Logging data with Campbell equipment

After extracting data from transducers, the other critical function of a data logger is to store data in its permanent memory (4:11 min).

The Campbell short cut tool allows the configuration of logging basic summary statistics of measurements (11:22 min).

After a program that is logging data runs for a while, the resulting data tables in permanent memory on the data logger are available for download to a computer using the PC400 software (10:11 min).

If you need a more complex program that cannot be created with short cut, you will need to know how to use CRBasic to program logging in data tables. As demonstrated in previous modules, using short cut to create a template for a CRBasic program is a helpful way to get started. The following is the CRBasic program created by the short cut example above.

Note that the sensitivity argument for the TCDiff function will look a little different if this program is created for a CR310.

Let's review this program to get a more detailed understanding of how data tables are implemented in CRBasic, which has a similar construct as declaring and using functions (8:57 min).

Note that the sensitivity argument for the TCDiff function will look a litte different if this program is created for a CR310.

This template for defining data tables can be used in the program built in previous modules to add data logging (8:18 min).

Now we have a CRBasic program allowing us to log our temperature measurements from different combinations of transducers and calibrations.

Note that the "AutoRangeC" option will not be available for the voltage measurements, the TCDiff measurements, or the BrHalf measurements with a CR310. You should use the more sensitive setting, or the 34 mV setting, if working through these exercises with a CR310.

If using a CR310, the ports are named specifically. When using PortSet, you may need to use "SW12V" as the port identifier instead of the number 9 on a CR850. Remember that right-clicking on a function and then an argument in CRBasic will show you the valid options available for that argument if it is a limited list of options.

Let's download the data generated after running the program for a while (3:19 min).

Understanding how to log data using a reasonably full-featured programming language like CRBasic opens doors to a great deal of creativity in tracking data using just about any algorithm you can imagine. Here is an example of only logging temperature when it exceeds a given threshold (21:29 min).

Note that the "AutoRangeC" option will not be available for the the TCDiff measurements with a CR310. You should use the more sensitive setting, or the 34 mV setting, if working through these exercises with a CR310.

To demonstrate the flexibility, let's consider that we may want to log the average temperature over a given time period if the temperature remains above a threshold throughout that whole time period (19:05 min).

Note that the "AutoRangeC" option will not be available for the the TCDiff measurements with a CR310. You should use the more sensitive setting, or the 34 mV setting, if working through these exercises with a CR310.

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