Taking A Look At Data Logger Devices
Not so many years ago, if you wanted to record a set of changing data over a given time period, you would need to use a chart recorder. These are mechanical devices that work either with or without electrical power. Although these are still sometimes the best type of device for the job, they have been largely replaced by data logger devices.
Data loggers are electronic devices that can have either their own built-in sensors, or the capability to connect to external sensors. Generally, they’re battery-powered, small, and have an on-board microprocessor. Some can stand alone, with their own displays and keyboards. Others can hold data in memory for later retrieval, usually by connecting it to a computer. On a computer, data may be either displayed via proprietary software, or via an Excel spreadsheet or graph. Newer devices may also have capabilities for wireless communications, allowing them to send constant streams of data to a base station.
Search on the web, and you’ll see a wide range of data logger. Prices range from the inexpensive, to thousands of dollars. There are lots of vendors, selling devices for almost any type of data that can be measured.
Many sellers have prominent store-fronts on the web, and sell a large range of logging devices. Network technicians, weather researchers, electricians, homeowners, and more can find something that they can use. There’s something to be found for pretty much everybody and his brother.
For homeowners, an energy audit or monitoring device may be useful. Several different types are on the market, including a type that can measure how much power that an electrical appliance draws, and then calculate its annual cost of operation. Another type of monitoring kit will let a homeowner to keep a constant surveillance on rooms temperatures throughout the house.
Industrial outfits and small businesses might need to use data loggers to monitor greenhouses, air quality, refrigeration units, or HVAC. An air quality monitor can constantly check levels of atmospheric carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or certain other gasses. You’d want to use these in closed spaces, any time that there’s a danger that hazardous gasses may accumulate.
Fleet operators, such as taxi cab or trucking companies, may benefit from the automotive logging devices. These are small devices, which can be connected to a vehicle’s OBD-II port. They can monitor engine performance, fuel economy, and how the vehicle is being driven. Some of these devices have wireless capabilities, allowing operators at a base station to see real-time data as vehicles are being driven. Auto mechanics can also make use of OBD-II devices when trying to diagnose engine problems.
Weather researchers can choose from a number of different monitoring solutions. You can purchase loggers for specific weather data, such as humidity, temperature, wind, rainfall, or soil moisture. Complete weather monitoring stations allow monitoring many different types of weather data.
Operators of grain elevators or mines, where combustible dust or gas may be present, would have to use monitoring devices that are “intrinsically safe”. These devices are designed so that they won’t create sparks that could cause explosions.
When you shop for a logging solution, be aware of what the purchase price includes. Many times, the required sensors are sold separately from the data logger device itself.
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