Manual SnowMicroPen 3
Contents
1. Improvements with new Software Upgrade 22 A2 How to do the Software Upgrade ccscccccssseccceesececcescceeeesececeeeccceeuscceseeeceeseneceeseusesesseneses 22 2 1 Nesdeda components ete 22 2 2 Installation of PICkit Software ON BC 22 2 3 Preparation of the SnowMicroPen3 Controller 24 Doing the Software Upgrade on the SnowMicroPen Controller occoocccncnccnnnnccnnnnccnonacinonininono 25 2 4 A New Contig Fileis necessary id 27 A3 BI ge EE 27 Manual SMP3 Introduction The SnowMicroPen is the first instrument capable of measuring the bonding force between snow grains with both high spatial resolution and high speed The new controller of SMP3 is designed for field measurements The intended purpose is to measure snow penetration resistance The controller is solely protected against splash water It should not be exposed to continuous rain or submersed into water or any other liquid Although the controller is specified for temperatures below 0 C some lower temperature limits have to be respected Operating temperature with display above 20 C Operating temperature without display only data logging above 30 C Below 20 C the display will not be damaged but will cease to function properly Measured data can be downloaded from the SD card directly to a PC The file system on the SD card is a standard FAT 32 system The GPS is an standard add on of the SMIP This short manual will help you to perform2. config_original txt which is recommended to be in protected mode such that it can not be deleted accidentally A one measuring campaign we suggest not to delete any data files on the SD card because the numbering of a new file on the controller depends on the total amount of files on the SD card If the SD card contains no pnt files but the config txt and the config_original txt the numbering starts with 0000 Evaluation Software The files can be viewed and printed with the program PeneWin exe PeneWin also has the capability of exporting the data to a file type compatible to Excel 17 Manual SMP3 Transportation and Package The SnowMicroPen is transported in a box with the following specifications Dimensions 31 x22x175 cm Weight 18 kg Figure16 shows the complete content of the box with components of the SnowMicroPen Hz E Y Ka yy eng E Figure17 Box for transportation of SnowMicroPen 3 containing all components List of components e SnowMicroPen 3 motor unit and drive rod e Controller e Measuring tip e Stripping snowbrush e SD card reader and USB cable e PicKit for upgrading controller firmware cable and CD e Charging device and cable e Standing poles e Spare parts e CD containing user manual PeneWin software original configuration file and software upgrade manual CD stuck to the inside of the cover plate of the box A tip of the SnowMicroPen must be completely cove
3. higher value in mm than the drive rod can be driven parameter max length in mm It is recommended to define the appropriate measure length for a campaign on the configuration file Otherwise the measure length has to be changed manually before each measurement directly on the controller that is possible as well e Filename The parameter filename is a four letter word The automatic numbering and labeling of the pnt files starts with the filename e g S27M_002 pnt e Offset the parameter offset N can be set unequal to O N if the average zero signal e g measured in air from the force sensor is not equal to O N The offset does not affect the overload value The offset correction of the penetration force takes place after the measurement e GPS O OFF 1 ON The GPS should be ON 1 With the GPS signal a timestamp is added to the measurement file MA If the parameters are set incorrectly on the configuration file force sensor electrical or mechanical components of the controller or SnowMicroPen can be destroyed Buttons and Display The controller has one main switch and four button see Figure2 Main switch green with protection cap 1 ON O 0FF Green round button is used to enter a menu start a measurement or confirm a setting Red round button is used to exit a menu step back abort a measurement Lower black round button is used to go down in a menu structure or decrease a value Upper black round button is used
4. the measure length mm The values can be changed using the black and green buttons The decimal to be changed is highlighted A Depth 84jaAmm y Figure16 Display the decimal to be changed is highlighted Battery and power supply The controller Figure2 includes a 3 5 Ah 14 V Lithium Polymer battery The battery is either charged from the outside with the suitable power supply or an additional battery can be connected The device of the controller must not be opened for recharging the battery The battery should be fully charged before use using only the provided charger A battery can only be recharged if the battery temperature is higher than 5 C If the temperature is below about 5 C the charger indicates Battery recharged green LED although NO recharge occurs 16 Manual SMP3 Transferring data and evaluation Transferring data Data transfer is done by removing the SD card from the slot slightly push on the card and downloading it to a PC using a standard SD card reader No specific download software is necessary The card will appear as a normal drive and the binary files with the ending pont can be copied There is no need to delete the files actually this way there is always a backup up to 6000 files of 1 2 m length can be stored on a 4 GB card We recommend not to delete the files this way all files are consecutively numbered up to 9999 Do not delete the configuration file config txt or
5. to its initial position figure 10 Display to drive the SMP manually If the user enters Measure from Figure7 Figure11 appears Figure11 Display to start a measurement with the default length of 500 mm change the default length depth or settings of the GPS optional not included in standard version of SnowMicroPen If the green button is pressed for the first time Figure11 a measurement will be initialzied here with the default depth of 500 mm given in the configuration file 14 Manual SMP3 figure 12 Display of initializing the measurement after pressing the green button for the first time The display shows the message W f Time means wait for time of the GPS signal This W f Time process can be jumped over by pressing the green button for a second time The measurement will start either the controller got the GPS signal for the timestamp or the user pressed the green button a second time The red blinking LED indicates that the device is measuring The measured data is visualized and then stored automatically Figure13 Figure13 Display visualization of the measured penetration force To exit the display showing the measured data Figure13 press the red button To change the measured depth Depth is selected Figure14 Figure14 Display to change the default measure length mm The appearing screen should look like this 15 Manual SMP3 Figure15 Display in the menu for changing
6. when it is raining Cover the controller during snowfall when it is not being used for measuring Remove the snow and water droplets from the device before heating it up A When the force sensor is not connected always put on the short circuit connector otherwise the amplifier can be destroyed Without the short circuit connector it is possible that the charge amplifier may charge itself A charge caused by electrostatic effects is equivalent to an overload during a measurement and can make it impossible to measure because the simulated overload stops it immediately Manual SMP3 A When opening the SnowMicroPen controller wear an anti static wrist wrap to prevent electrostatic discharges to the electronics SD card Control parameters and measured data are stored on the SD card rated to 40 C Multiple SD cards can be used and or prepared A configuration file figure4 with the name config txt AND the backup file config original Get must be written on the SD card before being used The SD card must be inserted that the labeled side points upwards It is technically not possible to insert the card the wrong way For the normal use of the SD card we recommend to use the SD card with the write lock ON you can still write on it using the controller but the PC can not write or delete any files accidentally A Make sure that the SD card has a data rate of at least 30 MB s class 10 We recommend to use the provided SD c
7. WSL Institut fur Schnee und Lawinenforschung SLF WSL Institut pour l tude de la neige et des avalanches SLF WSL Istituto per lo studio della neve e delle valanghe SLF WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF Manual SnowMicroPen 3 February 2013 Version 1 Revision 4 WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF Fluelastrasse11 7260 Davos Dorf Switzerland Manual SMP3 Table of Contents MAA e ds 4 Technical Properties Aia 4 Operating the SMOWIVIICEOP CN Sit da 5 Settine Up the MS Er UCU EE 5 SO UU UNNE CIO tl 5 Measurement DED alrall ON EE 5 IIS le EE EE 7 Controle aia 7 Iesel ER e E EE leg el EE 7 A A 8 cs BE 6 E 9 CONSUL Me calados 10 Buttons and DISPO SAS 11 Menu structure and navigation schematically ooocccnoooccnnnnnnonnnonaconnnnanonnnonaronnonaronncnanonnnnnnoss 12 Menus on tea ed 13 Battery and power SUPPO corie a a a aa 16 Reg nee Ee E dn E 17 MTS TOE dee KEE 17 Evaluation SOLOW E 17 Transporntatonmand OT 18 Meli A A a a se deaesdueteteeec 19 lo 19 DIVINA dodo ad 19 Kei Ia AS DA EE 19 SOTUW al OUD Ca Coast aida 19 Special IM in 19 Ier UE gelt or the SD cara falls OS 19 COntro RO CID temperatures ocio 19 Eelere 20 Before Me Mea SUM Na R s 20 ATTEN TNE measurement ana Oir 20 Features no more possible On SMP Sita 20 Manual SMP3 Still existing bugs in controller softwarev 0 20 elle leie vda nasa dara 20 Appendix A Firmware Upgrade of SnowMicroPen 3 22 Al
8. ards The maximal size of the SD card is 4 GB restriction on the file system on the microcontroller A Make sure that the only files stored on the SD card are config txt the config_orginal txt file and the pnt files It is not allowed to store other files on the SD card Manual SMP3 If the SD card needs a reformatting it is important to chose the allocation unit size equal to 32 KB as shown in the figure 3 Otherwise the real time data writing during a measurement often fails Capacity File system Allocation unit size Restore device defaults Volume label Format optons Quick Format _ Create an MS DOS startup disk figure 3 Parameter to reformat the SD card Configuration file The configuration file has the following structure EI Config txt Notepad File Edit Format View Help Filename 532M default measure length in mm 1250 serial number 32 sensor typ 9207 sensor number 4280678 Sensitivity pc per N 116 amplifier typ 5030 amplifier number 1764826 range 2 overload range in N 41 max length in mm 1250 samples per mm 242 GPS ON 1 1 offset per N 0 00 Diameter 5000 each change may potentially destroy the instrument please follow the instructions figure4 Example of a configuration file that must be stored on the SD card 10 Manual SMP3 The user should only change the following parameters e Default measure length in mm It is not allowed to set a
9. croPen 3 A1 Improvements with new Software Upgrade e Few programs are perfect therefore we give the user of the SMP3 to possibility to upgrade it quite easily A2 How to do the Software Upgrade 2 1 Needed components The components you need for the software upgrade are listed below e Computer with available USB port and CD ROM drive Windows XP Vista or 7 e PICkit 2 containing PICkit Starter Kit Software USB Interface Cable HI TECH PICC Lite Compiler delivered with all SnowMicroPen3 controllers e Extension cable from PICkit2 to SnowMicroPen controller e SnowMicroPen3 controller e Screw driver e main hex file of latest software version 2 2 Installation of PICkit Software on PC The installation of the PICkit Starter Kit software on the computer is quite easy Follow the steps in the list below please keep your PC connected to the internet and make sure you have Administrator permissions e Insert the CD into the CD ROM drive e Autostart you may be asked to download a more recent version of PICkit from Microchip do so 22 Manual SMP3 e Choose Programmer Only on the left side of the user interface e PICKIE Starter Eit Microsoft Internet Explorer PICkit Starter Kit PiCkit 1 PICKit 2 PICK 2 Please Select Your Kit Starter Kit PICKit 2 Starter Kit PICkit 2 Debug Express Debug Express Set the Brower bo aow acto content from Cia for links lo work propery A S
10. e signal will show a drift continuous change over the measured length of up to 2 N In spring it may occur that the temperature of the SnowMicroPen tip is above 0 C This means that snow crystals in contact to the tip may melt This may influence the measurement i e when water enters the force sensor unit and refreezes blocking the sensor tip Spray the tip with some alcohol or anti freeze as used to unfreeze key holes 19 Manual SMP3 Check list Before the measurement Check if the O ring of the sensor tip is placed correctly Is the SD card inserted into the controller unit Is there enough free memory for the measurements Is the battery recharged Don t forget controller unit motor unit and the two fixing poles Adapt the instrument to the outside temperature for at least one hour After the measurement Read out the data from SD card afterwards After measurements in wet conditions let the SnowMicroPen dry out well all the electronics and also the penetration shaft containing the force sensor Clean everything and store it somewhere warm and dry Pull out the penetration shaft using Settings gt Drive Engine gt Forward approx 10cm Remove measuring tip VERY carefully Recharge the battery Features no more possible on SMP3 There were features provided by SMP2 those are not available on SMP3 anymore Date and time are only written into the file header if the real time clock was initialized at least
11. ess as long as the red LED flushes up and the measurement will start immediately 12 Manual SMP3 Menus on the display Using the main switch green switch turns on the controller An initializing screen appears for a few seconds In the case that the SD card is not inserted or unreadable the following screen appears Figure6 Display if the initializing of the SD card fails Otherwise the instrument is immediately ready to measure Figure7 If you enter the measure menu the display changes to Figure11 Figure7 Display if the initializing of the controller is successful If the green button is pressed the Measure Process is started Figure7 If Settings is selected the selection shown in figure 8 Drive Engine or Parameter appears Drive SS e S Parameter figure 8 Display shows the selection to enter either Drive Engine or Parameter If Parameter is selected the values of the configuration file are shown Figure9 The values can not be changed The screen is exited using the red button 13 Manual SMP3 Figure9 Display shows settings from configuration file on the SD card If Drive Engine is selected from figure 8 the display shown in figure 10 appears and the user can drive the SMP manually As long as the lower black round button is pressed the drive rod of the SMP moves forward If the upper black round button is pressed the drive rod moves back directly
12. ite e Choose Install PICkit TM 2 Programmer Application e starter ta rerom internet Empower eee Gen feather Arete Poten Con area 10 CAPIR artar 18 Welcome ttm ear gt ODA Qu rege rede DAS PICkit Starter Kit SH Microchip PICkit 1 PICKA 2 PICK 2 Install PICkit Programmer Da Microchip website for the latest versions installs d MPLAB IDE User s Guides Vara install PICkit 2 Programmer Application view Race te Reference Dot es rvembz WW Datasheets g App Notes Tips n Tricks Third Party Source Code Deve karn dera ahaden E or Ge Compute orn e Links La de Dan gootinet oder af den Computes gece weden ee Cien atten j ge E Vor cen ber Ser D penyen rg ege ei EOT Mmes e Installation as usual 23 Manual SMP3 2 3 Preparation of the SnowMicroPen3 Controller 1 Loosen the four screws of the SMP controller cover 2 Extension cable from PIC compiler with white cable on the side of the white arrow at the PICkit 2 3 Five pin plug on the left side of the SD card White wire on the right side of the plug e Then connect the PIC compiler with the USB cable to the computer e Switch on the SnowMicroPen controller 24 Manual SMP3 Doing the Software Upgrade on the SnowMicroPen Controller e Start the installed PICkit program e The following window appears PICkit 2 Programmer Ioj x Device Family Programme Import Hex Ctrl I Ex
13. one time with internal GPS Otherwise the date and time are fixed to 2000 01 01 00 00 The numbering of the files cannot be set through the controller always the total amount of files on the SD card is counted to number a new file Still existing bugs in controller software v3 12 There are still some small bugs in the controller software v3 12 However if the user knows about the bugs the SMP3 can be used After entering the Settings gt Parameter menu a followed measurement is executed with the default measuring length configuration file and NOT with the measuring length that the user entered on the controller although the entered length is shown on the display of the controller So not to fall prey to this bug switch ON OFF the controller after entering the Parameter menu and enter the measuring length again The first value of the graph Figure13 is random value and not correct on the display but correct in the pnt file If the user wants a consecutively numbering of the files the old pnt files should not be deleted on the SD card Support For support please write to snowmicropen slf ch or call 41 81 417 0111 20 Manual SMP3 21 WSL Institut fur Schnee und Lawinenforschung SLF WSL Institut pour l tude de la neige et des avalanches SLF LE WSL Istituto per lo studio della neve e delle valanghe SLF WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF A A SLF Appendix A Firmware Upgrade of SnowMi
14. port Hex CErI E Exit Ctrl g FADE FICK 2 found and connected T PIC Device Found y ICROCHIP OD PICkit 2 if On 33 Vert Erase Blank Check IT MCLR O emory d Hex Only Source None Empty Erased Checksum EEPROM Data 7 Enabled Hex Orly e fthe verifying process was successful the software upgrade was successful as well if not repeat the write process at most two times e Disconnect the PICkit e Switch off SnowMicroPen controller e Reassemble the SnowMicroPen controller with the screws 25 Manual SMP3 If the PIC Device is not found different message than in 1 on picture above please try the following action 2 PICkit 2 Programmer f Ioj x File Device Family Programmer View Help HIT J Configuration Enable Code Protect Ctrl F Device Ho Device Found Enable Data Protect Ctrl D User IDs FF FF FF FF OSCCAL Checksum 0000 Target YOO Source Calibrate VDD amp Set Unik ID PICKIt 2 found and connected Use YPP First Program Entry JICHIP Fast Programming UART Tool Read Cy rie Melu Logic Tool Program Memory Check Communication Mo Enabled Hex Orly STi Troubleshoot Download PICKE 2 Operating System EEPROM Data 7 Enabled Hex Only e Also Device Familiy must be PIC18F_J in case that the connection cannot be properly opened 26 Manual SMP3 2 4 A New Config File is necessar
15. red by the white tube during transportation If the tip is not covered unexpected forces can destroy the force sensor A cable of the SnowMicroPen must be disconnected from the controller during transportation and ALWAYS shortened with the attached cable cap 18 Manual SMP3 Maintenance Cleaning The surface of the screen can be cleaned with a soft cloth as any plastic screen Drying The components should be dried after each usage Water condensing inside the front part of the penetration shaft may cause a drift of the force signal Therefore the penetration shaft containing the force sensor has to dry out well after measurements Replacing the battery A new battery must be ordered at SLF Software upgrade The user can do a software upgrade The procedure is described in the Appendix A1 To upgrade the software the controller must be opened and connected to a special cable with the PicKit tool to the computer For more information please see Appendix Al Special hints Initialization of the SD card fails If the initialization of the SD card fails every time the controller is switched on a reformatting of the SD card should be performed After formatting the SD card the original configuration file must be restored see also chapter SD card Control of tip temperature The temperature of the sensor must be below 0 C and close to the snow temperature If the sensor is not close to the snow temperature the forc
16. should be set to 25N The tip itself may get damaged and blunt always check if still OK Soil and frozen soil Measurements into mineral or organic soils are no problem if there is little or no skeleton embedded stones However often clay silt or fine organic material easily sticks on the tip especially in the groove O ring Clean the tip of the SMP with a soft brush before penetrating into ground If you are unsure about the type of the soil reduce the maximal force to 25 N Measuring The SnowMicroPen has to be held in the position by the measuring person The measuring process is started with the green button Before the drive rod starts a message W f Time controller waits for a GPS signal to get a timestamp When the timestamp is available the red LED starts blinking and the measurement starts If there is no GPS signal the W f Time process can be interrupted by pressing the green button a second time and the measurement will start immediately If no exceptions occur the drive rod of the SnowMicroPen is being driven into the snow pack until the user defined length is reached When the drive rod stops a plot showing the penetration force against measured depth is displayed on the controller The dataset is written as a pnt file on the SD card and the drive rod is driven back to the initial start position afterwards EXCEPTIONS e The user stops a running measurement with the red button on the controller e The penetra
17. successful measurements Please read it carefully Technical Properties A short list of the most important technical properties of the SMP Velocity of drive rod 20 mm s Sampling rate of the force 242 S mm Maximal allowed force with sensor type 9207 50N 50N Maximal allowed force with sensor type 9203 500 N 500 N Internal clock for date and time Initialized by GPS Manual SMP3 Operating the SnowMicroPen 3 Setting up the instrument It takes about five minutes to set up the instrument on snow A Make sure that the coaxial cable is always shorted with the cap before connecting Handle the sensor cables with care Don t bend them Take the motor unit and the drive rod out of the box Fix the stripping brush on the white plastic tube on the bottom of the motor unit Insert the two standing poles into the mounting holes on the motor unit Connect the cable of the force sensor coming out of the drive rod to the controller GE NO Connect the cable from the motor unit to the controller In case the measuring tip was removed for drying Use Drive Engine gt Forward see chapter Menus on the display Screw in the measuring tip with the O ring carefully into the force sensor by hand Look for a proper positioning of the O ring oo ECH Use Drive Engine gt Back to return the drive rod to the initial position A white plastic tube at the bottom of the motor unit always covers the force sensor Do not move
18. the drive rod out manually Only for SMP with demountable drive rod When tightening the rods together make sure there is no gap between the rods by twisting them against each other Under no circumstances may there be any gap When not tight enough the gear wheel and the rods will become damaged which requires expensive repairs Setting up the controller For detailed information about the handling of the controller please see the chapter Controller 1 Insert an SD card with an appropriate configuration file into the controller see chapter Configuration file Switch the controller ON a check of the controller and the SD card is automatically done Now the SMP is ready to measure Measurement preparation Before measuring the instrument must be adapted to the outside temperature for at least one hour On slopes use the adjustable poles to make sure the drive rod is oriented perpendicular to the snow surface The instrument may NOT be operated in horizontal or upside down position The geared rods may become damaged which requires expensive repairs Figure1 shows an appropriate setup of the SnowMicroPen before starting a measurement 5 Manual SMP3 H be S e SC E A eme 7 Figurel The SnowMicroPen must be positioned perpendicular to the slope If the measuring length is correct then the SnowMicroPen is ready to start measuring To change the measuring length see chapter Menus on the display Figure13 You can na
19. tion force becomes larger than the overload that is defined in the configuration file If an exception occurs the drive rod stops immediately and does not continue to the user defined length Although the measurement is aborted the data already taken is displayed and are written to a pnt file with the corrected header information Then the drive rod is driven back to the initial start position as normal SD Fail Data ok if there was an error between the controller and the SD card between the measurement SD Fail Data ok is displayed All the data until the rod stopped are saved in the file Controller Improvements of SMP3 controller The new controller of the SnowMicroPen3 provides the following advantages e The controller can be operated with gloves e You can use the round four buttons on the left to navigate through the menu structure e The battery is located inside the controller 7 Manual SMP3 e The data storage is performed by a SD card and a standard FAT filesystem Controller body Sensor connector sD clot Motor connector Recharge battery Figure2 The new controller of the SnowMicroPen 3 On the left side of the controller Figure2 there are the operating buttons on the right side the main switch The red and green LED shows the operating status of the controller A controller is not fully protected against moisture Do not use the controller without additional protection e g plastic bag
20. to go up in a menu structure or increase a value The buttons and the display are used to control the SnowMicroPen If menu options are shown on the display the one with the WIKIA ISA EAS rd iS active A If there is a complete failure of the SnowMicroPen the green main switch must be used as emergency stop 11 Manual SMP3 Menu structure and navigation schematically The main operation is shown in the flow chart Figure5 All operations are done using the four round buttons Green is used to select the highlighted item or to continue with the next number in a selection Red to skip a screen or to cancel an operation The black buttons are used to select other operations to move up and down to select a number or to drive the motor up and down No SD Card inserted Yes Measure Move Settings Up Down Drive Engine Parameter Init Failure Measure or Settings press RED button Show Parameters Depth immediate start FigureS Flowchart of the menu structure GREEN button proceeds Y RED button cancels Additional information to the flow chart in Figure 5 before the measurement starts the message W f Time is displayed W f Time means that the controller waits for a GPS signal to extract the time UTC and add a timestamp to the measurement file If there is no GPS signal at all or the user does not like to wait the green button can pressed a second time pr
21. vigate through the menus by using the round two black the green and red button on the controller beside the display A only safe mode of operation on a slope is perpendicular to the slope NOTE Vertical at plumb measurements on a slope are not permitted and will lead to signal with spurious false values and possibly to a complete destruction of the force sensor This is caused by bending of the tip on the layer transitions and their consequent forces Be very careful while measuring close to hard surfaces rocks scree or frozen soil soil The force sensor may be damaged due to bending of the tip much easier than when the force is normal The guidelines given below are especially for the 50 N sensor the standard sensor for the SMP used in seasonal snow Specific recommendations for different ground surfaces Scree or rock fields Measurements to the ground on scree slopes boulder fields can cause a destruction of the sensor because the bending forces on the tip may get very high when the tip hits the rock Minimize the risk of damage by sounding the actual depth with a calibrated avalanche probe before measuring Set the maximal force to a lower value than usual 25 N Solid rock Measurements to the ground on solid rock can cause a destruction of the sensor because during braking very high transient forces can occur Manual SMP3 The maximal force in such conditions if the measurement can not be stopped before
22. y e The new software upgrade on the SnowMicroPen controller may also needs a slightly different config file e Please load the config txt and the config_original txt to the SD card a Config txt Notepad File Edit Format View Help Filename 532M default measure length in mm 1250 serial number 32 sensor typ 9207 sensor number 4280678 sensitivity pc per N 116 amplifier typ 5030 amplifier number 1764826 range 2 overload range in N 41 max length in mm 1250 samples per mm 242 GPS ON 1 1 offset per N 0 00 Diameter 5000 each change may potentially destroy the instrument please follow the instructions A check the correct working of the SnowMicroPen3 by connecting the motor and sensor do a few test measurements and check the results on the computer If you want your measurement files to be consecutively numbered keep all pnt files on the SD card A3 Questions If you have trouble to accomplish the new software upgrade please contact snowmicropen slf ch 27
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