ARC-1™

Acoustic release reliability depends on mechanical simplicity. The ARC-1 is based on a patented instant fusible link mechanism (U.S. patent 7,138,603). A 14 kilowatt jolt of power vaporizes a nickel-chromium wire within a few milliseconds, setting free a simple level arm – the only moving part! With so little to go wrong, the ARC-1 is highly reliable when rigged correctly. The ARC-1 is also designed for volume use, with up to 120 units used by a single customer so far. 4096 ID codes and surface control software with GPS position recording and a data base entry for each release simplifies the management of dozens or hundreds of stations. Acoustic ranging provides the distance to a release prior to trigger, and status reporting indicates if a release indeed has fired. In addition to a deck box, Desert Star also offers an interrogator for ROV mounting, providing a unique means to locate a fouled station or trigger while observing underwater.