General Tools & Instruments HT08 Instruction Manual

HT08 - Manual-RR-FINAL_061914_awb

USB

RH/TEMPERATURE/GPP

MINI DATA LOGGER

USER’S MANUAL

HT08

Please read this manual carefully and thoroughly before using this product.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 – 4

Key Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 – 5

Safety Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

What’s in the Blister Pack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Product Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Setup Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 – 12

Installing/Replacing the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Install Software and Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 – 9

Configure the Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 – 12

Operating Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 – 16

Deploy the Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 – 14

Stop Logging and Import Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Viewing, Printing and Exporting Data Logs . . . . 14 – 16

Other Indications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

tenance Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Main

Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Return for Repair Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing General Tools & Instruments’

USB RH/Temperature/GPP Mini Data Logger. Please read
this user’s manual carefully and thoroughly before using the
instrument.

The HT08 is a low-cost, compact, battery-powered thermo­hygrometer capable of unattended logging (recording) of the
ambient temperature and relative humidity (RH) of an
environment for days, weeks or months. In addi

tion, soft
included with the product can also calculate and display
absolute humidity levels in units of grains per pound (GPP) or
g/kg. Also called mixing ratio, GPP is a more useful moisture
metric than RH to water damage remediators. Using RH
alone, a remediator might unknowingly introduce moist air—
with a low RH but a high GPP—during a job’s drying phase.

Data logging can be started or stopped

by pushing
on the unit, eliminating the need to bring a laptop to the job
site. After a data log has been captured and stored, it can be
uploaded as a .txt file to any PC running the Windows

®

Windows

XP operating system after plugging the HT08 into
one of the computer’s USB ports. The HT08’s internal flash
memory is large enough to store 16,300 pairs of RH and
temperature readings.

Included wit

h the prod

uct—which is slightly larger than a
thumb drive—is a mini-disc with the drivers needed to
interface the unit to the computer, as well as software that
can display a data log file as a table or graph and/or export it
to Microsoft Excel. Exporting to Excel is recommended for
sophisticated trending and analysis of humidity and
temperature data and easy detection of unexpected
excursions.

Windows®7 and Windows®XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

HT 08

ware

a button

®

7 or

3

Applications for the HT08

• Water damage remediation—Because the HT is
designed to be deployed and left in place over the
duration of the job, it is always in equilibrium with the
environment.

• Process control—The HT enables, simplifies and cuts
the cost of environmental monitoring of office buildings,
greenhouses, food and equipment storage facilities,
wineries, freezers, shipping containers,
installations, computer rooms, labs, libraries, museums
and saunas.

• Electronics manufacturing—Alerts provided by the low­humidity alarm function of the HT can mitigate the risk
of damaging high-voltage static discharges.

include:

08

08

HVAC/R

08

KEY FEATURES

• One button starts/stops data logging without a PC

• Plug-and-play USB 2.0 interface; no need for cables,

cradles or docks

• Large storage capacity: 16,300 pairs of RH and
temperature readings

• Two LEDs indicate device working status and
“memory full”

• Included software is used to set: Sampling time from
10 seconds to 12 hours; Hi/Lo alarm setpoints for
humidity and temperature; Temperatur

• Software also calculates and plots GPP and dew point and
wet bulb temperatures and displays data logs as time­based graphs synchronized to your PC’s clock

e unit (°F or °C)

4

• One-click exporting of logs to Excel

• Long battery life (up to one year)

• Includes USB extension cable

• One-year warranty

SAFETY INSTRUCTION

Do not use the HT08 in the presence of flammable or
explosive gases.

WHAT’S IN THE BLISTER PACK

The HT08 comes in a blister pack that also contains

• One “1/2 AA” battery. Replacement batteries
(Part No. BA10) are available from General
(www.generaltools.com).

• A disc with software drivers for Windows7 and Windows
XP computers, the ELusb V1.21.2 program for capturing
data logs and displaying them as curves, and a PDF of
this user’s manual

• A USB extension cable

py of this user’s manual (inside the fold-over

• A hard c
card)

o

5

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Fig. 1 shows the main components, controls, display and
connectors of the HT08. Familiarize yourself with their names
and functions before moving on to the Setup Instructions.

A. Temperature and humidity sensor window
B. Battery compartment (latch is on rear of unit)
C. Two-color (green and red) LEDs (indicate device logging

and configuration status and “memory full”)
D. USB plug
E. Protec
F. MODE button

tive cap

6

SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

INSTALLING/REPLACING THE BATTERY

The HT08 uses a 3.6VDC “1/2 AA” Lithium-ion battery.
To open the battery compartment, use a paper clip or a
screwdriver with a fine point to push in the silver flange
showing through the small square hole in the rear of the unit
(left photo above). Push back the cover (middle photo),
remove the old battery (right photo) and insert a fresh battery

correct orientation. Then replace the cover, pushing it

in the
forward until you feel and hear a click.

Whenever you change the battery, each of the two LEDs will
flash red once, and then green once.

Note: If the battery is removed from a unit before it has been
set up from software or while it is recording, the unit must be
reconfigured before it can be reactivated. If it is not
reconfigured, the unit will rem

INSTALL SOFTWARE AND DRIVERS

1. Place mini-disc in tray of CD/DVD drive, shiny side down.

Close tray.

2. When the AutoPlay window appears, click on “Open folder

to view files using Windows Explorer.”

3. Windows Explorer will indicate that there are two “Files

Currently on the Disc”. One is actually a folder containing
a PDF of the HT0808 user’s manual (as well as PDFs of the

manuals for

the HT20 and HT50_larger versions of the HT

ain in standby mode.

7

with LCDs). Copy the HT08 manual to your computer’s hard
drive for permanent storage. The other file is a Windows
Installer Package (.msi file) named “ELusb V1.21.2.msi”.
Double-click its icon.

4. A window titled “Welcome to ELUsb Installation Wizard”

will appear. Click Next to continue.

5. Within the Software License Agreement window that

appears next, click the I agree (T) box.

6. The next three windows ad

vise that the ELusb application
will be installed in your computer’s C:\Program Files folders
in a new subfolder named <ELusb>, and that shortcuts to
the program will be created on your desktop and Quick
Launch bar. If you want to install the software elsewhere,
click Browse and choose another location. Within each
window, after selecting either the default location or
another location, click Next(N) to co

ntinue.

7. When the “Preparing to Install” window detailing the
changes to made appears, click Install (I) to continue.

8. Before the installation begins, a User Account Control
window may appear and ask, “Do you want to allow
[ELusb V1.21.2.msi] to make changes to this computer?”
Click Yes to continue.

9. The ELUsb Setup Wizard will now install the program on
your computer. On the next window that appears,

click the

Completed (F) box.

10. At the bottom of the Device Driver Installation Wizard that
appears next, click Next to continue.

11. The next window to appear is a Windows Security
window. Click on “Install this driver software anyway” to
continue.

8

12. The next Device Driver Installation Wizard window will
advise you that an HT08

/20/50 driver from General Tools
or Kecheng Laboratories was successfully installed and
that your device is now “Ready to use.” Click Finish to
continue.

CONFIGURE THE UNIT

Note that the software installation has added a icon to
your desktop. To facilitate access to the program, right-click

ur Start button and the Quick

on the icon and pin it to both

yo
Start area at the left of your taskbar. You can now eject the
installation mini-disc and store it with your other important
software.

Plug the HT into an available USB port of your computer. If

08

your computer is a laptop and the only available USB jack
does not have enough vertical clearance to accommodate
the HT08
not plug the
the plug of the HT to support any of the weight of the
laptop. If that is the case, plug the HT into the jack of the

without mechanically stressing its USB plug, do

T directly into the jack. You do not want

H

T08

T08

08
included USB extension cable and insert the plug of the
extension cable into the computer’s USB jack.

The first time you plug the HT into your computer, your

08
system tray will notify you that the computer is “Installing
Device Driver Software”. When

the notification disappears,
open the ELusb program by selecting it via your Start button,
clicking on its icon on your taskbar, or double-clicking its
desktop icon.

If the software has installed correctly and you have plugged
the HT into a working USB port of your computer, the

08

following screen should appear on your computer’s display.

9

Device HT08 is connected!

Fig. 2. The three options made available by

plugging the HT08 into a USB port

Note: If you have already used your HT08 to log data
and it is still in recording mode, plugging the unit in
will cause the following window to appear.

Click Yes to stop recording and import all data recorded to
that point in time. Click No to continue to Setup without
importing recorded data (meaning it will be lost). Click
Cancel to go back and unplug the unit from the USB port.

10

You can now use the software to “configure” your HT08.
Configuring the device means choosing four key parameters:

• Sampling time—How often it makes and stores
humidity and temperature measurements.

• Temperature unit—degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius
(°F or °C).

• High and low temperature alarm setpoints

• High and low humidity alarm setpoints

To begin, click on “Set up the USB Data Logger” in the
window shown

in the figure above. Doing so will cause the

following window to appear.

Device HT08 is connected!

Fig. 3. The HT 08 configuration (Setup) window

Using your mouse, trackball or touchpad, first choose your
Temp Scale and Sample Rate (sampling time). With regard to
sampling time, using the shortest setting of 10 seconds may

11

result in too much essentially identical data being stored in
memory, potentially limiting its capacity to capture important
events such as an unexpected excursion of temperature or
humidity. Conversely, using the longest sampling time setting
of 12 hours will likely cause important events to go
undetected.

If you are an experienced data logger, you already know how
to choose the optimum sampling time fo

r your application. If
you are a novice, pick a sampling time closer to the minimum
sampling time than the maximum, on the assumption that the

probably has enough memory (16,300 pairs of RH and

HT 08
temperature readings) to store all the data you ask the meter
to log—unless you use it to log data for months, rather than
weeks or days.

Be aware that if you do manage to fill up the HT ’s memory
(by logging

for a very long time at a very short sampling time,

08

for example), the device will simply stop recording. It will not
continue recording by overwriting the oldest saved data with
new data.

If you wish, you can also drag the sliders shown in the figure
to set high and low alarm setpoints for temperature and
humidity.

Once you have chosen your data logging parameters, click
Setup. A window will appear advisi
up successfully.” Clicking Setup also synchronizes the HT ’s

ng that “The device is set

08
internal clock with your computer’s clock, giving all data logs
to be captured an absolute time reference.

You can now unplug the HT08 from your computer’s USB port.
The unit is in “standby” mode, ready to begin logging data.

12

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

DEPLOY THE UNIT

The HT08
the unit does not need to be plugged into a computer to be
activated (ready to start logging data). Working together, the
MODE button and the pair of two-color LEDs (Fig. 1, Callouts
F and C) serve as the control and indicators needed to: 1)
start and stop data logging and 2) verify and change the unit’s
working status.

That leaves only two things to be sure of when choosing a
place to deploy the HT :

The HT —with its protective cap on—can be deployed
either by laying it on a horizontal surface or by hanging it
vertically within the inc
back of the bracket features both a magnet and a hanger
hole.

Once you have deployed the HT , you can initiate data
logging. To start data logging, press and hold the MODE
button for at least 3 seconds. Both LEDs will flash green
twice to confirm that logging has begun.

is particularly easy to deploy on a job site because

08

• The temperature and humidity sensor window
(Fig. 1, Callout A) is not covered

• The humidity and temperature values at the unit’s
location are “representative” of the room

08

luded plastic mounting bracket. The

08

STOP LOGGING AND IMPORT LOGS

To stop data logging, press and hold the MODE button for at
least 3 seconds
confirm that logging has stopped.

. Both LEDs will flash red 2 or 3 times to

13

That is how you should stop data logging if you plan to initiate
another logging session later without uploading logged data
to your computer in the interim. If you allow logging to
continue and you do not upload your data to your computer
soon, you risk filling up the HT08

’s memory.

A simpler and safer way to stop data logging is to plug the
HT into your computer’s USB port immediately after

08

completi

ng a logging session and then use the ELUSB

software to stop logging.
Each time you plug the HT into the USB port, the window

08
shown in Fig. 2 will appear. When you plug in the unit, it
makes no difference whether it is still logging; the procedure
for uploading (importing) data logs is identical. Just click on
the middle selection—Stop the USB Data Logger and
download data—to instantly execute both funct

ions. The
data will be imported as a .txt file. A “Save As” window will
appear, asking you to identify where you want the file to be
stored and what you want to name it.

VIEWING, PRINTING AND EXPORTING
DATA LOGS

Immediately after you close the “Save As” window by
clicking on Save, the uploaded data log will automatically be
displayed as a set of curves representing all loggable values.
Fig. 4 is a typica

l example. The initial display includes all
parameters, including dew point and GPP or g/kg (which the
software automatically calculates) and alarm setpoints that you
may have entered during Setup. To remove any parameter or
horizontal and vertical grid lines from the overall plot, uncheck
its box at right.

14

Fig. 4. A typical initial plot of an imported data log

There are several features shown in Fig. 4 worth noting:

• To mark the position of every recorded data point on the

curve, check the “Mark Points” box at the top of the sidebar
at right.

• To get a higher-resolution view of the data recorded during

a specific period of time, scale up and down the curves by
dragging the slider at the bottom of the w

indow to the left

and right.

• Hovering the cursor over a particular point of the curve

displays all data related to this point—including the
maximum, minimum and average values of the entire
curve—in a shaded box at upper left.

• The dates and times shown on the x-axis scale and in the

upper left corner are in sync with your computer’s clock.

• To print the .txt file of any data log, click the Print virtual

button.

15

• To open a previously saved data log, click the Open
button. This function is also available as the “View
previously saved data” option shown in Fig. 2.

• To export a file to Excel for advanced trending and
analysis, click the Export to Excel button.

OTHER INDICATIONS

As mentioned earlier, the MODE button and the pair of two­color LEDs work together to indicate the current working
status of the HT08. For exa

mple, the MODE button can be
used to confirm whether or not the unit has been configured
(activated) using the software’s Setup window (see Fig. 3):

• If the unit is ready to log data, a quick press of the
MODE button will cause both LEDs to flash green once.

• If the HT08 needs to be configured, the two LEDs will
alternately flash red and green twice.

If a quick press of the MODE button causes both LEDs to

lash red once, logging has been stopped because the

f
memory is full.

During data logging, the pair of two-color LEDs will flash
green or red to indicate whether measured humidity and
temperature values are within or outside the band between
the preset low and high alarms:

• The LEDs will alternately flash green one time each if
the values of both parameters have not exceeded their
setpoints.

• The LEDs will al

ternately flash red one time each if the

value of either parameters has exceeded its setpoints.

16

SPECIFICATIONS

Temperature Measurement Range -4° to 158°F (-20° to 70°C)

Temperature Measurement Accuracy ±1.8°F (1°C) from 14° to

104°F (-10° to 40°C);
±3.6°F (2°C) elsewhere
in range

Temperature Measurement ±0.2°F (0.1°C)
Resolution and Repeatability

Relative Humidity (RH) 0 to 100%
Measurement Range

RH Measurement Accuracy ±3% from 20 to 80%RH,

±3.5% elsewhere

RH Measurement Resolution ±0.1%
and Repeatability

Internal Storage Capacity 16,300 pairs of RH/Temp

readings

Temperature Response Time 5-30 seconds

Humidity Response Time 8 seconds

Interface USB 1.0/2.0

Length of USB Extension Cable 7.9 in. (200mm)

Dimensions 3.74 x 1.11 x 1.22 in.

(95 × 28× 31mm)

Weight ~1.41 oz. (40g) without battery

Power Source 3.6V non-rechargeable

(1/2 AA) 1200mAh
Lithium-ion battery

Current Consumption <0. 5mA

Battery Life (typical) 1 year

17

MAINTENANCE TIPS

• Avoid dropping the unit. Do not subject it to violent shock
or vibration or expose it to strong electromagnetic fields
(for example, near arc welders or induction heaters).

• Keep the unit out of direct sunlight.

• Do not use chemicals or abrasive cloth to clean the

display window or housing.

• Before storing the HT08 for an extended period of time
(several months or more), remove the bat

tery to avoid

having it leak and damage the unit.

WARRANTY INFORMATION

General Tools & Instruments’ (General’s) HT08 USB
RH/Temperature/GPP Mini Data Logger is warranted to the original
purchaser to be free from defects in material and workmanship for
a period of one year. Subject to certain restrictions, General will
repair or replace this instrument if, after examination, the company
determines it to be defective in material or workmanship.

This warranty do
to be from an attempted repair by non-authorized personnel or
misuse, alterations, normal wear and tear, or accidental damage—
including dropping the unit. The defective unit must be returned to
General Tools & Instruments or to a General-authorized service
center, freight prepaid and insured.

Acceptance of the exclusive repair and replacement remedies

ribed herein is a condition of the contract for purchase of

desc
this product. In no event shall General be liable for any incidental,
special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any cost,
attorneys’ fees, expenses, or losses alleged to be a consequence
of damage due to failure of, or defect in any product including,
but not limited to, any claims for loss of profits.

es not apply to damages that General determines

18

RETURN FOR REPAIR POLICY

Every effort has been made to provide you with a reliable product
of superior quality. However, in the event your instrument requires
repair, please contact our Customer Service to obtain an RGA
(Return Goods Authorization) number before forwarding the unit via
prepaid freight to the attention of our Service Center at this address:

General Tools & Instruments

80 White Street

New York, NY 10013

212-431-6100

Remember to include a copy of your proof of purchase, your return
address, and your phone number and/or e-mail address.

19

GENERAL TOOLS & INSTRUMENTS

80 White Street

New York, NY 10013-3567

PHONE [phone]

FAX [phone]

TOLL FREE [phone]

e-mail: [e-mail]

www.generaltools.com

HT08 User’s Manual

Specifications subject to change without notice

NOTICE - WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.

©2014 GENERAL TOOLS & INSTRUMENTS

MAN# HT08

06/12/14