project failures. For educators seeking novel, in-depth, hands-on STEM

experience for advanced students, the process of building an OpenCTD offers an

introduction to coding, 3D-printing, hardware prototyping, and electronics.

Construction of an OpenCTD can provide a practical foundation for courses in

oceanography and marine or environmental science. 



### Core Resources



The [OpenCTD Construction and

Operation](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/tree/main/Documentation/Manual)

manual provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to building your own

OpenCTD, with a standard construction pathway as well as numerous alternatives

depending on parts availability and technical skills. A shorter manual covering just the calibration process is also available. 



The OpenCTD [core software](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/tree/main/Software) is designed

to be used with an M0-style Arduino microcontroller, for which we recommend the

[Adafruit Adalogger Feather M0](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2796). 



You can find all the Arduino libraries as described in the manual, as well as

software for calibrating the conductivity sensors in

[Support](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/tree/main/Software/Support).



Hardware file for both 3D printable components and the control unit PBC can be found in [Hardware](https://github.com/OceanographyforEveryone/OpenCTD/tree/main/Hardware) 



**Updated 5/21/2024**