| Q. |
Where are dataloggers
used? Who uses them? |
| A. |
Dataloggers are
used in remote areas or anywhere that you want the convenience of
battery power is needed to record measurements. They are ideal for
those involved with field studies, transportation monitoring, troubleshooting,
quality studies, general research, and educational science. Dataloggers
are also suitable for self-learning users since they are economically
priced and easy-to-use. Dataloggers can be used in a wide variety
of applications. Their small size makes them ideal for mounting in
out-of-the-way locations. |
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| Q. |
What should be
looked for in a datalogger? |
| A. |
• Ease of
use
• Reliability
• Accuracy
• Value |
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| Q. |
What should be
looked for from a datalogger manufacturer? |
| A. |
Time-proven experience,
in-house manufacturing, a large customer base, and knowledgeable,
helpful sales and support people. |
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| Q. |
Sensors like
oxygen and/or pH sensors will not calibrate. Why? |
| A. |
• The electrolyte
for an oxygen sensor probe has a shelf life of around 1 year. If it
is older than this, it may need replacing. Damaged probe tips must
also be replaced.
• Plastic bodied combination pH sensors and the electrolyte for
the refillable pH sensors have a guaranteed shelf life of around 9
months. If it is older than this, then the probe/electrolyte may need
replacing. |
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| Q. |
My computer cannot
link with the interface. What should I do? |
| A. |
• Check
the power supply of the interface, and see is it work normally.
• Check the connection cable between the interface and the computer.
• Ensure that the software is configured to the correct port
that the unit is linked to.
• Try to restart the computer after checking the above. |
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| Q. |
What is the difference
between digital and analogue sensors? |
| A. |
Analogue data
is like the mercury in a thermometer. To the thermometer user, the
height of the mercury column represents a temperature. Keep in mind,
the height of the column is just a height, but we interpret or convert
that height into a temperature, using the markers on the glass wall
of the thermometer. Similarly, the analogue data collected by a sensor
is a representation of a real world quantity (like force or pressure).
This "representation" can be any value within a specified range and
must be converted into units that we understand. For most of the analogue
sensors, the "representation" of the data is a voltage reading. This
voltage is converted by the specific software provided by the manufacture
using a known conversion factor. Analogue sensors include pressure,
force, temperature, light intensity, acceleration, sound, voltage,
current, magnetic field, humidity, heart rate etc.
Digital data is like a stopwatch. At the simplest level, the stopwatch
knows that when its switch is "on," it begins timing. When the switch
is "off," it stops timing. So a stopwatch does two things: it
recognises an on/off state and it counts the time between those two
states. Digital data is discrete numerical information that can be
plugged directly into a calculation and displayed on screen. The data
does not need to be converted by a conversion factor like analogue
data. An example of a digital sensor is a photogate. A photogate recognises
the blocked/unblocked state of its photogate beam. It measures the
time between two blocked states (blocked-unblocked-blocked) and reports
the time to the computer. |
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