dataTaker DT800 Getting Started Manual

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Getting Started

with

DT800

dataTaker

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dataTaker

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

is a registered trademark of

dataTaker Pty Ltd

dataTaker Pty Ltd.

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About this User’s Guide

Welcome to This quick-start user’s guide is a tutorial that uses step-

by-step instructions, simple explanations and simple examples to get you up-and-running with your

dataTaker

Getting Started with DT800 dataTaker.

DT800 data logging and acquisition system.

If You Never Read Manuals

If you’re new to manual you must read.

It won’t take you long and, just like any good investment, the time you spend working through the information provided here will be repaid to you many times over as you use your

dataTaker

, this user’s guide is one

dataTaker

Which User Are You?

This guide is primarily designed for users. If you work through all the steps in the order in which they’re presented, you can be conﬁdent that you’ll learn enough about data acquisition and logging, your DT800 data logger, and the software you use to communicate with it to satisfy your needs for a very long time.

If you’re an through this guide noting only the major instruction steps. These are designated by the arrow icon shown in the example immediately below. Instructions tagged in this way form a quick guide to prompt experienced users.

➲

This is an example of a major instruction

experienced

dataTaker

new

dataTaker

user, you can skim

step. Instructions tagged like this summarize what follows, and experienced users may need to read only these.

If you’re an experienced in a hurry, you can go directly to the

User’s Manual

supplied with your DT800.

dataTaker

and computer user

DT800 dataTaker

More Information

Your DT800 is capable of extremely sophisticated data acquisition and logging. So if you want more information than this guide provides, refer to the

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

new DT800, or other DT800 documentation available separately (ask your www.datataker.com).

In any case, at your leisure, we recommend that you browse through the get an overview of everything your DT800 is capable of.

dataTaker

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

supplied with each

distributor, or visit

This Guide Assumes…

• Microsoft® Windows® 95, Windows® 98, Windows installed on your computer and works reliably.

• You are familiar with basic Microsoft Windows operations and the concepts of COM ports and Windows communications. If you are inexperienced with Windows, refer to Microsoft publications such as

User’s Guide Windows

Windows reference books available.

2000 or Windows NT® is correctly

Microsoft Windows

and

Getting Started with Microsoft

, or any of the many third-party

What Now?

Go to “Contents” on page 5 for a bird’s-eye-view of what’s in store, then begin working through this tutorial starting with Chapter 1 “Acquisition? Logging?…” on page 6.

Extras

All readers will beneﬁt from the “Extras” included with many of the topics. Extras are additional information intended to

supplement each topic. You don’t need to read the Extras to be able to work through this guide, although we do recommend you read them at some time because they contain valuable background information that will enhance your “big picture” of data acquisition, data logging and the DT800

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system.

Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 5

About this User’s Guide......................... 4

Contents................................................ 5

CHAPTER 1

CQUISITION

1-1 Important Concepts.........................................6

1-2 Important Terminology ..................................11

CHAPTER 2

SET UP

2-1 Checklist .....................................................13

2-2 Power the DT800 .........................................14

2-3 Make the Hardware Connection ....................14

2-4 Attach a Sensor............................................15

CHAPTER 3

SET UP

3-1 Install DeLogger............................................16

3-2 Start DeLogger .............................................18

3-3 Make the Software Connection ......................19

3-4 Verify the Connection....................................20

CHAPTER 4

A Q

4-1 The Big Pictures............................................22

4-2 DeLogger’s Main Toolbar ..............................26

4-3 DeLogger’s Menus........................................27

4-4 More Important Concepts and Terminology .....28

THE HARDWARE

THE DELOGGER SOFTWARE

UICK OVERVIEW OF DELOGGER

OGGING

? L

?…

CHAPTER 8

SEE YOUR DATA — MIMIC WINDOW

8-1 DeLogger’s Mimic Window........................... 49

8-2 Display Returned Data in a Meter .................. 50

8-3 Replay a File to a Meter................................ 51

8-4 Add a Graphic............................................ 52

8-5 Disconnect ..................................................53

CHAPTER 9

EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM

9-1 Reconnect ................................................... 54

9-2 Change Schedule A’s Rate............................ 55

9-3 Add a Channel Label ................................... 55

9-4 Add More Channels to Schedule A ................56

9-5 Re-Send the Program .................................... 59

9-6 Reassign the Form, Chart and Mimic Windows 59

9-7 DeLogger’s Text Window.............................. 60

9-8 Return Data to the Text Window ....................61

9-9 Add an Alarm .............................................63

9-10 Add Schedule B to the Program ..................... 64

CHAPTER 10

OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH DELOGGER

10-1 Unload Logged Data .................................... 66

10-2 DeLogger’s Spreadsheet Window .................. 68

10-3 Load Data into a Spreadsheet........................ 69

10-4 Finish Off.................................................... 69

10-5 What’s Next?.............................................. 69

CHAPTER 5

OUR FIRST PROGRAM

5-1 DeLogger’s Program Builder Window .............31

5-2 Create a Program.........................................33

5-3 See What You’ll Send...................................36

5-4 Send the Program.........................................36

CHAPTER 6

SEE Y

6-1 DeLogger’s Form Window.............................38

6-2 View the Returned Data.................................41

6-3 Set the DT800’s Date and Time......................42

CHAPTER 7

SEE Y

7-1 DeLogger’s Chart Window ............................43

7-2 Chart the Returned Data................................48

Contents

OUR DATA

— F

ORM WINDOW

— C

HART WINDOW

Index .................................................. 70

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CHAPTER 1

CQUISITION

? L

OGGING

?…

You really can’t avoid it — there’s just no way you can afford to short-cut this chapter.

It’s quick to read, and it will make you comfortable with some fundamental logging concepts, terminology and conventions.

So read on…

dataTaker

data acquisition and

1-1

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS

Your ﬁrst job as you work through this tutorial-in-theform-of-a-user’s-guide is to familiarize yourself with the following concepts.

Data Acquisition versus Data Logging

Data acquisition and data logging are NOT the same. Traditionally, data

regular collection of data — scanning sensors, making instantaneous measurements, then feeding these to a recorder or computer.

Data

logging

• It’s considered by some to be simply making a permanent record of data that has been collected: printing or plotting it, writing it on a sheet of paper, or storing it on a computer’s hard disk or in electronic memory.

• Others perceive data logging as the total operation of collecting data and making a permanent record of it. Therefore, they see data acquisition as part of data logging.

Now, with two terms has become even more blurred because the

dataTaker

(and much more) in a single instrument about the size of a house brick.

So, when using your DT800, it’s important that you treat acquisition and logging as two separate functions.

dataTaker

DT800 combines acquisition and logging

acquisition

has two possible deﬁnitions:

, any distinction between these

has been deﬁned as the

dataTaker

One of the DT800’s two basic functions is to read sensors (that is, to measure, sample or scan sensors) and present the values to you on a computer screen or other display (Figure 1).

Although these readings can be used, say, to trigger an alarm, they are temporary: the DT800 has not recorded, stored or remembered them anywhere —

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6 Getting Started with DT800

’s Acquisition Function

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that is, the data has not yet been logged by the DT800.

DT800

scans

sensors

FIGURE 1 Data acquisition

dataTaker

’s Logging Function

DT800

displays data

Alarms, actions

The second of the DT800’s two basic functions is to log data

— that is, to record or store data (Figure 2).

Once you’ve instructed the DT800 to acquire data, you must then issue the LOGON command (explained later) if you want it to store the data.

DT800

displays data

Alarms, actions

DT800 saves data to

• its internal memory

• a removable memory card

• the host computer.

The DT800

The

dataTaker

acquiring data from sensors connected to it, recording (logging) the data for later reference and analysis, and taking action (like raising alarms or altering its operation) based on the values it measures or calculates.

What It Can Do

More speciﬁcally, your DT800 can perform any or all of the following tasks:

•

acquire

measurements and forward them to a computer)

•

log

data (that is, store measurements in its own internal memory and/or its removable memory card)

•

convert

requirements (voltages to ºC or ºF, for example)

• carry out calculations on the measurements (average, standard deviation, maximum, minimum,…)

• log the converted measurements and the results of calculations to its internal memory and/or a removable memory card, or transfer them to a computer

• display all of this on a computer screen

• return data directly to a computer in is, as each measurement is made) as well as, or instead of, logging it

• raise Alarms can trigger outside events (turn on a warning light or siren, for example), or make the DT800 carry out additional tasks (scan more frequently, stop logging, or scan and log additional sensors, for example).

DT800 is an instrument for intelligently

data (scan sensors, make instantaneous

measurements according to your

real time

alarms

when data is outside speciﬁed ranges.

(that

You’re the Boss

Being microprocessor-based, you send instructions (“commands” — see the Extras panel “Sending

FIGURE 2 Data logging

CHAPTER 1ACQUISITION? LOGGING?…: Important Concepts 7

Commands” on page 8) to the DT800 from a computer running DT800-compatible software such as

DeLogger

(used later in this guide). These instructions

tell the DT800

• which sensors to read

• how often to read them

• what to do with the data.

Then you sit back and let the DT800 do the work.

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Look, No Hands

Once you’ve set the DT800 running you can disconnect the computer if you wish — the DT800 continues to operate as programmed because the software which controls the logger is inside the logger itself. This is called

stand-alone

operation.

Input Types

The DT800 lets you monitor, record and raise alarms for readings from many types of sensors and transducers — temperature (thermocouples, thermistors, RTDs and solid-state sensors), pressure, ﬂow, strain, digital state (high or low, off or on), count, frequency, period, voltage, current, resistance and so on.

The DT800 measures these fundamental parameters, from which all others are derived:

voltage resistance frequency time counts (pulses) thermocouple reference temperature

This means that the DT800 supports many types of inputs. For example:

voltage resistance current (including 4–20mA loops) thermocouples thermistors RTDs (Resistance Temperature Detectors) solid-state temperature sensors bridges (strain gauges) frequency time counts pressure sensors ﬂow sensors load cells digital state (on/off, high/low)

You can connect many sensors — each one different — to a single DT800 and have them scanned whenever you choose.

Meaningful Quantities

Whatever the sensor, its raw output will be either voltage, current, resistance, frequency, time, counts or digital state. For example, the output from a thermocouple is a voltage that varies according to the temperature being measured: the thermocouple’s raw output is volts (under 100 millivolts, actually), not degrees Centigrade or Fahrenheit.

Then the raw output must be converted to a meaningful quantity (to a temperature value in this example). Depending on the type of sensor, this conversion involves

Sending Commands

There are three ways you can send commands to the DT800:

• from a computer connected to the DT800

• from a removable memory card — commands loaded into a memory card can be transferred to the DT800 and acted upon the moment the card is inserted into the DT800’s memory card socket (this is a handy way of conﬁguring and programming a remote DT800)

• using alarms (see the

Manual

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8 Getting Started with DT800

DT800 dataTaker User’s

terms which are beyond the scope of this guide. Just be aware that raw measurements usually have to be converted before they become the meaningful quantities that are useful to you (Figure 3).

One of the features of the DT800 is that it automatically performs these conversions for you. All you have to do is tell the logger what (a type T thermocouple, for example) and the microprocessor inside the logger performs the appropriate linearization and compensation, turning the raw sensor output into a quantity with meaningful units.

linearization

and possibly

compensation

type

the sensor is

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CONVERSION

BY DT800

Raw

thermocouple

output

(volts)

IGURE 3 One of the DT800’s many automatic

DT800

automatically performs

linearization

and

compensation

Meaningful

quantity

(degrees

Centigrade)

conversion routines

In addition, the DT800 allows you to

• deﬁne your own linearization characteristics for any unusual sensor that is not directly supported by the DT800

• carry out statistical operations on the measurements, only returning the statistical results you want (average, standard deviation, maximum, minimum,…)

• apply other calculations or expressions you deﬁne to process the collected data.

Time and Date Stamps

Because you’ll often want to know the time and date each measurement was made, the DT800 automatically keeps this information along with the measurements. This facility ensures that every reading from every sensor can be

stamped

Example

FIGURE 4 Your DT800 produces a series of

Measurement 1

Date 1 Time 1

163.4°C

5/6/00 9:14:00

Measurement 2

Date 2 Time 2

5/6/00 9:15:00

information “chunks”.

time-stamped

163.7°C

and

Measurement 3

Date 3 Time 3

162.1°C

5/6/00 9:16:00

date-

Dat

5/6

Data Format, Display and Storage

Your DT800 is extremely powerful and ﬂexible in the ways it allows you to format, view and store data.

Data Format

You can format (layout, arrange) the data provided by your DT800 to best suit the way you want to use it, and the DT800 has two modes for doing this: freeformat mode and ﬁxed-format mode.

free-format mode

any way you want. For example, you can make it easy and meaningful to read, like

Boiler temperature 123.4 Deg C

or comma-separated ready for direct importing into a software spreadsheet, like

123.4,123.7,123.1,123.6

123.3,123.7,124.2,124.5

124.2,124.6,124.8,125.1

or with the time of each reading included, like

00:00:00,24.8 00:00:02,24.9 00:00:04,24.5 00:00:06,24.2 00:00:08,24.0

ﬁxed-format mode

predictable, repeatable, comprehensive format ready to be imported into spreadsheets and other data analysis software.

Real-time data can be returned in either free- or ﬁxedformat mode, but logged data is always returned in ﬁxed-format mode. These two modes are discussed in “Format of Returned Data" in Part A of the

dataTaker User’s Manual

Data Display

You can connect the DT800 to any computer and, using appropriate software, data can be viewed on the computer screen as it is acquired.

, you’re free to format the data

, the DT800 returns data in a

DT800

Data Storage

Data can be stored in the DT800’s own internal memory, in a removable memory card, or you can transfer it to a computer.

Once in the computer, you can save the data ﬁle for later reference, or bring it into one of many spreadsheet or plotting programs for analysis. For example, you can use Microsoft printed report (including graphs), or

CHAPTER 1ACQUISITION? LOGGING?…: Important Concepts 9

Excel to create a

dataTaker

’s

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Page 10

DeLogger or DeLogger Pro to plot graphs of your data versus time directly on the computer screen.

Communication

The most common method of supervising your DT800 is to send commands to it directly from a computer. (There are other methods — see the Extras panel “Sending Commands” on page 8.)

To do this, and for the DT800 to return data to the computer,

• your computer must be running one of DT800-friendly software packages such as DeLogger, DeLogger Pro, or DeTransfer

• the computer’s communications port must be connected to one of the DT800’s communications ports by any of the methods described in the Extras panel “Communications Links”.

dataTaker

’s

Communications Links

With appropriate software, the DT800 and the host computer can communicate with each other by means of

• a communications cable (called a “direct” connection) — for distances of up to 50 meters / 55 yards (a code IBM-6, is supplied with your DT800)

• a communications cable ﬁtted with line drivers — for distances of up to 5000 meters / 5500 yards

• telephone or radio modems, or satellite links — for much longer distances (you’ll need to upgrade to DeLogger Pro if you want to use modems)

• an Ethernet network — the DT800 supports 10BaseT Ethernet.

dataTaker

communications cable, product

Power

You can power the DT800 from three sources:

Internal The DT800’s internal main battery External A mains adaptor (11 to 28 volts DC) External External batteries, solar panels, vehicle

power supplies and other DC sources (11 to 28 volts DC)

A mains adaptor and 12 volt internal battery are supplied with your DT800. This 12V battery is known as the

internal main battery

DT800’s other internal battery, the

backup battery

NOTE

battery disconnected. Although you don’t need it to work through this user’s guide (because we instruct you to power the logger from its mains adaptor), it’s a good idea to connect the internal main battery in the near future so that it can be fully charged — see “Main Battery is Disconnected for Shipping” in Part C of the

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

DT800.

(next topic).

The DT800 is shipped with its internal main

to distinguish it from the

internal memory-

supplied with your

Good Power Practice

The recommended method of working with the DT800 is — while you are programming it “back at base” — to power it from the mains using a mains adaptor. The mains adaptor supplies the logger and charges the main internal battery.

When you’ve ﬁnished programming and are ready to use the logger “in the ﬁeld”, you disconnect it from both the computer and the mains adaptor and it continues to operate from the freshly-charged main battery. The amount of power consumed by the DT800 depends on the program running.

DT800 Mains Adaptor

Sometimes called a plug pack. Converts mains power (that is, power from a wall outlet) to a voltage suitable for the DT800 (11–28Vdc).

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10 Getting Started with DT800

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Internal Memory-Backup Battery

In addition to the main internal battery, the DT800 contains a small 3.6V lithium

that ensures your data, real-time clock and

battery

primary settings are not lost if power to the logger is interrupted. The backup battery can maintain this information for up to 12 months if necessary.

internal memory-backup

1-2

IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY

This section introduces you to some data acquisition and logging terms you’ll need right away. Others are explained as they arise.

Sleep Mode

To conserve battery power, the DT800 “goes to sleep” if it has no measurements to do and there has been no communication for a period of 30 seconds.

This applies only if the logger is powered by its internal battery. If it’s powered from an external source, the DT800 never goes to sleep (unless you override this default behaviour).

In sleep mode, most of the internal electronics shuts down. The current drain drops from 400mA when awake to a tiny 250µA when asleep; just 0.07% of the awake value.

Auto-Sleep in the Event of Power Supply Failure

If the power supply to the DT800 drops below 9.5 volts, the logger automatically attempts to minimize its power requirements and maintain any logged data and settings by going to sleep. When the supply is restored, the logger senses this and automatically returns to its previous mode of operation.

Sensors and Transducers

Origins of data in a data acquisition and logging system.

Sensors

quantities (temperature, pressure, ﬂow,…) and convert them into electrical signals. Sensors see, hear, taste, sniff or feel the environment and tell the DT800 (in electrical terms) what’s going on.

If electronic components are added to a sensor, the result is sometimes called a may be added to excite, amplify, compensate, linearize, ﬁlter or interface to other equipment.

If the electronics include a software-controlled microprocessor, the result is a

are the raw, basic devices that detect variable

transducer

smart sensor

. The electronics

Power-up

Applying power to a previously un-powered device.

Format

With

dataTaker

ways. That is, you can arrange the physical appearance and layout of data as it comes from the DT800 so that it best suits the way you want to use it.

, you can “format” data in a variety of

Host Computer

The computer you use for supervising the DT800.

Host Software

The software you run on the host computer to supervise the DT800 ( for example). See the Extras panel “DT800 Host Software” on page 16.

DeLogger, DeLogger Pro

and

DeTransfer

PC Card

A plug-in card meeting the PCMCIA standard (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association). It can be a storage card such as an ATA Flash card, or a communications device such as a PSTN modem card or GSM modem card.

CHAPTER 1ACQUISITION? LOGGING?…: Important Terminology 11

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Page 12

Male and Female Connectors

Male connectors (plugs) have protruding pins, whereas female connectors (sockets) have holes to receive the pins. See the “Connectors, Adaptors” Extras panel.

Communications Ports

The DT800 has three communications ports:

•a

Host RS-232

• a 10BaseT

•a

USB

port They are located on the DT800’s left side panel. The communications connector(s) on the back of your

computer are also known as “COM ports” (or “serial ports”). Most computers have one or more COM ports, named COM1, COM2 and so on, and may also have other connectors for Ethernet and USB.

port

Ethernet

port

Comms Cable

An abbreviation of “communications cable”. Many types of comms cables exist. But, because the

DT800’s Host RS-232 port is a standard DTE device, you only need a standard null-modem serial cable — also known as a “crossover cable” — to connect this port to the host computer.

In fact, the Host RS-232 port on the DT800 is exactly the same in form and function as the serial port on your PC. This means that you can connect a modem or other serial device to the DT800 using standard serial cables intended for connecting the modem to a computer.

NOTE

is not

The comms cable supplied with your DT800

the same as that supplied with

dataTaker

DT50

and DT500/600 Series data loggers.

Serial Channel

The DT800 has a serial port for smart sensors, located on the DT800’s front panel and labelled

Channel

. This port can be conﬁgured as RS-232,

RS-422, RS-485 or SDI-12. The DT800’s Serial Channel is not

COM port.

Serial

a standard, serial

Connectors, Adaptors

The connectors on the communications cable supplied with your DT800 are of the “DE” female type. This is a 9-pin D-shaped connector, as shown below.

Another common comms connector is the “DB” type, which is also D-shaped but has 25 pins. If your computer’s COM port has one of these, you’ll need to add a 9-pin to 25-pin adaptor to the end of your DT800 comms cable.

Pin 1

DE-9 MaleDE-9 Female

Pin 1

DB-25 MaleDB-25 Female

FIGURE 5 Typical comms connectors

Characters

Things you type. The generic name for numbers (0, 1, 2, 3,…), letters (A, b, c, D,…) and symbols ($, %, &, +,…).

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12 Getting Started with DT800

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Page 13

CHAPTER 2

P THE

ARDWARE

In this chapter, you get the DT800 hardware up-andrunning.

You ﬁrstly check that you have everything, then you power the DT800 from the mains adaptor and connect the computer to the DT800.

Mains adaptor

Comms cable

Cage-clamp tools

Potentiometer

Thermocouple

CD containing

software

and manuals

User’s manual

2-1

Make sure you have everything you’ll need to successfully work through this user’s guide.

CHECKLIST

➲ Check that you have the following items:

a) From your DT800 shipping box:

• a DT800 data logger

• a mains adaptor

• a communications cable (“comms cable”; DE-9 female to DE-9 female) to connect between the DT800 and the host computer

• a pair of cage-clamp tools to open the terminal cage clamps for sensor wiring

• a potentiometer (variable resistance) mounted in a child’s building block

• a thermocouple

• a DT800 CD (contains software and manuals)

•a

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

• the document you’re reading now (

Started with DT800 dataTaker

If anything is missing, contact your supplier immediately.

b) You also need a PC running Windows 95, 98,

2000 or NT with

• a CD-ROM drive

• a 200MHz Pentium

• at least

•64MB of RAM (“memory”) for Windows 95 or 98

•128MB of RAM for Windows 2000 or NT (NT also requires Service Pack 4 or later)

• 40MB of free space on the hard disk for installing (installed DeLogger occupies 25MB).

dataTaker

II processor or better

’s DeLogger software

Getting

)

FIGURE 7 Accessories supplied with your DT800 (plus

the user’s guide you’re reading now)

CHAPTER 2SET UP THE HARDWARE: Checklist 13

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Page 14

2-2

POWER THE

2-3

MAKE THE

DT800

There are several ways of providing power to your DT800, which are covered in “Powering the DT800” in Part C of the particular, be sure to read “Main Battery is Disconnected for Shipping”.

For this tutorial, you’ll simply use the mains adaptor.

➲ Provide external power to the DT800 using

the mains adaptor supplied.

To do this…

a) Plug the coaxial connector of the mains adaptor into

the coaxial DT800.

FIGURE 8 Powering the DT800 from a mains

adaptor

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

11–28Vdc

socket on the left side of the

. In

HARDWARE CONNECTION

For the computer to talk to the DT800, and the DT800 to return data to the computer, you must establish a communications link between the two.

You can use any of the links described in the Extras panel “Communications Links”, but in this guide we’ll use the simplest of all, the comms cable supplied with the DT800. You’ll connect it between the DT800’s Host RS-232 port and a COM port on your computer.

➲ Locate and identify your computer’s COM1

serial port then connect the comms cable to it.

To do this…

a) On the rear of your computer, locate the COM1

port and remove anything plugged into it (a modem, for example).

If you ﬁnd several likely connectors and don’t know which is COM1, just choose any one. Later, if communication with the DT800 is unsuccessful, simply change to a different connector (we’ll remind you about this in the next chapter).

b) Plug either end of the comms cable supplied with

the DT800 into the computer’s COM1 port.

b) Plug the mains adaptor into a wall outlet and, while

watching the DT800’s front panel, switch on at the wall.

If the DT800’s internal main battery is not connected (we’re assuming yours is not), the ﬁve red LED (lightemitting diode) indicators on the front panel ﬂash rapidly four times. Then the Acquiring LED begins its “heartbeat” ﬂash — every three seconds. (The functions of these LEDs are described in “Indicator LEDs” in Part B of the

Manual

UM-0071-A0

14 Getting Started with DT800

supplied with your DT800.)

DT800 dataTaker User’s

➲ Connect the comms cable to the DT800.

To do this…

a) On the left side panel of the DT800, plug the other

end of the comms cable into the connector labelled

Host RS-232

dataTaker

Page 15

2-4

ATTACH A SENSOR

Now use the potentiometer supplied with your DT800 (see Figure 7 on page 13) to simulate a resistive sensor.

Firstly, you attach this “sensor” to your DT800.

➲ Attach the potentiometer supplied to analog

channel 1 of your DT800 as shown in Figure 9.

To do this…

a) Locate the potentiometer (variable resistance)

supplied with your DT800. It’s the child’s building block with a knob on top and

four wires.

b) Connect the potentiometer’s yellow and white wires

to the

and – terminals of analog channel 1 on the

front panel of the DT800, as shown in Figure 9. To open the terminals, we recommend that you use

one of the cage-clamp tools supplied — refer to “Connecting Sensors to Channel Terminals” in Part B of the

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

Analog Channel 1

Yellow and white potentiometer wires: one wire to the + terminal, the other to the – terminal (polarity is not important for this type of “sensor”).

IGURE 9 Connecting the potentiometer

CHAPTER 2SET UP THE HARDWARE: Attach a Sensor 15

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CHAPTER 3

OFTWARE

P THE

DEL

OGGER

Host Software

You communicate with, supervise, and transfer data from a DT800 by sending commands to it from the host computer using host software.

DeLogger

application designed to make this communication, supervision and data return as simple yet fully-featured as possible. As you work through this chapter, you’ll become familiar with DeLogger and some basic DT800 operations.

host software is a powerful Windows

DT800 Host Software

Although you can use any terminal software to communicate with your logger, you’ll ﬁnd that DT800-friendly software packages incorporate productivity features speciﬁc to data acquisition, data logging and the DT800 that make it pointless to use anything else.

•

DeLogger

guide) has a totally graphical interface, which means that knowledge of the programming language is not required. Instead, you supervise the DT800 just by clicking on icons and making selections from menus and dialog boxes. And, in addition to standard text output, you can display and print real-time and logged data in dynamic table, chart and mimic (needle meter) views, load data into a fully-featured

(used predominately throughout this

dataTaker

3-1

INSTALL DELOGGER

Follow the steps in this section to install DeLogger from the CD supplied with your DT800 to your computer’s hard disk. The process requires about 40MB of free space on the hard disk (installed DeLogger occupies 25MB) and takes less than ﬁve minutes.

If you already have DeLogger or DeLogger Pro installed on your computer, see the Extras panel “Re-Installing and Project Compatibility”.

DeLogger Serial Number

DeLogger is free to use and requires no serial number. (But you do need one for DeLogger Pro — see the “Enabling DeLogger Pro” Extras panel on page 18.)

spreadsheet, and replay saved data to any of the dynamic views.

•

DeLogger Pro

the added features of modem support, a database data storage option, the ability to connect to more than one data site at a time, enhanced mimic screens, and additional spreadsheet/graphical analysis tools.

•

DeTransfer

your DT800) is the easiest non-graphical host software to use with the DT800 programming language. It provides complete access to all of the DT800’s capabilities, and has separate send and receive windows, which are the basis of its exceptional and unique functionality. If you prefer command-line interfaces, DeTransfer is for you.

is the big brother of DeLogger. It has

(included on the CD provided with

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16 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 17

➲ Run the DeLogger installer Setup.exe,

FIGURE 11 Typical Programs menu after installation

which is located in the DeLogger folder on the CD supplied ( You do not need a serial number for this installation of DeLogger.

To do this…

a) Place the CD supplied with your DT800 into your

computer’s CD drive.

b) Follow the numbered steps in Figure 10

Double-click in order:

➌

My Computer, dataTaker (the current CD),

the Software folder, the DeLogger folder, and finally Setup or Setup.exe (may appear in uppercase).

IGURE 10 Starting the DeLogger installer

Software

> DeLogger > Setup.exe

On the Windows taskbar, click the

➊

Start button and select Run….

Click the

➋

Browse… button.

c) In the Run dialog box, click

The DeLogger installer starts.

d) Follow the on-screen instructions. e) After clicking

box, restart the computer (

Shut Down…

Finish

in the Setup Complete dialog

Start

menu >

> select

Restart

> OK).

f) When the computer has restarted, notice that the

Start

Programs

folder

(Figure 11), from which you can launch

•

DeLogger

• On-Line Help

•

Schedule

menu now contains a

— the main application

— for DeLogger Pro users; a utility that automatically runs DeLogger Pro events at predetermined times (for example, dial a data site at 6:00pm every day, unload data on the second Tuesday of every month, or run Job3 every 15 minutes between 11am and 3pm every Friday)

•

SiteAdmin

— a utility that allows you to clear

DeLogger’s error and alarm logs

•

Uninstall DeLogger

— use to remove DeLogger

from the hard disk.

DeLogger

You are returned to the Run dialog box, which now contains the path to DeLogger’s Setup.exe.

Re-Installing and Project Compatibility

Earlier Versions

pre-version 4) of DeLogger already exists on the computer, you can do one of the following:

•

Clean Install

Windows’ Add/Remove Programs control panel) then install the new version.

•

Have Both

directory from the old one (both version 3 and version 4 can co-exist on your computer, but not in the same location).

CHAPTER 3SET UP THE DELOGGER SOFTWARE: Install DeLogger 17

If an earlier version (that is,

Remove the existing version (use

Install the new version to a different

Project Compatibility

Project ﬁles from earlier versions (that is, pre-version 4) of DeLogger or DeLogger Pro can not be used with this version (version 4) of DeLogger (or DeLogger Pro). You’ll need to re-create your version 3 projects using the new version of DeLogger.

DeLogger and DeLogger Pro Together

Do not install DeLogger 4 and DeLogger Pro 4 together on a computer.

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Page 18

3-2

START DELOGGER

➲ Start your new installation of DeLogger for

the ﬁrst time.

To do this…

a) On the

click DeLogger starts and presents you with its Serial

Number Entry dialog box (Figure 12).

b) In the Serial Number Entry dialog box, leave the

ﬁeld empty and click

FIGURE 12 No serial number for DeLogger

The Welcome dialog box opens. For more information about serial numbers and

upgrading see the “Enabling DeLogger Pro” Extras panel.

c) In the Welcome dialog box, click

(Figure 13).

Start

menu>

DeLogger

Leave the field empty (unless you’re upgrading to DeLogger Pro and have purchased a Pro serial number) and click OK.

Programs

— see Figure 11.

DeLogger

Start New Project

menu,

d) In the New Project dialog box that opens, type

Project99

(or whatever you like) and click OK

(Figure 13).

Click.

Type a

name

for your

new

project.

Then click OK.

FIGURE 13 Creating a new DeLogger project

Project99’s windows open within DeLogger’s main window. Your screen should look like Figure 18 (page 25).

e) Notice that two windows are open in DeLogger’s

workspace (labelled

Prog1.dlp

and

Prog1.dl8

their title bars) and ﬁve windows are minimized at the bottom of the workspace (

Form1.dlf, Text1.dlt, Chart1.dlc Prog1.dlp

series

f) Click

is the program builder for DT500/600

dataTaker

Prog1.dlp

s, and

’s minimize button ( in its title

bar).

Mimic1.dlm

and

Prog1.dl8

is for your DT800.

You’re not using the DT500/600 program builder in this tutorial.

Spread1.dls

Enabling DeLogger Pro

If you purchase DeLogger Pro, or purchase an upgrade from DeLogger to DeLogger Pro, you’ll receive a serial number that you use as follows:

•

If you’ve purchased DeLogger Pro

Install and start DeLogger exactly as described in topics 3-1 and 3-2 beginning on page 16 but, when the Serial Number Entry dialog box opens (Figure 12), enter your DeLogger Pro serial number.

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18 Getting Started with DT800

•

If you’ve purchased an upgrade from DeLogger to DeLogger Pro Register Product…

With DeLogger running, choose

from DeLogger’s File menu. In the dialog box that opens (Figure 12), replace 0000-0000 in the ﬁeld with your Pro serial number and click

. (0000-0000 is the default serial number that enables basic DeLogger.) The next dialog box offers you the choice of quitting then restarting the program with the new functionality either now or later.

dataTaker

Page 19

g) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose

This saves the change you just made to the window view (minimizing Prog1.dlp).

We’ll introduce you to the things you can see in the DeLogger window in the next chapter. For now, continue with “Make the Software Connection”.

Save Project

3-3

MAKE THE SOFTWARE CONNECTION

Your computer is physically connected to the DT800 (you did this in the previous chapter). Now you complete the communications link by making the software connection

From now on in this guide we use the term “C

onnection” — note the uppercase C — to mean

“software connection” (see also page 28).

The “dt800 Com1” Connection

Although you can create your own Connections, in this tutorial you’ll use one already provided with DeLogger.

It’s called DeLogger

• that the

• to detect the DT800’s communications baud rate

• to use software ﬂow control when communicating

In addition, this Connection speciﬁes that the DT800 is directly connected to the computer’s COM1 serial port. So, if you chose to plug the comms cable into a serial port other than COM1 modify the dt800 Com1 (

Connections

dt800 Com1

dataTaker

communications link is a

and match the computer’s baud rate to it

with the DT800 (see the “Flow Control” Extras panel).

between DeLogger and the DT800.

and contains instructions that tell

at the other end of the

DT800

on the back of your computer,

Connection in DeLogger now

menu >

Properties…

Connection Troubleshooting

If DeLogger responds with an “Error connecting to…” message, try the following:

• Check that the comms cable’s connectors are ﬁrmly plugged into their sockets, then repeat “Make the Software Connection” above.

• If the computer has more than one COM port, swap the comms cable to the other port, then repeat “Make the Software Connection” above.

• Perform a hardware reset on the DT800 (described in “Resetting the DT800” in Part H of the

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

“Make the Software Connection” above.

• Make sure there is no software conﬁgured to

CHAPTER 3SET UP THE DELOGGER SOFTWARE: Make the Software Connection 19

), then repeat

access the computer’s COM port you’re using for the DT800 (COM1 if you’re following this tutorial “to the letter”). If there is such software, you can

• re-conﬁgure it to use a different COM port, or

• quit it while you use DeLogger (you’ll have to do this every time), or

• remove it (use Windows’ Add/Remove Programs control panel).

Then repeat “Make the Software Connection” above.

• Change the serial port speciﬁcation in the DeLogger software Connection ( >

Properties

the Software Connection” above.

) to, say, COM2. Then repeat “Make

Connections

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Page 20

➲ Connect to the DT800 using dt800 Com1.

To do this…

a) In DeLogger’s Connections menu (fourth from the

left), choose

b) In the Connect dialog box that opens, highlight (one

click)

Connect…

dt800 Com1

and click OK.

3-4

VERIFY THE CONNECTION

Now carry out some simple communication with the DT800.

FIGURE 14 Connect dialog box

Two progress bar dialog boxes open, then close automatically to indicate that you’ve successfully connected to the DT800.

If a dialog box opens asking if you want to upgrade to a later version of the

. (You can do this at another time.)

If DeLogger is unable to connect (you’ll see an “Error connecting to…” message), go to the Extras panel “Connection Troubleshooting”.

dataTaker

ﬁrmware, click

➲ Get the

To do this…

a) From DeLogger’s

left), choose DeLogger communicates with the DT800, retrieves

information about what’s currently happening in the DT800, and presents the information to you in the large dialog box that opens (Figure 15).

You can do this anytime you’re connected to a DT800. In fact, as well as using this command to ﬁnd out which schedules (see page 33) and alarms (see page 63) are currently running in the DT800, how much data storage (memory) is used and free in the DT800 and so on, you can send this command simply to conﬁrm that you’re connected to the DT800.

b) Look through the Status dialog box tabs to

familiarize yourself with the information you can get from it, then click

dataTaker

Status…

’s status.

menu (sixth from the

Flow Control

Flow control is a communications feature that allows communicating devices to control each other’s transmission of information.

DeLogger and the DT800 support two types of ﬂow control:

•

Hardware Flow Control (HWFC)

signals are sent between the communicating devices by means of R the cable.

•

Software Flow Control (SWFC)

commands XOFF and XON are sent between the communicating devices by means of the data

wires in the cable.

UM-0071-A0

20 Getting Started with DT800

TS and CTS control wires in

Flow control

Setting Flow Control

type of ﬂow control at each end of a communications link. For example, for this tutorial, both the DT800 and your DeLogger Connection must be set for software ﬂow control.

This Tutorial

software

default/factory setting for a new DT800 and for DeLogger’s a DT800 that has previously been set to hardware ﬂow control, you must either change the DeLogger Connection to hardware ﬂow control also, or change the DT800 to software ﬂow control.)

ﬂow control for this tutorial. This is the

We recommend that you use

dt800 Com1

You must set the same

Connection. (If you’re using

dataTaker

Page 21

FIGURE 15 The ﬁve tabs of DeLogger’s DT800 Status dialog box

CHAPTER 3SET UP THE DELOGGER SOFTWARE: Verify the Connection 21

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Page 22

CHAPTER 4

A Q DEL

DeLogger host software provides you with a powerful set of tools for working with your DT800, which are fully covered in

with dataTaker

To get you up-and-running quickly now, this chapter presents a bird’s-eye-view of DeLogger’s windows, main toolbar and menus, which you’ll use in later chapters.

Be sure not to miss “More Important Concepts and Terminology” on page 28.

UICK

VERVIEW OF

OGGER

Using DeLogger and DeLogger Pro

4-1

Figure 16 is an overview of the window types available in a DeLogger project and some of the things you can do with them. Figure 17 shows the relationship between DeLogger projects, programs, schedules and channels. Figure 18 shows how DeLogger starts up the ﬁrst time after installing it.

Then the remainder of this chapter gives you a quick visual tour of DeLogger:

• DeLogger’s main toolbar — page 26

• DeLogger menus — page 27

• important DeLogger concepts — page 28

THE BIG PICTURES

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22 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 23

Program builder window — create

a program and send it to the DT800.

(Note: this is different from the

program builder used for the DT50

and the DT500/600 Series.)

Form window — view each channel’s

latest data and other information,

one row per channel.

Chart window — view live trend plots

(data versus time) like traces on a chart

recorder.

REAL-TIME

CONNECTION

REPLAY

CONNECTION

REAL-TIME

CONNECTION

REPLAY

CONNECTION

Note

You can open more than one of each of these window types in any DeLogger project (choose New from the File menu).

Send program to DT800

Dynamic data views — these DeLogger windows display incoming real-time or replay data “live”.

Text window — view incoming data in the

display screen

send to the DT800 in the

; type commands to

entry screen

(an alternative to the program builder if

you’re familiar with the DT800 native

programming language).

Load text file (.cmd/.dxc or .txt)

Load program builder as text

Mimic window — view data on a

needle meter; add background

graphics.

Spreadsheet window — load a

replay file one row per timestamp, one

column per channel. Then manipulate the data, save it in a variety of formats, or export it directly into Microsoft Excel.

Load session from replay file

Capture data to disk as it arrives

REAL-TIME

CONNECTION

REPLAY

CONNECTION

(as a replay file .dlr) Save screen buffer (.txt or .csv)

Save text file (.cmd/.dxc or .txt)

Send program to DT800

REAL-TIME

CONNECTION

REPLAY

CONNECTION

Static data view — load an entire replay file into DeLoggger’s spreadsheet window.

Load into Excel (opens Excel)

Export worksheet

FIGURE 16 The big picture 1 — an overview of the window types available in a DeLogger project

CHAPTER 4 A QUICK OVERVIEW OF DELOGGER: The Big Pictures 23

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Page 24

PROJECT A

Program Builder 1 (Program 1)

Schedule A

Schedule B

Schedule C

Schedule …

Schedule K

Other commands Comments

Program Builder 2 (Program 2)

Schedule …

(every 5 seconds)

Channel 1 (details…) Channel 2 (details…)

(every hour)

Channel 1 (details…) Channel 3 (details…)

(every day)

Channel 1 (details…)

(…)

Channel … (details…)

(…)

Channel … (details…) Channel … (details…)

Channel … (details…)

A channel can be scanned by more than one schedule.

A program can contain up to eleven schedules (“timetables”, “agendas”).

They are labelled A, B,

C, D,…K.

PROJECT B

Program Builder … (Program …)

Schedule …

Other commands Comments

Program Builder … (Program …)

Schedule …

Other commands Comments

(…)

Channel … (details…) Channel … (details…)

(…)

Channel … (details…)

(…)

Channel … (details…) Channel … (details…)

(…)

Channel … (details…)

Schedule …

Channel … (details…)

Other commands Comments

Program Builder … (Program …)

Schedule …

Channel … (details…)

Other commands Comments

FIGURE 17 The big picture 2 — Projects, programs, schedules and channels

UM-0071-A0

24 Getting Started with DT800

project > program (job) > schedule > channel

DeLogger’s conceptual hierarchy:

PROJECT …

Program Builder … (Program …)

Schedule …

Channel … (details…)

Other commands Comments

(…)

dataTaker

Page 25

DeLogger’s main toolbar allows you to quickly initiate frequently-used file, connection and

dataTaker

commands. See

Figure 19.

The buttons duplicate commands found on the menu bar. If you drag the toolbar (by its gray background) from its docked position it becomes a floating toolbar. Use the View menu to show or hide the main toolbar.

Menu bar

See

Figure 20.

The title bar contains standard Windows controls (minimize, maximize,…) and the name of the front-most DeLogger window.

DT800 program builder window. Here you create a program ready to send to the DT800. See

page 31.

DT500 series program builder window — for DT50 and DT500/600 Series

Watch the status bar for prompts when you pause the mouse over a button or a menu item.

Use the View menu to show or hide the status bar.

The document bar gives you quick access to DeLogger’s windows:

• Single-clicking a window’s name in the document bar brings that window to the front in its current view state (minimized, maximized, or in-between). It’s like choosing a window using the Window menu, only

Minimized DeLogger windows (form, chart, text, mimic and spreadsheet)

faster.

• Double-clicking a window’s name in the document bar brings the window to the front and maximizes it.

• Once any window is maximized, a single click on a filename in the document bar maximizes that file (and minimizes the previous one).

Use the View menu to show or hide the document bar.

FIGURE 18 The big picture 3 — DeLogger’s startup layout after a new installation

CHAPTER 4 A QUICK OVERVIEW OF DELOGGER: The Big Pictures 25

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Page 26

4-2

DELOGGER’S MAIN TOOLBAR

The buttons on DeLogger’s main toolbar duplicate frequently-used commands from the and

dataTaker

Create a New

(the New Document

dialog box opens).

Open another

Save the current

Open a full-page Print Preview

menus.

File

commands

document

project.

Print the current window

of the current window.

File, Connections

Connections

commands

Toolbar

is ticked on the View menu, the main toolbar is always visible no matter which DeLogger window you’re working in.

dataTaker

(DeLogger must be connected

commands

to the DT800)

Send the STATUS command to the DT800.

Send the TEST command to the DT800.

TEST resultsTEST results

Open the Memory Card Options dialog box.

Quit (stop) the unload process. Start the Unload process (the first Unload

dialog box opens).

STATUS resultsSTATUS results

Connect to the DT800 (the

Connection dialog box opens).

Disconnect from the DT800.

Play a replay file (the

Replay Connection dialog box opens).

IGURE 19 DeLogger’s main toolbar

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26 Getting Started with DT800

Run (Go) the current schedule in the DT800. Halt the current schedule in the DT800.

Halt Options

dialog box

Run Options

dialog box

dataTaker

Page 27

4-3

DELOGGER’S MENUS

11223

Menu bar

Menu changes according to which

DeLogger window is front-most.

IGURE 20 DeLogger’s menus (sub-menus not shown)

CHAPTER 4 A QUICK OVERVIEW OF DELOGGER: DeLogger’s Menus 27

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Page 28

4-4

MORE IMPORTANT CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY

Connection

A DeLogger of communications settings: a user-deﬁned and usernamed software tool that automates the process of linking DeLogger to a

It speciﬁes

• a particular computer port, a particular data site and particular communications parameters — for a

serial

• an IP address and port number — for a TCP or UDP Ethernet

• a particular DeLogger replay ﬁle (*.dlr; see page 30) — for a

External

data

sites

Connection

network

External physical

comms

links

Serial comms cable

Ethernet network

is nothing more than a group

data site

(explained below).

Connection

ﬁle

Connection.

Example

DeLogger

Connections

dt800 Com1

DT800 SERIAL2 9600

DT800 ETHERNET

DeLogger

display

and

capture

engine

DeLogger’s live Connect dialog box or Replay dialog box and click

To connect to an

external data site

serial

Connection):

FIGURE 22 Making a Connection

network

(Figure 22).

Choose from the

Connections

In the dialog box

that opens, select a

Connection.

DeLogger makes

the Connection.

or click

To connect to an

internal data site

replay

file

Connection):

Data Site

A source of data. DeLogger data sites can be

• external — a DT800 (or, to be more precise, the Connection to

• internal — a replay ﬁle (or, to be more precise, the Connection to

a DT800)

a replay ﬁle).

(internal data site)

Replay file

FIGURE 21 DeLogger’s Connection concept

MY FILE

A Connection is the link between a data site and DeLogger.

You can create any number of Connections, each for a speciﬁc use, but DeLogger can have only one active Connection at a time — see the Extras panel “How Many Connections?”.

DeLogger automatically saves each Connection, ready for the next time you want to use it.

To link DeLogger to a particular data site, you simply select the appropriate Connection name from

UM-0071-A0

28 Getting Started with DT800

How Many Connections?

With DeLogger, you can make only one Connection at a time. (DeLogger automatically disconnects from the current data site in order to connect to another one.)

But with DeLogger Pro to many data sites at the same time.

, you can make Connections

dataTaker

Page 29

Channel

A “conduit” or “route” for data. See Figure 23.

DT800 Channels

The DT800 has

•

external physical channels

on the outside to which you connect sensors and transducers, and

•

internal physical channels

information, such as time and date from the DT800’s clock/calendar, temperature, battery voltage, system variables and system timers.

— the sets of terminals

— internal sources of

Internal channels External channels

SENSORS

HISTORICAL CHANNELS

Replay file

PHYSICAL CHANNELS

DeLogger

DeLogger Channels

DeLogger works with

•

physical channels

— data returned from a DT800 (a “physical data site”) either in real time, or unloaded at the end of a logging session

•

historical channels

— data supplied from a replay

ﬁle (a “replay data site”; see page 30).

Figure 17 (page 24) shows where channels ﬁt within projects, programs and schedules.

Details of all channels are kept in DeLogger’s

(see page 30).

hub

data

Programs and Jobs

When you’re working with DeLogger and a DT800, the terms

program

and

job

mean the same thing. Because the DT800 works with program entities called “jobs”, every program you create in DeLogger is automatically tagged as a “job” when you send it to a DT800.

This tagging is almost invisible to the user (you can see it if you

Load DLP (Program) Text

into a text window entry screen). It’s necessary for the DT800 to recognise a DeLogger program, but not for DT50 or DT500/600 Series

dataTaker

Database

DeLogger stores housekeeping information (such as Connections, windows, and window sizes and positions) in a database.

And, by upgrading to DeLogger Pro, you can have extra database data management capabilities that add immense power to your data collection, analysis, presentation and reporting — all without leaving DeLogger Pro.

Physical

channel

data

Form window Spreadsheet window

Chart window

Text window

Mimic window

FIGURE 23 Channel concepts — external and internal,

Historical

channel

data

physical and historical

CHAPTER 4 A QUICK OVERVIEW OF DELOGGER: More Important Concepts and Terminology 29

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Page 30

Data Hub

An indispensable table in DeLogger’s database that stores details of every channel known to DeLogger during the current Connection (Figure 24).

Think of the data hub as a “resource controller” whose function is to

• monitor which channels are available (it does this — from all the data sites you’re currently connected to; see the Extras panel “How Many Connections?” — every time you save a program builder window, send a program to the DT800, or otherwise communicate with a data site)

• keep an up-to-date list of available channels and their details

• compare available data site channels against those you’ve assigned in the current project’s windows and warn you of any mismatch — that is, if any channels deﬁned in DeLogger’s windows aren’t currently available from the connected data site(s)

• make valid channels available for you to use in the various DeLogger windows.

When you disconnect from a data site, that site’s information is automatically cleared from the hub.

CHANNEL

DETAILS

CHANNEL

DETAILS

Data

site

Data

site

Data

site

CHANNEL

DETAILS

Makes valid channels available to DeLogger views

CHANNEL

DETAILS

Data

site

Data

site

Data

site

CHANNEL

DETAILS

CHANNEL

DETAILS

Data hubData hub

Data

site

CHANNEL

DETAILS

CHANNEL

DETAILS

Data

site

IGURE 24 Data hub — DeLogger: one Connection at

a time; DeLogger Pro: several Connections at a time

Logged Data

Data stored in the DT800’s internal memory or in an inserted memory card.

You retrieve logged data using the on DeLogger’s

dataTaker

menu.

Unload…

command

The DT800 can log data and return real-time data at the same time.

Replay Data, Replay File

Replay data

, *.dlr) in a format that DeLogger can replay to its

ﬁle

form, chart, text and mimic windows, just as if the data was arriving in real time (except that you can control the speed of the replay; see Figure 25).

FIGURE 25 DeLogger’s replay control panel

You can save both

• real-time data and

• logged data unloaded from a DT800

as a replay ﬁle. DeLogger can also replay existing

ﬁles ( A replay ﬁle is just another data site: to link to it, you

use a DeLogger Connection called a

Connection Connection

You use the File tab in the

Properties

Connections. See Figure 22.

is data saved in a computer ﬁle (a

Name of the file to be replayed

Drag pointer to adjust replay speed

Replay progress bar

Reset Pause Play

Date and time of the record currently being replayed

*.dx8

dataTaker

unload ﬁles).

replay ﬁle

(or a

ﬁle Connection

or a

replay

Connections

menu >

dialog box to create and edit replay ﬁle

and

replay

*.dxu

Real-Time Data

Data returned to the computer in real time — that is, the moment it is obtained by the DT800.

Front-Most Window

The DeLogger window that is in front of any others on your screen. Its title bar is more brightly colored than all the others, and it’s always the last window you clicked on. Sometimes known as the “current”, “toplevel”, “active” or “focus” window.

We don’t use the term “active window” because DeLogger windows behind the front-most window can still be active. For example, values in a background form window can change as data arrives.

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30 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 31

CHAPTER 5

OUR

IRST

ROGRAM

When you installed DeLogger in Chapter 3 you created and named a DeLogger project (done in “Start DeLogger” beginning on page 18). We called it

Project99

DeLogger is running on the computer and connected to your DT800. You veriﬁed this in “Verify the Connection” (page 20). You also connected the potentiometer to channel 1 of the DT800, to simulate a resistive sensor (page 15).

Now, in this chapter, you’ll

• get to know DeLogger’s program builder window —

• create a program using a program builder window

• see the “raw” version of your program — page 36

• send the program to the DT800 — page 36.

page 31

— page 33

Analog Channels, Digital Channels — What’s the Difference?

Analog channel

input values between a minimum and a maximum.

Digital channel

only two values:

•

high

•1 or

Often an analog channel is able to “read” a digital input, but the reverse is not true.

— accepts a continuous range of

— expects an input that has one of

off

low

5-1

DELOGGER’S PROGRAM BUILDER WINDOW

A DT800 for creating a DT800 program. As Figures 26 and 27 show, you use it by choosing various schedule, channel and other items from drop-down lists and dialog boxes.

Important Program Builder Facts

• Each program builder window creates just ONE

• A project can contain more than one program

• A DT800 program is ever

• The DT800 can only run one program at a time.

program builder

DT800 program. Although the program may contain several schedules and involve many DT800 channels, there is only one program per program builder

builder — that is, more than one program. Figure 17 on page 24 illustrates this. (To add another project builder window, choose

New

on the File menu, then click the

Program

program builder window — everything deﬁned on ever builder.

When you send a new program, it replaces any existing program in the DT800 (DeLogger ﬁrst ensures that this is what you want to do).

button.)

y tab across the bottom of the program

window is DeLogger’s tool

DT800

ything you specify in a

CHAPTER 5YOUR FIRST PROGRAM: DeLogger’s Program Builder Window 31

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Page 32

Specify the schedule’s

➋

primary details here.

Fixed columns Scrollable columns

A program builder’s program consists of everything specified on all of these tabs (scroll right to reveal more tabs).

Select a schedule here: Immediate (a once-only

➊

scan) or triggered (A, B, C,…K).

FIGURE 26 DeLogger’s DT800 program builder — general sequence of use

When you click in a cell in the program builder, information about the clicked item appears here.

Specify the schedule’s

➌

channels here. Repeat from step 1,

➍

but use a different schedule tab, if you want to include other schedules in the program (you do this when you want the DT800 to do things at different times or according to different triggers).

Scroll right to reveal more column headings.

Click this Configure button to open the Rate dialog box.

Choose Voltage from this drop-down list, then… click this Configure button to open the

FIGURE 27 Using speciﬁc parts of the DT800 program builder — more details in the following topics

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32 Getting Started with DT800

Voltage Wiring Configurations dialog box.

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Page 33

5-2

CREATE A PROGRAM

Now you’ll use a DeLogger program builder window to create a simple program ready to send to the DT800. (You can also create a program in a DeLogger text window if you’re familiar with the programming language. But, in this tutorial, we’ll do it the graphical way — by pointing and clicking in the program builder.)

The general steps for working in a program builder window are summarized by the numbered instructions in Figure 26.

Schedules

Scan

schedules

— in this section, you specify your program’s ﬁrst schedule. (If you want to know more about schedules, see the Extras panel “Scan Schedules — DT800 Timetables” below, and Part D of the

User’s Manual

are the heart of any DT800 program

dataTaker

DT800 dataTaker

➲ Deﬁne a schedule (use schedule A) that

instructs the DT800 to scan channel 1 (the potentiometer) as a 2-wire resistance every halfsecond, and to log the measurements.

To do this…

a) Minimize all windows except the DT800 program

builder (the window with

b) At the bottom of the program builder window, click

the tab labelled We’ll only use one scan schedule, schedule A, in

the program for now (you don’t have to use schedule A ﬁrst; you can use any of tabs A to K).

c) Set a

time interval

second (a “0.5-second trigger rate”) by following the numbered steps in Figure 29.

When the Triggers dialog box is open, notice the other options available:

•

Name

— Schedules can have optional names

for identiﬁcation — for example,

HOURLY

given, schedule identiﬁcation defaults to schedule A,

• Trigger on down list to see the event types you can use to trigger a schedule.

• Trigger to see the “trigger while…” conditions you can assign to the schedule.

(spaces are not allowed). If no name is

Events

While

— Open the While drop-down list

Prog1.dl8

trigger for schedule A of half a

for schedule B, and so on.

— Open the Event(s) drop-

in its title bar).

Boiler1

and

for

Scan Schedules — DT800 Timetables

A scan when to do it. It’s a collection of instructions that speciﬁes

CHAPTER 5YOUR FIRST PROGRAM: Create a Program 33

schedule

• which channels to scan (a schedule can contain one, two or many channels)

• when to scan the speciﬁed channels — for example, whenever 5 seconds have elapsed (repeating every 5 seconds), whenever a door closes (scan on digital event), or whenever an alarm occurs

• how to read the channel (voltage, current, temperature, resistance,…)

• how to convert the reading, apply alarms, assign the channel’s data to channel variables, apply gain, excitation and termination,… (may not be required).

tells the DT800 what to do and

Each program you send to the DT800 can contain up to eleven basic schedules (labelled That is, in one program you send to the DT800, you can deﬁne various groups of channels to be scanned according to as many as 11 different “timetables” or “agendas”.

See also Figure 17 on page 24. It shows how

• projects contain programs (program builders)

• programs contain schedules

• schedules contain DT800 channels.

There’s also an about this in “Other Schedules and Scans” in Part D of the

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

Immediate

scan schedule. Read

A, B, C,…K

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Page 34

In the second Interval field,

➋

select Thousandths of seconds (500 thousandths

of seconds = 0.5 seconds).

In the first Interval field,

➌

change the number to

500.

➍

Click OK.

Click the

➊

Rate row’s Properties button .

The Triggers dialog box opens.

You can use this technique to get information about most items in the program builder.

e) Click the Burst row’s Conﬁgure button and, in

the dialog box that opens, look over the burst schedule options available. When you’ve ﬁnished, click

Cancel

to close the dialog box

FIGURE 29 Setting schedule A’s rate to 0.5 seconds

d) Single-click in the empty/white area of the Burst row

and notice the information text that appears in the information area (on the right-hand side of the program builder window) — Figure 28.

Single-click the Burst field

Burst information here.

IGURE 28 Information area example

to see

FIGURE 30 The burst schedule dialog box

We won’t use a burst schedule in this tutorial, but you can read more about them in “Other Schedules and Scans” in Part D of the

Manual

DT800 dataTaker User’s

f) In the Options row of the program builder, leave

Logging

and Go ticked.

Then when you send the program you’re currently building to the DT800, these options instruct the DT800 to run (

) schedule A and to log its data.

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34 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 35

g) Now specify the channel you want schedule A to

read (the potentiometer channel) by following the numbered steps in Figure 31.

When you’ve ﬁnished working through Figure 31, you’ve speciﬁed your ﬁrst schedule.

h) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose

Save Project

This ensures you won’t lose any of the work you’ve just done.

i) Note that there are a number of other columns in

the program builder window. They allow you to further affect how your input

channels and sensors are managed during measurement, and how resulting data is processed and manipulated. Click the Conﬁgure buttons and the drop-down list buttons in these columns to see more of what’s available.

Single-click in the Signal column of R1

➊

(the first row of the Channel Definitions area).

Click the drop-down list button

➋

that appears in the Signal column of R1.

You’ve just created and saved your ﬁrst DeLogger program. It contains one schedule, schedule A. When you send it to the DT800, it will instruct the DT800 to scan channel 1 every half-second as a resistance and log the measurements.

Your program contains only one schedule because tab

(at the bottom of the program builder window) is the only one in which you’ve assigned a channel. In later chapters you’ll add

• another channel to schedule A

• another schedule, schedule B, to the program.

Click Resistance in the list

➌

(because you want the DT800 to read the potentiometer as a resistance).

Check that both the

➎

Click the Configure button

➍

in the Wiring column.

The Resistance Wiring dialog box opens.

FIGURE 31 Specifying the potentiometer channel

Start Channel and End Channel fields

contain 1 (you connected the potentiometer to channel 1).

Notice the other wiring configurations and

➐

the information area across the bottom of the dialog box.

Click 3-Wire Resistance Inputs and 4- Wire Resistance Inputs at the top of the dialog box. Examine these tabs but don’t make any changes.

When you’ve finished, check that the settings on the 2-Wire Resistance Inputs tab are as described in ➎ and ➏ then click OK.

Check that the

➏

2-Wire +/– option is selected (you made a 2-wire connection to the + and – terminals of channel 1).

CHAPTER 5YOUR FIRST PROGRAM: Create a Program 35

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Page 36

5-3

SEE WHAT

5-4

SEND THE

YOU’LL SEND

At any time, you can see the program you’re building in command-line (text) format. This is probably only useful if you’re familiar with the programming language, but have a look at it now so that you know this facility exists.

➲ Use the program builder’s right-click menu to

see the command-line form of your program.

To do this…

Right

-click anywhere in the program builder

window (except the title bar). A pop-up menu opens (Figure 32).

dataTaker

PROGRAM

Because you’re currently connected to the DT800 (you did this in “Make the Software Connection” back on page 19), all is now ready for you to send your program.

➲ Send your program to the DT800.

To do this…

a) Make sure that

(single-click it if you’re not sure).

Always take care if you have more than one DT800 project builder in any project. DeLogger sends only the program of the active sure the correct program builder is front-most.

When a program builder is the front-most window, the seventh menu from the left changes to — see Figure 20 (page 27).

b) In the Program menu, choose

The Send Program File dialog box opens.

Prog1.dl8

program builder, so make

is the front-most window

Program

Send to Connection

Progress bar

IGURE 33 Send Program progress

The Event Logs window (Figure 34) may also open to report that there is no current job (“program”) in the DT800. See the “Event Logs” Extras panel.

FIGURE 32 See your program’s behind-the-scenes

commands

b) In the pop-up menu, choose

The Program Listing dialog box opens showing your program line-by-line. Scroll down to see all of the commands that constitute the program.

c) Click

UM-0071-A0

36 Getting Started with DT800

to close the dialog box.

Show Program

FIGURE 34

errors and alarms

c) If the Event Logs window is open, click its

button.

Event Logs window displays messages,

dataTaker

Page 37

d) Notice that the Acquiring LED on the DT800’s front

panel now ﬂashes every half-second — that is, every time the DT800 makes a measurement. (This is in addition to the DT800’s three-second “heartbeat” ﬂash discussed in step b) in “Power the DT800” on page 14.

Because your program instructed the DT800 to log the measurements, the Logging LED also ﬂashes every half-second.

The DT800 is now running according to your program, scanning channel 1 every half-second and logging the value in its internal memory. We won’t do it in this tutorial, but you could disconnect from the DT800 now, leaving it operating completely independent of the computer; this is how many

dataTaker

s are used.

Remember…

When you send a program, you send all settings on ever

y tab in the current program builder window — see the bottom of Figure 26 (page 32). So, in addition to scan schedules, you’re sending

• any span, polynomial and thermistor deﬁnitions you’ve created on these tabs

• the DT800 conﬁguration settings on the Switches, Parameters and Global tabs.

Event Logs

The Event Logs window (Figure 34) displays

• messages on the Message tab

• errors on the Errors tab

• alarms on the Alarms tab.

If you tick DeLogger opens this window every time an alarm occurs. If you tick DeLogger opens this window every time an error occurs. If you tick DeLogger opens this window every time a change message is received from the DT800.

(You can alter the degree of this reporting — see

Conﬁguration Level

You can keep the Event Logs window permanently open on your screen by ticking View menu.

CHAPTER 5YOUR FIRST PROGRAM: Send the Program 37

Show Alarm Events

Show Error Events

Show Message Events

menu >

Defaults…

area.)

on the View menu,

Conﬁrmation

View Events

on the

Switches and Parameters

Switches

use to conﬁgure the operation of a DT800.

Parameters

Both are described in Part H of the

dataTaker User’s Manual

Switches and parameters are primarily intended for use when programming the DT800 directly (that is, using the and have little relevance when using DeLogger to supervise the DT800.

are a group of internal settings you can

are another group of internal settings.

DT800

dataTaker

programming language)

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Page 38

CHAPTER 6

ORM

OUR

ATA

INDOW

—

In this chapter

• you’re introduced to DeLogger’s form window — page 38

• you use the form window to see data being returned from the DT800 — page 41

• you automatically set the DT800’s date and time — page 42.

Co-ordinates of the

current cell are

displayed here

(Edit Mode only)

6-1

DELOGGER’S FORM WINDOW

A DeLogger or replay channels one row per channel (Figure 35).

In Microsoft Excel terminology, the form window is a

workbook

can add or delete worksheets at any time — explained in the lower right-hand corner of Figure 35.)

form

window displays data from real-time

that initially contains one

Formula bar (Edit Mode only)

worksheet

. (You

Channel data is displayed

one row per channel.

Form toolbar

The buttons

duplicate many

of the commands

on the Form menu.

figures 36

See

and 37.

FIGURE 35 A DeLogger form window

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38 Getting Started with DT800

Select a worksheet by clicking its tab.

Rename a worksheet by double-clicking its tab (the Sheet Name dialog box opens).

Drag the splitter bar to shrink or enlarge the tab space.

Double-right-click anywhere in a worksheet to open it in the Formula One Workbook Designer, where additional commands are available if you need them (for example, Sheet > Insert Sheet, Sheet > Delete Sheet, Data > Recalc).

dataTaker

Page 39

Each channel’s row in the worksheet contains

• the channel’s latest value and its timestamp

• the channel’s highest value and lowest value

• a trend indicator (

p or Down), which shows whether the latest value is above or below the previous value

• the channel’s units

• any alarm message.

You can have as many form windows open as you need. (To add a form window, choose menu, then click the

bar when the window is in

To rename a column,

double-click the column

header (the Header Name

dialog box opens).

Form

button.)

“Edit” appears in the title

Edit Mode.

New

on the File

At any time, you can pause the incoming data and print selected areas of the form.

Edit Mode On/Off

The form window has two distinct modes:

• Edit Mode — for conﬁguring the form ( the Form menu is ticked)

• Run Mode — for viewing incoming data ( on the Form menu is un-ticked)

These modes are compared in Figures 36 and 37.

Connection Schedule (A, B, C,…K)

Channel label (from the channel’s Label column in the program builder)

Adjust the width of a column by dragging its right border in the header row (the cursor changes to ↔).

Latest value Trend indicator (Up/Down)

Timestamp of latest value

Maximum and minimum

channel values

Edit Mode

To assign a different channel

to a row already in use,

double-click the row’s

Channel cell (the Select

Channel dialog box opens).

To replace the row number

with a custom name,

double-click the row number

(the Header Name dialog

To assign a channel to an

empty row, single-click the row number or in the empty

channel column. In the dialog box that opens,

select the channel you want

to display in that row.

FIGURE 36 A DeLogger form window in Edit Mode (Form menu >

box opens).

Set number of decimal places of selected cell(s) Left, centre, or right align contents of selected cell(s)

Show/hide gridlines Show/hide row and column headers

Scale view down (zoom out) Scale view up (zoom in)

Reset all values in the Low Value column to zero (updated at the next scan). Reset all values in the High Value column to zero (updated at the next scan).

Open the form window’s Properties dialog box (to control the display of realtime and/or logged data).

Edit Mode

Turn Edit Mode on/off

is ticked)

CHAPTER 6SEE YOUR DATA — FORM WINDOW: DeLogger’s Form Window 39

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Page 40

Scale view down (zoom out) Scale view up (zoom in)

Reset all values in the Low Value column to zero (updated at the next scan). Reset all values in the High Value column to zero (updated at the next scan).

Send the X schedule command (“polled” or “scan on host request” schedule).

Pause the return of data. Turn Edit Mode on/off.

FIGURE 37 A DeLogger form window in Run Mode (Form menu >

Can’t See Live Data?

If the channel data in the Value column isn’t updating as you think it should, check that

•

Edit Mode

form window is in Run Mode)

•

Pause

on the Form menu is un-ticked (that is, the

on the Form menu is un-ticked

The Form Menu

When a form window is DeLogger’s front-most window, the seventh menu on DeLogger’s menu bar is

Form

(see Figure 20 on page 27). Commands on this menu are speciﬁc to the form window, and some are duplicated by buttons on the form toolbar (Figure 38).

• for real-time channels: DeLogger is connected to the DT800, and the DT800 is running the program that contains the channels you’ve speciﬁed to be displayed in the form window

• for replay channels: the replay control panel is open and showing the correct replay ﬁle’s name in its title bar.

Edit Mode on

Edit Mode is ticked on the Form menu.

Buttons available in Edit Mode

Edit Mode off (Run Mode) Edit Mode is un-ticked on the Form menu.

Edit Mode

is un-ticked)

Edit Mode button depressed

Edit Mode button raised

Buttons available in Run Mode

IGURE 38 Buttons available on the form toolbar in Edit Mode and Run Mode

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40 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 41

6-2

VIEW THE RETURNED DATA

➲ Use DeLogger’s form window to view the

real-time data that the DT800 is returning to your computer.

To do this…

a) Locate the minimized form window at the bottom of

DeLogger’s main window — it’s named — and click its Restore button.

Click Form1.dlf’s Restore button to enlarge the text window.

IGURE 39 Restoring the form window

The form window is restored from its minimized state.

b) Make sure that the form window is in Edit Mode.

Do this by checking for any of the following:

• the word “Edit” is present in the form window’s title bar

• the formula bar is present at the top of the form window (Figure 35)

• the Edit Mode button is in the pressed position (Figure 38)

If the window is not in Edit Mode, choose on the Form menu (or click the

c) Single-click in the

IGURE 40 Assigning a channel to row 1

Channel

Single-click

Edit Mode

column of row 1.

Form1.dlf

Edit Mode

button).

d) Notice that the name is composed of

• the Connection name

•

— the “schedule ID” (this is the default schedule ID; it is not ID you create in the program builder)

•

— the “channel ID”, which itself is composed of the “channel number” channel type (this is the default channel ID; it is replaced by any channel label you create in the program builder — you’ll do this in “Add a Channel Label” on page 55).

e) In the Select Channel for Row 1 dialog box,

highlight (one click) your channel name and click

See also the “Clearing the Form Window” Extras panel (page 42).

f) Turn Edit Mode

menu, or click/release the while watching the form window’s Value column — turn the knob on the potentiometer.

Returned data (resistance) appears in the Value column and is updated every half-second.

g) Turn the knob in both directions and observe the

effect in the trend indicator column (shows

own) and the High Value and Low Value columns.

You may need to enlarge the form window or scroll it horizontally to see these columns.

If turning the potentiometer knob fully anticlockwise produces a maximum reading instead of a minimum, reconnect the potentiometer using the green and white wires instead of those used in Figure 9 (page 15).

h) Experiment with the

buttons to see the effect they have on the readings in the High Value and Low Value columns.

replaced by any schedule

and the Resistance

off

(un-tick

Edit Mode

Reset High

and

on the form

button) and —

p or

Reset Low

The Select Channel for Row 1 dialog box opens. It contains the name DeLogger has given to your potentiometer channel.

CHAPTER 6SEE YOUR DATA — FORM WINDOW: View the Returned Data 41

IGURE 41 Reset High and Reset Low buttons

Reset Low button Reset High button

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Page 42

6-3

SET THE DT800’S DATE

AND TIME

Communicate again with the DT800 to set its date and time to that of your computer.

➲ Use DeLogger’s Set Date/Time command.

To do this…

a) Notice the current date and time reported by the

DT800 in the form window’s They may not be correct.

b) In the

c) Observe the

dataTaker

DeLogger communicates with the DT800 and sends it your computer’s date and time (a progress dialog box appears momentarily).

The DT800 is now returning the correct date and time.

menu, choose

Date

column again.

Date

column.

Set Date/Time

Clearing the Form Window

To clear one or more rows in the form window, highlight the row(s) — work for multiple rows — then press keyboard. A dialog box opens in which you select what you want to clear:

• all (formats and values)

• formats only (special cell alignment, fonts, borders, patterns and so on — see

• values only (leaves any special cell formatting untouched)

FIGURE 42 Form window’s clear dialog box

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42 Getting Started with DT800

Shift+click

Form

and

Ctrl+click

Delete

menu >

on your

Format

)

dataTaker

Page 43

CHAPTER 7

HART

OUR

ATA

—

INDOW

DeLogger’s chart window turns your computer into a powerful chart recorder.

In this chapter

• you’re introduced to DeLogger’s chart window — page 43

• you chart data being returned from the DT800 — page 48.

Drag a scale’s handle to

You can, for example, drag

the trend area, or place one

relocate the scale.

a scale to the other side of

above another (separates

the trends).

See

Figure 44.

7-1

DELOGGER’S CHART WINDOW

A DeLogger one or more DT800 channels changes with time. See Figures 43 and 44.

Incoming data from user-selected real-time or replay channels is automatically plotted against time. New data is plotted on the right-hand side of the trend area and the trend graphs move from right to left, exactly like the traces on a chart recorder.

You can display data from up to twelve channels in each chart window — that is, twelve separate trend graphs per chart window — and you can assign the

Individual graph show/hide buttons

chart

window displays how the value of

When you rest the mouse over a graph’s Show/hide button, a popup information bar appears.

Figure 44.

See

vertical overview bar

shows the currently-visible

range (the gray bar)

maximum-to-minimum range

of the data (the

in proportion to the

maximum displayable

vertical range of the chart

(the full height

of the trend area).

FIGURE 43 A DeLogger chart window displays trend graphs (like a chart recorder).

CHAPTER 7SEE YOUR DATA — CHART WINDOW: DeLogger’s Chart Window 43

The

and the

bar)

Chart toolbar

The buttons duplicate commands found on the Chart menu.

Figure 44.

See Drag it from its docked position to create a floating toolbar.

The horizontal overview bar shows the currently-visible section of data (the gray bar) in proportion to the entire data set (the full width of the trend area).

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Page 44

trends to as many as six Y axes (linear or logarithmic). You can also open additional chart windows if necessary. (To add a chart window, choose the File menu, then click the

Chart

button.)

New

You can watch the trends update as the real-time or replay data arrives, or you can home-in on a section of the data already charted (while incoming data continues to be recorded by the window).

Relocate a graph and its scale by dragging its scale handle.

“Edit” appears after the window name in the title bar when the window is in Edit Mode.

Pause the return of data. Only available when the window is in Run Mode.

Turn Edit Mode on/off.

Time (vertical) and data (horizontal) rulers allow you to read precise coordinates from the trends (Figure 47).

Mouse Power

In a DeLogger chart window, you use the mouse to select and scale sections of the trend graphs for optimal viewing of regions you’re interested in. Figures 45 and 46 show how you do this.

An information bar appears when you rest the mouse over a graph’s

Show/hide button.

Axis label

Channel label (from the channel’s Label column in the program builder)

Schedule (A, B, C,…K) Connection The graph’s data point

symbol (if you’ve applied

one — double-click in the trend area and go to the Curves tab in the dialog box that opens)

Play Chart button (and indicator). The chart moves (like the paper in a chart recorder) and new data enters the right-hand side of the trend area when when this button is pressed (lit).

Clear the chart window. Only available when the window is in Edit Mode.

Open the chart window’s Properties dialog box (to control the display of realtime and/or logged data). Only available when the window is in Edit Mode.

Click the Auto Re-scale button to fit the trend graphs into the chart window with maximum horizontal and vertical resolution (squeezes all the data into the window).

Rotate the graphs so that they move from top to bottom. Select channels to be plotted in this chart window (the Chart Channels

dialog box opens). Only available when the window is in Edit Mode.

FIGURE 44 More features of the DeLogger chart window

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44 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 45

HORIZONTAL SCALING

Rest the mouse over the horizontal scale (the cursor changes to ) then click and drag as described here.

Horizontal scaling from the right

EXPAND

COMPRESS

FIXED FIXED

Move the left end of the scale by dragging horizontally with the left mouse button pressed.

The right-hand end of the scale stays fixed while you drag.

For finer control, start dragging further from the fixed end.

VERTICAL SCALING

Rest the mouse over the vertical scale (the cursor changes to ) then click and drag as described here.

The upper end of the scale

FIXED

stays fixed while you drag.

Move the lower end of

COMPRESS

the scale by dragging vertically with the left

mouse button pressed.

Vertical

scaling

from the

top

Horizontal scaling from the left

COMPRESS

EXPAND

Move the right end of

the scale by dragging

horizontally with the right

mouse button pressed.

The left-hand end of the scale

stays fixed while you drag.

UPDOWN

Shifting

EXPAND

RIGHTLEFT

For finer control, start dragging

further from the fixed end.

VERTICAL SHIFTING

Rest the mouse over the vertical scale (the cursor changes to ), then hold down both mouse buttons and drag vertically.

HORIZONTAL SHIFTING

Rest the mouse over the horizontal scale (the cursor changes to ), then hold down both mouse buttons and drag horizontally.

Move the upper end of

the scale by dragging

vertically with the right

mouse button pressed.

The lower end of the scale

FIXED

EXPAND

COMPRESS

Vertical

scaling

from the

bottom

stays fixed while you drag.

FIGURE 45 Chart window mouse power 1— horizontal/ver tical scaling, and horizontal/vertical shifting

CHAPTER 7SEE YOUR DATA — CHART WINDOW: DeLogger’s Chart Window 45

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Page 46

DIAGONAL SCALING

Drag inside the trend area (instead of along the scales) with the appropriate mouse button pressed.

EXPAND

COMPRESS

The upper right-hand corner

FIXED

stays fixed while you drag.

The lower left-hand corner

stays fixed while you drag.

Re-scale from the upper right-hand corner

EXPAND

by dragging diagonally with the left mouse button pressed.

For finer control, start dragging further from the fixed corner.

Re-scale from the lower left-hand corner

by dragging diagonally

with the right mouse button pressed.

EXPAND

COMPRESS

FIXED

EXPAND

UPDOWN

DIAGONAL SHIFTING

Drag inside the trend area (instead of along the scales) with both mouse buttons pressed.

FIGURE 46 Chart window mouse power 2— diagonal scaling and diagonal shifting

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46 Getting Started with DT800

RIGHTLEFT

dataTaker

Page 47

Edit Mode On/Off

The chart window has two distinct modes:

• Edit Mode — for conﬁguring the chart (

Edit Mode

on the Chart menu is ticked)

• Run Mode — for viewing incoming data or previous sections of the graphs (

Edit Mode

on the Chart menu

is un-ticked)

Graphs Not Updating?

If your trend graphs are not updating in the chart window, check that

•

Edit Mode

chart window is in Run Mode)

•

Pause

• for real-time channels: DeLogger is connected to the DT800, and the DT800 is running the program that contains the channels you’ve speciﬁed to be displayed in the chart window

• for replay channels: the replay control panel is open and showing the correct replay ﬁle’s name in its title bar.

on the Chart menu is un-ticked (that is, the

on the Chart menu is un-ticked

The Chart Menu

When a chart window is DeLogger’s front-most window, the seventh menu on DeLogger’s menu bar is

Chart

(see Figure 20 on page 27). Commands on this menu are speciﬁc to the chart window, and some are duplicated by buttons on the chart window’s toolbar (see Figures 43 and 44).

appears beside the cursor when it’s over the ruler.

Drag the time ruler from the left or right vertical axis.

An information bar shows the

time or data coordinate.

FIGURE 47 Chart window rulers for displaying precise time and data coordinates

Drag the data ruler from the top or bottom horizontal axis.

CHAPTER 7SEE YOUR DATA — CHART WINDOW: DeLogger’s Chart Window 47

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Page 48

7-2

CHART THE RETURNED DATA

➲ Display data from the potentiometer channel

in DeLogger’s chart window.

To do this…

a) Locate the minimized chart window at the bottom of

DeLogger’s main window — it’s named — and click its Restore button.

The chart window is restored from its minimized

state. b) Make sure that the chart window is in Edit Mode. c) In the Chart menu (seventh menu from the left),

choose

The Chart Channels dialog box opens (Figure 48). d) In the Chart Channels dialog box:

The dialog box closes leaving the chart window

almost ready to receive channel 1’s data.

Note the axis text

the chart window. e) Make sure that the

hand end of horizontal axis) is pressed/green.

Select Channels…

Active

i. Under ii. Open the

becomes available and choose the

potentiometer channel. iii. Leave the iv. Under

ﬁeld with

appear on the vertical/data axis of the chart). v. Do not vi. Click

, tick

Channel

Y Axis

Label

, replace

Ch1 Ohms

tick under

Curve 1

drop-down list box that

set to 1.

Logarithmic

Ch1 Ohms

Play Chart

Data 1

in the

(or any text you want to

on the left-hand side of

button ( at the right-

Chart1.dlc

Y Axis 1

f) Turn Edit Mode

menu, or click the the chart window) and watch the chart window while you turn the potentiometer’s knob.

The data points are plotted in the trend area and joined with straight-line segments as the chart moves from right to left.

g) In the Chart menu, choose

All the data returned to the chart window so far is compressed into view in the trend area.

h) Click the

button turns black ). Note that stopping the chart does not stop the ﬂow

of data into the window, whereas the command does stop the ﬂow — no data is stored in the window’s buffer when the window is paused. This is also true for the other windows that can be paused (form, mimic and text).

i) Use your mouse as described in Figures 45 and 46

to scale and shift the trace.

j) Drag the time and data rulers into the trend area as

shown in Figure 47. Notice the information box that appears for each

ruler. You can drag the box to your preferred position in the DeLogger window.

k) Turn Edit Mode

menu (or click the All the data returned to the chart window is deleted.

l) Continue to experiment in the chart window if you

want. Remember that Edit Mode must be incoming data.

off

Play Chart

(un-tick

Edit Mode

then choose

Clear

Edit Mode

button on the bottom of

Auto Re-scale

button to stop the chart (the

button ).

on the Chart

Clear

from the Chart

Pause

off

to plot

FIGURE 48 Assigning a channel to the chart window

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48 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 49

CHAPTER 8

OUR

ATA

—

DeLogger also allows you to present data as a moving analog needle on a meter panel. (And if you upgrade to DeLogger Pro, you’ll have access to other meter types, as well as buttons that perform actions.)

In this chapter

• you’re introduced to DeLogger’s mimic (meter)

• you create a meter and use it to display data —

• you play a replay ﬁle to a meter — page 51

• you add a graphic to a meter panel — page 52

•

FIGURE 49 A typical DeLogger mimic window

IMIC

window — page 49

page 50

you practise disconnecting from the DT800 — page 53

Meter Panel Background

Open the mimic window’s Properties dialog box.

Scale text down. Scale text up.

Load a picture.

Create a meter panel and assign up to five channels to it.

Pause the return of data. Turn Edit Mode on/off.

INDOW

image

Mimic toolbar

8-1

DELOGGER’S MIMIC WINDOW

A DeLogger represent data as a panel containing one or more needle (arc) meters on your computer screen.

You can have as many mimic windows open as you need (limited only by computer memory and speed). To add a mimic window, choose menu, then click the

Edit Mode On/Off

The mimic window has two distinct modes:

• Edit Mode — for creating, moving and resizing mimics, and for assigning channels ( the Mimic menu is ticked)

• Run Mode — for displaying incoming data (

Mode

Meters Not Updating?

If your meters are not updating in the mimic window, check that

•

Edit Mode

the mimic window is in Run Mode)

•

Pause

• for real-time channels: DeLogger is connected to the DT800, and the DT800 is running the program that contains the channels you’ve assigned for display by the meters

• for replay channels: the replay control panel is open and showing the correct replay ﬁle’s name in its title bar.

The Mimic Menu

When a mimic window is DeLogger’s front-most window, the seventh menu on DeLogger’s menu bar is

Mimic

menu are speciﬁc to the chart window, and some are duplicated by buttons on the mimic window’s toolbar (see Figure 49).

mimic

window (Figure 49) lets you

New

on the File

Mimic

button.

Edit Mode

on the Mimic menu is un-ticked)

on the Mimic menu is un-ticked (that is,

on the Mimic menu is un-ticked

(see Figure 20 on page 27). Commands on this

Edit

CHAPTER 8SEE YOUR DATA — MIMIC WINDOW: DeLogger’s Mimic Window 49

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Page 50

8-2

DISPLAY RETURNED DATA

IN A METER

➲ Create a meter panel and assign the

potentiometer channel to it.

To do this…

a) Locate the minimized meter window

and click its Restore button. b) Make sure that the mimic window is in Edit Mode. c) In the Mimic menu (seventh from the left), choose

Needle Meters…

The Mimic Meter Panel Properties dialog box

opens. d) On tab 1:

i. Open the ﬁrst drop-down list box and choose

the potentiometer channel.

FIGURE 50 Assigning a channel to a meter’s

needle

ii. Tick iii. Click the iv. In the Mimic Label dialog box that opens

v. Click

The new meter panel appears in the top left-hand

corner of the mimic window. e)

Single

A striped border appears around the panel to show

that it’s selected.

Panel Border

(Figure 51), select

(or any text you want to appear beneath

Pot.

the meter), then click

Properties dialog box.

-click anywhere within the meter panel.

(Figure 50).

Label

button (Figure 50).

Manual Label

again to close the Mimic Meter Panel

Mimic1.dlm

and type

FIGURE 51 Creating a meter label

f) Drag the anchor point in lower right-hand corner

down and to the right to enlarge the panel to approximately double its original size.

The mouse pointer changes to a double-ended diagonal arrow when you’re over the anchor point.

g) Hold the mouse pointer anywhere within the panel.

When the pointer changes to , drag the panel into the centre of the mimic window.

h) Click outside the panel to de-select it.

➲ Change the range of the meter to suit your

potentiometer.

To do this…

Double

-click the meter (in the centre of the meter, not

the surrounding panel).

b) In the Meter Parameters dialog box that opens:

i. Type

ii. Type

iii. Click

Your meter should now look like Figure 52.

FIGURE 52 The meter before changing its alarm

bands

600

in the To ﬁeld of the

This suits your potentiometer, which has a maximum resistance of approximately 550 ohms.

100

in the

Step

ﬁeld of the

The tick marks will appear 100 ohms apart around the meter.

Range

Ticks

area.

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50 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 51

➲ Change the meter’s alarm bands.

To do this…

Double

-click the meter again.

b) In the Meter Parameters dialog box that opens, click

the

Alarm Attributes…

c) In the Alarm Attributes dialog box that opens:

500

i. Type ii. Type iii. Click

d) Click

dialog box. Your meter should now look like Figure 53.

FIGURE 53 The ﬁnished meter

in the

100

in the

again to close the Meter Parameters

button.

High Low

ﬁeld (

Value

column).

➲ Use the meter to display data from the

channel assigned to it (the potentiometer channel).

To do this…

a) Turn Edit Mode

the meter while you turn the potentiometer’s knob. The needle moves and the value shown under the

needle changes according to the incoming data.

b) Look at the form window and the chart window also

and continue turning the knob. Data in all three views updates every time schedule

A makes a scan (every half-second).

off

for the mimic window and watch

8-3

REPLAY A FILE TO

A METER

Data can also come from a ﬁle — a DeLogger. You use a special DeLogger Connection — a

replay Connection

Replay File” on page 30.

— to do this. See “Replay Data,

replay ﬁle

— into

➲ Open a replay Connection.

To do this…

a) In the Connections menu, choose b) In the Replay Connection dialog box that opens,

highlight

c) In the Select Replay File dialog box that opens,

highlight The example replay ﬁles were placed here when

you installed DeLogger. The ﬁle replay control panel opens ready for you to

start a replay of

d) Familiarize yourself with Figure 25 on page 30,

which explains the various components of the replay control panel.

MyFile

and click OK.

Example.dlr

and click

Play…

Open

➲ Create another meter panel and assign a

replay channel to it.

To do this…

a) Make sure that the mimic window is in Edit Mode. b) In the Mimic menu, choose c) On tab 1:

i. Open the ﬁrst drop-down list box and notice

that channels from the replay ﬁle Connection are now available (in addition to those from the Connection to the DT800).

ii. From the list, choose

iii. Click

The new meter panel appears in the top left-hand

corner of the mimic window. d) Drag the meter’s panel to enlarge it. e) Click outside the panel to de-select it.

Needle Meters…

MyFileB.21CV

CHAPTER 8SEE YOUR DATA — MIMIC WINDOW: Replay a File to a Meter 51

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Page 52

➲ Activate the mimic window and play the

replay ﬁle.

To do this…

a) Turn Edit Mode b) Drag the replay control panel to a position that

allows you to see it as well as the mimic window.

c) In the control panel, click the

the second meter. The needle of the second meter displays data as it is

received from the replay ﬁle.

d) Increase the speed of the replay and watch the

effect on the needle.

e) Use the

panel.

f) During replay, turn the potentiometer’s knob and

observe that each meter displays its appropriate data.

Pause, Reset

off

for the mimic window.

Play

button and watch

and

Play

buttons in the control

8-4

You can add graphics to a mimic window as a background or, for example, to create a ﬂowchart that incorporates DeLogger meters.

ADD A GRAPHIC

➲ Load a graphic into the mimic window.

To do this…

a) Turn Edit Mode on for the mimic window. b) In the Mimic menu, choose c) In the dialog box that opens, click the Browse button

at the right-hand end of the

d) In the Select Picture File dialog box that opens,

select

BAKDROP5.bmp

BAKDROP5.bmp is a blue gradient.

e) Click

dialog box. The image appears in the mimic window.

Single

right-hand corner to ﬁll the mimic window.

g) With the image still selected, choose

Arrange

h) With the image still selected, choose

Lock

The background image is locked behind your meters.

to close the Mimic Picture Properties

-click the image to select it, then drag its lower

Send to Back

Picture…

File

ﬁeld.

and click

Open

Mimic

menu >

Tip When using a graphic behind your meters, load

the graphic ﬁrst (and lock it) so that subsequent meter panels automatically overlay the background.

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52 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 53

8-5

Although you need to be connected to the DT800 in order to complete this tutorial, we’ll get you to disconnect here and then reconnect in the next chapter — just for practice.

DISCONNECT

➲ Carry out a software disconnection from

your DT800.

To do this…

a) In DeLogger’s Connections menu, choose

Disconnect…

b) In the Disconnect dialog box that opens, highlight

(one click)

dt800 Com1

and click OK.

FIGURE 54 Disconnecting

There is no longer a link between DeLogger and your DT800, but the DT800 is still running according to your program — scanning channel 1 every half-second and logging the results into its internal memory.

c) Conﬁrm that data is no longer being returned from

the DT800 by looking at the form window, the chart window or the mimic window.

These windows are not updated when DeLogger is disconnected from the DT800.

CHAPTER 8SEE YOUR DATA — MIMIC WINDOW: Disconnect 53

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Page 54

CHAPTER 9

XTEND

OUR

ROGRAM

In this chapter you’ll learn more about DeLogger and your DT800 by

• altering schedule A’s rate — page 55

• adding your own label to the potentiometer channel — page 55

• adding channels to schedule A using more of the program builder’s features — page 56

• reassigning the form, chart and mimic windows — page 59

• using a DeLogger text window — page 60

• adding an alarm to the potentiometer channel — page 63

• adding another schedule to your program — page 64.

9-1

Connect to the DT800 now so that all is ready to send your program after each revision you make.

RECONNECT

➲ Reconnect to your DT800 (use the same

Connection as last time).

To do this…

a) Repeat the step “Connect to the DT800 using dt800

Com1.” on page 20.

b) Conﬁrm the re-connection by checking that the

information in the form window is again being regularly updated.

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54 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 55

9-2

FIGURE 55 Schedule A after program changes

CHANGE

9-3

ADD A CHANNEL SCHEDULE A’S RATE

➲ Change schedule A’s rate to 5 seconds.

To do this…

a) In tab A of the program builder, click the Rate row’s

Conﬁgure button . (Look back at Figure 29 on page 34 for a reminder.)

The Triggers dialog box opens.

b) In the second Interval ﬁeld, select

drop-down list. c) In the ﬁrst Interval ﬁeld, change the number to d) Click

e) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose

In the Rate row of tab A, you’ll now see

(

eport schedule A, 5 Seconds).

Seconds

Save Project

from the

RA5S

LABEL

Next, add your own label to the potentiometer channel (channel 1 of the DT800). You’ll see later where this becomes useful.

➲ Give channel 1 the label Potentiometer

(or any name you want).

To do this…

Single

-click in the the related message that appears in the information area of the program builder window.

Double

-click in the

Row 1 ( DT800 to be read as a resistance.

c) Type

Channel 1 now has a expressive name, and schedule A should now look like Figure 55.

Potentiometer

Label

column of row 1 and notice

Label

column of row 1.

) is where you deﬁned channel 1 of the

CHAPTER 9EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM: Change Schedule A’s Rate 55

d) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose

Save Project

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Page 56

9-4

ADD MORE CHANNELS TO SCHEDULE A

Now add more DT800 channels to schedule A. Because they’re all on schedule A, they’ll all be read every 5 seconds.

You’ll add

• channel 6 — to be read as a voltage

• channel 7 — to be read as a voltage

• channels 9 to 12 — to be read as thermocouples.

If you have actual sensors you want to connect them to these channels, do it now. If you haven’t, don’t worry — you’ll still be able to work through this tutorial and see data returned (although the data will be nonsense).

➲ Use row 2 (R2) to instruct the DT800 to

read its channel 6 as an unshared differential +/– voltage.

To do this…

a) Single-click in the b) Click the drop-down list button that appears and

choose

c) In the

button . The Voltage Wiring dialog box opens for row 2

(Figure 56).

d) In the

Wiring dialog box, click the up button until the ﬁeld contains

Notice that the number in the End Channel ﬁeld also changes to 6.

e) Leave the

(Figure 56) and click Channel 6’s channel deﬁnition (R2) should look like

Figure 60 on page 58.

Voltage

Wiring

Start Channel

Differential +/–

Signal

column of R2.

column of R2, click the Conﬁgure

ﬁeld at the top of the Voltage

conﬁguration selected

Set the Start Channel to 6.

Leave the Differential +/– option selected.

IGURE 56 Deﬁning channel 6 for voltage measurement

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56 Getting Started with DT800

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Page 57

➲ Use copy and paste to duplicate row 2’s

deﬁnition into row 3. Then modify row 3 to instruct the DT800 to read channel 7 as an unshared differential +/– voltage.

To do this…

a) Select all of row 2 by clicking its

box containing

b) Now

right

) — see Figure 57.

-click the row label of row 2.

A menu appears (Figure 57).

c) In the right-click menu, choose

FIGURE 57 Select R2, copy, and paste into R3

row label

Copy

Left-click to select the row.

➊

Right-click to reveal the

➋

menu.

Choose Copy.

➌

(the gray

All of row 2’s cells are copied to the clipboard.

d) Click the e)

Right

f) In the menu that appears, choose

row label

of row 3 to select the entire row.

-click the row label of row 3.

Paste

Row 3 and row 2 are now identical.

Clear

Notice also the

command on the right-click menu. You use this to delete all information from a selected row.

g) In the

Wiring

column of R3, click the Conﬁgure

button . The Voltage Wiring dialog box opens for row 3

(Figure 58).

h) In the

Start Channel

ﬁeld at the top of the Voltage Wiring dialog box, click the up button until the ﬁeld contains

i) Leave the

and click

Differential +/–

conﬁguration selected

Channel 7’s channel deﬁnition (R3) should look like Figure 60.

Set the Start Channel to 7.

Leave the Differential +/– option selected.

IGURE 58 Deﬁning channel 7 for voltage measurement

CHAPTER 9EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM: Add More Channels to Schedule A 57

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Page 58

➲ Use row 4 (R4) to instruct the DT800 to

read channels 9 to 12 as thermocouples.

To do this…

a) Single-click in the b) Click the drop-down list button that appears and

choose

c) In the

Temperature

Wiring

button . The Thermocouple Wiring dialog box opens for row

4 (Figure 59).

d) In the

Start Channel

Thermocouple Wiring dialog box, click the up button until the ﬁeld contains

e) In the

End Channel

Thermocouple Wiring dialog box, click the up button until the ﬁeld contains

f) Leave the

and click

Differential +/–

Row 4’s channel deﬁnition should look like Figure 60.

g) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose

Signal

column of R4.

column of R4, click the Conﬁgure

ﬁeld at the top of the

conﬁguration selected

Save Project

FIGURE 60 More channels

Set the Start Channel to 9 and the End Channel to 12.

Leave the Differential +/– option selected.

FIGURE 59 Deﬁning channels 9 to 12 for thermocouple measurement (temperature)

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58 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 59

9-5

RE-SEND THE PROGRAM

to the original channel ID, which no longer exists. (In DeLogger’s channel drop-down lists, its name used to end with

; now it ends with

Potentiometer

Update the DT800 with your modiﬁed program.

➲ Send your program to the DT800.

To do this…

a) In the Program menu, choose b) In the “Warning — Job already deﬁned…” dialog

box that opens, click The Send Program File dialog box opens to inform

you of the progress. Also, if you’ve got Show Error Alerts ticked (on the View menu), the Event Logs dialog box may open to report (in the Errors tab) the event that has just occurred — see the Extras panel “Event Logs” on page 37.

c) Close the Event Logs dialog box if it’s in your way.

You can open it at any time by choosing

in the View menu.

Events

d) Notice that the Acquiring LED now ﬂashes every 5

seconds (in addition to the three-second heartbeat ﬂash). And, because Logging is still ticked in schedule A of the program, the Logging LED also ﬂashes brieﬂy every 5 seconds.

e) Use the

is running the new schedule. You did this before in “Verify the Connection” on

page 20.

9-6

Status

REASSIGN THE

Yes

command to conﬁrm that the DT800

Send to Connection

View

FORM, CHART

➲ Reassign row 1 in the form window to the

modiﬁed (labelled) potentiometer channel.

To do this…

a) Make sure that the form window is in Edit Mode. b)

Double

-click in the

c) In the Select Channel for Row 1 dialog box that

opens, highlight the potentiometer channel — its channel ID is now and click

d) Turn Edit Mode

You’ll now see information in the form window being updated every 5 seconds (schedule A’s new rate).

Channel

Potentiometer

off

for the form window.

column of row 1.

(instead of 1R) —

➲ Carry out a similar procedure to reassign

the chart window and your meter to the modiﬁed potentiometer channel.

To do this…

a) Put each window into Edit Mode. b) For the chart window, use

Channels… Potentiometer

c) In the mimic window, select your ﬁrst meter, then use

Mimic

ending in

d) Turn Edit Mode

(form, chart and mimic) and check that the three views of the potentiometer channel now update according to your revised program (that is, every 5 seconds).

and choose the channel ending in

menu >

Edit Panel…

Potentiometer

off

for each of the three windows

Chart

menu >

and choose the channel

Select

AND MIMIC

WINDOWS

Information from the potentiometer channel no longer updates in the form, chart and mimic windows because you changed this channel’s channel ID when you added the Label” on page 55.

Row 1 in the form window, the chart window, and your ﬁrst meter in the mimic window are still assigned

CHAPTER 9EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM: Re-Send the Program 59

Potentiometer

label in “Add a Channel

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Page 60

9-7

DELOGGER’S TEXT WINDOW

A DeLogger screens (Figure 61):

•

Display screen

incoming real-time data and replay data in various formats

•

Entry screen

with type commands here and send them to the DT800.

text

(terminal) window contains two

(the upper screen) — displays

(the lower screen) — if you’re familiar

dataTaker

’s native programming language,

Filter incoming data by schedule.

Choose the format of incoming data (replay, text or comma-separated variable).

Capture data to disk as it arrives (as a replay file .dlr).

Open the text window’s Properties dialog box.

Toggle the split screen view on/off.

Clear the display screen.

Pause the flow of incoming data to the display screen.

The Text Menu

When a text window is DeLogger’s front-most window, the seventh menu on DeLogger’s menu bar is Figure 20 on page 27). Commands on this menu are speciﬁc to the text window, and some are duplicated by buttons on the text window’s two toolbars.

Text

(see

Display screen buttons

Display screen toolbar

(always available)

Display screen

Entry screen

Site list — assign a Connection

to the text window.

Entry screen toolbar

(available when the

entry screen is active

— click in the entry

screen’s workspace)

Send the program (send all) Send the highlighted text. Send the current line.

Save the program (.txt or .cmd). Load a DeLogger program file (.dlp). Open an existing command file (.txt or .cmd).

FIGURE 61 A new DeLogger text window

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60 Getting Started with DT800

Clear the entry screen.

Turn Command Edit Mode on/off.

Entry screen buttons

dataTaker

Page 61

9-8

ETURN

THE TEXT

INDOW

ATA TO

➲ Use DeLogger’s text window to view the

real-time data that the DT800 is returning to your computer.

To do this…

a) Locate the minimized text window

click its Restore button.

b) In the

Site

drop-down list at the bottom of the text window, select your DT800’s Connection (Figure 62).

Select the Connection to your DT800, then returned data from the DT800 appears in the upper screen.

Text1.dlt

and

A data record appears immediately in the upper (display) screen of the text window. The right-hand group of ﬁgures in the line is the data returned from the potentiometer and other channels in your program (see the “Data Structure — Replay Format” Extras panel).

c) Carry out the numbered steps in Figure 64 to learn

more about the text window.

FIGURE 62 Assigning the DT800’s Connection to

the text window

Date

reading

Data Structure — Replay Format

Figure 63 shows the main components of data displayed in replay format, which is the text window’s default display format.

CHAPTER 9EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM: Return Data to the Text Window 61

D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:24,0.007411,0:A,0,13.94076; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:27,0.006801,0:A,0,15.44138; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:30,0.007899,0:A,0,24.52851; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:33,0.008754,0:A,0,27.10516; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:36,0.007411,0:A,0,28.19215; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:39,0.007533,0:A,0,26.95922; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:42,0.008265,0:A,0,25.12281; D,080015,2000/05/02,10:08:43,0.616821,0:A,0,25.12281;

DT800 serial number

Record type (for example,

D = Returned Data record)

FIGURE 63 Typical default data records (replay format)

Time

reading

sub-seconds

Schedule

Time

Record index — depends on record type (for example,

0 = real-time data)

Readings (only one shown here)

UM-0071-A0

Page 62

Click the

➊

The display screen fills the text window.

Splitter View Mode

button.

On the main toolbar, click the Halt

➎

button. The Halt Options dialog box opens.

➏

Click OK in the dialog box, then OK in the confirmation box.

Turn the potentiometer’s knob and

➋

watch the resistance value change in the returned data.

Click the

➌

The text window reverts to its split view:

Splitter View Mode

• The upper screen displays real-time data as it is returned from the DT800.

• The lower screen is where you can type commands and send them to the DT800 (if you’re familiar with the programming language).

button again.

dataTaker

Notice the

➐

marks your Halt command.

The DT800 stops running your schedule and therefore no data is returned to the text window.

Notice the

➓

change record

On the main toolbar, click the Run

➑

button. The Run Options dialog box opens.

change record

that

Click OK in

➒

the dialog box, then OK in the confirmation box.

that marks your Run command.

The DT800 resumes running your schedule and data continues to be returned to the text window.

Drag the divider to

➍

enlarge the data display screen.

FIGURE 64 Learn more about the text window

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62 Getting Started with DT800

Click the Data ceases to flow into the text window. (The schedule is still running in the DT800).

Click the The data flow resumes.

Click the All of the returned data in the display screen is deleted (DeLogger’s “return buffer” is emptied).

Pause

Clear

button.

button again.

button.

dataTaker

Page 63

9-9

Here you assign an alarm to the potentiometer channel.

Because alarm channels don’t generate data, you’ll make a copy of the potentiometer channel and assign the alarm to the copy. In this way, the original instance of the potentiometer channel generates data, and the copy generates alarms.

ADD AN ALARM

➲ Add an alarm that triggers when the

potentiometer’s resistance is greater than 300 ohms.

To do this…

a) Turn the potentiometer knob fully

(minimum resistance).

b) In the View menu, make sure that

is ticked.

Events

anti

-clockwise

Show Alarm

Click the Configure button in R5’s Alarm column.

➊

The Alarm dialog box opens.

This ensures that DeLogger will automatically open the Event Logs dialog box (Figure 34 on page 36) when an alarm occurs.

c) Click the text window to make it active. In the Text

menu, choose then select

In this format, alarms are obvious in the text

window’s display screen. d) Click the program builder window to make it active. e) On tab A of the program builder, use the right-

button copy and paste method (see Figure 57 on

page 57) to copy row 1 to row 5. f) Follow the numbered steps in Figure 65 to specify

the alarm for row 5. g) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose h) In the Program menu, choose

Yes

Click

boxes that open.

Tick Active.

➋

Display Screen

Replay format

or OK in any

Display Data As…

and click OK.

Save Project

Send to Connection

Warning

Click OK.

➐

Attention

dialog

Set Alarm Number to 1.

➌

Tick Repeating Alarm

➍

to have the DT800 return an alarm event on every scan while the alarm condition exists (not just on the first alarm scan).

Select the Greater than

➍

or equal to… option.

Type 300 in the 1st set-

➎

point field.

Type an alarm message in

➏

the Text field.

FIGURE 65 Specifying an alarm for channel 1

CHAPTER 9EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM: Add an Alarm 63

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Page 64

i) Watch the text window and turn the potentiometer

knob to its fully clockwise position. You’ll see

• alarm records returned to the text window’s display screen when the potentiometer’s value exceeds 300 ohms (in addition to the regular data records); they contain your alarm message, are marked with a red pointer on the left-hand side of the display screen, and are preﬁxed with preﬁxed with

• the Event Logs window open automatically; each new alarm event appears at the top of the Alarms tab.

j) Experiment with the potentiometer knob to see the

alarm records returned to the text window and the Event Logs window.

Alarm messages are also returned to the form window’s Alarm Message column.

k) When you’re done, close the Event Logs dialog box

if it’s in your way.

for alarm (data records are

) — Figure 66

9-10

ADD SCHEDULE B

TO THE PROGRAM

Next, you add a second schedule that instructs the DT800 to scan the potentiometer channel at a faster rate (in addition to the 5-second rate).

➲ Set schedule B’s rate to 2 seconds, and use

the copy and paste method to add the potentiometer channel to schedule B.

To do this…

a) At the bottom of the program builder window, click

the tab labelled You could have used any of tabs B to K.

b) Set a

c) Use the right-button copy and paste method (see

d) On tab B, type

e) On tab B, click the Conﬁgure button in the

time interval

seconds by following a similar procedure to that shown in Figure 29 on page 34.

Figure 57 on page 57) to copy row 1 on tab paste it into row 1 on tab

The program now instructs the DT800 to scan its channel 1, the potentiometer channel, every 5 seconds (by schedule A) and every 2 seconds (by schedule B).

of R1.

Alarm

column of R1. In the Alarm dialog box that

opens:

i. Change the Alarm Number to ii. Change the value in the set-point ﬁeld to iii. Change the alert message to read

channel 1 greater than 425 ohms

iv. Click

trigger for schedule B of 2

Potentiometer2s

to close the dialog box.

in the

Label

ALERT:

and

column

425

FIGURE 66 Alarm and data records returned to DeLogger’s text window — schedule A

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64 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 65

Tab B should now look like Figure 67.

FIGURE 67 Schedule tab B

f) In DeLogger’s File menu, choose g) In the Program menu, choose

Yes

Click

in any

Warning…

Send to Connection

dialog boxes that open.

Save Project

h) Experiment with the potentiometer knob to see the

alarm records returned to the text window (Figure 68) and the Event Logs window.

FIGURE 68 Alarm and data records returned to DeLogger’s text window — schedules A and B

i) In the Text menu, choose

Data…

Display Screen

Filter

j) In the dialog box that opens (Figure 69), notice that

you can select which schedules’ data is returned to the text window’s display screen.

FIGURE 69 Schedule ﬁlter

k) Click

to close the Filters dialog box.

CHAPTER 9EXTEND YOUR PROGRAM: Add Schedule B to the Program 65

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Page 66

CHAPTER 10

THER

HINGS

WITH

This chapter covers two more important functions of DeLogger:

• unloading logged data (that is, retrieve data stored in the DT800’s internal memory) — page 66

• using DeLogger’s spreadsheet window for manipulating and analysing data — page 68

DEL

OGGER

10-1

UNLOAD LOGGED DATA

Your DT800 has been logging every measurement it has made since you ﬁrst sent your program to it (because Logging was enabled in both of your schedules). Now you’ll retrieve this data from the DT800.

By the way: unloading data from the DT800 has nothing to do with DeLogger’s form, chart, mimic or text windows — it’s a function that’s available to you no matter which DeLogger window you’re using.

➲ Unload all of the data currently logged in

your DT800 to a replay ﬁle.

To do this…

a) In the

b) Familiarize yourself with the options available in this

c) In the second screen, tick

dataTaker

The ﬁrst screen (Options) of the unload dialog box sequence opens (Figure 70).

screen — do NOT make any changes — then click

Next >

The second screen (Unload To File) of the unload dialog box sequence opens (Figure 70).

Replay File

If you upgrade to DeLogger Pro, you’ll have an additional option here — Unload to Database.

menu, choose

Unload…

Unload to File

then select

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66 Getting Started with DT800

dataTaker

Page 67

➊

d) In the Select Replay File dialog box that opens:

i. Type

ii. Leave

iii. Click

MyUnloadFile

the

File name

Replay

your ﬁle (

Open

(or any name you want) in

ﬁeld. as the destination folder for

Save in

You’re returned to the second unload screen, which now contains the path to your unload destination.

e) Back in the second screen, click

A dialog box opens to inform you of the progress of the unload.

You can use other DeLogger windows during an unload.

f) While your logged data is unloading, open the

dataTaker

obser command.

g) If you want to cut the unload short, choose

Unload

ﬁnishes. Because you unloaded your data to the

MyUnloadFile.dlr

DeLogger’s spreadsheet window, and replay it to DeLogger’s form, chart, text and mimic windows (see Figure 16 on page 23).

And remember that you could also have unloaded the logged data to a comma-separated-variable ﬁle (.csv), which you can import into other programs such as Microsoft Excel.

menu on DeLogger’s menu bar and

ve — don’t choose — the

now. Otherwise, wait until the unload

replay ﬁle, you can load it into

Finish

Quit Unload

Quit

➌

➍

FIGURE 70 Unload dialog box sequence

CHAPTER 10 OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH DELOGGER: Unload Logged Data 67

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Page 68

10-2

DELOGGER’S SPREADSHEET WINDOW

A DeLogger spreadsheet into which you can load (“dump”) an entire DeLogger replay ﬁle one row per timestamp, one column per channel. Then you use standard spreadsheet tools to manipulate and analyse the data.

You can also

• load the contents of the spreadsheet into Microsoft Excel (if it’s installed on your computer) with a single command

• export the contents of the spreadsheet in a variety of formats.

spreadsheet

Formula bar

window is a standard

The spreadsheet window is different from the form window in several ways:

• The form window is a dynamic display of incoming data; the spreadsheet window is a static display of historical data.

• Each row in the form window displays a variety of information from one channel; each row in the spreadsheet window displays just channel readings from one scan that may include many channels, each in a separate column.

The Spread Menu

When a spreadsheet window is DeLogger’s front-most window, the seventh menu on DeLogger’s menu bar is

Spread

(see Figure 20 on page 27). Commands on this menu are speciﬁc to the spreadsheet window, and some are duplicated by buttons on the spreadsheet toolbar.

Double-right-click anywhere in a worksheet to open it in the Formula One Workbook

Rename a worksheet by

double-clicking its tab

(the Sheet Name dialog

FIGURE 71 A new DeLogger spreadsheet window

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68 Getting Started with DT800

box opens).

Spreadsheet toolbar

Set number of decimal places of selected cell(s) Left, centre, or right align contents of selected cell(s)

Show/hide gridlines Show/hide row and column headers

Load the current worksheet into Excel (opens Excel).

Set print range

Load a replay file (.dlr).

Scale view down (zoom out) Scale view up (zoom in)

Designer, where additional commands are available if you need them (for example, Sheet > Insert Sheet, Sheet > Delete Sheet, Data > Recalc).

dataTaker

Page 69

10-3

LOAD DATA INTO

10-5

WHAT’S NEXT?

A SPREADSHEET

➲ Load a replay ﬁle into DeLogger’s

spreadsheet window.

To do this…

a) Locate the minimized spreadsheet window

Spread1.dls

b) In the Spread menu, choose

File…

c) In the Select Replay File dialog box that opens,

highlight All of the replay ﬁle’s data is immediately loaded

into the spreadsheet window. Notice that each row is one data record (one scan)

and each column contains data from one channel.

10-4

When you’ve ﬁnished working with DeLogger, save the project if you want (DeLogger remembers your window sizes, locations and so on) then carry out a software disconnection from the DT800 ( menu >

Or simply quit DeLogger. (You’ll be asked if you want to save the project, and DeLogger will disconnect automatically.)

The DT800 continues to operate according to its current program.

and click its Restore button.

Example2.dlr

and click

FINISH OFF

Disconnect…

Load Session From

Open

Connections

Now that you’ve ﬁnished working through this guide, you’ll have seen how easy the DT800 use and you have enough knowledge to set up your own basic data acquisition and logging sessions.

So, armed with your this is just the beginning…

For help or more information, please visit

www. dataTaker.com

representative. Our engineers are always happy to talk to you.

DT800 dataTaker User’s Manual

or contact your

dataTaker

is to

CHAPTER 10 OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH DELOGGER: Load Data into a Spreadsheet 69

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Page 70

Index

Numerics

500/600 series 18

acquire data 6, 7 active window

See

front-most window 30 adaptor, mains 10 alarms 7

analog channel 31

, 63

event logs (Extras) 37

battery

internal main 10 internal memory-backup 10

, 11

changes

See

event logs channel 24

deﬁned 29 ID 41

label 41 chart window 43 clear

program builder cells 57 clearing the form window (Extras) 42 concepts

Connection 28

data hub 30

data site 28

database 29

replay 30 Connection 19

How Many Connections? (Extras) 28

replay 30 connectors

diagrams (Extras) 12

female 12

male 12

sex (Extras) 12 control panel (replay) 30 copy and paste 57 current window

See

, 55

, 28

front-most window 30

data

acquisition 6 hub 30 logging 6 real-time 7 record (Extras) 61 replay 30 site 28

structure (Extras) 61 database 29 date

in returned data (Extras) 61

setting 42

stamp 9 DeLogger Pro (Extras) 18 dialog box

Event Logs 59

Status 21

Unload 67 digital channel 31 DT500/600 series 18 dynamic data view 23

, 7

, 7, 30

, 30

, 64

, 68

errors

event logs (Extras) 37 event logs (Extras) 37 Event Logs dialog box 59 Extras

Connections (how many?) 28

connector diagrams 12

connector sex 12

Connectors, Adaptors 12

Data Structure 61

DT800 Host Software 16

Enabling DeLogger Pro 18

Event Logs 37

Flow Control 20

How Many Connections? 28

Re-Installing and Project Compatibility 17

Scan Schedules — DT800 Timetables 33

Sending Commands 8

Switches and Parameters 37

, 64

female (connectors) 12 file

replay 30 file Connection (replay) 30 filter (text window) 65

Index 70

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fixed-format mode 9 flow control (Extras) 20 focus window

See

front-most window 30

form window 38

clearing (Extras) 42

format

deﬁned 11 of returned data 9

ﬁxed-format mode 9 free-format mode 9

Formula One Workbook Designer

form window 38

spreadsheet window 68 free-format mode 9 front-most window (defined) 30

hardware flow control 20 heartbeat (LED flash) 14 host computer 11 host software 11

Extras 16 hub

See

data — hub

HWFC 20

, 37, 59

channel 41

schedule 41 indicators (LEDs) 14 internal main battery 10 internal memory-backup battery 10

jobs

and programs 29

, 11

mimic window 49

parameters 37 parameters (Extras) 37 pause command 48 power 10

external 10

internal 10 power-up 11 program builder window 31 programs 24

and jobs 29 project compatibility (Extras) 17 projects 24 purchase DeLogger Pro (Extras) 18

reading

in returned data (Extras) 61 real-time data 7 record index

in returned data (Extras) 61 record type

in returned data (Extras) 61 re-installing DeLogger (Extras) 17 replay

Connection 30

control panel 30

deﬁned 30

ﬁle 30

site 30 returned data

record structure (Extras) 61 right-click menu 36 RS-232 12 RS-422 12 RS-485 12

, 30

, 57

label 41, 55 LED indicators 14 logging 6

, 37

, 7, 30

main battery 10 mains adaptor 10 male (connectors) 12 memory-backup battery 10 menu

right-click (program builder) 36

: 71

, 11

, 57

scan schedules

See

schedules

schedule

ID 41

in returned data (Extras) 61 schedules 24

DT800 timetables (Extras) 33 SDI-12 12 sending commands (Extras) 8 sensors

deﬁned 11

smart 11 serial channel 12

, 33

, 12

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Page 72

serial number

DeLogger 16

default (Extras) 18

DT800

in returned data (Extras) 61 setting the DT800’s date and time 42 site

replay 30

smart sensors

and Serial Channel 12

deﬁned 11 software flow control 20 stamp

date 9

time 9 static data view 23 Status

dialog box 21 SWFC 20 switches (Extras) 37

, 18

, 68

terminal window 60 text window 60

ﬁlter data 65 time

in returned data (Extras) 61

setting 42

stamp 9 top-level window

See

front-most window 30

transducer (defined) 11

window

chart 43 form 38 front-most (deﬁned) 30 mimic 49 program builder 31 terminal 60 text 60

workbook

form window 38 spreadsheet window 68

worksheet

form window 38 spreadsheet window 68

unload 67

dialog box 67 upgrade (to DeLogger Pro) 18

, 49

version compatibility (Extras) 17 views 23

dynamic 23

static 23

Index 72

, 68

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