CSW-1 on University of Washington ORCA Buoys

The University of Washington’s ORCA buoys feature special-purpose CSW-1 winches built to handle a small profiling CTD with cage and ~140m of cable.  A.G.O. supplied the winch including levelwind and 24VDC-input motorized drivetrain, and the UW ORCA buoy team configured the buoys’ electrical system to power and control the winch accordingly. 

This scope devision helped reduce winch costs and simplify integration of the winch into the rest of the buoy as it gave the ORCA buoy team the freedom to configure the winch power and control electronics to best suit their preferences and constraints.

The CSW-1 as developed for the ORCA buoys weighs about 130lbs with overall dimensions of 32″L x 29″W x 25″H.  It runs on 24VDC (power and control electronics not included) with ~200W max continuous power draw (actual power draw load dependent).

Read more about the ORCA buoys:  https://nwem.apl.uw.edu/about_proj_ORCA.shtml