LogTag Recorders LogTag Analyzer Temperature Recorder User Manual

Version

1.4

The information contained within this document regarding LogTag Analyzer software usage is intended as a guide and does not constitute a declaration of performance. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, email addresses and people depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, email address or person is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.

No representation or warranty is given and no liability is assumed by LogTag Recorders with respect to the accuracy or use of such information or infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights arising from such use or otherwise.

Copyright © 2004-2006 LogTag Recorders. All rights reserved.

www.logtagrecorders.com

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Contents

Introduction	5
Installing the software	7
System requirements..........................................................................................................	8
Finding your computer specifications ...................................................................................	8
Getting a copy of the software ..........................................................................................	14
The installation process ....................................................................................................	15
Starting the software........................................................................................................	16
Quick Start Guide	19
Connecting the Interface ..................................................................................................	19
Using the LogTag with the Interface ..................................................................................	21
Get a LogTag ready for use...............................................................................................	23
Welcome................................................................................................................	24
Locate LogTag(s) download and save relevant data ...................................................	25
Configure LogTag(s) for next use .............................................................................	27
Prepare LogTag(s) for next use................................................................................	28
Starting and using the LogTag ..........................................................................................	30
Retrieve information from LogTag .....................................................................................	31
Preparing LogTags for use	33
Getting a LogTag ready use ..............................................................................................	34
Restricted Access Requirements ........................................................................................	35
Preparing LogTag for next use ..........................................................................................	36
Verify Access Password.....................................................................................................	40
Pre-start data collection....................................................................................................	41
Continuous operation .......................................................................................................	41
Working with batches of LogTags ......................................................................................	42
Getting the best from your LogTag ....................................................................................	43
Prolonging battery life ......................................................................................................	44
Results from LogTag	47
Getting results from LogTag..............................................................................................	48
Understanding the results .................................................................................................	49
Inspecting the information at close range...........................................................................	50
Manual scaling of the chart ...............................................................................................	55
Chart annotations ............................................................................................................	57
Chart subtitle...................................................................................................................	59
Combining charts onto a single chart .................................................................................	61
Automatically calculated statistics ......................................................................................	62
Average Reading ....................................................................................................	62
Standard Deviation .................................................................................................	63
Mean Kinetic Temperature.......................................................................................	64

ii	Contents
	Degree Minutes ......................................................................................................	65
	Displaying statistics ..........................................................................................................	66
	Printing the results...........................................................................................................	66
	Sending a file by email direct from Analyzer .......................................................................	67
	Calling up previous results ................................................................................................	68
	Digital signatures .............................................................................................................	70
	How secure is my data .....................................................................................................	72
	Viewing file properties ......................................................................................................	73
Customizing the software		75
	General Settings ..............................................................................................................	77
	Summary Statistics...........................................................................................................	78
	Chart Statistics.................................................................................................................	78
	Charts.............................................................................................................................	79
	Automation......................................................................................................................	80
	File and Folder Settings ....................................................................................................	81
	Exports and Reports.........................................................................................................	85
	Dates and Times..............................................................................................................	87
	Communication Ports .......................................................................................................	89
	User Server .....................................................................................................................	90
Menus and Toolbars		91
	Menu commands..............................................................................................................	92
	File Menu ...............................................................................................................	93
	Edit Menu ..............................................................................................................	95
	LogTag Menu .........................................................................................................	97
	Window Menu ........................................................................................................	98
	Help Menu .............................................................................................................	99
	Toolbar commands..........................................................................................................	100
	Print preview toolbar .......................................................................................................	101
Working with Networks		103
	Distributing software to workstations ................................................................................	103
	Restricting what users can do ..........................................................................................	104
	How users log on ............................................................................................................	105
	How users change their password ....................................................................................	106
Getting more information		107
	Getting updated software ................................................................................................	107
	Finding your software version ..........................................................................................	109
	Getting more help ...........................................................................................................	110

Contents iii

Appendix	111
Troubleshooting..............................................................................................................	111
Resolving USB Driver Problems ........................................................................................	113
Checking the installation of the USB driver ...............................................................	113
USB driver installation through software installation..................................................	119
Manual USB driver installation on Windows XP .........................................................	121
Manual USB driver installation on Windows 2000 ......................................................	125
Manual USB driver installation on Windows 98 or Me ................................................	131
Sensor Responsiveness....................................................................................................	136
Index	137

5

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction

This guide will take you through the relevant steps so that you will be able to make the most of your LogTag products. The guide is structured into chapters that will guide you through the process of installing the software, using the LogTag products and lastly some of the options that are available to you for making your efforts and experience of using the software as efficient, effective and pleasant as possible.

The chapters in this guide are placed in an order that you will need to follow in order to successfully use the LogTag products first time. Experienced users of the software may choose to skip the first two chapters. However, if you are about to use a newer version of a LogTag and/or Interface Cradle, we recommend you at least skim the installation chapter for any relevant changes that should be performed prior to using your new version of LogTag hardware.

This guide covers all the features included in version 1.4 of the LogTag Analyzer software. The chapter "Finding your software version" included later in this guide will help you through the process of finding out what version of the LogTag Analyzer software is being used and will help explain and determine if this version of the guide refers to the version of the software being used. The chapter "Getting updated software" included later in this guide will help you through the process of obtaining an updated copy of the software. Therefore, if you find a feature described within this guide that does not appear in your software and/or a feature within the version of software being used that is not described in this guide, then we recommend you obtain a newer version of the software and/or a newer version of this guide. You may obtain a free online copy of the latest version of this guide from the LogTag Recorders Internet site, www.logtagrecorders.com.

Although this guide includes all the relevant information to install and use the product range supplied by LogTag Recorders, there are at times an expectation that the reader is familiar with using their computer and the Windows® operating system. If a feature of the software is specific to a version of the Windows® operating system, the guide will indicate appropriately for you the relevant differences.

Feedback, positive or negative, about the software, the LogTag products and/or this guide is welcome. If you believe the products could be improved, you are welcome to send us your comments and we will do our best to include the improvements in a future release.

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C H A P T E R 2

Installing the software

To make use of your LogTag you will need to first install the software on your computer. This will allow you to prepare your LogTag(s) for use, retrieve the readings the LogTag(s) have recorded, and analyze the data. This chapter will take you through the steps necessary to successful install the software on to your computer so you can begin using your LogTag(s). The process of installing the LogTag Analyzer software should be very familiar to users that have previously installed other software and therefore some experienced users may choose to only skim read or entirely skip this chapter. If you are new to using a computer and/or unsure about installing the software, we recommend you read the remainder of this chapter.

In This Chapter
System requirements..............................................	8
Finding your computer specifications .......................	8
Getting a copy of the software ................................	14
The installation process ..........................................	15
Starting the software..............................................	16

8 LogTag Analyzer

System requirements

To ensure that the software will be able work with your computer, the following lists the minimum specifications required:

Pentium II 233MHz processor

64MB RAM

10MB free disk space

Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP

Internet Explorer 5.0 or later

1 available serial port and/or 1 available USB port

800 x 600 screen resolution

256 screen colors.

The recommended specifications are:

Windows 2000, Windows XP, or later

Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

65535 (16bit), or more, screen colors.

1024 x 768, or higher, screen resolution.

If you are unsure of what your computer specifications are, please read the following section, which will help you locate the relevant information.

Finding your computer specifications

If you are unsure of your computer specifications you can find the relevant information by following these steps:

1To determine your computer CPU, RAM and version of Windows Operating system:

a)Open the "Control Panel". This can be done by using the mouse to click on the Windows "Start" button, typically located in the bottom left of the screen, to open the Start menu.

b)Once the "Start" button has been clicked, you will see a menu appear.

c)If your menu looks similar to the following picture, click on the visible "Control Panel" item.

Chapter 2 Installing the software

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d)If your menu looks similar to the following picture, the "Control Panel" item is located within the "Settings" menu item.

10LogTag Analyzer

e)Within the "Control Panel" window there is a "System" icon. For Windows XP users, you may need to "Switch to Classic View" to locate the "System" icon quickly. Start (open) the "System" icon once you have located it.

f)Clicking on the "General" tab at the top of the "System Properties" window, which is usually the default, will display the relevant information for you about your system.

2To determine your screen resolution and colors:

a)Open the "Control Panel" as explained in step 1.

b)Open the "Display" item.

c)Click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the "Display Properties" window will display the relevant information for you about your display.

Chapter 2 Installing the software

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d)From the "Settings" portion of the "Display Properties" window you will see your current screen settings and you may also be able to change some of your display settings if you want.

3To determine your spare hard disk drive space:

a)Open "My Computer" which is typically located on your desktop and/or within the Windows "Start" menu.

12LogTag Analyzer

b)Using your mouse, click the button on the right over the drive that includes "(C:)" in its description.

c) Select "Properties" (left mouse click) from the popup menu that will appear.

Chapter 2 Installing the software

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d)Clicking on the "General" tab at the top of the drive properties window will display the relevant information for you about your hard drive.

e)If you have multiple (hard disk) drives installed on your computer you can repeat steps (b) through to (d) for each drive to get the same type of information.

14 LogTag Analyzer

Getting a copy of the software

The software is available for download from the LogTag Recorders Internet site, www.logtagrecorders.com. LogTag Recorders does not charge for the download of the LogTag Analyzer software or for the updates to the LogTag Analyzer software. You are welcome to distribute copies of the LogTag Analyzer software freely and at your discretion as long as it is distributed in the packaged format as originally downloaded from the LogTag Recorders Internet site.

When you visit the LogTag Recorders Internet site, follow the software navigation links to obtain a download link for the latest version of the LogTag Analyzer software. The request to download LogTag Analyzer software from the LogTag Recorders Internet site will result in an email automatically being sent to you with the download link for the latest version.

To begin the actual download of the software process, click on the link provided in your email, and your email software will prompt you to save or open the file.

We recommend choosing the option to save the file to your disk and to save the file to your desktop. If you are an experienced user you may wish to save the file to a different folder of your choosing. Once the installation process has been completed, this file can be safely deleted, as it is not required for using the software.

There is only one file required to be downloaded to be able to install the software on your computer. Once the relevant installation file has been downloaded to your computer, you only have to open the file to begin the installation process.

Chapter 2 Installing the software

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The installation process

To install the LogTag Analyzer software, first you need to locate the installation file that was downloaded from the LogTag Recorders Internet site. To begin the installation process open the installation file, which is typically performed by double clicking the left mouse button.

Tip: Double clicking a mouse button, implies the user clicks the same mouse button in quick succession.

The installation process will guide you through the relevant steps to correctly and successfully install the software. If you have installed any other software, you should find the installation process familiar. To proceed through each step of the installation process, click the "Next" button. If you want to change a previous step you can click the "Back" button. When the process is ready to be completed, clicking the "Finish" button, when it appears, will finish the installation process. If you want to stop installing the software, click the "Cancel" button.

We recommend you leave all options to their default setting, especially if you are unsure of what option to select or what the actual implications are if the option was to be changed.

During the installation process, a window similar to the following picture may appear. This is part of the process of installing the driver for the USB Interface. Clicking on the "Continue Anyway" button will allow the driver to be successfully installed. The chapter "Resolving USB Driver Problems", included later in this guide will guide you through the necessary steps to successfully install the driver for the USB Interface if the "STOP Installation" button was clicked.

16 LogTag Analyzer

Starting the software

At the conclusion of the installation process, the final screen will provide you with an option to immediately start the LogTag Analyzer software. If the option "Start LogTag Analyzer after finished" is not visible, then you require other newer software, for example a newer version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, to be installed prior to the LogTag Analyzer software being able to successfully start.

The installation of the LogTag Analyzer software will also provide you with two simple methods to start the LogTag Analyzer at a later time:

1A "Shortcut" on the desktop, which you can double click to start the software.

2A "Shortcut" in the "Start" menu system.

Chapter 2 Installing the software

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If you are using Windows XP, you may need to click on the "All Programs" item to locate the "LogTag Analyzer" shortcut, like in the following picture.

18 LogTag Analyzer

If you are not using Windows XP, you will find the "LogTag Analyzer" shortcut in the "Programs" menu, in a similar location to the following picture.

19

C H A P T E R 3

Quick Start Guide

You've got the software installed on your computer and now you want to use the LogTag, see how it goes and what it can do. This chapter will briefly cover the steps involved to get your LogTag ready to use, how to get it started and then retrieve the recorded information out of the LogTag. The subsequent chapters will explain in more depth these steps and the various options available to you.

In This Chapter
Connecting the Interface ........................................	19
Using the LogTag with the Interface........................	21
Get a LogTag ready for use ....................................	23
Starting and using the LogTag ................................	30
Retrieve information from LogTag ...........................	31

Connecting the Interface

There are two types of the Interface Cradle available. The first connects to the computers serial (RS232) communications port and the other connects to the computers USB (Universal Serial Bus) communications port. Although there may be multiple connectors on the computer for each of these types of communications ports, the shape of each is unique and therefore it is not possible to connect the Interface Cradle to the wrong type of communications port. The software supports the connection of multiple Interface Cradles at the same time and therefore as many serial and/or USB Interface Cradles as are needed and the computer supports may be connected.

The connectors for the serial (RS232) communications ports typically look like the following picture.

20 LogTag Analyzer

Serial (RS232) communication ports can be typically found at the rear of the computer and there are usually at most two ports installed on a single computer. Most serial Interface Cradle connectors will have screws included on the plug and as such we recommend that these are tightened when the connector is plugged in so that it does not accidentally pull out during usage.

The connectors for USB devices typically look like the following picture.

Connectors for USB devices and the sockets on the computer where USB devices are plugged in will often display a USB logo nearby to help them be identified. Example pictures of the USB logos that may appear are:

The sockets for the USB communication ports are typically located at the rear of the computer. In some computers there may also be two or more USB communication ports located on a front panel of the computer and/or on the top of the computer case. Please ensure that the software has been installed prior to connecting the USB Interface Cradle to the computer as the software installation also installs the drivers required to successfully connect and use the USB Interface Cradle. If you experience problems getting the software to find and identify a connected USB Interface Cradle then there may have been a problem during the installation of the software with the installation of the drivers that the USB Interface Cradle requires. The subsequent section resolving USB driver problems will guide through the steps necessary to resolve any problems with getting USB Interface Cradles working on the computer.

If the computer is using the Windows NT® operating system, a USB Interface Cradle will not be able to be used, as Windows NT® does not support USB devices.

Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide

21

Using the LogTag with the

Interface

The LogTag fits into the Interface Cradle just like a putting a piece of bread into a toaster. As shown in the following picture, the LogTag faces towards the front label of the Interface Cradle with the contacts on the reverse side. If you look into the Interface Cradle slot, you will be able to see where the contacts connect with the matching contacts in the Interface Cradle.

When placing the LogTag into the Interface Cradle slot, you should be able to feel a very slight resistance as the contacts "grab" the LogTag. This is normal. Removal of the LogTag will cause a slight clicking noise as the contacts snap back into their "unloaded position".

If the LogTag has readings stored within its memory, the software will automatically start to download the data and will also display an animated picture during the download process, similar to the following picture.

22 LogTag Analyzer

The download process can be stopped by clicking on the "Cancel" button below the download animation or pressing the "Esc" key.

Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide

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Get a LogTag ready for use

To begin the process of preparing a LogTag to record information, first click the LogTag icon () that is located on the toolbar, which will start the LogTag wizard.

The LogTag wizard performs two distinct tasks:

1It finds the communication port (USB and/or Serial) that the LogTag is attached to through the Interface Cradle and retrieves the data that is stored within the LogTag, and

2It allows the LogTag that is currently connected and in the Interface Cradle to be prepared for its next use.

The wizard is a key part of the software that is used for each of the steps.

In This Section
Welcome ...............................................................	24
Locate LogTag(s) download and save relevant data .25
Configure LogTag(s) for next use ............................	27
Prepare LogTag(s) for next use...............................	28

24 LogTag Analyzer

Welcome

First the Wizard has a welcome screen (this is "1" on the Action List). This asks you to make sure you have not neglected to place the LogTag firmly in the Interface Cradle.

The Wizard is responsible for certain "Action Steps" and these are clearly listed at the left in the wizard window.

To get to the next screen, click on and the next wizard screen will appear. The green arrow will indicate you have moved to Step 2.

Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide

25

Locate LogTag(s) download and save relevant data

26 LogTag Analyzer

In this screen you will see one of the following pictures next to each of the items in the list:

(no picture) indicates the software is still using this communications port.

Data was successfully retrieved from the LogTag and stored/saved to disk.

Data was successfully retrieved from the LogTag but there was no need to save the information to disk.

The software was unable to detect an Interface Cradle connected to the communications port or was unable to detect a LogTag in the Interface Cradle.

The LogTag is a single use logger and cannot be prepared for use again and should therefore be returned to the supplying distributor or agent once you have finished with the LogTag. You will still be able to continue to retrieve information stored within the LogTag.

The LogTag should be almost instantly recognized by serial number and the number of readings. It is possible to have and use more than one communication port at a time and if so, the wizard will find all the LogTags.

The communication ports that are not in use (the ones that initially are reported with the

mark) can be removed from view by selecting an option. You don't have to do that now, but you can do it later to clean up the "wizard window" appearance.

To get to the next screen, click on and the third wizard step screen will appear. The software will automatically proceed to the next wizard step, as if the user

clicked on , if each of the Interface Cradles detected have a LogTag detected in them and the information within the LogTag was successfully retrieved.

Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide

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Configure LogTag(s) for next use

The options are available so you have appropriate control over the way the LogTags will behave and store data for the upcoming period of recording. These options are explained

in more detail in the chapter "Preparing LogTag for use". Click to record the configuration data and you will see the final confirmation screen.

28 LogTag Analyzer

Prepare LogTag(s) for next use

The last Wizard screen involves sending the new configuration data to each LogTag to prepare them for their next use. While the software is sending the new configuration data to each LogTag the top of the window will look similar to the following picture. The process of sending the new configuration data to each LogTag should take less than 20 seconds in total to complete.

Once the software has finished uploading the updated configuration information into each LogTag, the window displaying the progress will look similar to the following picture.