MadgeTech TC101A Tech Note

Trigger Setting and Cumulative Alarm Delay Instructions

MadgeTech has incorporated the following features into the ETR101A and TC101A
data loggers:

Tech Note

• Trigger Settings: Applying trigger settings will program the data logger to
only record temperatures above or below a certain degree.

• Cumulative Alarm Delay: The red LED on the ETR101A or TC101A will blink
after data has been recorded for a user specified amount of time.

The first thing you need to do when applying trigger settings is to change the
preferences on the thermocouple you are using so that you can get a reading in
degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit instead of mV.

1. Select the “View Menu”, then “Preferences” from the menu item list
located in the top left corner of the MadgeTech software window. Doing so
will open up the preferences window.

2. At the top of that Preferences window, there will be 6 tabs: you want to
click the “Data” tab (tab 4 from the left). In the middle of the window, there
will be a section labeled “Unit Preferences” with two drop down boxes
labeled “Select Unit Type” and “Select Preferred Units”. This is where you are
going to choose your preferred measurement units.

3. In the first box labeled “Select Unit Type” click on the drop down arrow and
select “Thermocouple Voltage.” This states that you want to change the
measurement unit the thermocouple is recording.

MadgeTech, Inc.
[phone] Phone
[phone] Fax
www.madgetech.com
[e-mail]

6 Warner Road
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4. In the second box labeled “Select Preferred Units” click on the drop down
arrow and select either “Degrees C,” or “Degrees F”, depending on what
measurement unit you will be using.

5. Click “OK” in the bottom right hand corner to close the window. This will
save the measurement units.

Now that you have the proper measurement unit selected for your thermocouple, you
can apply the trigger settings to your logger. This process will clear the readings on the
data logger, please make sure that you have downloaded any data that you may need
off the device.

1. To do this, have the MadgeTech software open with your ETR101A or
TC101A plugged in through the IFC200.

2. Select the “Device” menu then select “Start Device”. Click “Yes” to clear all
readings and the Start Device window will now be open.

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a. Note: If you get a message that says “Unable to find an active
device”, click “OK”. Click on the “Communication” menu, then
“Autoconfigure Port”. This will automatically find the data logger
and bring up a message that says “Found a ETR101A or TC101A on
[COM Port] (115,200)”. Click “OK” to close the prompt and then
click “OK” to close the Device Status box. Repeat step #2.

3. On the right side of the box there will be options listed. Click the option
that says “Trigger Settings.” The Trigger Settings window will now open.

4. At the bottom of this window will be the option to “Change”. Click
“Change”. From here you can enable the high and/or low trigger
setting(s).

5. For most diesel exhaust applications, the high trigger setting is typically
the most important and should be enabled, however you may enable the
low trigger as needed. Enter the value(s) the data logger will start
recording at once the temperature has met or exceeded this specified limit.

Tech Note

MadgeTech, Inc.
[phone] Phone
[phone] Fax
www.madgetech.com
[e-mail]

6 Warner Road
Warner NH 03278

6. The “Fill Memory on First Trigger” and “Trigger Sample Count” refers to
the number of readings the device will take after the trigger has been
breached.

a. Checking the “Fill Memory on First Trigger” will fill the memory of
the data logger, after the first time it has exceeded a trigger. In most
applications this box will be left unchecked.

b. The trigger sample count is the number of readings the data logger
will record after the temperature has exceeded the set trigger(s). For
example: If you have a high trigger set at 30°C, and the temperature
goes to 31°C the logger will begin recording the number of points
that you have filled into the trigger sample count box.

7. Once the settings have been programmed, click “Save” to save the
changes. Then click “OK” to close the Trigger Settings box.

To program a cumulative alarm setting so that the red LED on the data logger will
blink every second after the device records data for the accumulated, user specified,
time period (i.e. a 24 hour period), do the following:

1. From the Start Device window, click the option that says “Alarm settings.”
That will open the alarm settings window where you can enable the alarm
settings.

2. Click “Change” at the bottom of the window and then check the box
labeled “Enable Alarm Settings”. Now you can set the high and low alarm
in each field.

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