Introduction to transducers and data loggers

We will be using Campbell data loggers and an assortment of transducers as examples of fundamental environmental monitoring equipment. This module provides a brief overview of the equipment used, including reviews of the types of transducers and the basic architecture of a microcontroller based system.

Topics covered in this module

Preparation materials for lab

Demonstration materials for lab

Slides and materials from videos

Slides

Useful materials for reference or further study

Preparation materials for lab

Lab activities will use either a PC800 Series data logger (as shown in video) or a more modern PC300 Series data logger (not shown in video). The PC300 has the same basic input-output port options but is much smaller and does not have an independent screen. The transducers used as examples in lab activities are a type T thermocouple wire, a thermistor embedded in an aqueous electrical conductivity probe, and a soil water content sensor (5:15 min).

Transducers can be categorized as either active or passive, and can also be fundamentally categorized as either analog or digital. We will see examples of all of these types of transducers in the laboratory exercises (3:40 min).

The majority of data loggers are microprocessor based systems. Your computer and cell phone are also microprocessor based systems, though are generally more modularized and designed for more general applications than a data logger. Most data loggers are based on microcontrollers that integrate several components of a microprocessor based system in the same semiconductor chip (6:46 min).

Demonstration materials for lab

For all laboratory activities associated with environmental monitoring equipment, we will need to know how to get a computer with the PC400 software connected to a Campbell data logger (12:48 min).

If connecting with a new installation of newer version of PC400, you might get dialog windows not shown in the video. Taking the default values for those dialogs should be ok.

Note that the video is an example of connecting to a CR850. If performing these exercises with a CR310 data logger, you will want to select the CR300 series data logger when configuring a connection.