PASCO Xplorer-GLX User Manual

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Users’ Guide

• Using the Xplorer GLX Standalone

• Using the Xplorer GLX with a Computer

• Sample Activities

New Features:

• File storage on USB flash drive, p. 83

• Update firmware from flash drive, p. 93

• Instant data monitoring in Digits and Meter displays, pp. 37 & 38

• Voice and Text Data Annotation, p. 25

(more on page ii)

012-08950F

About this Guide

The Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide is divided into two parts.

Part 1 contains detailed information about operating the GLX, includi ng descriptions of every screen, window and menu within the GLX environm ent, and instructions for common procedures.

Part 2 contains step-by-step instructions for science activities and experiments that can be done with the GLX, its standard included equipment, and commo nly available supplies.

This is revision F of the User’s Guide, for version 1.4x of the GLX firmware. Vis it www.PASCO.com/glx/ for downloa dable updates to the Users’s Guide and firmware. If you have update d your GLX from a previous version, be sure to check out these new features:

New for Version 1.4x Update firmware from USB flash drive, p. 93

Cell-se lective manual sampling with Table display, p. 60 Instant data monitoring in Digits and Meter displays, pp. 37 & 38 Automati c calculation creation from Linear Fit, p. 22 Export data to text fil e, p. 32

New for Version 1.3x Swap Cursors, p. 21

Toggle Active Data, p. 21 Zoom Tool, p. 25

New for Version 1.2x Voice and Text Data Annotation, p. 25

USB flash drive support, p. 83 GLX-to- GLX data transfer, p, 84

New for Version 1.1x Scope Mode, p. 22

Output-control Calculations, p . 50 Built-in Sound S ensor , p. 58 Data Collecti on with

ScienceWorkshop

Sensors pp. 59, 67

Technical Support

For assistance with the Xplorer GLX and other PASCO products, contact PAS CO Technical Su pport at:

Address: PASCO scientifi c

10101 Foothills Blvd. Rosevill e, CA, 95747-7100 USA

Phone: (800) 772-8700 (in the U.S.)

(916) 786-3800 (worldwide)

Fax: (916) 786-7565

Web: www.pasco.com/support/

Email: support@pasco.com

The PASCO scientific Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide is copyrighted with all rights reserved. Permission is granted to non-profit educational institutions for reproduction of any part of this manual, providing the reproductions are used only in their laboratories and classrooms, and are not sold for profit. Reproduction under any other circumstances, without the written consent of PASCO scientific, is prohibited.

Trademarks

PASCO , PASCO scientific, DataS tu dio, PASPORT, ScienceWorks hop, Xplorer, and Xplorer GLX are tra demarks or registe red trademar ks of PAS CO scientific, i n the United States and/or in other countries. All other br ands, produ cts, or service name s are or may be trademar ks or service marks of, and ar e used to identif y products or services of, their respective owners. For more information visit www.pasco.com/legal.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Macintosh, Mac, and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

PASCO Manual Number 012-08950 F

How to Store the

Even when the screen is blank, the GLX is active: it powers its memory, it periodically checks its battery, and it monitors its keypad. Like other hand-held computers, the GLX never turns off—it just goes to sleep.

Before you put your GLX away, read these instructions.

With proper care, you can ensure that your GLX will be ready for use whenever you need it.

Storage Time What You Should Do

WHENEVER

POSSIBLE

Unplugged for

MORE THAN

A FEW DAYS

Unplugged for

MORE THAN

A MONTH

Leave the GLX Plugged In

Leave the GLX connected to AC power so it can keep its battery charged and store data file s i n defin itely. This is th e

best

way to store the GLX for any length of time.

Backup Your Data

Data files stored in RAM are temporary. If you want to keep your data files, transfer them to the GLX's internal Flash memory , a USB Flash drive, or a computer. See pages 78–84 and 100 of the Users' Guide for more information.

Fully Charge the Battery

Put the GLX away with a full battery to keep the RAM active (for up to two weeks) and ensure that the battery has power the next time you use it.

Any time within two weeks, simply press and hold the power button to turn it on. Data saved in RAM will still be there.

After two weeks, plug in the AC adapter to turn on the GLX (or press the reset button on the back) and retrieve data files from your backup location.

Put the GLX into Deep Sleep*

In deep sleep mode, an internal switch opens to disconnect the battery. To put the GLX into deep sleep: backup your data; allow the battery to fully charge; unplug the AC adapter; go to the settings screen, press , and press ; follow the on-screen instructions.

Why is deep sleep important?

Nickel metal hydride batteries last longer when they are kept as fully charged as possible. Deep sleep mode prevents unnecessary dischargin g.

What if I forget to put it into deep sleep?

Don't worry. If the GLX is left unplugged and unused from more than two weeks, it puts itself into deep sleep.

How do I wake up the GLX from deep sleep?

When you're ready to use it again, just plug in the AC adapter (or press the reset button on the back) and retrieve data files from your backup location.

*Note for early hardware versions: Early versions of the GLX do not support deep sleep mode. If you have one of these GLXs, leave it plugge d in Users' Guid e for mo re info rma ti on .

remove the battery for long-term storage. (But don't plug in the AC adapter when the battery in not installed.) See page 95 of the

TAPE THIS SHEET TO THE INSIDE LID OF THE GLX STORAGE BOX OR POST IT WHERE THE GLX WILL BE STORED.

Visit www.pasco.com/glx to download the latest GLX firmware update and Users’ Guide.012-08950F

Part 1: Users’ Guide

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Included Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Overview of the GLX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 1: Displays

Graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Digits Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7

Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chapter 2: Utility Screens

Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Notes Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Stopwatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Chapter 3: Settings and Files

Sensors Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Timing Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Data Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Data Files Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Settings Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 5

Chapter 5: Hardware Maintenance and

Operation

Firmware Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Battery and Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Resetting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Operating Te mperature . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 6: Using the Xplorer GLX

with a Computer

GLX with DataStudio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

GLX Simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Part 2: Sample Activities

Activity 1: Calorimetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Activity 2: Melting Point Depressio n. . . 111 Activity 3: Heat Transfer by Radiation . 113 Activity 4: Newto n’s L aw of Cooling . . . 115 Activity 5: Microclimate Temperature

Variation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 21

Activity 6: Voltage versus Resistance . 123 Activity 7: Induced Electromotive Force 127

Activity 8: Capacitor Discharge . . . . . . 131

Activity 9: Constructive and Destructive

Interference . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Activity 10: B eat Frequency . . . . . . . . . . 137

Chapter 4: Navigation and Input

Data Source Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Multipress Text Input Mod e . . . . . . . . . . 90

Using a USB Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Scientific Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Index 141

Shortcut Summary 143

Part 1: Users’ Guide

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 3

Introduction

The Xplorer GLX is a data collection, graphing, and analysis tool designed for scie nce students and educators. The Xplorer GLX supports up to four PASPORT sensors simultaneously, in addition to two temperature probes and a volta ge probe connected directly to specialized ports.

An optional mouse, keyboard, or printer can be connect ed to the Xplorer GLX’s USB port s. The Xplorer GLX contains an integrate d speaker for sound generation and a stereo signal output port for option al headphones or amplified speakers.

The Xplorer GLX is fully functional stand-alone handheld computing dev ice for science. It also operates as PASPORT sensor interface when connected to a desktop or laptop computer running DataStudio software.

4 Included Equipment

Included Equipment

A) GLX Users’ Guide B) Xplorer GLX

EFGH

F) Two Fast-response Temperature Probes

(-10 to 70 °C)

C) AC Power Adapter D) Registration Card E) Getting Started with the Xplorer GLX CD-ROM

G) Voltage Probe (-10 to +10 V) H) USB Host-connection Cable I) Poster (not pictured)

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 5

Quick Start

Getting started with the GLX is easy —simply plug in the AC adapte r, connec t one of the included se nsors, and collec t data. In the example below, you will start the GLX and collect te mperature data.

1. Plug In the AC Adapter

Connect the AC adapter to the power port on the right side of the GLX and plug the adapter into a power outlet (100 to 240 VAC, depending on your location). When you connect the AC adapter, the GLX turns on automatically.

The first time you use the GLX, leave it plugged in overnight (at least 14 hours) to allow th e b a t te r y to f ul ly charge.

If the battery has al ready been charged, you can use the GLX without the AC adapter. To turn it on using battery power, push the power button at the lowerright corner of the keypad ( ) and hold it for about one second.

2. Connect a Sensor

Connect a temperature probe to one of the temperature ports on the left side of the GLX.

In most cases, the Gr ap h display will launch automatic ally with the axes labeled “Temperatur e (° C ) ” an d “ Time (s ). ”

3. Collect Data

Connect the AC power adapter

If running on battery power, press the power button

Connect a temperature probe

Press .

The GLX is now recording and graphi ng data from the sensor. Press to automatically scale the gr ap h .

Hold the end of the temper ature probe in your hand and observe how the data plotted on the Graph reac t.

6 Overview of the GLX

To stop data recording, press again.

You have just collected and graphed a run of temperature data. To collect additional data runs, pres s again.

There are several different ways to collect data with the GLX. This is the simplest and most comm on. See “F1 Mode” on page57 for other options. You can find a complete description of the Graph display starting on page 13.

Overview of the GLX

The exam p l e above represents j u st a small part of the GLX’s capabilities. Thi s overview will outline so me of the set-up options to customize your GLX and pr epare it for an activit y; then (starting on page 9) survey the GLX’s Home Screen as a gateway to th e entire GLX environm ent.

Equipment Set-up Options

Power Sourc e Whenever possible, it is a good idea to use the GLX connected

to the AC power supply. For maximum operating time on battery power, first connect the GLX to AC power for at least 14 hours, or until the Batte r y Gauge indicates a full charge.

See “Battery Gauge” on page 11.

Power On The power turns on au tomatically when you plug in th e AC adapter. If the GLX is running on batter ies, or if the AC adapter is already connected, push and hold the power b utton ( ) for about 1 second to turn it on.

By default , the GLX is set to start with a new dat a file; however, if the Startup Action of the GLX has been s et to “Open Las t Experiment,” it will automatically open the most recently saved file. See page 86 for more information.

Back Light To turn on the screen’s back light, press and hold while you press .

Screen Contrast There are 21 levels of screen contrast. Push and hold , then use the up and down arrow keys ( ) to adjust the c ontrast to a comf ortable level.

Language In its factory configuration, the GLX is set up to operate in English. If you would like to change the language, refer to “Settings Screen” on page 85.

PASPORT Sensors Connect up to four PASP ORT sensors to the main ports on top of the GLX.

In some cases, the GLX may automat ica lly launch the Graph or other displa y when you plug in a sensor. See “Sensor Auto-Dis play” on page 86 for more information about this feature.

Temperature Probe s Connect the included fast-response probes or other PASCO temperature probes to the two temperature ports on the left side of the GLX. The range is -10 to +70 °C with fast-response probes, or -10 to +135 °C with stainless steel probes .

The backlight and other aspects of the Xplorer GLX can also be adjusted in the Settings Screen. See page 85.

Temperature

Probes

PASPORT Sensor Ports

Signal Output

Security Cable Connection Slot

Voltage Probe

Voltage Probe Connect the included voltage probe to the voltage port on the left side of the GLX to measure voltages between -10 and +10 V. The voltage probe should be connected to voltage sources only when it is also connected to

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 7

the GLX. Do not connec t a vo ltage sourc e until af ter the pro be is connec ted t o th e GLX; remove any voltage s ources before disconnect ing the probe.

Sound Sens o r To configure the GLX’s microphone as a sound sensor , press

and together to enter the Sens ors screen; then press to open the

Microphone menu. From the menu, select Sound Sensor to record the sound waveforms, or select Sound Level to measure sound level in decibels. See “F3 Microphone” on page 58 for more information.

Computer If you will be using the GLX with a computer , use the incl uded USB host-connection cable to connect the GLX to the USB port of the c omp uter. Refer to page 99 for instructions on setting up the computer.

Mouse If you will be using an optional mouse (PS-25 39), conne ct it to the USB port on the right si de of the GLX.

A mouse can be convenient, but it is never required; anything that you can do with the mouse can also be done through the GLX’s keypad. New users often find that operating the GLX is easier with a mouse. For experienc ed users, using the keypad rather than a mouse is usually faster.

Keyboard If you plan to do a lot of text entry , connect a USB keyboard (PS-2541) to the port on the right side of the GLX.

To connect a mous e and a keyboa rd simultaneously, use the optional PS-2536 Peripheral Cable.

Sign al Output If you have headphones or a pair of amplified stereo speakers that you wis h to use for sound generation, connect them t o the signal output port. You also have the option of using the GLX’s built-in sp eaker for sound output. See “Output” on page 39 for more information.

Computer via USB host-connection cable

Mouse, keyboard or printer through optional peripheral cable

USB mouse, keyboard, printer, storage device, or 2nd GLX

AC power adapter

USB Storage Device If you have a USB storage device (such as a flash drive) you can connect it to the GLX’s USB port for extra file -stora ge capaci ty and data backup. See page 83 for more information.

GLX-to-GLX Transfer If you have two GLXs that you would like to transfer files between, connect them using the included host-connection cable. See page 84 for more information.

Shutting Down

Manual Shut Down

To turn off the GLX, pres s and hold for 1 second. The GLX will prompt you to save your data and experiment setup before it shuts down. Press to save your work, press to shut down without savin g, or press to not shut

down. See page 80 for instructions on opening the saved file.

If you hold the power button for 5 seconds, the GLX will shut down without saving your data.

The GLX cannot shut down while the ba ttery is charging; if you try to turn it off, a message will appear informing you that charging is in progress. When the battery is fully charged, and the GLX h as been idle fo r 60 minutes, i t will shut do wn automatically (see below).

F3F2

8 Overview of the GLX

Auto Power Off

Timed Auto Power Off If it is running on battery power, the GLX will auto-

matically save your data and shut down after a certain a mount of continuous idle time (5 minutes by default).

To set the idle time that must elapse before auto shut down on battery power, see “Auto Power Off” on page 85.

If the GLX is running on AC power and the batte r y is fully charged, it will automatically shut down after 60 minutes of idle time .

The GLX will warn you t hat it i s abou t to shu t down 3 0 seconds before i t act ually does. If you see the warnin g, pre ss to procee d with the shutdown, or press

to keep t h e G LX tu rned on.

Battery Auto Power Off The GLX wi ll also save data and shut down automatically if the batteries drain to a critical level. Connect AC power before turning the GLX back on.

Auto Data Save Just before the GLX shuts down, it will save the open file (which include s all data, displays, calculations and set-up information). If you have named the file, it will be saved under that name. If you have not named the file, it will be saved with the filename “Untitled.”

Res umin g after Auto Power Off To resume your work after the GLX automatically shut s down, push and hold the p ower bu tton ( ) for about 1 se cond to turn it on. If the automatically saved file does not open automatically, go to the Data Files screen ( see page 78) and open the file . (See pa ge 80 for instructions on opening a file.)

The GLX is considered idle when

not

•the GLX is

• the Stopwatch is

•the GLX is puter running Da taStudio, and

•the GLX is

its keypad, a mouse, or a USB keyboard.

collec tin g data,

not

running,

not

connec te d t o a co m-

not

receiving input through

If you have set the Startup Action of the GLX to “Open Last Experiment,” the file will auto matically open when you tur n on the GL X. See pa ge86 for more information.

Sleep Between Samples If the GLX is running on battery power and collecting data at a rate of once eve r y 30 s or slower, and it has been otherwise idle for the set auto-power-off time (see page 85), it will “sleep ” between sam p les. When the GLX is sleeping, the scre en a nd any co nnected sensors are turned off to save power , and the green LED on the front of the unit blinks onc e every two sec onds. When it is time to collect a data point, the GLX wakes up briefly, records data, and goes back to sleep. Press any key to wake up the GLX.

The Record Button

Default Recording Mode Whenever you have one or more sens ors connected

to the GLX, you can press to start data col lection. In its default mode, the GLX will begin recording data continuously from all connected sensors. Press

again to stop data collection. To start recording another data run, press

yet again.

Sticky Start Use the Sticky Start feature to prevent data collection from being unintentionally stopped when you take the GLX on an amuseme nt park ride. To start data collection with Sticky Start, press and hold for about 5 seconds. You will hear three beeps and see the St icky Start icon ( ) appear at the top of the screen. Data recording will continue after you release . To stop dat a

Record Button

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 9

recording, you mus t pres s and hold until you hear three beeps again. Data recording will stop when you release .

Alternative Recording Modes If you have put the GLX into Manual Sampling mode (see page 57), it will not start r ecordin g when you press ; rather it will stand by to record a data point whenever you press . If you have turned on the Trigger in the Graph display (see page 20), then the GLX will delay the start of recording after you press until the specified trigger condition is reached.

Home Screen

The Home Screen is the center of the GLX environment. All other screens are just one step away from th e Home Scree n. From any other screen, you can always return to the Home Screen by pressing .

The Home Screen consists of three sections: the Mai n Icons , the Bottom Row, and the Top Bar.

Main Icons

The main icons on the Home Screen lead to the other screens of the GLX environment.

Main Icons

To open another screen via one of the main icons, use the up, down, left, and right arrow keys to highlight the desired icon, then press .

The highlight wraps around, so you can move it to any icon within three key presses. For instance, if the highlight is in the first column, and you want to move it to the fourth column, press the left arrow key once.

Alternative ly, if you are using a mouse, simply cli ck on the desired icon.

The Hom e Scr e en

F3F2

Y o u ca n a ls o acce ss t h e fou r ico ns in th e bot t om ro w us in g t he fu nc ti on ke ys . See “Bottom Row” on page 10 for more information.

The icons and the screens they le ad to are descri bed briefly here, and i n more detail elsewhere in the following chapters.

Data Files Once you have collected data or configured the GLX for an experiment, you can go to the Data Fil es sc ree n to save your work. You can also open or delete save d file s and mana ge the dis plays , se nsors, calc ulati ons, and manuall y entered data sets that are part of a data file. See page78 for more information.

10 Overview of the GLX

Digits This screen is useful for displ aying live data as they are collected from

sensors and calculat ion s. Up to six data sourc es can be display ed simult aneously. See page 37 for more information.

Meter This display simulates an analog meter with a ne edle that deflects in proportion to a measur ement made by a sensor. See page 38 for more information.

Stopwatch With this screen, th e GLX can be used like a regular stopwatch to time events. T he stopwatch is started a nd stopped by the user t hrough the GLX’s keypad, so no sensors are necessary. See page 54 for more information.

Timing Use the Timing scre en to conf igure photoga tes, Super Pulleys , and ot her switch-type or counting-type digita l sensors. See page 62 for more information.

Settings Go to the Settings screen to cha nge the GLX’s name, time and date, and screen sett ing s, set how lon g the GLX wai ts be fore aut omati call y tur ning of f, and control how the GLX behaves when you turn it on or connect a sensor. See page 85 for more information.

Output The Output screen contains the controls for the signal that the GLX generates and outputs through the built-in speaker, or through the signal output port to headphones or amplified speakers. See page 39 for more information.

Notes In the Notes screen, you can create, read, and edit pages of text notes to be saved along with an experiment configuration or collected data. See page 53 for more information.

Graph Use the Graph to plot and analyze data. In many cases, the Graph is the best way to view data as they are being collected. See page 13 for more information.

Table The Table displa ys data numerical ly in colum ns. It can be used for edi tin g and entering data and for statistical analysis. See page 28 for more information.

Calculator You can use the calculator like a regular ca lculator for finding the result of a simple expression and like a graphing calculator for plot ting equation s. The calculator can also perform operations on streams of data collected from sensors and on sets of manually ent ered data. See page 41 for more information.

Sensors Us e the Sensors screen to cus tom ize the way sensors colle ct data. The screen shows which sensors are connected to the GLX and contains controls for how each sensor operates. See page 85 for more information.

Bottom Row

F3F2

Bottom Row

The icons in the bott om row of the Home Screen are selectable via the four function keys: , , , and . Graph, Ta ble, Calculator, and Sensors

are th e mos t c om mon ly us e d scr een s, and t he refo r e t he mo st e as il y ac ce ss ibl e. To make the bottom row of the Home Scr ee n appear temporarily from anywhere in the GLX environment, press and hold ; while holding , press one of the function keys to open the corresponding screen.

In other screens, yo u will usu ally see four choices at the bottom of the scre en that can be accessed with the function keys.

Shortcuts from anywhere in the GLX

environment

Graph

Table

Calculator

Sensors

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 11

Top Bar

The Top Bar is the part of the Home Screen that is a lways visible from anywhere in the GLX envi ronm ent. It shows the tim e and date and the na me of the GLX or the name of the open file. It also indicates the recording status, battery level and memory usage.

Tim e and Date The time and date displayed in the Top Bar are set automatically when you connect the GLX to a computer running DataStudio (see page 99). You can also go to the Setti ngs screen (see page 85) to set the time and date manually and change the format in which they are displayed.

GLX Name By default, the name displayed in the Top Bar is “XplorerGLX.” If you are usin g more t han one GLX in yo ur cl assroom or lab , you ma y wish t o give each one a unique name. See “Settings Screen” on page 85 for instructions.

When a previously saved filed is open, the name of that file appears in place of the GLX Name. See page 78 for more information about s aving and opening files.

Home Icon If you are using a mouse, you can click the Home Icon ( ) in the Top Bar, instead of pressing on the keypad, to return to the Home Screen from any other screen in the GLX environment.

Recording Status The Recording Stat us icon changes to indicate when the GLX is collecting data, and in what sampling mode it is operating (see page 57 for more information about the sampling modes). It also indicates when an audio note is being recorded or played (see “Data Annotation” on page 25).

If you are using a mouse, you can click the Recording Status icon, instead of pressing on the keypad, to start and stop data collection.

Memory Ga uge The Mem o ry Gauge indicates the G LX ’s availabl e memory. As data are stored in random acces s memory (RAM), the icon becomes shaded from the bott om up. An enti rely sh ade d ico n means tha t the re is li tt le or no ca pacity remaining for recording data. See “Data Files Screen” on page 78 for instructions on deleting files or data runs to make more memor y available.

If you are usi ng a mouse , you ca n clic k th e Memory Gaug e to open the Data Fil es screen, start a new file, or save the file that you are working with. (Without a mouse, the Data File s scree n, which include s the Ne w File and Save File opti ons, is accessed through the Home Screen; see page 78.)

Battery Gauge When the GLX is running on battery power, the Battery Gauge indicates the level of charge of the battery. It is fully charged when the entire gauge is shaded.

Home Icon

Memory

Time and Date

The time c an b e di sp laye d i n 12 -ho ur or 24-hour format; the date can be displayed as month/d ay/year or day/month/year.

Recording Status Icons

Not Collecting Data

Sampling in Continuous Mode

Sampling in Manual Mode

Recording Audio Note

Playing Audio Note

Memory Gauge Icons

Most RAM free

RAM about half free

RAM almost full

Battery Gauge Icons

GLX Name or File Name

Recording Indicator when recording (click to start and stop)

Click to access Settings

Top Bar

Gauge

Battery Gauge

Each GL X learns the particular charge and discha rge characteristics of its battery as it is used. To make the gauge more accurate, allow the battery to fully charge, then fully discharge at least once.

The Battery Gauge al so indicates when the GLX is connected to AC power and charging the battery.

Battery fully charged

Battery nearly empty

AC power connected; battery charging

AC power connected; battery fully charged

12 Overview of the GLX

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 13

Chapter 1: Displays

The GLX has four screens for displaying data: Graph, Table, Digits, and Meter. This chapter will describe the structure and use of each display.

Open any of the displ ays t o monito r liv e data as it i s col lecte d. Open t he Graph or Table to view previously recorded measurements or manually entered data.

Graph

The Graph plot s da ta on a pair of axes. Use the Graph to view, compare, and analyze da ta sets.

To Open the Graph

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

press , the function key below the Graph icon;

use the arrow keys to highlight the Graph icon, then press ; or

click the Graph icon.

From anywhere in the GLX environment, you can always open the Graph with the shortcut + .

In some cases, the Graph opens automatically when you connect a sensor.

The Graph Display

The Graph icon on

the Home Screen

14 Graph

Active Fields

Run Number

Units

Data Source

Data Source Units

Active fields of the Graph

Active fields are the areas on the Graph (and other display screens) through which you control wha t data are shown. When you select an active field, a menu opens containing choices of data source, units, or run number. Follow the steps below to select an active field using the keypad.

1. Press to “light up” the active fields—shaded boxes appear around the active fields.

2. One of the shaded boxes is darker than the others, designating the highlighted field. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the field that you would like to select.

3. Press aga in to s elec t the hi ghli ghted fi eld, whic h causes a menu to open .

To select an option from the menu:

• use the up and down keys to highlight the desired menu option, then press

;

• press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

To turn off the highlight without selecti ng one of the fields, or to close a menu without selecting an option, press .

Esc

If you are using a mouse, you can left- click an active field to s elect it and

open the menu, then c lick one of the menu options. (It is not necessary to press

first.)

Selecting a field with the keypad

Highlighted field

Press to light up the active fields. Use the arrows to move the highlight to the desired field and press to open the menu.

Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired menu option, then press ;

on the keypad, press the number corresponding to the desired option.

Left-click one of the active fields.

Selecting a field with the mouse

Left-click the desired menu option.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 15

Choosing Data to Display

Data Source A graph is generated from two data sources: one on the vertical

axis and one on the horizontal axis. The possible types of data source are

• a sensor measurement,

• time (horizontal axis only),

•a calculation,

• manually entered numeric da ta, and

• manually entered text data (horizontal axis only).

If you configure the Graph with data sources that already c ontain data, the data will appear immediately. If the selected data sources have not yet collected data, the Graph will initially be blank; when

data collection starts, each data point will

be plotted as it is acquired.

For mor e information on calculations, see page 41 . For more information on manual ly entered data see page 32.

Data source menu for the horizontal axis

If th ere is at least one sensor connected to the GLX, the Graph will automatically set one of the sensor measurements as the vertical data so u r ce, with time as the horizontal da ta source. Select the verti cal or horizontal data source field

choose a different source.

When you chose a data source, it replaces the previously displayed one. See “Two Measurements” on page 23 and “Two Graphs” on page 24 for instructions on displaying two vertical data sources simultaneously.

If you do not see the s ensor measurement that you want in the data source men u, select More to expand the menu.

For more information on selecting data from the Data Source menu when you are working with more than one sensor, or with a multiple-measurement sensor, see “Data Source Menus” on page 89.

Also from the Data Source menu, you can select Properties to edit the name and other properties of the currently displayed data set. See “Data Properties” on page 69 for more information.

Units Select the units field

to choose dif ferent units (i f avail able) for the chosen

data source.

T o select a data source, units, or run number field

Keypad

1. Press to light up the active fields.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

light to the desired field.

3. Press again to open the menu.

4. Us e th e ar ro w key s to hi gh lig ht the

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corres ponding to the des ir e d me nu option.

Mouse

1. Click the desired field to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

Run Number Sele ct th e r un number fiel d can also choose to display no data.

to choose a different data run. You

Run number menu

16 Graph

In normal mode, one data set is displayed at a time. See “Two Runs” on page 24 for instructions on displaying two runs simultaneously.

The next-to-las t option in the run number menu is Delete Run, which deletes the currently displayed run. That run will be deleted from all measurements, not just the one displayed in the Graph.

The last option in the run number menu is Rename Run. By default, data runs are names “Run #1,” “Run #2,” etc. When you select Rename Run, the GLX prompts you for a new run name. Enter the new name us ing multipress text entry (or an atta che d keyboard) and press to accept the change (or press to

cancel the change). The new name wil l be a pplied to that run from all mea surements, not just the one displayed in the Graph.

For more info r m ati on on multipr e s s tex t entry, see page 90.

Data Cursor and Coordinates

Coordinates

Data Cursor

The GLX prompts you to enter a new

data run name

The circle around one of the data point s is th e Data Cursor. Use the arrow keys to move the Data Cursor; the left and right arrow keys step the Data Cursor to adjacent data points, the up and down arrow keys make the cursor jump to the first and last visible data points. Press and hold the left and right arrow keys to move the cur sor quickly.

The coordinate pai r near th e to p of the Gra ph in dicat es the “X” and “Y” v alues of the Data Cursor.

If you have a mouse, you can move the Data Cursor by draggin g it: click on the Data Cursor, hold down the mouse button, and move the mouse left and right to move the Data Cursor along the data plot.

Graph Function Keys

In the Graph, the func tio n keys a re used to c hange the scale and to open the Tools and Graphs menus.

F1 Autoscale

Press to ma k e th e s c al e of th e Graph ad ju st automa t ically so that all dat a are visible.

F2 Scale/Move

Jump to

first point

Step left to

adjacent point

Jump to

last point

Use the arrow keys to move the

Data Cursor

Step right to adjacent point

F3F2

Pressing cycles the graph through S cale mod e (first press ) and Move mode

(second press).

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 17

In Scale mode, the left an d r ight arrow keys compress and stretch the Graph horizontally; the up and down arrow keys stretch and compress the Graph vertically.

In Move mode, the arrow keys make the graph move left, right, up, and down.

To return to normal mode (indicated when the function reads “Scale/ Move”), press . If the Graph is in S cale or Move mode and the arr ow keys a re

Esc

not pressed for several seconds, the Graph will return to normal mode automatically.

See “Zoom” on page 21 for another way to rescale the Graph.

Scale and Move with a Mouse

If you have a mouse, you can scale and move the Graph by dragging it with the mouse cursor. (It is not nece ssary to press first.)

To change the scale, click and drag on (or between) the numeric labels on the edges of the Graph to change the vertical and horizontal ranges.

Scale Mode

Compress

horizontally

Move Mode

Move

Arrow key functions in Move and

Stretch

vertically

Compress

vertically

Move up

left

Move down

Scale modes

Stretch horizontally

Move right

Vertical Scale Horizontal Scale

To move the plot up, down, left, and right, click and drag anywhere in the “background” of the Graph.

To zoom in on part of the Graph, hold down while you click and drag to

Esc

draw a rectangle. The area en closed by t h e rectangle will enl arge to fill the screen.

Esc

Move Zoom

F3 Tools Menu

Use the analysis tools contained in the Tools menu to obtain numerical info rma tion from the Graph (such as coordinates and statistics), to visualize different properties of the plotted data (such as slo pe and area), and to enlarge a selected area. This menu also contains an options to configure the Trigger (see page 20).

18 Graph

When you select a tool from the Tools menu,3 a check mark ( ) appears next to it. To turn off a too l, select it from the menu again , which removes the check mark and returns th e Graph to normal mode. If you have a tool tu rned on and you choose a different tool, the previous tool will automatically turn off.

The Tools menu

The options in the Tools menu are described belo w.

Smart Tool When the Smart Tool is selected from the Tools menu, a pair of crosshairs appe ars on the Graph with labels indic ating its coordinates. Use the left and right arrow keys to move the Smart Tool to adjacent data points. Use the up and down arrow keys to send it to the first and last visible data points. Press and hold the left or right arrow key to move the Smart Tool quickly.

Jump to

first point

To select a tool from the Tools

menu:

Keypad

1. Press to open the Tools menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

Mouse

1. Cl ic k “ Tools” at the bo tt o m of the

2. Cl ic k the desired tool.

light to the desired tool and press ;

press the number on the keypad

corres po nding to the des ired tool.

scree n to open the Tools menu.

Step left to

adjacent point

Jump to

last point

Step right to adjacent point

If you have a mouse, you can move the Smart Tool by dragging the cir-

cle at the intersection of the cross hairs left and right.

Delta Tool When the Delta Tool is selected from the Tools menu, a dashed rectangle app ears on the G r ap h. One corner is marked with a circle, the other is marked with a triangle. Labels on the edges of the Graph indicate the width (∆X) and height (∆Y) of the rectangle, measured from the circle to the triangle.

When you first turn on the Delta Tool, the circle and triangle appear at the same point. Press the left or right arrow a few times to separate them.

The left and right arrow keys move the triangle to adj acent data points; the up and down arrow keys send the tr iangle to the first and last visible data points. Press and hold the left or right arrow key to move the triangle quickly.

If you have a mouse, you can move the triangle by dragging it left or

right.

The triangle designates the active corner of the Delta Tool, which is the corner that moves when you pre ss th e arrow keys or dr ag it with the mouse. To make the other corner active, hold and press . The triangle and circle will swap

Esc

places when you release both keys.

Coordinates

Stationary Corner

Smart Tool

Active Corner

DXDY

Delta Tool

Note th at wh en th e curs o r s sw ap pl ac es, the signs o f ∆X and ∆Y change. These values are always measured from the circle to the tr iangle; ∆X is the triangle’s X coordinate minus the circle’ s X coordinate, ∆Y is the triangl e’s Y coordinate minus the circl e’s Y coordinate. You would most typically be interest ed in the values reported when the triangle is to the right of the circle.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 19

Positive DX and DY

When the cursors swap places, the sign s of ∆X and ∆Y change

Negative DX and DY

Slope Tool Select the Slope Tool from the T ools menu to measure the slope of a tangent line at one point on t he data plot. A pair of crosshairs mark s the point at which the slope is meas ured. Labels on the Graph’s edges show the coordinates of the point, and the slope is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Use the left and right arrow keys to move the Slope Tool to adjacent point s. Use the up and down arrow keys to send it to the first and last points . P res s and hold the left or right arrow key to move the Slope Tool quickly.

If you have a mouse, you can move the Slope Tool by dragging the circle

at the intersection of the cross hairs left and right .

Statistics Select Statistics from the Tools menu to put the Graph into Statistics mode. The Graph displays the minimum, maximum, average, and standard deviation (σ) of the data inside the re gion of interest (ROI), which is indicated by a dashed box.

Region of interest

Slope

Tool

Slope

Slop e Tool

Active Cursor

Stationary

Cursor

Statistics

Statistics mode

Two cursors desi gnate the left and right sides of the ROI. The larger cursor is the active one and can be moved with the arrow keys or mouse .

As the acti ve cursor

moves, one side of the box moves with it.

The smaller cursor indicates the side of the ROI that doe s not move.

To switch the active cursor to the other side of the box, hold and press .

Esc

Linear Fit When Li near Fit is sel ec ted from the Tools m en u , a be st -f i t li n e is applied to the data in the ROI. (See “Statistics” above for instructions on setting the ROI.)

The slope, the Y-intercept, the mean squared error (MS E), and the roo t mean squared error of the linear fit are disp layed at the bottom of the screen

MSE()

along with the correlation coefficient (r) of the data in the ROI.

See page 16 for detailed instructions on moving the cursor with the keyp ad or mouse.

Region of interest

Linear Fit

20 Graph

When the Linear F it is turned on, the special option Create Ca lculation from Linear Fit appears in the Tools menu (see page 22).

Linea r Fit can be useful even when the graphed data are not linear (quadratic or exponential, for instance). See “Graph Linearization” on page 47.

Area Tool Select the Area Tool from the Tools menu to measure the area between the data plot and the X-axis in the ROI. (See “S tatistics” above for instructions on setting the ROI.)

For data plotted below the X-axis , the area is measure d as negative. The value of area dis pl ay ed a t th e bot tom o f t he sc ree n is th e t ota l ar ea abo v e th e X-a xis minus the total area below the X-axis.

Positive

Area

Negative

Area

Area Tool

Derivative This tool overlays a graphical representation of the derivative (or

rate of change) of the data. In some cases, the Graph may need to be rescaled in order to see the overlaid derivative. The Deriva tive Tool is designed for titrati on experiments in which it is necessary to identify a point in a data set at which the maximum rate of change occurs.

Trigger The Trigger is a tool that allows you to control how the GLX collects data. With the Trigg er, you make the GLX delay data recording (after you press

) until a certain condition is met by the incoming data. The Trigger has two parameters: Trigger Edge, which can be rising or falling, and Trigger Level, which specifies the data value that must be crossed. For example, on a voltage versus time graph, if you set the Trigger Edge to risin g and the T rigger Level to 5 volts, dat a rec ording will not start unti l the measured voltage rises above 5 volts.

The Tr igger can be used i n normal graph mode t o sta rt conti nuous re co rding, or i t can be used in Scope Mode (see page 22) to repeatedly trigger bursts of data collection. In bot h modes, the Graph must have time on the horizontal axis.

To turn on the Trigger , select it from the Tools menu.

A horizontal dashed line appears on the Graph indicating the T r igger Level. Press the up and down arrow keys to change the Trigger Level. Pres s the right arrow key to cycle thro ugh ris ing edge, falling edge, and disabled. (The Trigger is initially disabled, so you must press the right arrow key at least once to enable it.)

Total Area is area above the axis minus area below the axis.

Arrow Indicating Trigger Edge

Trigger Level

Trigger

The Trigger turns on automatically when you turn on Scope mode. See page 22.

Open Trigger

Settings

Increase

Trigger Level

Enable, Disable, and Change Trigger Edge

Decrease

Trigger Level

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 21

The Trigger affects data recording eve n if you are not viewing the Graph. If you have set up two or more triggers on s eparate Graph pages,

data recording will

start when the most recently set trigger condition is met.

Trigger Settings When the Trigger is turne d on, you can open the Trigge r Settings dialog box by pressing the left arrow key (you can also select it from the Tools menu). In the dialog box, use the arrow keys to highlight Trigger Enabled and press to enable or disable the Trigger. To change the edge from rising to falling, or vic e-versa, use the arrow keys to highlight Trigger Edge and press

. To set the level, use the arrow keys to highlight Trigger Level, press ,

enter the desire d value on the keypad, and press again.

You can also turn on the Stop Condition, which causes data collection to automatically stop at a specified time. To turn on the Sto p Condition in the Tri gger Settings dialog box, use the arrow keys to highlight Stop Conditi on and press

. When the Stop Condition is on, an icon ( ) and vertical dashed line

appear on the Graph in dicating the stop time. While viewing the Graph, hold

Esc

down and press the left and right arrow keys to adj ust the stop time. For the Stop Condition to work, the Trigger must be turned on (but does need to be enabled).

When you have finished changing the settings in the T r igger Settings dialog box, press to ac cept the cha ng e s, o r p re ss to cancel th e m .

Zoom Use the Zoom Tool to enlarge an area that you define by drawing a rect angle. Sel ect Zoom from the Tools menu; a zoom cursor ( ) appears. Move the cursor (using the arrow keys) to where you want one corner of the rectangle. Press . Move the cur sor to define the diagonall y opposite corner of the rectangle. Press again. The area enclosed by th e rectang l e enlarg es to fill t h e screen.

For information about multiple Graph pages, se e “N ew Gr ap h P ag e” on page 24.

Trigger Settings dialog bo x

Stop time

Stop condition

If you have a mouse, you do not have to open the Tools menu to zoom.

Just hold down while you click and drag on the Graph to draw the rectangle.

Position the cursor to define one corner. Press .

Esc

Move the cursor to define the opposite corner. Press .

Zoom Tool

Swap Cursors This option appears in the Tools menu when you are using the

Delta Tool, Statistics, Linear Fit, or Area Tool. When you select Swap Cursors, the active and inactive curs ors swap places, allowing you to move the previousl y stationary corn er of the Delta Tool or side of the ROI.

To swap cursors without opening the menu: hold , press , and release

Esc

both keys.

See also page 17 for other ways to scale the Graph w ith a mouse .

Area enlarges.

Esc

Swap Cursors Shortcut

Toggle Active Data This option appears in the Tools menu when the Grap h is

in one of the t wo-data s et mode s (see p ages 23–24 ). Sele ct it t o swit ch fo cus fro m one da ta se t to th e o th er. The active data set is th e on e to wh i ch th e D a t a C ur sor

22 Graph

and other tools are app lied. In case s where the two dat a sets are scal ed separa tely, the active that is scaled.

To toggle data withou t opening the menu: hold , press , and release both

Esc

keys.

Create Calculation from Linear Fit This option appears in the T ools menu when the Linear F it (se e page 19) is turned on. Select thi s op tion to a utomat ical ly create an equation in the calculator based on the slope and y-intercept of the currently displ ay best-fit line. If the equation of the best fit line is ,

ymxb+= where m is the slope and b is the y- intercept, then the calcula tion will take the form . This calcula tion will appear in the Calc ulator and in

x 1 m⁄()ybm⁄–= data source menus with the name “Linear Fit Cal.” For instructions on working with calcula tions, see page 41.

F4 Graphs Menu

The Graphs menu cont ains options8 to control the appea rance of the Gra ph, make it emulate an oscilloscope, make it plot two data sets simultan eous ly , manage multiple pa ges, and print.

The Graphs menu

Esc

Toggle Data Shortcut

To select an option from the Graphs

Keypad

1. Press to open the Graphs

2. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

Mouse

1. Click “Graphs” at the bot tom of the

2. Click the desired menu option.

menu.

light to the desired menu option and

press ; keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

screen to open the Graphs menu.

press the nu mber on t he

Data Cursor Select this option to turn on or off the Data Cursor and Coordinates displayed on the Graph. See page 16 for more information.

Connected Lines Select this o ption fro m t he Graphs m enu to turn on or of f the lines connecting the data points.

Graph with connected lines (left) and without connected lines (right)

Scope Mode Select Scope mode from t he Graphs menu to make the GLX emu-

late a digital storage oscilloscope. In this mode, the GLX collec ts and displays data in repeated burst s. The length of the burst and the sampl e rate are determined by the time scale of the Graph display. Scope mode can be used with any sensor to co llect bursts of dat a; it is especially useful with th e G LX ’s bui lt-in sound sensor (see page 58) or voltage sensor.

When you turn on Scope mode, the Gra ph automatically sets its time range to 30 milliseconds and turns on the Trigger.

It also adjusts the sampling rate of the displayed se ns or so that it wil l collect about 500 data points (or as ma ny as possible) in each burst. If you change the Graph’s time scale,

the GLX automatically

adjusts the sampling rate.

Scope mode

The Trigger is initially disabled. See page 20 for i nstructions on enabling and setting the Trigger.

See “F1 Autoscale” and “F2 Scale/

Move” on page 16.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 23

After you press , the GLX begins collecting and displaying a series of data bursts (each burst is enough data fill the Graph from left to right). If you have enabled the Trigger, the GLX waits for the tr igger condition to be met befor e collecting each burst .

While Scope-mode data collect ion is in progress , you can change the scale of the Graph (with Autoscale, Scale/Move, or the mouse) and you can

change the Trigger settings with the arr ow keys.

To stop data collection, press again. The GLX will save the last-collected data burst as Run #1 (or #2, #3, #4, etc.). You can also use the Trigger’ s Stop Condition (se e page 21) to make the GLX stop automatically after collecting a single data bu r s t .

You can use Scope Mode in conjunction with Two Measurements mode or Two Graphs mode (see below) to display two traces simultaneously.

Two Measurements Select this option from the Graphs menu t o put the Graph into T wo Measurement s mode. In this mode, two measure ment s (or data se ts) are graphed simultaneously.

Run Number of First Measurement (select to change)

Data Source of First Measurement (select to change)

Two Measurements mode

Run Number of Second Measurement (select to change)

Data Source of Second Measurement (select to change)

Active Data (black) Inactive Data (gray)

The data source and s cale of the Firs t Measureme nt ar e displ ayed on th e left side , and the data source and s cale of the Second Measurement is displayed on the right side. Select either the left or right data source field

to change the corre-

sponding measurement.

The run number of the First Measurement is d is played in the upper left corner of the Graph, and the run number of the Second Measurement is displayed in the upper right corner. To change the run number of either measurement, select the corresponding run num ber field.

One of the measurements is plotted in black, and the other one in gray. The measurement in black is the active data. To switch activity to the other measurement,

Esc

hold and press .

The Data Cursor appears on the active data. If you select a tool from the Tools menu, it is applied to the active data set. If you press to scale or move vertically, only the active data will change.

However, moving the Graph horizon-

tally or changing the horizontal scale will affect both sets.

If you are using a mouse, you can swi tch activity to a measurement by clicking on the line above its run number. Vertically scale each measurement by dragging its numeric labels (on the left or right side of the Graph).

To select a data source field or run

number field:

Keypad

1. Press to light up the active fields.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired field.

3. Press again to open the menu.

4. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired menu option and press ; keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

Mouse

1. Click the desired field to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

The exce ptio n t o t his rul e is when bot h data sets are of the same units (both temperature in °C, for instance); in that case, both data sets scale together.

press the nu mber on t he

24 Graph

Ty pically y ou would use Two Measurements mode to display data from two different sour ces, but y ou can also u s e it to display two runs from the same source . Sele c t the sa m e so ur c e fr o m bo th data source fields, and di ffe re nt runs from each run number field. For another way to display two runs from the same source, see “Two Runs” below.

Two R uns Select T w o Runs from the Graphs menu to display two data sets from a single data source.

In this mode, a second run appears on the Graph. A second run number field appears in the uppe r right corner (below the first run number) , whic h you can select to choose a different run.

One of the runs is plotted in black, and the other one in gray. The run in black is the active data. To switch activity to the othe r run, hold and press . The

Esc

Data Cursor appears on the active data. If you select a tool from the Tools menu, it is app li ed to th e active da ta se t .

Both runs share a single pair of axes and they are scaled and moved together.

If you are using a mouse, you can swi tch activity to a run by clicking on

the line above its r un number.

Two Grap hs Select Two Graphs from the Graphs menu to display two separate graphs simult aneously . This mode is similar to Two Measurements mode (see page 23), but eac h measur ement is plott ed o n the to p or bo tto m half o f the s creen , rather than overlapping.

One of the measurements is plotted in black, and the other one in gray. The measurement in black is the active data. To switch activity to the other measurement,

Esc

hold and press .

The Data Cursor appears on the active data. If you select a tool from the Tools menu, it is applied to the active data. If you press to scale or move vertically, only the active data will change.

However, moving the Graph horizontally

or changing the horizontal scale will affect both sets.

If you are using a mouse, you can swi tch activity to a measurement by

clicking on it.

Two Runs m ode

Two Graphs mode

New Graph Pag e The GLX supports an unlimited number of graph pages.

Select New Graph Page from the Graphs menu to c onfigure a new graph while preserving the previous one.

When two or more graph pages exist, each page appears in the Graphs menu. To make a page visible, select it from the menu.

If added graph pages make the Graphs menu too long to fit on the screen, an arrow or arrows ( cate that some of the menu options are not visible.

Press the up or down arrow key multiple times to the visible portion of the menu. view.

If you are using a mouse, you can click the arrows to scroll the menu.

, ) will appear on the right side of the menu to indi-

move the highlight beyond

The menu will scroll to bring other options into

The Graphs menu as it a ppears when

multiple pages exist

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 25

Print I f there is a printe r connected to the GLX, select Print from the Graphs

menu to print the currently displayed graph page.

Print All Select Print All to print all of the graph pages.

For more information, see “Printing” on page 91.

Delete Graph Page This option is available when two or more graph pages exist. When you select Delete Graph Page from the Graphs menu, the currently displayed page is deleted and t he next page appears. (If there is no next pa ge, the previous page appears.)

Data Annotation

The GLX’ s dat a-annot ation capa bil ity all ows you to at tach not es to data poi nts in the Graph display. You can add these notes while you are vie wing the Graph either durin g or a fter da ta c oll ectio n. include a text message, an audio recording of your voice, or both; it can also be “empty” (not containing text or audio).

A note ( rep r esen ted b y a fl ag i con : ) can

In order to add a note lection, the GLX must be in Continuous Sampling mode (its default mode), rather than Manual Sampling mode. Se e page 57 for more information.

during

data col-

Data with notes

There are two ways to attach a note to a data point in the Graph display:

• Press quickly to mark a data point with an icon ( ) representing an empty note. You can later add text and audi o to this note.

•Press and hold and begin speaking to mark a point and immediately record an audio message. When you are finished speaking, release .

In both cases, the note is added at the location of the Data Cursor.

See page 16 for instructions on moving the Data Cursor. If you are adding notes during data collection, it is often convenient to have the cursor tracking the data so that notes are always attached to the most recently collected point; press the down arrow key to make the cursor track the data.

After you have a dded a note, you can ac cess its audio and text by positioning the Data Cursor on it.

The GLX cannot record audio for a data note when the microphone is configured as a sound sensor or sound level sensor. See page 58 for more information.

The Dat a cursor must be turned on (see page 22) in order to use data annotation.

26 Graph

A note with the Data Cursor positioned on it

To make the Data Cursor jump directly to a note, hold and press one of the arrow keys. Press plus the left or right arrow key to make the cursor jump to the next visible note in ei ther direction; p res s plus the up or down arrow key

Esc

to make the cursor jump to the first or last visible note. When the cursor lands on a note, the audio portion (if any) starts playing

and the text portion of the note

(if any) appears.

Annotation Menu

To change any of a note’s attributes, pos ition the Data Cursor on the note and press ; the Annotation menu will open.

If you have a mouse, you can open the menu by clicking the flag icon.

Annotation Menu

Select17 any of the following menu options.

Edit Note Select this option to open the Note Editor dialog box. There you can read the text, lis ten to the audio, enter new text, change existing text, and record new audio. See “Note Editor Dialog Box” below for instructions.

Always Show Text This option is either turned on (with a check mark appearing next to it in the menu) or off (no check mark). When the option is on, the note’s text is visible on the Graph even when the cursor is not on the note. To switch Always Show Text on or off, select it from the Annotation Menu.

Delete Note Select this option to delete the entire note, including the text and audio portions and the flag icon.

If you have not changed the default setting, the audio plays thr ough the GLX’s b ui lt -i n s pe aker ; othe r wis e i t pl ay s through the output device specified in the Audio Settings dialog box, which is accessed from the Settings screen. See page 87 for more information.

To select and option from the Annotation menu

Keypad

1. Position the Data Cursor on the data

note.

2. Press

3. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

light to the desired menu option and press

to open the menu.

; or press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

Mouse

1. Click the flag icon ( ) to open the

menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

Move Select this option to move the note to a different data point. After you have selected Move, the flag icon becomes mobile; use the a rrow keys (or mouse) to move the ic on t o a dif fe rent data point an d pre ss to attach it to tha t point.

Hide All Text and Show All Text Select either of these options to hide or show the text of all note s in the displayed data run. These options are equivalent to turning on or off the Always Show Text option for every note.

Delete All Notes Select this option to delete every note in the displayed data run.

Note Editor Dialog Box

Text Portion

Audio Portion

Audio Duration Audio Size

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 27

Note Editor Dialog Box

F3F2

The Note Editor opens when you select Edit Note from the Annotation menu.

The text portion of the note appears in the upper half of the box. Use the GLX’s keypad (or an attache d USB keyboard) to enter new text or edit exis ting text. Press to open the T ext menu, which c ont ains opti ons rela ted to enteri ng a nd

editing text.

Text Menu

To type a capital letter , select Shif t or Caps Lock.19 To take the keypad out of multipress text mode (to type only numerals ), s elect Num Lock. T o delete the entire text portion of the note, select Delete Text.

The audio portion of the note is graphically represented in the lower half of the Note Editor alo ng wit h the audi o re cording d uratio n an d size. Press to open the Audio Note menu, which contains options for recording and playing audio.

Audio Note Menu

See “Multipress Text Input Mode” on

page 90.

To select an option from the Text or

Audio Note menu

Keypad

1. Press or to open the

menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired menu option and press

; or press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

Mouse

1. Click “Audio Note” or “Text” at the bottom of the screen.

2. Click the desired menu option.

To record new audio, selec t Record Audio Note and begin speaki ng; press to stop recording.

When you record new audio, the note ’s previous audio is

overwritten. To play the audio portion of the note, select Play Audio Note from the Audio Note menu.

To delete the audio, select Delete Audio Note.

Two other menu options, Record Quality and Record Level, allow you to set the GLX’s audio sample rate, bits per sam ple, and microphone volume before you record audio. The prop erties set using these opti ons are identical to those in the Audio Settin gs di alog box (which is accessed from th e Settings screen); see page 87 for details.

When you have finished changing the text and audio portions of the note, press

to acce pt c h an g es and close th e N o te E ditor, or press to cancel

changes.

28 Table

Table

Use the Table to displ ay da ta, edit or enter data manual ly, and display statistics on data sets. The Table can show up to four columns of numeric or text data.

To Open the Table

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

press , the function key below the Table icon;

use the arrow keys to highlight the Table icon, then press ; or

click the Table icon.

From anywhere in the GLX environment, you can always get to the Ta ble with the shortcut + .

Data Source

Run Number

Data source field with nothing selected

The Table Display

The Table icon on

the Home Screen

Choosing Data to Display

The Table can contain up to four columns.20 Each column can be set to display data fr om one data source. If time is displaye d, it occupies its own column. A column can also be empty (not set up for any da ta source).

The active fields described below are used to control what data appear in each column. (See page 14 for more information about active fields.)

Data Source Select the data source field sensor measurement, calculation, manually entered data set, or tim e, or to clear the colum n. If no data source is as signed to a colu mn, the data source f ield appears as a series of dashes (----).

Data Source menu

at the top of a column to choose a

See “F4 Tables” on page 31 for instructions on changing the number of displa yed colum ns .

To select the data source, units, or run number field

Keypad

1. Press to light up the active fields.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

light to the desired field.

3. Press again to open the menu.

4. Us e th e ar ro w key s to hi gh lig ht the

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corres ponding to the des ir e d me nu option.

Mouse

1. Click the desired field to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 29

If the chosen data source does not contain data, the data source name will appear at the top of the column, but the cells of the column will remai n empty until data collec tion starts.

Also from the data source menu, you can select Properties to edi t the name and other properties of the currently displayed data set. See “Data Properties” on page 69 for more information.

For mor e information on selecting data from a data source menu when you are wo rking wit h more than one sensor, or with a multiple-measure ment sensor, see “Da ta Source Me nus” on page89.

Units Select the units field21 to choose differ ent units (if availabl e) for the cho- sen data source.

Run Number Sele ct th e r un number fiel d

to choose a different run, or select

No Data to display nothing.

By default, the Table is set to change the displayed run number in all columns whenever you change it in one column. Refer to “Lock Run Selection” on page 31 to change that setting.

The last two options in the run number menu are Delete Run and Rena me Run. See “Run Number” on page 15 for more information.

Table Scrolling

At any time, up to eight cells of data are visible in each column. Press the up or down arrow key to scrol l the Table and make other rows of dat a visibl e. Pr ess and hold the up or down arrow key to make the Table scroll continuously. Press the left arrow key to jump to the beginning of the table; pres s the right arrow key to jump to th e en d .

The rules for scr olling are differ ent when an editable column is v isible. See page 35

Table Functi on Keys

In the Table, the function keys are used t o control the display of statistics, to edit data, and to set the number of columns.

Units menu Run number menu

Scroll up

Jump to

the top

Scroll down

Jump to the bottom

F3F2

F1 Statistics

From the Statistics menu, you can choos e to display any of the following statistics for the displ ayed data sets:

• Minimum (Min), the lowest value in the data set,

• Maximum (Max), the highest value in the data set,

• Average (Avg), the average of all values in the data set,

• Standard Deviation (σ), a measure of how much the data varies from th e

averag e, and

• Co unt (#), the number of values in the data set.

Statistics menu

30 Table

The chosen st atistics will be displayed at the bottom of every column. To choose a statistic, select it from the menu.

To turn off a displayed statistic, select it

again.

Select Show All or Hide All to turn on or off all of the statistics.

Table with statist ic s d isp layed

F2 Edit Cell

When you are navigating in an editable column, press to edit the selected cell. See “Manually Entered Data” on page 32 for instructions on editing data.

F3 Edit

To select a statistic from the Statis-

tics menu:

Keypad

1. Press to open the Statistics

2. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

Mouse

1. Click “Statistics” at the bottom of the

2. Click the desired statistic.

menu.

light to the desired statistic and press

;

press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired statistic.

screen to open the Statistics menu.

The options in the Edit menu are used when editing or entering data. See “Manually Entered Data” on page 32 for more information.

New Data Column Select New Data Column from the Edit menu to create an editable data set. See “Manually Entered Data” on page 32 for more information.

Insert Cell Insert Cell works only when the dashed Navigating Box is visible

(see page 34). When you select Insert Cell, a new cell is added directly above the Navigating Box. If the column contains numeric dat a, the new cell will contain the number 0. If the column co ntains text data, the new cell will be blank. Every cell below the new cell shifts down by one position.

Delete Cell Delete Cell works only when the dashed Navigating Box is

visible

(see page 34). When you select Delete Cell, the cell that the Navigat ing

Box is on is deleted. Every cell below the deleted cell shifts up by one pos ition.

Num Lock Num Lo ck is on l y ava il ab l e in th e Ed i t menu when an edi table column is displayed. When Num Lock is turned on (which it is by default), a check mark ( ) appears next to it in the menu, and the keypad operates in numbers only mode.

When Num Lock is turned off, the keypad can be used in multipress text input mode (see page 90) to enter numbers and letters. To turn Num Lock on or off, select it from the Edit menu.

Edit menu

To make the Navigating Box appear in

an editable column, press .

Esc

Caps Lock Caps Lo ck is only av ailable in th e Edit menu whe n an editable column is displa yed. When Caps Lock is t urned on, a check mark ( ) appears next to it in the menu. When used in m ultipress text input mode, the keypad inputs capital letters.

F4 Tables

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 31

Tables Menu

From the Tables menu, you can select to display one, two, three, or four col-

umns.

If you increase the number of colum n s, new columns are added to th e right side (the GLX automatically selects data sources, if available, for new columns). If you decrease the number of columns, they will be removed from the right side (the data displayed in those col umns disappears, but is not be permanently delet ed).

To select an option from the Tables

Keypad

1. Press to open the Tables menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

Mouse

1. Click “Tables” at the bottom of the

2. Click the desired menu option.

light to the desired menu option and

press ; keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

screen to open the Tables menu.

press the nu mber on t he

Tables with one, two, three, and four columns

Other options in the Tables menu are described below.

Show Time Sel ect Show Tim e to add a colum n of ti m e data in th e le f t- most position.

If there are four columns displayed when you select Show Time, the fourth column will be removed and the other three columns will shift to the right to make ro o m fo r th e ti m e column on th e le f t.

Date/Time To turn on this opti on, select it from the Tables menu. With the option turned on, times displayed in t he Table appear as the date and ti me of day at which each data point was recorded. Wit h the Date/Time option turned off, time da ta appears as m e as u r ed f rom the star t of data coll ec tion.

The Date/Time format is set in the Settings screen. See page 85.

Lock Run Se l ec tio n When Lock Run Selection is on (which it is by default), all data columns will display the same run number, and changing the run number

To show time in a column other than the first one, select it from the data source menu at the top of the desired column. See “Data Source” on page 28 for more information.

Table with Date/Time option

32 Table

of one colum n will cause al l of them to change.26 To turn Lock R un S election off or on, select it from the Tables menu.

Export All Data If you have a USB storage device

(such as a USB flash drive), you can use this option to export data in tab-delimited text format. The GLX creates a text file on the storage device that you can open on a computer in a spreadsheet, mapping software, DataStudio, and other programs.

See page 83 for other ways to save and open data on a USB storage device.

Connect the storage device to the GLX’s USB port and select Expor t All Data from the Tables menu. A dialog box appears showing which data sets will be exported. Highlight any of these data sets and press to exclude it. To select other data source s for exporting press to add a single data source or press

to add all data sources that have been set to “vis ible” in the Sensors screen.

Press (OK) to create the export file on the USB sto rage device .

Before exporting data for use with mapping software, display time in the first column and turn on the Date/ Time option (see page 31).

To view the exported data, disconnect the storage device from the GLX and connect it to a computer. You will find the text file at the root level of the storage device. Its filen ame enc odes t he dat e and time at whic h t he dat a was exp orted; for instance, i f you exported data on October 28, 2005 a t 11:22:53 AM, the filenam e will be “Export10282005112253.txt”. You can open this file in a text edit or, spreadsheet, or other program designed to import tab-delimited data.

Print If there is a printer connected to the GLX, select Print to print one page of data. The GLX will print the data that are visible on the screen, plus as much additional data as will fit on one page.

Print All Select Print All to print the entire contents of the displayed data sets, including data that are not currently vis ible on the screen (data that you would have to scroll up or down to see). If necessary, the GLX will print multiple pages.

See “Run Number” on page 29 for instructions on changing the run number displa ye d in a column.

The USB storage device must be formatted using the FAT16 or FAT32 file system. Most flash dr ives are for matted this way. Other mass-storage devices such as portable hard drives and audio players may also be comp atibl e. Y o u can use a USB card reader, however the card must be in the reader before you connect the reader to the GLX.

If you export data while data collection is in progress, the text file will contain the data collected up to that point, and the GLX will continue to collect data.

T o import the file into DataStudio, open the File menu and select Import Data.

For more information on printing, see “Printing” on page 91.

Manuall y En ter ed Da ta

In addition to col lec ting data from sensors, the GLX allows you to enter data in the Table display via the keypad or an attached keyboard. Any da ta that you ha ve entere d can la ter be edited.

Entering a New Data Set

Creating a New Data Column Before you can enter data, an edit able data

column must exist. To create one, press to open the Edit menu and select New Data Column.

The keyp ad sh ort cut for c reat i ng a new da ta c ol um n i s , , pre sse d i n sequence.

The new editable column takes t h e place of the first blank colum n in the Table. I f there is no bl a nk co l umn, and the r e ar e th r e e or fe wer other col u m n s, the new editable column is added on the right side of the table. If the Table is already displaying four columns, the new editable column replaces the fourth column.

1pqrs

Create an editable data column

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 33

Entering Numeric Data In a New Column In the new editable column, you

will see a box around the first cell and a blinking cursor inside the cell.

1. Type a number on the keypad (or attached keyboard) , then press .

Box with blinking cursor

When editing data in the Table, has the same effect as .

2. The box and cursor will step to the next cell in the column. Enter another value and repeat.

3. When you are finished, press . (You must press to lock in the last value before you press .)

If you would like to change or add to the data after you have pressed , refer to “Editing an Existing Data Set” on page 34.

Esc

Entering T ext Data in a New Column In addition to numeric data, the Table allows y o u to cr ea t e a co lu m n of te x t.

1. Create a new data column as described on page 32.

2. Pres s to open the Edit m enu. I f Num Lock is turn ed on, sel ect it to t urn

it off and enable multipress text input mode. (If you are using an attached keyboard, this step is unnecessary.)

For mor e inf or mat io n, see “ Num Loc k” on p age30 and “Multipr es s Text Input Mode” on page 90.

3. Type a non-numeric string of text and press .

ghi

Press or click here to turn off Num Lock

The non-numeric text string can contain numerals , but it must have at least one letter or punctuation mark, so the GLX knows that it is supposed to be text. This limitation applies to only one cell in the column. After non-numeric text has be en ent e red i n o ne cell , t h e GL X wi ll t r eat e ver y thin g i n t h at col u mn as text, even if it looks like a number.

4. A dialog box will appear, readi ng: “Treat this column as text data?” Press

to select OK.

The column is now configured to contain text data. If you enter a numeric value it will be tre ated as te xt only. Y ou can recogniz e a text- only da ta set by its left-j ust ification (contents appe ar on the left side of the column) as opposed to numeric data, which is always righ t-justified.

5. Conti nue entering text in subsequent cells. Press after you type in each cell to loc k in that text string and step to the next cell. You can press on a blank cell to leave it empty.

6. When you are f inish ed ente ring dat a, pre ss . (You must press to lock in the las t val u e before you press .)

If you would like to change or add to the text data af ter you have pressed

Esc

, refer to “Editing an Existing Data Set” on page34.

Esc

Text data left-justified

Numeric data

right-justified

34 Table

Naming Manually Entered Data and Adding Units

By default, new editable data sets are named “Data 1,” “Data 2,” etc., and they do not have defined units. To change the name and add units, open the data source menu and sele ct Data Properties.

For more information, see “Data Source” on page 28, and “Data Properties” on page 69.

Editing an Existing Data Set

The above section, “Entering a New Data Set” starting on page 32, describes how to crea t e an d en ter dat a in a new co lu mn . Thi s sec t ion de scr ibe s ho w to change and add to a manually entered data set that has previously been created.

Whenever you have one or mor e edi table columns displa yed in the Table, one of the editabl e ce lls is surrounded by a box. The box is eit her an Editing Box (solid lines) or a Navigating Box (dashed lines).

To open the data source menu and

select Data Properties

Keypad

1. If the blinking cursor is visible,

2. Press to light up the active fields.

3. Use the arrow keys to move the high-

4. Press to open the menu.

5. Us e th e ar ro w key s to hi gh lig ht Data

Mouse

1. Click the data source field to open the

2. Click Data Properties.

Esc

press .

light to the data source field.

Properties and press ; the number on the keyp ad correspondi ng to Data Properties.

menu.

press

Editing Box The Editing Box

is drawn with solid li nes, and alway s contains a blinking cursor. It may be on a cell that already contains data, or it may be on an empty cell.

To move the Editing Box to a different cell, refer to “Navigating Box” below.

If the Editing Box is on an empty cell, anything that you type on the keypad (or attached keyboa rd) will appear in that cell.

When the Editing Box is on a cell that already contains dat a, what you type will either replace or amend the contents of the cell , depending on whether the contents are highlighted.

• If the cell contents are highlighted, they will be replace d by any num ber or

text that you type. If you press , the entire contents of the cell will be

deleted.

• If the cell contents are not highlighted, they will be amended at the location

of the blinking cur sor. If you press , the character to the le ft of the cursor

will be delete d.

By default, when the Editing Box appears on a ce ll, the conte nts (if any) a re highlighted. To remove the highlight, press the le ft or right arrow key, then use the left or right arrow key to move the blinking cursor to the position where you would like to make an edi t.

If you do not see the Editing Box,

press .

Editing Box on an

empty cell

The existing

contents will

be replaced

The existing

contents will

be amended

After you have changed the cell contents, you must press to lock in the change. If you want to ca nce l the change, or leave the cell without entering data,

Esc

press instead of .

If the contents of a cell are not highlighted, you can restore the highlight by pressing .

Navigating Box The Navigating Box

is drawn with dashed lines. Use the up and down arrow keys to move it within an editabl e colum n. Use the left and right arrow keys to move it to oth er ed itable columns.

If an ed i t able c ol umn e xi sts , bu t yo u do

not see the Navigating Box, press .

Esc

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 35

Use the arrow keys to move the Navigating Box

Position the Navigating Box on a cell whe r e you would like to enter or edit data, then press to make the Editing Box app ear. To restore the Navigating Box, press .

Esc

If you would like to add data to the bottom of a data set, posi tion the Navigating Box on the first empty c ell below the existing data and press .

Table Scrolling with Manually Entered Data

At any time, up to eight cells of data are visible in a manually entered data column. As with regul ar Table scrolling (see pag e 29), use the up or down arrow key to scroll the Table up or down and make other rows of data visible.

To scroll the Table when manually entered data column is displayed, the dashe d Navigating Box must be visi ble. (or press and hold it) to move the Navigating Box to the first visible cell, then continue to press (or hold) the key. To scro ll down, press the down arrow key repeatedly (or press and hold it) to move the Navigating Box to the last visible cell, then continue to press (or hold) the key.

To s croll up, press th e up arrow ke y repeate dly

Press to edit

this cell

If the Navigating Box is not visible,

Esc

press .

Press to add

to this data set

Press to scroll up

Press to scroll down

All column s scroll together. The Table will not scroll past the bottom of th e column containing the Navigating Box. In the tabl e pic ture below, the Navigating Box is at the end of the shorter data column. To scroll the Table down, press the left arrow key to place the Navigating Box on the longer manually entered column.

36 Table

Graphing Manually Entered Data

Numeric Data After you have cr eated an editable numeric data set in the Table,

you can display it in the Graph. In the Gr aph, select the e ditable data from the horizontal or ve rtical data source menu (see page 15).

Text Data A text data set can be displayed on the horizontal axis of the Graph. First select a numeric data as the vertical data source, then select the text data as the horizonta l data source (see page 15). The text from each cell of the Ta ble appears on the Graph as a label next to the corresponding data point.

Graph displa yi ng ma nua ll y ente red

text data on the horizontal axis

Digits Display

Use the Digits display to show data from up to eight data sourc es . This display monitors and shows live data even when the GLX is not recording.

Data Source Units

Digits display

To Open the Digits Display

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 37

use the arrow keys to highlight the Digits icon, the n pres s ; or

click the Digits icon.

Choosing Data to Display

Data Source Select the data source field35 at the top of each section to select a

data source. A dat a source would usually be a sensor measur em ent or a calculation based on a sensor mea surement.

Sensor measurements or calculations based on sensor measurements can vary while data collection is in progress. If you select a static data source (such as manually entered data), the Digits display will show only the last data point.

For mor e information on selecting data from a data source menu, see “Data Source Menus” on page 89.

Also select th e dat a s ource field to access the Data Prope rties of the displayed data. See “Data Prope rties” on page 69 for more information.

Units Select the units field for the selected data source (if available).

at the top of each displa y t o select different un its

The Digits icon on

the Home Screen

To select a data source field

Keypad

1. Press to light up the active fields.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the data source or units field.

3. Press again to open the menu.

4. Us e th e ar ro w key s to hi gh lig ht the desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corres ponding to the des ir e d me nu option.

Mouse

1. Click the data source or units field to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

Digits Function Keys

Press , , , or to divide the dis play into two, four, six, or

eight se gments. T he GLX a uto mati cally s elec ts da ta s ourc es, if avai la ble, for new segments.

38 Meter

Meter

The Meter display simulates an analog mete r with a ne edle that deflects in proportion to a sensor measurement or sensor-based calculation. This display monitors and shows live data even when the GLX is not recording.

Data Source Units

Meter dis play

To Open the Meter Display

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

use the arrow keys to highlight the Meter icon, then press ; or

click the Meter icon.

Choosing Data to Display

Data Source Select the data source field36 at the top of the Mete r dis p lay to

select a data source. A data source would usually be a sensor measurement or a calculation based on a sensor measurement.

For more informa tion on selecting da ta from the a data sou rce menu, see “Data Source Menus” on page89.

Units Select the units field36 at the top of the display to s elect different units for the selected data source (if av ailable).

Auto Scale and Reset

The Meter ic on on

the Home Screen

To select a data source or units field

Keypad

1. Press to light up the active fields.

2. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the desired field.

3. Press again to open the menu.

4. Us e th e ar ro w key s to hi gh lig ht the desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corres ponding to the des ir e d me nu option.

Mouse

1. Click the desired field to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

Press to automatically scale the Meter . If the GLX is recording data, the

lower and upper limits of the meter will be reset to equal the lowest and highest values measured thus far in the current or most recent data run. Press to restor e th e d ef au l t sc ale.

Print

Press to print the Meter. See page 91 for more information.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 39

Chapter 2: Utility Screens

This chapter describes the Output screen, Calculator, Notes screen, and Stopwatch.

Output

The Output screen is the control panel for generating so und through the GLX’s built-in speaker or t hrough headphon es or ampli fied s tereo speakers connec ted to the signal output port.

To Open the Output Screen

From the Home Screen do one of the following:

use the arrow keys to highlight the Output icon, then press ; or

click the Output ic on.

Navigating in the Output Screen

Output

Settings

Left

Output

Channel

The Output screen is divided into three parts: Output Settings , Left Output Channel, and Right Out put Channel. There are three con trols within each part, for a total of nine cont rols. One of the controls is always highlighted. Use the arrow keys to move the highlight. Press to select the highlighted control. If a menu opens, use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the desired setting and press

. If a cursor appears, ty pe the desired value and press . The Volume, Fre-

quency, and Phase controls can also be set using and .

If you are using a mouse, clic k the co ntrol that y ou woul d like t o set ; then

click the desired menu option, or type the desire d value.

Right Output Channel

The Output icon on the

Home Screen

Output Fu nct ion Keys

F1 and F3 On/Off

Press to turn the left channel on or off, press to turn the right chan nel

on or off.

F2 and F4

When the Frequency control for the left or right channel is highlighted, press

select one of the step sizes or select Custom Step to enter any value. The step size determines the amount by which the frequency changes when you press ,

or to set the st ep size for tha t ch an n el. From th e m e n u th at opens ,

, , or (see “Frequency” below).

Output function keys

F3F2

40 Output

Output Settings

Output Device

Highlight the Output control and press to select the output device that you are using.

Headphones Select this opt ion t o pl ay soun d through he adp hones connec ted to the signal output port on the left side of the GLX.

Internal Speaker If there is nothing connected to the signal output port, select Internal Speaker to play sound through the GLX’s built-in speaker.

External Speaker Select this option to play sound through a pair of amplified stereo sp eakers con ne ct ed to th e s i gnal output po r t .

Power Amplifier Selecting this option puts the Output scr een into a special mode for the optional GLX Power Amplifier.

Volume

The Volume setting determ ines the overall loudness of the output sound. Highlight the Volume control and press or to change it inc rementally; or press to select the desi red volume from a menu.

The output settings in the Output screen can also be c hanged in the Audio Settings dialog box, accessed from the Settings screen (see page 87). When you change the settings in one location, they are automatically updated in the other location.

Signal output port for headphones or a pair of stereo speakers

Speaker Config

When Output Device is set to Headphones or External Speak er, the two options for Speaker Config are Stereo and Mono. When Output device is set to Internal Speaker, Mono is the only option. In Mono configuration, the si gnals from both channels are combined within the GLX; both external speakers or both sides of the headphones play the same combined signal. In S tereo configuration, the Left Output Channel pl ays through the left speake r or the left side of the headphones, and the Right Output Channel plays through the right spe ake r or the right side of the headphones.

Left and Right Output Channels

Wave

Highlight the le ft or right Wave control and press to set the wave form of each output cha nnel. The options are Sine , S quare, Ramp, and Triangle.

Frequency

Highlight the left or right Frequency control and press or to change the frequency up or down by the value specified above or ; press or

to multiply or divide the frequency by that value. To enter the frequency directly, press . The frequency can be set between 240 and 5000 Hz for the internal spea ker, or between 60 and 5000 Hz for external speakers and headphones.

Phase

If you are using stereo headphones to demon st rate beats or de structive inte r ference, set Speaker Config to Mono so that each ear ca n he ar bo th t on es .

Sine

Square

Ramp

Triangle

Highlight the left or right Phase control and use or to adjust

the phase up or down, or press and enter the des ired phase. The phase of each channel can be set between - 360° and 360°.

Output wave forms

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 41

Calculator

You can use the GLX Calculator like a regular calculator for finding the result of a simple expression, like a graphing ca lculator for plotting equations, and for performing operati ons, i n real time , on stre ams of d ata c ollec ted from senso rs and on sets of manually entered data.

To Open the Calculator

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

press , the function key below the Calculator icon;

use the arrow keys to highlight the Calculator icon, then press ; or

click the Calculator icon.

From anywhere in the GLX environment, you can always get to the Calculator with the shortcut + .

Types of Calculations

The Calculator supports four types of calculations: basic, algebraic, graphing, and sensor-based. The following examples will demonstrate the four types.

Basic Calculations

Basic calcul ations involve only numer als (no constants or variab les ). Open the Calculator and try this:

• On the first blank line, type:

1 + 1

The Calculator icon on

the Ho me Screen

Result is added to the entered expression

Cursor moves to next line

The Calculator responds by adding an equal sign and the result. It also displays the result at the bottom of the screen. Notice that the cursor has moved to the next line.

• On the next line type:

9 * (8 + 3)

To type the multiplication symbol (the asteris k), press .

For the parenthese s, press once to open the first Functions menu

the arrows to highlight the pair of parentheses, then press .

Note that has the same effect as .

; use

Result also indicated here

For more information on the Functions

menu s, se e pag e 48.

Pair of parentheses

First Functions menu

42 Calculator

• Press the up arrow key to put the cursor back on the above expression and

modify it to read:

9 * (9 + 3)

When you type something into the middle of an existing expression, the new characters are inserted without overwriting anything; press to delete the

characters that you don’t want.

Note that the corr ect result does not appear until you have moved the cursor to a different line by pressing or , or the up or down arrow key.

Algebraic Calculations

Algebraic calculations involve symbols (letters or words ) standing for constan ts . When you enter an algebraic expression, the GLX fills in the result if it knows the value of every symbol us ed in the expres sion. If it does not know the value of a symbol, it will prompt you to enter it.

If you are entering an equation to be graphed, leave one symbol undefined. See “Graphing Equations” on page 44 for more information.

Try these examples:

• Type:

a + 3

For the a symbol, press twice to open the second Functions menu. Use the arrow keys to highlight

, then pr ess .

This expression has just been

modified, but the user has not yet

pressed or so it appears to

show an incorrect result.

press twice

Second Functions menu

For mor e information on the Functions menus, see page 48.

The Calculator does not know the value of a, so it prompts you with:

a =

Type:

The Calculator fills in the result of the or iginal expression.

• Try entering a new value for a on the next line:

a = 6

Note that th e or iginal expres sion still reads

a + 3 = 8

The Calculator fills in the result of a+3

when the value of

For the a symbol, press twice and sele ct it fro m t he sec o nd Fu nc ti ons menu.

is entered.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 43

When there is more than one definition for the same symbol, the calculator uses the first definition. To avoid confusion, do not define a symbol more than once. I f you want to c hange the val ue of a symb ol, us e the arrow key s to go back to the original definition and change it.

Do not do this

• When you are prompted for the value of a symbol, you can enter another expression rather than a simple number. Type:

b + 3

When pro mpted for th e val u e of b, enter:

1 + 1

The Calculator displ ays the value of b at the bottom of the screen and f ills in the resu lt of b + 3 on the line above.

• Rather than a simple expression, you can enter a complete equation for the Calculator to evaluate . Enter:

z = y * 2

When pro mpted for th e val u e of y, enter:

The Cal cul at or ind ica te s the val ue of y at the b ot tom of the scre en. To see the value of z at the bottom of the screen, use the up arrow key to put the cursor on the definition of z.

For the b symbol, press twice and sele ct it from t he second Functions menu.

Calculator fills in result

Value of b

For the z or y symbol, press twice and select it from the second Functi ons menu.

Cursor

Value of y

Cursor

Value of z

Reposition the cursor to see the value of z

44 Calculator

• A symbol does not have to be a single letter. The Calculator will recognize any text string (without spaces) as a symbol, including text strings that contain numerals. (To type text on the keypad, see “Num Lock” on page 50.)

Examples of text strings used as

symbols in algeb raic calcu lations

Graphing Equations

If you enter an equation that contains one undefined variable to the right of the equal sign, the GLX can gra ph it.

• Type:

y = m * x + b

• When prompted, assign numeric values for m and b, but not forx.

• Press the up arrow key to place the cursor on

y = m * x + b

and press .

The equation is plotted in a preview graph in the lower half of the scree n.

The preview graph will a lways show the equation that the cursor is on. (Move the cursor down to m and see what happens.)

Cursor

For the

y, m, x,

twice an d select it from the sec-

ond Functions menu.

Enter values for m and b, but not

or b symbol, press

x is undefined

The preview graph shows the equation

that the cursor is on

Press again to turn off the preview grap h.

• The preview graph is a simplif ied version of the Graph s creen, witho ut al l of the scaling and analysis features.

+ , then select th e calculation ( ) from the data source menu of

For the normal full-screen Graph, press

the vertical axis.

If y ou are using a mouse, you can scale the preview graph by direct manipulation (see page 17).

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 45

See “Data Source” on page 15 for more information about selecting data in the Gr aph.

In the Graph, select the calculation from the data source menu

• You don’t have to use x as the undefined variable; whichever sy mbo l you leave undefined on the right side of the equation will be plotted on the horizontal axis. However, the labe l on the horizontal axis will always read “x,” even if the variable used in the calculation is not x.

Do not leave more t han one symbol on the right side of the equatio n undefined. If you do, the graph will use both of them as model ranges with confusing results.

• The text on the left side of the equation does not have to be y. The text to the left of th e equal sig n is th e na m e of th a t calcula ti o n, and wil l app e ar as th e vertical axis label on the Graph. It can consi st of any combination of letters, numerals, and spaces.

If you are defining more tha n one equation to be graphed, use dif f erent text on the left s ide of each equation so that you ca n distinguish between them in the data source menu of th e Graph.

When defining multiple equations to be graphed, give each a unique name

Each equation can be identified in the data source menu of the Graph by its unique name

Sensor-based Calculations

You can create a calculation to automatically transform any data collected by a sensor.

• Connect a temperature probe to one of the ports on the left side of the GLX. Press to collect data for a few seconds. Press again to stop.

46 Calculator

• Open the calculator . On the first blank line, ente r:

d = [Temperature (°C)] - 20

Instead of typing “[Temperature (°C)]”, select it from the [Data] menu.

Open the [Data] menu; select Temperature and °C

• Press the up arrow key to place the cursor on the calculation. Press to

view the calculation on the preview graph. Note how the calculated data di ffers from th e or iginal tempera tur e data.

• Press + to open the full-screen Graph. Press twice to open the

vertical data source menu and choose the calculat ion (see right).

See “Data Source” on page 15 for more information about selecting data in the Gr aph.

For the d symbol, pr es s twice and select it from the second Functions menu.

T o select Temperature from the

[Dat a] menu

Keypad

1. Press to open the [Data] menu.

2. Use the up or down arrow key to high-

3. The units menu will open. Use the up

Mouse

1. Click [Dat a] to open the menu.

2. Click Temperature .

3. The units menu will open. Click °C.

light Temperature and press ; press the number on the keypad corresponding to Temperature.

or down arrow key to highlight °C and

press ; keypad corresponding to°C.

press the number on the

Calculation

• Press to begin collect ing data again. Note that the calc ulation is performed in real time on the new data.

• Calculations have no units by default. To assign units to a calculation, select Data Properties from the data source menu in the Graph (see “Data Properties ” on page 69).

• In addition to sensor-collected data, calculations can operate on other data sources, such as manually entered data sets, other calculations, and time. To insert any data source into a calculation, press and select it from the

[Data] m enu .

Uses of Sensor-based Calculations

Shift Data Vertically In the example above, the sensor-bas ed

tracts 20 °C from the measured temperature. This calculation experiment where the difference between the measured temperature and room temperature is of interest (a study of Newton’s law of cooling, for insta nce ). The calculation in the example shifts the temperature graph down by 20 °C.

Time-shift Data When a data plot appears on the Graph with Time on the horizontal axis, the plot can be shifted right or left with a time-based calculation.

For example, the graph shown at the right is from an experiment in which a temperature probe was dipped into warm water, then removed, wiped dry, and allowed to cool. The r elevant data start after the probe was dried, about 14 seconds from the start of data collection. To make the analysis simpler, the graph needs to be shifted l eft so that the relevant data start at time zero. To do so, cr ea te the calculation below. (To insert [T ime (s)], press and select it from the

[Data] m enu .)

calculation sub-

might be used in an

In the Graph, choose the calculation

from the data source menu

This data plot needs to be time-

shifted

[Time (s)] - 14

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 47

Plot the calculation on the horizontal axis in place of Time to create the graph shown below. (See page 28 for instructions on selecting dat a for the horizontal axis.)

Convert Units of Measure Most of the sensors used with the GLX are programmed w i th SI units (or th e I nternational Sy stem of Units) and, in some cas es, other common units. If you wish to make a measurement using units that are not programmed into the sensor, create a calculation to convert the measured data.

For example, if you are us ing a Motion Sensor, which measures position in meters, and you want to convert the measurement to centimeters, create the ca lculation bel ow. (To ente r text, see “Num Lock” on page 50.)

position in cm = [Position(m)]*100

Calculate an Experimental Value In some experiments, it is possible to calculate an experimental value based on a sensor measurement. For example, in an experiment where a Motion Sensor measures the acceleration of an object, you can use the Calculator to calculate the net force:

force = mass * [Acceleration (m/s/s)]

The Calculator will prompt you for the value of mass.

Compare Measurements from Two Sensors When collecting data with two sensors, a calculation can be used to compare the separate measurements. For example, if you a re using two temper ature probes, na med “Temperature” and “Temperature2,” and you want to know the temperature difference between them, create the calculation:

[Temperature (°C)] - [Temp eratur e2 (°C)]

This data plot has been time-shifted

For certain measurements (temperature, for instance), it is not necessary to calculate a units conversion because the sensor is programmed with other common units of meas ure (°C, °F, and K), which can be selec ted from the units field of any display. See pages15 and 29.

by -14 s

Graph Line ari zation In some cases, such as the examples below, you may

want to linearize data so th at you can use the Linear Fit tool in the Graph display (see “Linear Fi t” on p age 19). To do s o, us e the Calc ula tor to calcu late the square, square root, natural log, etc., of the measured data. (See “F1 Functions” on page 48 for more information on these and other functions.)

• The graph to the right shows period (T) versus length (L) data from a simple

pendulum. The graph can be linearized by plotting T the graph (shown below on the left) is 4π

/g, where g is the free-fal l acceleration. Alternatively, the g r aph can b e linearized by plot ting T versus . On the graph (shown below right ), the slope is .

vs. L for a simple pendulum

2π g⁄

vs. √⎯L for a simple pendul um

versus L. The slope of

Period vs. Length for a

simple pendulum

48 Calculator

• The position versus time graph of an object in fre e fall (below right ) exhi bits a typical quadr atic relationship . The object was dropped from a height of

0.79 m, wit h the release occurring 2.2 s after the start of data c ollection. The graph can be lineari zed (as shown belo w right) by repla cing T im e on the horizontal axis with the calculation (

a 2⁄

line is , where a is the acceleration of the object.

free fall

[Time (s)]

-2.2)^2. The slope of the best-fit

Linearized free-fall dataPosition vs. Time of an object in

• Voltage versus time graph for a dis charging capacitor is shown below on the left. The gra ph the natural log of volt age ve rsus ti me is a l inear ( below ri ght). The slope of the line is , where C is the capacitanc e and R is the

1 RC⁄–

resistance through which the capacitor discharges.

Voltage versus Time data for a

capacitor

Linearized data for a discharging

capacitor

Calculator Function Keys

F1 Functions

Press (or click Functions) repeatedly to access the three Fu nctions menus. These menus contain the following items.

• Functions: sin, cos, tan, arcsi n, arccos, arctan, ^2, log, ln, sqrt , 10 ^ , e^

• Operators: ^ (the exponent operator)

• Co nsta nts: π

• Commonly used symbols: x, y, z, m, a, b, c, d, α, ω λ, θ

• Sample expressions: y = 2x +3, y = x^2, y = si n (x), y = e^x sin(x)

• Parentheses: a pair of parentheses and a single right parenthesis

• Special Functions: limit, mod, abs, random

• Output-control Functions: outstate, outswitch, outfreq, outvolume

• Logic Operators and Functions: <, >, inrange, and, or, not

The first and second Functions

menus

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 49

Special functions, output-control functions, and logic operato rs and functions are typically us ed to control the GLX’s digital and audio output. See “Outputcontrol Calculations” on page 50 for detailed explanations of these functions and opera t o rs.

Inserting a Function When you select an item from one of the Functi ons menus, it is inserte d at the curso r location.

If the it em inclu de s a pa ir of p ar en -

theses, the curs or will be positioned betwe en them.

Degrees/Radians A calculation containing a tr igon ometri c functi on can be set to operate in degrees or radians. This setting is applied to each calculation separately. The lower right corner of the Calculator indicates whether the calculation that th e cur sor is on is set for deg r ees or radian s .

To switch the setting, press to open the Edit menu and select (or desele ct)

Radians. After you ha ve sw itched the setting for a calc ulation, you must press

or to make the GLX reevaluate the calculation.

Degree/Radian Indicator

T o select an item fro m the Func-

tions menus

Keypad

1. Press once to open the first

2. Use the arrow keys to high light the

Mouse

1. Click Functions once to open the first

2. Click the desired item.

menu, or twice to op en the seco n d menu.

desired item and press .

menu, or twice to op en the seco n d menu.

Predefined Constants The sym bol π is a predefine d constant. The C alculator will recogniz e its value as 3. 141592 when it is us ed as part of a n express ion or on the right side of an equa tion.

The symbol e is a predefined constant equal to 2.718282. Th e capital letter E can be used inte rchange ably wi th e. Typically e is used with the expone nt ope rator (^ ) to form e^, the exponential function.

F2 [Data]

Press (or click [Data]) to select a data source to insert into an equation. See “Sensor-based Calculations ” on page 45 for more information.

The [Data] menu contains sensor measurements, manually entered data, calculations, and time.

F3 Graph

Press or (click Graph) to plot the equation that the cursor is on in the preview graph on the lower ha lf of t he screen. See “Graphin g Equations ” on pa ge 44 for more information.

When usin g the co ns t an t e, be careful not to enter it in a way that the GLX will mistak e for sc ie ntific notat i on . Se e page 91 for more information.

50 Calculator

F4 Edit Menu

Press (or click Edit) to ope n the Edit menu, which contains the options

described below.

Num Lock When Num Lock is on (which it is by defaul t), an icon ( ) appears in the l o w er right cor n er of the screen.

Num Lock Icon

To turn Num Lock on or off, select Num Lock from the Edit men u.

With Num Lock on, you can type only numerals (not letters or punctuation marks) with the k eypad. Mult iple pre sses of a ke y will not cycle thr ough mult ipl e characters. (Tha t way you can type “100,” for instance, without having to wait between zeros.) The single exception is the letter E, which you can always type by pressing deci mal point key ( ) twice.

With Num Lock off, the keypad operates in multipress text input m ode (see page 90), allowing you to e nter letters and punctuation marks.

It is often unnecessary to turn off Num Loc k because commonly used letters and other symbols can be selected from the Functions menus, and the names of data sources can be selected from the [Data] menu.

Edit menu

T o select an option from the Edit

Keypad

1. Press to open the Edit menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to highlight the

Mouse

1. Click Edit to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad

corresponding to the desired menu option.

Radians Select or deselect this option to switch the highlighted calculation to radians or degrees. See “Degrees/Radians” on page 49.

Clear Expression This optio n remove s the expre ssion th at the cursor i s on and leaves a blank line.

Delete Expression This option removes the expression that the cursor is on and shifts up everything below it to fill in the blank line.

Insert Expression This option shifts the ex pres sion that the cursor is on (and everything bel ow it) down by one line to create a bl ank line at the cursor loc ation .

Data Properties Select this optio n to open the Data Properties dialog box for the highlighted calculation. See pag e 69 for more information.

Print If there is a printer connected to the GLX, select Print to print the Calculator screen.

Output- co ntr ol Cal cul ati o ns

The functions and oper ators des cribed below ca n be selected from the third Fun ctions menu. the GLX’s audio outputs, and the out puts of connected Digital Adapters.

With the m, yo u can writ e ex pr ess io ns in the Cal cu lat or th at con trol

For more information on printing, see

“Printing” on page 91.

See “F1 Functions” on pag e48.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 51

Special Functions

These special functions do not directly control output, but can be useful in combination with the output-control functions.

limit(min , max, x)

The limit function is used keep a varying value within a

specified r ange. The function has three arguments: min, max, and x.

• If x < min, then limit(min, max, x) = min.

• If x > max, then limit(min, max, x) = max .

• If min ≤ x ≤max, then limit(min, max, x) = x.

mod(numerator, denominator)

The mod function is equal to the remainder when numerator is divided by denominator. Th e argu ments numerator and denominator can be any number (not just whole numbers). If denominator =0, then mod(numerator, denominator)=0.

abs(x)

random()

The abs function is equal to the absolute valu e of its argument.

The random functio n equals a rando mly genera ted number be tween 0 and 1. Each time the func tion is evaluated, a new random val ue is generated. Note that the random function appears wit h a pair of parentheses after it , but it cannot have anything between the parentheses .

Output-control Functions

The output-c ontrol functions s et the output of the GLX’ s audio channels and connected Digit al Ada pters. The output-cont rol functions work only when data collection is in process. Each function must be used as part of a sensor-based calculation (the calculation must include data from a sensor or time). Any property of the audio output that is not specified in the Calc ulator will be det er m ined by the setting in the Output screen (see page 39). In the Functions menu, the names of these functions are abbreviated to outstate, outswitch, outfreq, and out- volume.

outputstate(GLXPort, AdapterChannel, state)

tion to switch on or off a Digital Relay connected through a Digital Adapter.

Use the outputstate func-

The first argument of the function, GLXPort, can equal 1, 2, 3, or 4; it identifies the port that the Digital Adapter is connected to. The second argument, AdapterChannel, can equal 1 or 2 and identifies which channel of the ad apter the Digital Relay is connected to. The thi r d argument, state, can equal any number and determines whet her the relay is OFF or ON.

• If state = 0, then the relay is OF F.

• If state ≠ 0, then the relay is ON.

outputswitch(Channel, state)

the left or right audio output channel .

Use the outputswitch function to turn on or off

The first argument, Channel, can equal 1

(for left) or 2 (for right) and identifies which audio channel is to be controlled. The second argument, state, can equal any number and determines whether the audio output is OFF or ON.

• If state = 0, then the aud io output is OFF.

• If state ≠ 0, then the digital output is ON.

The Digital Relay is PASCO part CI-6462. The Digital Adapter is PASCO part PS-2159.

See “Relay Control” on page 67 for instructions on connecting and configuring the adapter.

Whether the output is played through the ou tput port (to a pai r of headphones or amplified speakers) or through the GLX’ s built-in speaker depends on the Output se tt i ng in th e Out put scr een (s ee page 40).

52 Calculator

outputfreq(Channel, frequen cy)

quency of the audio o utpu t sign al.

Use the outputfreq function to set the fre-

The first argument, Channel, can e qual 1 ( for left) or 2 (for right) and identifies which channel is to be controlled. The second argument, frequency, sets the frequency, in Hz, of the output signal. The fre- quency can be set between 250 and 5000 Hz for the built-in speaker, or between 60 and 5000 Hz for headphones or external speakers.

outputvolume(volume)

nals.

The argument of the function can be set between 0 (for no output) and 10

Use this function to se t the loudness of the output sig-

(for the loudest possible output). The function controls both audio channels together.

Logic Operators and Functions

A logic function ha s two poss ible values: 0 and 1. A logic operator (< or >) is used to build an expression that can have a value of 0 or 1.

Less Than and Greater Than If an expression such as a < b is true, then it equals 1. If the expression is false, then it equals 0.

inrange(min , ma x, x)

and max, define the upper and lower limit of a range, and the third, x, is an input value to be compared with that range. If min ≤ x ≤max, then th e f u nction equ als

1. If x < min, or x > max, then the function equals 0.

This function has three arguments: the first two, min

and(a, b)

This function equals 0 if either of the arguments equals 0; other wise

the function equ als 1.

or(a, b)

This function equal s 0 if bot h of the a r guments equal 0; otherwise the

function equals 1.

not(x)

This function equals 1 if the argument equals 0; otherwise the function

equals 1.

Audio Temperature Indicator

In this example, the GLX is programed to emit a sound when the temperature exceeds 30 °C. The frequency of th e sound increases as t h e temperatur e increases.

Connect a tempera ture sensor to the GLX. In the Calculator, enter these two expressions:

outputswitch(1,[ Tem perat ure (°C)]>30)

outputfreq(1 ,[Tem per ature (

C)]*10)

Audio Temperature Indicator Example

Select the outputswitch and outputfreq functions from the Functions menu. Select the [T emperature (°C)] meas u r ement from the [Data] menu.

Press to start data collection. Pla ce the temperature sensor in warm water. Then allow it to cool again. When t he temperature reaches 30 °C, the GLX emits a tone at 300 Hz. As the temperature rises, the frequency of the tone rises.

Notes Screen

Use the Notes screen to record experiment instructi ons, information about the sensors and displays that you have set up, notes on recorded data, or any other text in formati on .

To Open the Notes screen

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

use the arrow keys to highlight the Notes icon, then press ; or

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 53

click the Note s icon.

Entering, Reading, and Printing Text Notes

Enter text via the GLX keypad or a connected USB keyboard.

See “Multipress Text Input Mode” on page 90 or “Using a USB Keyboard” on page 90.

To input a single capit al letter, f irs t press to turn on Shift. To input all capital letters, turn on Caps Lock by pressing . To disable multipress text input mode (for typing just numbers), turn on Num Lock by pressing .

The GLX can store multi ple note s page s. To start a new page, press to open the Notes menu and select New Page .

If more than one page exists, you can also press to select a previo usly created page for vie wing and editing, or to delete the currently display ed page. The page number of the visible page and the total number of pages are indicated in the lower right corner of the screen.

F3F2

The Notes icon on the

Home Screen

To select an option from the Notes

Keypad

1. Press to open the Notes menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to hi ghlight the

Mouse

1. Click the page number in the lower

2. Click the desired menu option.

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

right corner to open the Notes menu.

To print the currently displayed page on a connected printer, press and

select Print. To print all notes pages, select Print All.

For more information, see “Printing” on page 91.

Click here

Press

The Note s menu

54 Stopwatch

Sto pwat ch

With the Stopwatch screen, you can use the GLX like a conventional stopwatch.

To Open the Stopwatch

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

use the arrow keys to highlight the Stopwatch icon, then press ; or

click the Stopwatch icon.

Timing with the Stopwatch

The numbers displa yed on the stopwatch indicate elapsed time in minutes and seconds.

minutes seconds

Press to start timing. Press again to stop timing.

F1 F1

When timing is stopped, press to set the displayed elapsed time back to 00:00.00

The Stopwatch icon on

the Home Screen

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 55

Chapter 3: Settings and Files

Sensors Screen

In many cases, the sensor set-up proce ss requires nothing m ore than simply plugging in a sensor. However, if you would like to change a ny of the sensor settings, or configure a sensor that you have not physically plugged in, or change the mode of data collection, go to the Sensors screen. Also use the Sensors Screen to configure the GLX’s micropho ne as a sound s ensor.

Sensors screen

To Open the Sensors Screen

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

press , the function key below the Sensors icon;

use the arrow keys to highlight the Sensors icon and press ; or

click the Sensors icon.

From anywhere in the GLX environment, you can always open the Sensors Screen with the shortcut + .

Working with Multiple Sensors

An icon for each sensor conne cted to the GLX appears at the top of the screen.1 A box around one of the icons indi cate s the s elected senso r . Use the left an d right arrow keys (or mouse) to select the sensor that you want to set up. The se ttings for the selected sensor appear in the lower part of the screen.

Multiple Sensors

Selected Sensor

The Sensors icon on

the Home Screen

In som e cases , an i con for a se ns or th at is not physically connected to the GLX appears in the Sensor screen. Such icons are designated with .

Top portion of the Sensors screen;

this GLX is connected to an accelera-

tion sensor and a force sensor

56 Sensors Screen

Sensor Se ttings

To change any of the settings, use the arrow keys to highlight the settings and press .

If you are using a mouse, click the de si red setting.

Sample Rate Unit Select Sample Rate Unit

to choose how the sampling rate will be measured. Th e cho ices are samples per second; or second s, mi nutes, or hours (time betwe en s amples).

Number of samples per second

Time between samples

Sample Rate Sele ct Sample Rate

to set the sensor’s rate of data collection

(measured in the units selected above).

Open the Sampling Rate menu or change the

sampling rate with and

Reduce/Smooth Averaging This feature is a type of oversampling. You can use it to:

• reduce what would be a large data set to a manageable size,

To select Sample Rate Unit

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight Sample Rate Unit

2. Press to open the menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to highlight the

press

desired units and press ; the number on the keyp ad corresponding to the desired units.

Mouse

1. Click Sample Rate Unit to open the menu.

2. Click the desired uni ts.

To select Sample rate

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight Sample Rate.

2. Press to open the menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to high light the desired rate and press ; the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired rate.

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight Sample Rate.

2. Press or to increase or

Mouse

1. Click box to the right of Sample Rate

2. Click the desired rate.

decrease the value.

to open the menu.

• smooth noisy data,

• improve the effective resolution of a sensor.

Select Reduce/Smooth Averaging and choose the numb er of points to be aver-

aged.

The number of points represents the factor by which the effective sam-

pling rate, data set size and noise level are reduced.

No averaging

2-point averaging

10-point averaging

To select Reduce/Smooth Averaging

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight

Reduce/Smooth Averaging.

2. Press to open the menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to highlight the

desired number of points and press

;

press the number on the keypad co rresponding to the desired number of points.

Mouse

1. Click the box to the right of Reduce/ Smooth Averaging to open the menu.

2. Click the desired number of points.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 57

Zero Automatically On Start This setting appears for sensors that support zeroing (such as a ccelera tion, rotary motio n, and drop counte r se nsors ). The t hree choices are “On,” “Off ,” and “Zero Now.” When “On” is selected (which it is b y default), the se ns or me asurement is adjusted with each new data run to make the first sample zero. W h en “O ff” is selected, t h e measurement is not autom atically zeroed. When you select “Zero Now,” the measurement is adjusted to make present value ze ro, but it will not be re-zeroed a t the start of data collection.

Measurements Each of th e se nsor’s meas urements ha v e a “Visib le ” o r “No t Visible” tag. Visible measure me nts appear in the data source menus of the display sc re en s. Se lect a meas u rement to chan ge its sett in g fro m “Visib le ” to “N o t Visible,” or vice-versa.

A measurement set to “Not Visible” does not appe ar in the displays’ d ata source menus; howeve r, it is still acce ssible by selecting “Mor e” from the menu. See “Expanding the Data Source Menu” on page89.

Sensors Function Keys

F1 Mode

The Mode menu contains options for how the GLX collects data. When you select a sampl ing mode

Continuous Samplin g Continuous Sampling is the defa ult and most commonly used mode. In this mod e, when you press , the GLX starts to collect and record data from every s ens or at a constant rate. Data collection stops when you press again.

, that mode is app lied to all sensors.

Modes menu

T o change the visibility of a mea-

surement

Keypad

1. Us e the ar row ke y s t o hig hl ig ht the measurement.

2. Press .

Mouse

Click on the word “Visible.”

T o select a sampling mode

Keypad

1. Press to open t he Mode menu .

2. Use the arrow keys to hi ghlight the

Mouse

1. Click Mode to open the menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

The rate of data collection is determined separately for each sensor. See “Sample Rate” on page 56 for more information.

Manual S am p l in g Select Manual Sampling from the Mode menu to record a series of single manually triggered samples. See page 60 for instructions on se tting up and using manua l sampling.

F2 Data Properties

To open the Data Properties dialog box for a sensor measurement, first use th e arrow keys to highlight the measurement, then press . See page 69 for a description of the Data Properties dial og box.

To open the Properties dialog box, highlight a measurement before you

press

58 Sensors Screen

F3 Microphone

The Microphone menu contains options for setting how the GLX uses its built-i n microphone. The selected option is indi cated by a check mark ( ) appearing next to it in the menu.

Microphone

To select an option from the

Microphone menu

Keypad

1. Press to open the menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to highlight the

Mouse

1. Click Microphone to open the menu.

2. Click the desired option.

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad

corresponding to the desired option.

Sound Sens o r When Sound Sensor is selected, the GLX’s microphone becomes a sensor tha t collects data showing the wavefo rm of sound. The sound sensor appears in the upper part of the Sensors screen, jus t like any other sensor.

Like other sensors, the Sound Sensor sett ings include Sample Rate Unit, Sample Rate, and Reduce/Smooth Averaging; however you typically would not cha nge any of these s ettings because the sample rate is au tomatically set by the Graph in Scope Mode.

The Sensitivity setting sets the gai n of the Sound Sensor .

For very loud sounds set the Sensitivity lower; for softer so unds, set it higher. To make the Sound Sensor automatically adjust its sensitivity bas ed on the loudness of the sounds that it detec ts , se t th e Sensit i vi t y to A u to m atic.

The Sound Sensor is most co mmonly used with the Graph display in Scope mode. Press and together t o go to the Graph display. Then press to open the Graphs menu, and press to select Scope mode. P r ess . Whis-

3wxyz

tle or hum; you will see sound wave in the Graph. (See page 22 for more information on Scope mode.)

Sound Lev e l When Sound Level is selected, the GLX’s microphone measure s the loudness of sound in decibels (on the dBA scale).

The Sound Level sensor operates at a much lower samplin g rate than the Sound Sensor . Like most othe r sensors , you would norm ally use the Sound Leve l sensor in continuous or manual sampling mode (see page 57), not in Scope mode.

Audi o N otes With this default setting, the microphone is configured to record the audio portion of data notes (see “Data Annotation” on pag e 25). If you have previously re corded sound-sensor or sound level data, selecting Audio Notes is equivalent to unplugging the Sound or Sound Level sensor. The GLX will preserve any sound dat a sets that ha ve been recorde d, but it will not collec t new data from the microphone .

To change the Sensitivity

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to high light Sensitivity.

2. Press to open the menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to high light the desired setting and press ; press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired se tting.

1. Use the arrow keys to high light Sensitivity.

2. Press or to increase or

Mouse

1. Click box to the right of Sensitivity to

2. Click the desired setting.

decrease the value.

open the menu.

F4 Sensors

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 59

The Sensors menu con tains the following options for adding, removing, and calibrating sensors.

Add Select thi s option to set up a sensor without physically connectin g it. A menu containi ng all PASPORT s ensor s wil l op en. Use the a rrow k eys to hi ghl ight the desired sensor and press .

Remove Use this option to dele te the selected sensor without disconnecting it from the GLX. All data collected by that sensor will be deleted.

If there are multiple sensors, select the sensor that you want to delete before selecting the Remove option. See “Working with Multiple Sensors” on page 55.

It is not necessary to select Remove from the Sensors menu in order to disconnect a sensor; you can simply unplug it.

When you physically unplug a sensor (after recording data), the icon for the sensor remains in the uppe r part of the Sensors screen with above it. All data recorded from that sensor, and the sensor’s settings (such as sampling rate) are preserved i n the GLX. If that sensor is ever reconnected, it will be installed in its old place with the sa me se ttings. If you would like to remove the archived data and setting s, se lect the icon of the unplugged sensor

, then sel ec t Remove fro m

the Sensors menu.

T o se l ect an opt i on f ro m th e S e nsor s

Keypad

1. Press to open t he menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to hi ghlight the

Mouse

1. Click Se ns o rs t o op en th e me nu .

2. Click the desired option.

T o select a sensor icon

Keypad

Press the left or right arrow key to move the box to t he ico n i n t he up pe r p ort io n of the Sens or s sc ree n.

Mouse

Click the icon in the upper portion of the Senso r s sc r e en .

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad

corresponding to the desired option.

Calibrate Select Cali brat e from the Se nsors menu to open the Cali bra tion di al og box. See page 71 for a descr iption of the dialog box and instructions on calibrating a sensor.

Analog Adapter with a

ScienceWorkshop

Sensor Set-up

You can connect an analog ScienceWorkshop sensor to the G LX vi a an A n al og Adapter (PS-2158) . When you conne ct the Analog Ada pter to the GLX, a special menu listing a ll Sc ienceWorkshop sensors appears. From this menu, se lect the sensor that you ha ve connected (or will connect) to the adapter.

After you have selected it, the sensor appears in the top portion of the Sensors screen, just like a PASPORT sensor.

In addition to the regular sensor settings (see page 56), a Sensitivity setting appears in the Sensor scre en. Th is set tin g contro ls the ga in of the Anal og Adapte r and can be set to Low (1X), Medium (10X), or High ( 100X). The gain is the factor by which the resolution of the sensor is improved, and by which the range is decreased.

ScienceWorkshop

Sensors screen with a

Sensors menu (left) and

ScienceWorkshop

sensor (right)

To select a sensor form the

ScienceWorkshop

Keypad

1. Connect an Analog Adapter to the GLX to launch the menu.

2. Us e th e ar ro w key s to hi gh lig ht the desired sensor. Arrows ( appear on the menu to indicate that some sens ors are not visible. Press the up or down arrow key multiple

move the highlight beyond the

times t o visible portion of the menu. will scroll to bring other sensors into view. To skip directly to the last sensor on the menu, move the highlight to the first sensor, then press the up arrow key.

3. Press .

Mouse

1. Click the up or down arrow on the menu ( sensor into view.

2. Click the desired sensor.

Sensors menu

, )

The menu

, ) to bring the desired

60 Sensors Screen

Manual Sampling Mode

In Manual Sampling mode, the GLX records a single sample from each measurement only when you trigger it by pres sing . Follow these steps to se t up Manual Sampling mode an d record data.

Set Up

1. Press + to go to the Sensors screen.

2. Press to open the Mode menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to highlight Manual and press .

The Data Properti es dialog box appears. This box s pecifies the name and units of the (optional) manually entered data. By default, the name is “Keyboard Data” and the units are unnamed.

4. If you plan to manually enter data to go with each sa mpl e, enter the name and units of this data in the Data Properties box. (See page 69 for instructions on using the Dat a Pr operties box.)

5. Do one of the following:

• Press (OK) to enter Manual Sampling mode with the manually

entered data option.

• Press (No Data) to enter Manual Sampling mode without the

option of manually entering data.

• Press (Graph) to enter Manual Sampling mode with a Graph dis-

play automatically set up to display a sensor measurement on the vertical axis and man ually entered data on the horizontal axis.

F3F2

Sampling

1. Press . The GLX starts measuring, but not recording. A blinking flag icon ( ) appears in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

2. When you are ready to take a data point, press . The GLX instantly records a single sample from each measurement.

3. If you have selected the manually entered data option, the GLX prompts you to enter data. Type in the data (either numeric or text

) and press

(OK).

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to record additional samples.

5. When you have finished recording all samples, press .

Cell-sel ective Samp lin g

You can collect data in manual sampl ing mode while viewing any displ ay; however, using the Table display allows additional flexibility. After setting up the GLX in manual sampling mode as described above, follow these steps to record data into specific table cells.

1. Press + to open the Table display .

To type text data, press to dis-

able Num Lock. The first time the GLX detects non-numeric data, it will ask you to confi rm that the da ta shou ld be treate d as text.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 61

2. Press . The GLX starts measuring, but not reco rding. A blinking flag

icon ( ) appears in the upper right-hand corner. Another flag icon appears at the left side of the first table row.

3. Press th e right arrow key . Notice that the flag icon moves to first cell of one

column. If there is another column displaying collected data (not manually entered) p r ess the right arrow again to move the icon to that c o lumn. This icon indicat es which cell will collec t data when you press . If the icon is at the lef t end of the row, all cell s in that row will co llect data.

4. Use the ar row keys to select which cell or cells in the first row you wish to

collec t data.

5. Press .

6. If you have selected the manually entered data option, the GLX prompts you

to enter data. Type in the data and press (OK).

7. To collect more data, use the arrow keys to position the flag icon on the sin-

gle cell or row where you want to collect data. If the selected cells already contain data, that data will be overwritten.

All cells in selected row will collect

data

Only selected cell will collect data

8. Press .

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 to record additional samples.

10. When you have finished recording all samples, press .

Why Use C el l -selective S ampling?

Redo a Sample Cell-s elective sampling is use ful for redoing data points. For

instance, suppose that you are measuring the pH of several different solutions. You place the pH probe in a solution and pres s to record a sample. You then realize that you made a mistake—you forgot to wait for the measurement to stabilize. To correct the mistake, press the up arro w to retur n the flag i con to t he first row. Press again to overwrite the data on that row with a new sample.

You can redo any sample even if you have recorded subsequent samples; use the arrow keys to return the flag icon to any previously recor ded row or ce ll and press . Remember to move the icon back to an empty row if you want to take a new sample without overwriting an old one.

Alternate Between Sensors If you have two or more sensors connected to the GLX, you may want to record single sample s from each sensor sepa rate ly. To do this you would select a single cell (instead of a whole row) for each sample. For example, you have sev eral solutions and you would like to measure the pH and conductivity of ea ch. Place the pH probe in the first solution. Press the right arrow key to select a single cell in the pH column. Press to record only in that cell. Remove the pH probe from the solution and place the conductivity probe in the same solution. Use the arrow keys to select the cell in the conductivity column ( in the same row). Press to record into that cell. Repeat this process for al l o ther solu tio ns. In thi s way you will re cord pH-c onducti vit y data pairs without having to m ake pH and conductivity measur ements simultaneously.

Previously recorded data in selected

row will be overwritten

62 Timing Screen

Timing Screen

Use the Timing screen to set up measurements made with photogates, Smart Pulleys and other switch- or counting-type sensors.

The Timing Screen

To Open the Timing Screen

The T iming sc reen usua ll y launc hes a utoma tica lly when you c onnect a swit ch- or counting- type digital sensor to th e GLX thro ugh a Photogate Port or a Digital Adapter.

If a timer for a sensor has already been set up, the Timing screen will not automatically la unch when that sensor is plugge d in. To manually open the Ti ming screen from the Home Screen, do one of the following:

Photogate Port is PASCO part PS-2123A. Digital Adapter is PASCO part PS-2159.

use the arrow keys to highlight the Timing icon and press ; or

click the Timing icon.

Theory of Timing

Certain digit al sensors conne cted to the GLX through a Digital Adapt er or Photogate Port operate diffe r ently from most other sensors. Rather than collec ting data at a constant ra te, t hey send a sign al to the GLX only when a n event happens . For instance:

• when a photogate switches from being bl ocked to unblocked, or vice-versa;

• when the spoke of a pulley enters or exits a photogate; or

• when a nuclear sensor detects a particle.

The GLX can be configured to measure the time span of a particular sequence of events. Examples of sequences include:

• blocked-unblocked, or “time-in-gate;”

• blocked-b lo cked, or “t ime-between-gates;” and

• blocked-blocked-blocked, used to measure the period of a pendulum.

The Timing icon on

the Ho me Screen

The “blocked” event occurs when a photogate switches from being unblocked to blocked. The “unblocked” event occurs when a photogate switches from being blocke d to unblocke d.

Whenever the specified sequence occurs, the GLX records the time span of the sequence as a data point. It also records the time at which the sequence occur r ed,

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 63

measured from the start of data collection to the midpoint of the sequence. From these measurements and us er-entered (or defaul t) constants, the GLX derives other measurements such as position, velocity, and acceleration. The configuration of what sequences the GLX measu r es and what secondary measurements it derives is called a timer.

The GLX is programmed wit h nin e timers . The timer tha t you choos e depe nds on the sensor (or combination of sensors) that you are usi ng and the type of measurement that you would like to make. The following example details the procedure for selecting and setting up the “Photogate Timing” timer. The general procedure for ot her timers i s si milar , and the specifi cs of e ach ti mer are de scribed on pages 64 through 67.

Setting Up the “Photogate Timing” Timer

In this example, we will connect and set up a single photogate to measure the velocity of an obj ec t of known width.

1. Connect a Phot ogate Port or Digital Adapte r and a single photogate to the GLX.

One exception, the “General Counting” timer, measures the nu mber of events that occur within a specified period. S ee page 66 for details.

If the Timing Screen does not open automatically, go to the Home Screen, use the arr o w key s to highlight the Tim in g ic on , and press . Then press

to open the Add menu.

2. You will see the Add men u, which contains the timer options. For this example, select Photogate Timing.

Once you have chosen a tim er, there are two types of things to set:

• measurements, which can be set as “visible” or “not visible,” and

• constants, which, in this case, are Flag Length and Photogate Spacing.

To select a timer from the Add menu

Keypad

1. Press to open the Add menu.

2. Use the up and down arrow keys to

Mouse

1. Click Add t o op en the menu.

2. Click the desired timer.

highlight the desired timer and press

press the number on the key-

; pad co rrespondi ng to the desired timer.

Constants

Measurements

3. In this exa mple there is only one photogate, so set Time Between Gates and Velocity Between Gates to “Not Visible.”

T o change t he visibility of a mea-

surement:

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to hi ghlight the measurement.

2. Press .

Mouse

Click the word “Visible.”

64 Timing Screen

4. Set Time in Ga te and Veloci t y in G at e to “Visib le .”

5. Pretend that you have a cart with a 5 cm flag on it; set the Fla g Len gth constant to 0.05 m. (High light Flag Length and press , then type 0.05.)

6. In this case, photogate spacing is irrelevant, so leave the Photogate Spacing field blank.

Viewing and Collecting Data from a Timing Sensor

After you have set up a timer, its measurements are available from the data source menus of the Graph (se e pag e 15), Table (page 28) and other displays.

To start collecting data, press .

Working with Multiple Timers

If there is more than one timer, an icon for each timer appears at the top o f the screen. To set up each one, select it with the left and right arrow keys or with the mouse.

Note that in certain cases, a single timer operates with multiple sensors, so having more than one sensor does not necessarily mean tha t you will have (or need) more than one timer.

Timing Screen Function Keys

F1 Add

The Add menu usually launches automatically when you connect a photogate or other timing sensor. If you wish to set up a tim er for a sensor that you have not yet connected, or for a sensor that is already connected, open the Timing screen and press . From the Add menu, sele ct one of the following timers.

Two timers

To select a timing option from the

Add menu

Keypad

1. Press to open the Add menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to high light the desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

Mouse

1. Cli ck Ad d to op en th e me nu .

2. Click the desired option.

Selected timer

If you are usi ng a Dig it al Adapt e r , the Ad d me nu ma y inclu de Mot ion S ens or, Rotar y Motion Sensor , and Relay Control. See page67 for informati on on these sp ec ia l op t io ns .

Photogate and Picket Fence Select this timer for a single photogate used with a picke t fence or p hotog at e tape. T he con stant , Band Spacing , i s the distanc e (in meters) between the centers of the dark bands on the pic ket fence or photogate tape.

The measurements are Position, Velocity, and Acceleration. Each time the phot ogate is interrupted by a band of the picket fence, the timer registers a change in

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 65

Position equal to the Band Spacing. Velocity and Acceleration are calculated based on the time intervals between the changes in Position.

Picket fences include PASCO par ts ME-937 7A and ME-9804. Photogate tape is included with parts ME-6664 and ME-6666.

Smart Pulley (Linear) Use this tim er f o r measuring line ar motion with a Smart Pulley (or a combination of photogate and pulley). The constant, Spoke Arc Length, equals the circumference of the pulley (in meters) divided by the number of spokes.

The measurements are Position, Velocity, and Acceleration. Each time the phot ogate is i nterrupt ed by a s poke, the ti mer re giste rs a c hange in Posit ion equal t o th e Spoke Arc Length. Velocity and Acceleration are calculated based on the time intervals between the chang es in Positio n.

Smart Pulley (Rotational) Use this timer f or me asuring rotational motion with a Smart Pulley (or a combination of photogat e and pulley). The constant, Spoke Angle Spacing, equals 360° divided by the number of spokes.

The measurements are (angular) Position, (angular) Velocity and (angular) Acceleration. Each time the photogate is interrupted by a spoke, the timer registers a change in angular Position equal to the Spoke Angle Spacing. Angular Velocity and angular Acceleration are calculated based on the time intervals between the changes in angle.

The default value, 0.0150 m, is the spoke arc length of the inside groove of the P A SC O Supe r Pull ey (p art ME- 94 50) and similar 10-spoke pulleys.

Free Fall Adapter Use this timer with PASCO part ME-9207B. The constant, Heigh t O f Fall, is the dis ta nce (in meters) from th e re lease mec h an i sm to th e receptor pa d.

The measurements are Time Of Fall and Acceleration.

• Time Of Fall i s the ti me int erv al s tar tin g when the ba ll is rel eas ed and e ndi ng when it hits the receptor pad.

• Acceleration is calculated using the formula:

----- -=

Where a is Acceleration, x is Height Of Fall, and t is Time Of Fall.

Photogate and Pendulum The constant for this timer is Pendulum Width

, which is the width of the pe ndulum bob (or whatever part passes th rough the photogate).

The meas urements are Period and Velocity.

• Period is the time the pendul um take s to compl ete one cycle of osci llati on. A

period data point is recorded every other time the photogate is blocked.

It is necessary to enter Pendulum Width only if you are intere sted in the velocity of the pendulum bob.

• V elocity is the Pendul um Width divide d by the time-in-gate . A velocity data point i s recorded every time the pendulum passes through the photogate. For more accurate velocity measurements, use a cylindrical (rather than spherical) pendulum bob.

66 Timing Screen

Time of Flight Use this timer with a projectile launcher, two phot ogates, and a

Time-of-Flight Accessory.

The constant, Photogate Spacing, is the distance (in

meters) between the centers of the photogates.

The measurements are In it ial Velocity and Time Of Fli g h t.

• Initial Velocity is the Photogate Sp ac ing divided by the time-between-gates.

• Time Of Flight is the elapsed time starting when the projectile blocks the first photoga te a nd ending when it hits the Time-of-Flight Accessory.

Photogate Timi ng Use this timer for gen era l me asurements made with one or two photogates.

The constants are Flag Length and Photogate Spacing.

• Flag Length is the length (in meters) of the object that passes through the photogates.

• Photogate Spacing is the distance (in me ters) between the centers of the photogates. This constant is not rele vant if you are using only one photoga te.

There ar e four measur ements: Time In Gate, Velocity In Gat e, Time Between Gates, and Velocity Between Gates.

• Time In Gate is the time that the flag spends inside either gate each time it passes through. A data point is recorded every time either photogate detects a blocked-unblocked sequence.

The Time-of-Fl ight Accessory is PASCO part ME-68 1 0. P rojectile Launche rs include ME-6800 and ME-6801. A Photogate Bracket, part ME-6821, is necessary to attach the photogates to the launcher.

Photogate Timi ng works best for measuring the velocity of a single object that blocks only one photogate at a time. To measure the separate velocities of two objects, use Collision Timer.

• V elocity In Gate equals Flag Length divided by Time In Gate.

• Time Between Ga tes is the t ime elapsed between successive interruptions of either gate. A data point is recorded every time one of the photogates is blocked (except the first time).

• V elocity Between Gates equ als P hotogate Spacing divided by Time Between Gates.

General Counting Use this timer with nuclear sensors, dr op counters, and other counting-type digital sensors. The constant, Count Time Interval, is the period over which the timer counts pulses for each data point. It is also the time between succe ssive data points.

The measurement, Pulse Count , is th e number of puls es (nuclea r event s or drops) detected du ring the Count Time Interval. Pulse Count data points are rec o rded at a constant rate, one data point at the conclusion of every Count T im e Interval.

Collision Timer U se th i s tim er to m ea s u r e th e v el o ci ti es o f tw o ca r ts b e fo r e and after they collide. The constant is Flag Le ngth, which is the length (in meters) of the objec ts th at pas s th rough the phot ogates. The fl ags att ached to bo th carts must be the same length.

The measurements, Velocity 1 and Velocity 2, ar e th e velocities measured by each photogat e. Velocity 1 is Fla g Len gth divided by the time-in-ga te of the first photogate. Velocity 2 is Flag Length divided by the time-in-gate of the second photogate.

Arrange the photogates so that the collision occurs between the photogates.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 67

If both carts are traveling in the same direc tion before the collision, one photogate will measure the initi al velocity of both car ts. Similarly, if both carts are traveling in the same direction after the collision, one photogate will meas ur e both final velocities.

If one of the carts is stationary before the collision, its initial position will be between the ph otogate s, a nd its i nit ial ve locit y will not be me asured. If one of t he carts is stationary after the collision, its final velocity will not be measured.

Digita l In pu t Select the Digital Input timer

to record the state changes of a

photogate or other switch-type sensor.

This timer measures the sensor’s Log ic State, which has only two possible values: 0 and 1. A Logic State value of 0 corresponds to a sensor output voltage of 0 V, and a value of 1 corresponds to an output voltage of 5 V.

In the case of a photogate, if the most recently recorded Logi c State value is 0, then the photoga te is blocked; if the most recent value is 1, then the photogate is unblocked. A dat a point is recorded each time the s ens or changes states; th us when the photogate switches from being unblocked to blocked, the timer records 0, and when the photogate switches from blocked to unblocked, the timer records 1.

Typically, the interesting data recorded by the Digital Input timer is not the 0-or-1 Log ic State value, but rather the time-stamps rec o r ded with those values. To see the time data, view Time in one column of the Table display and Logic State in ano th e r co l u mn .

F2 Remove

To remove a timer, press or . If you have more than one timer set up,

first use t he left and right arrow keys (or mouse) to se lec t the timer that you want to remove in the upper part of the sc ree n, then press or .

If the Add menu is too long to fit on the screen, arrows ( menu to indicate that some of t he menu options are not visible.

Press the up or down arrow key multiple times to visible portion of the menu. scroll to bring other options into view.

click the arro w s to scro ll the men u .

ing data to display in the Table.

move the highlight beyond the

If you are using a mouse, you can

See pag e28 for inst ruc t ions on cho os -

Select the timer to be deleted and press or

, ) appear on the

The menu will

If there are data collected by that timer, they will be perman ently deleted. (The GLX will ask you for confirmation before it deletes the timer.)

Digital Adapter Options

In addition to switch-type sensors, the Digital Adapter (PS-2159) allows the GLX to be used with a ScienceWorkshop Motion Sensor, a ScienceWorkshop Rotary Motion Sensor , or a Digital Relay.

To set up the GLX for one of these devices, connect the Digital Adapter to the GLX and connect the sensor or rel ay to the adapter (in either order). The Add menu will open automatically with Motion Sensor, Rota ry Motion Sensor, and Relay Control among the options. (These options do not appear if you press

to open the menu.)

ScienceWorkshop

of the s e s e nsors the sensor t o ports 1 and 2 (re specti vely) of the adapter a nd conne ct the adapt er to the GLX. The Add menu will open autom atically; select Motion Sensor or Rotary Motio n Sensor. To set the sample rate and other sensor properties, go the Sensors screen (see page 55).

Relay Control To set up the GLX for control of a Digital Relay Digital Adapte r, connect the relay to the adapter and connect the adapter to the

Motion Se nsor or Rotary Motion S ensor T o use one

with a Digital Adapte r, connect the yellow and black plugs of

through a

The

ScienceWorkshop

is PASCO part CI-6742. The

ScienceWorkshop

sor is PASCO part CI-6538.

The Digital Relay is PASCO part CI-6462.

Motio n Sensor

Rotary Motion Sen-

68 Timing Screen

GLX. The Add menu wi ll open automatically; select Relay Control.22 Both ports of the adapter will be configured for Relay Control (though they are control led separately), so you can connect a second relay to the adapter with no additional set-up required. You can connect up to four Digital Adapters, each with two ports, for up to eight separately control led output channels. See page 51 for information about controlling digital output through the Calculator.

To use a Digital Relay an d a digital sensor simultaneously, connect them to separate adapters.

Data Properties

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 69

Data Properties dia log box

Every data se t and da ta s ource i n the GLX h as data p rope rties , whic h control how the data are displ ayed in the Graph, Table, and other scre ens.

To Open the Data Properties Dialog Box

To access and edit the properties of a data source, set up th e Graph or Table to display the data source, then open the data source menu and select Properties. The Data Properties dialog box will open.

You can also access the data properties of a sensor measurement from the Sensors screen. In the Sensors screen, pres s . (See page 55 for more informa-

tion.)

When you are fin ishe d viewin g or e diting the data prop ertie s, pres s (OK) to close the dialog box and return to the previous screen, or pre ss to cancel

any changes.

Navigating in the Data Properties Dialog Box

Measurement Name The Measurement Name is the label that designates a

data source on a grap h axis or at the top of a table column. You may want to edit the Measurement Name to add more information about that measurement (change “Temperature” to “Water Temperature,” for instance) or to shorten it (chan g e “Force” to “F,” for instance).

For instruction s on displa ying data in the Graph and selecting items from the data so ur ce me nu , see p a ge s 1 3 and 1 5. For instructions on displaying data in the Table and selecti ng items from the data source menu, see pages 28 and 28.

To edit the Measurement Name, use the up and down arrows keys to highlight it and press (or click it if you are using a mouse). Type the new name on the keypad and press (or press to cancel).

See “Multipress Text Input Mode” on page 90 for instructions on using the keypad to enter text.

Esc

Measurement Unit The Measurement Unit is the name of units that are displayed on a graph axis or at the top of a ta ble column.

You many want to edit the Measurement Unit to add units to a calculation or manually entered data set, or to abbreviate or spell out the units of a sensor measurement. For instance, you might change “m” to “meters.”

To edit the Measurement Unit, use the up and down arrows keys to highlight it and press (or click it if you are using a mouse). Type the new unit name on the keypad and press (or press to cancel).

Esc

70 Data Properties

See “Multipress Text Input Mode” on page 90 for instructions on using the keypad to enter text.

Note that changing the name of the units will have no effect on the actual data. For instance, if you change the name of the Temperature units from “°C” to “°F,” the numeric values of displayed temperature will not change. To change the actual unit of measure, select the units field in the Graph (see page 15), Table (page 29), or other display ; or cre ate a calculation (see page 47).

Numeric Style and Number of Digits Select Numeric Style of Digits

to set how numbers are displayed in the Table and Digits displays.

and Number

The meaning of Number of Digits depends on the selected Numeri c Style, as described below.

• Fi x ed D ec ima ls : in this style, the Number of Digits determin es how many

digits are di splayed to the right of the decimal point.

• Significant Figures: the Number of Digits determines the number of signif-

icant figures that are displayed.

• Scientific Notation: all numbers are displayed with a single digit to the left

of the decimal point, and the other digits to the right, followed by symbol E and an exponent. (The E means “times 10 raised to the power of….”) The Number of Digits is the total number of digits displaye d on both sides of the decimal point (not including the exponent).

• Engineering Notation: This style is similar to scientific notation, but there

are three digi ts to the left of the decimal place and Number of Digits determines the number of digits to the right of the decimal place.

• NSEW 000°00.000: Use this style for longitude or latitude data collected

with a GPS sensor. The data will be displayed in degrees and minutes.

T o select a Numeric S tyle

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to hi ghlight Numeric Style.

2. Press to open the menu.

3. Use the arrow keys to hi ghlight the desired style and press ; the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired style.

Mouse

1. Click Numeric Style to open the menu.

2. Click the desired style.

T o select t he Number of Digits

Keypad

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight Number of Digits.

2. Press or inc rease or

Mouse

1. Click Number of Digits to highlight it.

2. Press or inc rease or

decrease the value.

press

EE for Exponent <= This data property determines the smallest number that will be displ ayed without using exponential notation. A value of -3, for instance , means that anything less than or equal to 10

-2

will be displa yed in exponential

notation.

EE for Exponent >= This data property determines the largest num ber that will be displayed without using exponential notation. A value of 6, for in stance, means that anything greater than or equal to 10

will be displayed in exponential

notation.

Zero |Value| < This data property is the smallest absolute value that will be displayed. Any number with a smaller absolute value will be displayed as 0.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 71

Calibration

Some of the sensors that you use with the GLX can be calibrated in the Calibration dialog box, which is accessible throu gh the Sensors screen. Cali bration can make a measurement more accurate or adjust multiple measuremen ts so th at they agree with each other.

Sensors des igned for c alibr ation inc lude the t emper ature probe s i nclude d with the GLX. Certain other PASPORT sensors are also calibratable . To find out if a sensor can be calibrated , check its documentat ion , or connect it to the GLX and look for it in the Sensor field of the Calibration dialog box.

To Open the Calibration Dialog Box

From the Sensors Screen29 follow these steps.

See “Sensors Screen” on page 55.

1. Press to open the Sensor Menu.

2. Use the arr ow keys to highlight Calibrate and press ; or press the number on the keypad corres ponding to Calibrate.

The Calibration dialog box will not open during data collection.

Theory of Calibration

To skip to the pr ac tica l in str uc ti ons on ca li bra ti ng a se nso r, see “Navig ati ng in the Calibration Dialog Box” on page 73 and “Calibration Procedures” on page 75.

One of the functions of the GLX is to take the stream of raw data from a sensor and transform it into the calibrated data that you see in the Graph, Table, and other displays . If you do not calibrate a sensor yourself, the GLX uses a default calibration that is loaded when the sensor is connected.

You can think of the GLX as containing a device that takes in raw data and outputs calibrated data.

Raw Input Measurement (from sensor)

Calibration

Calibrated Output Measurement (to Graph, Table, etc.)

When you perform a calibration, the GLX redefines the linear equation that transforms the raw input into the calibrated output. The linear f unction is of the form:

Raw Input Slope Calibrated Output Offset+×=

Or:

Calibrated Output Raw Input Offset–()Slope⁄=

This function can be graphically represe nted as a line.

72 Calibration

Pt 2

DInput

Input Data

Pt 1

Offset

DOutput

Output Data

Slope

DInput

DOutput

Two points, Pt 1 and Pt 2, define the line. In the two-point calibration procedure, each point is reset by associ ating a known standard value (for insta nce, the pH of a buffer sol ution) wit h a raw input measure ment th at the se nsor sends to the GLX when it is in that standard. In a one-point calibration, only one of the points is reset b y th e user.

Types of Calibration

There are three types of calibration: two-point, one-point slope, and one-point offset. Any of these calibrations can be performed on a single sensor, or simultaneously on multi ple simi lar sens ors; howe ver , for any give n sensor, the GLX will automatic ally select the most typical calibration type as the def ault setting.

Two-Point In a two-point calibration, you reset two points to define a new line. This type of calibration affects both the sl ope and the offset. For step-by-step instructions on the two-point calibration procedure, see page 75.

old calibration

new calibration

Input Data

Output Data

Two-point calibration; two points are set to redefine the line

Pt 1

Pt 2

One-Point Slope In a one-point slope calibration, you res et only one point. The slope of the line changes so that the line intersects the new point, while the offset (or Y-intercept) does not change. For step-by-step instructions on the onepoint slope calibration procedure, see page 76.

new point

new

Input Data

Offset does not change

One-point slope calibration; the line changes its slope to intersect the new point

calibration

slope changes

old calibration

Output Data

old point

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 73

One-Point Offset In a one-point offset calibration, you reset only one point.

The line shifts so that it intersects the new point, but its slope doe s not change.

new calibration

new point

Input Data

line shifts

Output Data

One-point slope calibration; the line shifts to intersect the new point

old calibration

Offset calibration is usually used to make one se nsor agree with another sensor. The graph below on the left sho ws the me asurements from two temperature probes in the same cont ain er of wate r . Due to nor mal va ria tion among probe s, the second probe consistently reads about 0.08 °C higher than the first probe. Normally this difference would be insignificant; however, an offse t calibration can be used to bring the sensors into closer alignment. See “One-Point Offset Calibration or Multiple-Measurement Alignment Procedure” on page 77 for step-bystep instructions.

One measurement is shifted to align with other measurement

Before offset calibration After offset calibration

Navigating in the Calibration Dialog Box

For step-by-step instructions on the calibration procedure, see page 75.

The Calibration dialog box contains a list of fields that are used to select the measurement (or measureme nts ) to be calibrated, and to enter the par ameters of the calibration. One of the fields is always highlighted. Use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight to a different field.

You will sometimes see an up or down arrow ( or ) near t he bottom of the dialog box indicating that more fields are available, but not currentl y visible. When you see the up arrow displa yed on the screen, you can press the up arrow key on the keypad multi ple times to make more fields visibl e. When you see the down arrow displayed on the sc ree n, you can press the down arrow key to make more fields visible.

74 Calibration

The top and bottom portions of the Calibration dialog box

Sensor Field Measurement Field Single/All Field Calibration Type

Arrow indicating that additional fields can be displayed with the down arrow key

Pt 1 Standard Value Pt 1 Sensor Input Value

Pt 2 Standard Value Pt 2 Sensor Input Value

Arrow indicating that additional fields can be displayed with the up arrow key

Sensor Fi eld Highlight this field and press or to cycle through the

calibratable sensors connected to the GLX.

Measur em e nt Fi el d Highlight this field and pre ss or to cycle through

the cal ibr at ab le measur e m en t s of th e selected sen s o r.

Single/ All Field Highlight the S ingle/All Field and press to switch between “Calibrate selected m easurement only” and “Calibrate all similar measurements.”

Calibration Type In most cases , it is not necess ary to access this field because the GLX automatically selects the most typical calibration type for the selected measurement.

To override the au tom atic selection, highlight Calibration Type and press to open the menu. Highli ght the des ired cali brat ion type an d press , or press the number on the keypad corres ponding to the desired typ e. The options are 2 Point , 1 Point Slope, and 1 Poi nt Offset.

Pt 1 Standard Value Highlight this field and press . Enter a value and press .

Pt 1 Sensor Input Value It is usually not necess ary to access this field because its value is entered automatically when you press .

See “One-Point Offset Calibration or Multiple-Measurement Alignment Procedure” on page 77 for more information.

To enter a value manually, highlight the field and press . Enter a value and press .

Pt 2 Standard Value Highlight this field and press . Enter the value of the standard and press .

Pt 2 Sensor Input Value It is usually not necess ary to access this field because its value is entered automatically when you press .

To enter a value manually, highlight the field and press . Enter the val ue of the standard and pres s .

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 75

Because they are not needed, the fields for Pt 1 are hidden when the 1 Point Slope calibration type is selected, and the fields for Pt 2 are hidden when the 1 Point Offse t cal ibration typ e is sel ec t ed .

Calibrated Output and Raw Input Two live values are displayed at the bottom of the Calibr ation dialog box: the Cal ibrated Output Measurement and the Raw Input Measurement. The Raw Input Measurement is the data transferred from the sens or to the GLX. The Calibrated Output Measurement is the value resulting from the currently defined calibration. The Calibrated Output Measurement is displayed in the Graph, Table, and other displays.

Note About Raw Input Measurement

The value and units of the raw input mea surement data can be confusing bec ause they do not necessarily have an obvious meaning. Depe nding on which sensor you are using, the raw input may represent the default calibration, the voltage produced by an electrode in the sensor, or the digital output of the sensor’s analog-to-dig ital converter.

Keep in mi n d th at it does no t m a tter what th e value is, or w ha t it s un i ts are. It is only importa nt tha t t he raw s enso r input v ari es i n direc t pr oportion to t he quan tit y being measured.

Calibration Procedures

If you don’t know whether a two-point or one-point slope calibration is best suite d for a particular s ensor, follow steps 1–3 of either procedure and observe the Calibration Type that is automatically selected.

Two-Point Calibration Procedure

A two-point calibration requires two known standards. For instance, if you are calibrating a pH sens or, you might use two buffer solutions: one of pH 4 and the other of pH 7.

The fields of the Calibration dialog box are identified on page 74.

Calibrated Output

Measurement

Live Data

Raw Input

Measurement

1. From the Sensor field, select the desired sensor.

2. From the Measure me nt field, select the desired measurement.

3. Set the Single/All field to “Calibrate selected measur ement only.”

4. From the Calibration Type menu, select 2 Po int, if it is not already selected.

5. Place the probe in the first known standard.

6. Enter the value of the standard in the Standard Value field for Pt 1.

7. Observe the Raw Input Measurement displayed nea r the bottom right corner of the scre en and wait until it ha s stabilized.

Enter standard value here

Press to copy Raw Input Measurement to Pt 1 Sensor Input Value

76 Calibration

8. Press to read the sensor inpu t value of Pt 1.

Note that th e Raw I nput Measurement has been automatically ent er ed into the Pt 1 Sensor Input Value field, and the standard value is now displayed as the Calibrated Output Measurement.

9. Place the probe in the second known standard.

10. Enter the value of the standard in the Standard Value field for Pt 2.

11. Observe the Raw Input Measu r ement displayed near the bottom right corner of the scre en and wait until it ha s stabilized.

12. Press to read the sensor input value of Pt 2.

Note that th e Raw I nput Measurement has been automatically ent er ed into the Pt 2 Sensor Input Value field, and the standard value is now displayed as the Calibrated Output Measurement.

13. Press to accept the new calibration and return to the Sensors screen, or press to cancel t he new c alibr ation and revert to the previ ous or default

calibration.

Enter standard value here

Press to copy Raw Input Measurement to Pt 2 Sensor Input Value

Accept new calibration and return to Sensors screen

Cancel new calibration

and revert to previous calibration

One-Point Slope Calibration Procedure

A one-point slope cal ibration requires one known sta ndard. For instance, if you are calibrating a dissolved oxygen sensor, you might use 100% saturated water, for which you can look up the oxygen concentration based on te mpe rature and pressure.

The fields of the Calibration dialog box are identified on page74.

1. From the Sensor field, select the desired sensor.

2. From the Measure me nt field, select the desired measurement.

3. Set the Single/All field to “Calibrate selected measur ement only.”

4. From the Cali bration Type menu, select 1 Point Slo pe, if it is not already selected.

5. Place the probe in the known standard.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 77

6. Enter the value of the standard in the Standard Value field for Pt 2.

7. Observe the Raw Input Measurement displayed nea r the bottom right corner

of the scre en and wait until it ha s stabilized.

8. Pres s to read the sensor input value.

Note that th e Raw I nput Measurement has been automatically ent er ed into the Pt 2 Sensor Input Value field, and the standard value is now displayed as the Calibrated Output Measurement.

9. Press to accept the new calibration and return to the Sensors screen, or

press to cancel t he new c alibr ation and revert to the previ ous or default

calibration.

One-Point Offset Calibration or Multiple-Measurement Alignment Procedure

If you are making tw o or more simulta ne ous measure ments of th e same ty pe, it is sometimes desirable to slightly adjust the calibrations so that all of the measurements agree. For inst ance, if you are using several temperature probes, you may find that they hav e slightly differ ent readings when immersed in the same container of liquid; a multiple-mea surement alignment will make all of the probes read th e same temperature.

Enter standard value here

Press to copy Raw Input Measurement to Pt 2 Sensor Input Value

This procedure is a one-po int of fset cal ibrati on perform ed on two o r more sim ilar measurements simultaneously.

The fields of the Calibration dialog box are identified on page 74.

1. From the Sensor field, select the desired sensor.

2. From the Measure me nt field, select the desired measurement.

3. Set the Si ngle/All field to “Calibrate all si milar measurements .”

4. From the Cali bration Type menu, select 1 Point Of fset.

5. Place all the probes s o that they are all measuring the same thing. It is not

necessary to know the value of what they are measuring at th is point. (For instance, plac e all the temperature probes into th e same contai n er of water.)

6. Press . Note that the Calibrated Ou tput Measur ement has been auto-

matically en tered into the Pt 1 Standa rd Value field, and the Raw Input Measurement has been automatically entered into the Pt 1 Sensor Input Value field.

7. Press to accept the new calibration and return to the Sensors screen, or

press to cancel t he new c alibr ation and revert to the previ ous or default

calibration.

To confirm that the measurements are aligned, open the Digits display and view two or more of the m easurements sim u lt an eously wh i le record in g data. They should be ident ical or very close.

In this case, the calibration of the

not

selected measurement will Rather, the calibrations of all other similar measurements will be changed to match the selecte d measurement.

Press to copy Calibrated Output Measurement to Pt 1 Standard value; and Raw Input Measurement to Pt 1 Sensor Input Value

change.

For information on the Digits display, see page37.

78 Data Files Screen

Data Files Screen

Collected data , cal cu latio ns, n ote s, d ispla y confi gurati ons , and sensor s etting s are all stored in the GLX’s memory. You can save data in a file during or after an experiment, or save a file without data to use as the sta rting point of an experiment. Use the Data Files screen to view, create, copy, move, and delete these files and their components. In this screen you can also transfer files to and from a second GLX or a flash drive connected to the USB port.

To Open the Data Files Screen

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

use the arrow keys to highlight the Data Files icon, then press ; or

click the Da ta F iles icon.

Navigating in the Data Files Screen

The Data Files screen is divi ded into two secti ons: the Folder Selector and the File Lis t. The Folder Se lector is used to select one of the GLX’s two data-s torage locations. The File Li st displays the files stored in th e selected folder.

The Data Files icon on

the Home Screen

At any time, the f o cus is either on the F o lder Selector or the File List, indicated by a dark box surrounding that section. The focused section also has one of its items highlighted.

Folder

Selector

File List

Highlighted folder

Folder Selector active File List active

Dark box surrounding active section

Press the down arrow key to move the focus from the Folder Selector to the File List section. Press the up arrow key (when the hig hlight is on the top entry of the File List) to move the focus from the File List to the Folder Selector.

If the File List is empty, the focus cannot be moved to it.

Navigating in the Folder Selector

There are two folders in the Folder Selector: RAM and Flash. When the Fo ld er Selector has the focus, the selected folder is highlighted. Press the left and right arrow keys to switch between RAM and Flash. The size and free capaci ty of the selected folder ar e indicated below the Fo lder Selec t or. The files in th e selected folder are displayed in the File List section.

Highlighted file list entry

Selected folder; Press to change selection

Press the down arrow key to move the focus to the File List of the selected folder. When the focus is not on the Folder Selector, the selected folde r is indicated by a dashed box.

For more informa tion on the RAM and Flas h data-storage locations, see page 82.

Navigating in the File List

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 79

When the focus is on t he File Lis t, a hi ghlight appears on one of th e entri es. Pre ss the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight.

The entri es in the File List consist of:

The Active File This is the open file that you are currently working with. It always appears as the first entry in the RAM file list. Any data that is recorded becomes part of the active file.

The active file may be saved or unsaved (see “F2 Save” on page 80). If you have collecte d data or you have changed any settings since the last time you saved the active file , the saved version of the active file may not match the current state of the GLX.

Saved Files These are files t hat are stored but not ne cess arily ope n. The fil e l ist indicates the size of each file and the dat e on which it was last saved. When you open a saved file (see “F1 Open” on page 80), it becomes the active file.

File Contents By default, the fi le co ntents are hidd en. To view the contents of a file, highlight the file and press the ri ght arrow key. To hide the co ntents, press the left arrow key. The icon to the left of the file indi cates whether a file can be expanded or contracted.

The file contents include the following types of components, which can be recognized by their icons.

Selected folder

Active file

Saved Files

File Contents

File can be expanded to show its contents

File can be contracted to hide its contents

Highlight a file and press or

to hide or show its contents

• Sen sors and timers. Every sensor or timer that appears in the Sensors

screen of the file receives a separate entry in the file list. (See “Sensors Screen” on page 55.)

• Data runs. If the file contains data collected from sensors, ea ch dat a run

appears as a f ile list entry with the time at which data collection started. A data run repre sents all of the data recorded from all of t he connected sensors within a single period of data collection . By default, data runs are named Run #1, Run #2, etc., but they can be renamed (see “Rename” on page 81).

• Manually entered data. Each column of data that has been entered in the

Table appears as a separate entry. (See “Manually Entered Data” on page 32.)

• Ca lculatio ns. Every equation or expression entered in the Calculator

appears as a separate entry . (See “Calculator” on page 41.)

• Displays. If the Graph or Table in the file has been altered from its default

settings, it appears in the file lis t. If multiple graph pages exist, each page appears separat ely. (See “Graph” on page 13 and “Table” on page 28.)

• Notes. If one or more Notes pages exist in the file, they are rep r es ented by a

single entry. (See “Notes Screen” on page 53.)

The GLX saves all the components of a file, but not all of them appear in th e File List. The hidden com ponents include the Digits display configuration, Output settings, and data properties.

Examples of sensor and timer icons

Data run icon

Manually entered data icon

Calculation icon

Graph icon

Table icon

Notes icon

80 Data Files Screen

Mouse Navigation

If you are using a mouse, click RAM or Flash to view the File List for each folder. Click the file or file component to highlight it. Click the icon to the l eft of a file to show or hide the file contents.

Data Files Function Keys

F1 Open

To open a saved file, highlight it in the File List and press (or click Open).

If changes have been made to the current active file since it was last saved, a di alog box will ask if you want to save the file. Select Yes ( ) to save the active file before the new fil e is opened. Sele ct No ( ) to open the new fi le without

saving the active file; any changes you have made to the active file since it was last saved wil l be lost. Select cancel ( ) to keep the acti ve file open and not

open a ne w file.

To make the active file rev ert to its last-saved state, highlight it and press (Open). When t he dialog box a s ks if you want to save changes, select No ( ).

F2 Save

Press (or click Save) to save the active file. If a previous version of the file had been saved in RAM, it will be overwritten. If the active file had originally been opened from the Flash folder, a new copy will be saved in the RAM folder .

F3 Delete

To delete a file, highlight it in the File List and press (or click Delete). A dialog box will ask for confirmation before the file is deleted; select OK ( ) or Cancel ( ).

F3F2

You can use instead of to delete a si ngle file.

If you delete th e active file, it will be unloaded from the GLX and the last copy saved in RAM will be deleted.

To delete a data run or manual ly entered data set from the active file, highlight it and press (or click Delete). To delete an individual data run or data set

from a saved file, the file must first be opened.

When the Folder Selector is active, the option is Delete All. Highlight the RAM or Flash folder and press (or click Delete All) to delete the entire

contents of that folder.

F4 Files

Press (or click Files) to o pen the Files menu. The contents of this menu change depending on what item is highlighted in the File Lis t or F o lder Selector. Possible menu options are described below.

New File This option is always available from the Files menu. Select it to unload the current active file and create a new acti ve file.

T o select an option from the Files

Keypad

1. Press to open the Files menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to high light the

Mouse

1. Click Files to open the Files menu.

2. Click the desired menu option.

desired menu option and press ;

press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 81

If changes have been made to the current active file since it was last saved, a di alog box will as k if you want t o save the file . Sele ct Yes ( ) to save the curre nt active file before it is unloaded. Select No ( ) to unload the file without sav-

ing it; any cha nges you have made since it was last saved will be lost. Select can-

cel ( ) to keep the current active fil e ope n and not create a new file.

Save As This option appears in the Files menu when the active file is highlighted. Sel ect Save As to save the active file with a new name.

Enter the new file name on the keypad (see “Multipress Text Input Mode” on page 90) and press .

Move File Move File appears in the Files menu when a saved file (other than the active file) is highlighted. Use this option to move the highlighted file from the RAM folder to the Flash folder, or vice versa.

When you select Move File, an icon appears in the Folder Selector section of the screen. Press the left or r ight arrow key to place the icon next to RAM or Flash and press . The file will be moved to that folder.

You cannot move the activ e f ile, because th at file must remain in the RAM folder. To place the active file in the Flash folder, press to save it, then use

Copy File (see below) from the Files menu.

Move All Files This option appears in the Files menu when the Folder Selector has the focus and the selected folder contain s save d files other than the active file. Move All F iles is similar to Mov e File, but it moves ever y saved file in the selected folder, except the active file, to the folder that you choose.

Copy File This option appears in the Files menu when any save d file is highlighted. Copy File is simil ar to Move File, but, instead of movin g the file, a copy of the file is placed in the folder that you choose.

If Copy F ile is used on the a ctive file, the last saved state of the active file will be copied. Any changes that have been ma de to the active file since you last saved it will not be part of the copied file.

Press and to place the icon next to RAM or Flash and press .

Move or Copy File

If you pla ce the copied fil e in a different folder, it will have the same name as the original. If you place it in the same folder, the words “Copy of” will be added to the original name.

Copy Al l Files This option appears in the Files menu when the Folde r Selector has the focus . Copy Al l Fil es i s simi lar to Copy Fi le , but i t c opies eve ry sa ved file in the selecte d folder to the folder that you ch oose.

Rename This option is available when a file in the RAM folder or a data run in the active file is highlighted. Follow these steps to change the name of a file or data run.

1. Highlight the file or data run.

2. Select re name from the Files menu.

3. Enter t he new fi le na me on t he key pad (see “Multi press Text Input Mode” on page 90) and press (or press to cancel the name change).

Esc

You can rename a file or run without opening th e Files menu. Highlight the file or run and press . Type the new name and press .

82 Data Files Screen

RAM and Flash

The GLX has two types of memory for file storage: RAM and F lash, represente d by two f ol d er s in th e D a t a F i le s s cr ee n . By defaul t, fil e s are s av ed in th e RAM folder. Whether it i s mos t appropriate to store a file in RAM or Flash depends on how you intend to use th e file.

Files in the RAM folde r are saved in the GLX’s random access memory. With a capacity of about 12 MB, the RAM folder is large enough to store many files, including ones conta ining la r ge data sets. F iles ca n be saved to RAM qui ckl y and easily.

Files copied to the Flash folder are stored in a special type of programmable read-only memory. Use the Flash folder to store files that you do not want to be easily alte red, such as configuration files for experiments or sample data files. When you open a file from the Flash folder and save it again, it does not overwrite the original file; rather, it saves a copy in the RAM folder. This property prevents users from acc identally saving collected data over a file designed to be used as an experiment set-up file.

Files saved in ei ther RAM or Flash will remain saved even if the GLX’s ba ttery runs too low for norm al operation. When the battery drains to a critical level, the GLX shuts down, reserving e nough energy to maintain the RAM memory unti l it can be connected to AC power. However, if you store the GLX for several days without power connected after the battery has drained to the critical level, it is possible for the battery to run so low that RAM is erased.

Flash memory does not require any power to store data permanent ly. You can leave the GLX unpowered for any amount of time without losing files s ave d in the Flash folder.

File Size Limits

In order to reserve enough free RAM capacity to sa ve a data file, the GLX limits a single file to 4 MB. If that size limit is reached, da ta collection will automatically s to p . To collect data after the f ile-size limit has been reached, delete existing data or sta rt a new file . Data colle ction wi ll als o st op if the size of the da ta fil e exceeds the free sp ac e remaining in RAM. Since a 4-MB file typically contains over 100000 data points (depending on the sensors used), most users will not be affected by these limi ts .

See page 94 for more information

about ba ttery power an d da ta sto r ag e.

Using the GLX with a USB St orage Device

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 83

If you have a USB storage device34 (such as a US B flash drive), you can use it to add storage capacity to your GLX, back up data, and transfer data to another GLX or a comp u t er.

See also “Export All Data” on page 32 for instructions on exporting data as a tab-delimited text file to USB storage.

Connec t a st orage devic e to th e la rg er U SB so ck e t ( la b el ed wi t h ) o n th e side of the GLX.

File Transfer

When a USB storage device is connected to the GLX, a third icon appears in the Folde r Selecto r of th e Data Fil es sc reen.

This icon represents the USB storage “folder.” Use this folder like the standard RAM and Flash folders to open, delete, move, copy, and rename files (see pages 80–81). You cannot open a file directly from USB storage; you must first move the file to the GLX’s RAM or Flash folder. After you have saved files on the storage device, you can unplug it and connect it to any other GLX to open the files.

If you connect the storage device to a computer, you will find the files on the device’s root level . See page 101 for instructions on opening these files in DataStudio, or page 104 for instructions on opening them in the GLX Simulator. You can also copy GLX files open these files on a GLX. When you copy or save a GLX file from your co mputer to the storage device, you can put it at the root level or i n a folder; when the device is connecte d to a GLX, the GLX searches through the entire device and displ ay s al l G LX f il e s in th e Data Files scree n .

from the computer to the storage device, and later

USB Storage

A third folder appears when a USB

stora ge device is connected

GLX files on your computer may have been t ransf erred there fro m anot her GLX (see page 100) or created using the GLX simula tor (see p age 103).

Backup and Restore GLX Files

T o back up th e GLX, go to t he Data Fil es scre en and pre ss to open the Files menu; select Bac kup GLX Files. All data files in the Ram and Flash folders and all settings are copied to the flash drive. To restore these files and settings, press

to open the Files menu and select Resto re GLX Fil es. Onc e a GLX has been backed up onto a storage device, you can restore the files and settings onto any other GLX.

The back-u p and restor e opera tio ns may er ase a nd over writ e fil es an d s ettin gs on the GLX or flash drive. When you back up a GLX, any previous GLX back-up

data on the flash dri ve is overwrit te n. When you restor e backe d-up data, al l previous files and settings on the GLX are overwritten.

Data that you have stored using the GLX backup operation can only be accessed using the res tore ope ration . If you want t o save multi ple fi les t hat can be acce ssed individually , us e the Move All Files or Copy All Files options from the Files menu (see page page 81).

If you connect the flash drive to a computer after you have backed up a GLX, you will find a folder named This folder and the files in it are intended only for access by the GLX when it performs the restore operation.

GLXBackup

, which contains the back-up data.

Backup and Restore options in the

Files menu

84 Data Files Screen

GLX-to-GLX File Transfer

To transfer files dire ctly between two GLXs, connec t the larger USB port of one GLX to th e sm aller US B po r t of the other GLX us i n g the incl ud ed USB ho stconnection cable.

Host GLX Remote GLX

Use the host-connection cable to connect two GLXs

The GLX connected by the larger USB port is the host unit, and the one con- nected by the smaller port is the remote uni t. All GLX-to-GLX file-transfer operations are controlled in the Settings screen of the host unit.

When a remote GLX is connected, two additional folders appear in the Settings screen of the host GLX, which represent the RAM and Flash folders of the remote unit. Use these folders like the host RAM and Flash folders to open, delete, move, and copy files (see pages 80–81). You cannot open a file directly from the remote GLX; you must firs t move the file to the host GLX’s RAM or Flash folder.

Remote GLX

Folders

The Data Files screen with a remote GLX connected

Settings Screen

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 85

Setti ngs screen

The Settings screen contains the controls for how the GLX environment looks and acts.

To Open the Settings Screen

From the Home Screen, do one of the following:

use the arrow keys to highlight the Settings icon, then press ; or

click the Sett in g s ic on.

Settings

To change any of the settings, use the arrow keys to highlight the setting and press .

If you are using a mouse, click th e desired setting.

Name If the active file (see page79) has not been named, the GLX’s name appears in the Top Bar. By default, the name of the GLX is “XplorerGLX.” If you are working with more than one GLX and would like to uniquely ident ify each one, change the name of each GLX. Highlight Name and press . Type the new name

Date Format The date shown in the Top Bar can be displayed in two formats: month/day/ year (MM/DD/YY) or day/month/year (DD/MM/YY). Highlight Date Format and press to switch between the two opti ons.

and press .

The Settings icon on

the Hom e S cre en

See “Multipres s Text Input Mode” on

page 90.

Tim e Fo rma t The time sho wn in t he Top Bar can be displayed in e ither 12- hour or 24-hour format. Hig hlight Time Format and pre ss to switch between the two options.

See “F1 Set Date and Time” below to manually set the date and time.

Auto Power Off This setting controls how many idle minutes the GLX will wait before it automatically shuts off or goes into sleep-between-samples mode when running on battery power. See “Auto Power Off” on page 8 for more information.

Highlight Auto Power Off and press to open the menu. Use the arrow keys to highlight the desired time and press .

86 Settings Screen

Back Light From anywhere in the GLX environm ent, the easiest way to turn

the screen’s back light on or off is to hold and press .

You can also operate the back light from the Settings screen. Highlight Back Light and press to open the menu. Use the arrow keys to highli ght the desired menu option and press or press the number on the keypad corresponding to the desired menu option. The options are:

•Off;

•On;

• Keypress (10 s): the back light is norm ally off, but turns on when you press any key and stays on for 10 seconds ; and

• Keypress (30 s): the back light is norm ally off, but turns on when you press any key and stays on for 30 seconds.

Screen Contrast From anywhere in the GLX environment, hold down and pres s th e up or d ow n ar r ow ke y to ad ju st the screen co n tr a st.

From the Settings sc reen, you can also highlight S creen Contrast and press

to make the screen dar ker or to make it lighter.

Language The GLX has several language options. Highlight Language and press to open the menu. Use the arrow keys to highlight the desired language and press .

An arrow ( ) in the lower right corner of the menu indicates that more menu op tions are available, but not visible; press the down arrow key to move the highlight to the bottom of the menu, then press the arrow key again to make more options visible.

Sensor Auto-Display Sensor Auto-Display causes the GLX to automatically launch a display (such as the Graph) when you plug in a single sensor while viewing the Home Screen, or when you turn on the GLX with a sensor connected. This feat ure is designed to simplify basic data collection with a single sensor.

Sensor Auto-Display is on by default. To turn it off, highlight it in the Settings screen and press .

Startup Action There are two options for Startup Action. By default, the Startup Action is set t o “Open New Experiment ,” whic h causes the creati on of a new, empty data file every time the GLX starts up.

Language Options:

The other Startup Act ion option is “Open Las t File,” which makes the GLX open the most recently s aved file whenever it starts up. It is convenient to use this option if you plan to turn the GLX off and on during an activity, or if the GLX is likely to automatically turn itself off due to being left idle .

To change the Startup Action, highlight it in the Settings screen and press .

Settings Screen Function Keys

F1 Set Date and Time

The date and time are s et automatically when you connect the GLX to a computer running DataStudio.

Follow these steps to set the date and time manually.

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 87

1. Press . A dialog box will open with settings for Mont h, Day, Year,

Hour, Minute, and Second.

2. Use the up and down arrow key s to highlight the setting you would like to

change.

3. Press or to increase or decrease the selected setting; or press ,

enter the setting on the keypad and press again.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all desired settings have been changed.

5. Press to accept changes or press to cancel changes.

F2 Audio Settings Dialog Box

From the Settings screen, press to open the Audio Settings dialog box.38 The audio settings determine how audio notes (see page25) are recorded and played back. Some of the Output screen’ s de fault settings (see page 39) are also based on these set tings. After changing any of the settings, press to accept the chan g es or to cancel.

Sample Rate and Bits Per Sample These t wo set ti ngs de termi ne the qua lity and size of recorded audio notes. Higher values of either setting result in higherquality audio, but also make audio notes use more of the GLX’s memory.

If the Time Format is 12-Hour (AM/ PM), then a menu will open when you highlight Hour and press ; use the up and down arrow keys to select the hour and press agai n.

Audio Settings

F3F2

Mic Inpu t Volume This setting dete r mines the sensitivity of the GLX’ s microphone when used for recording audio notes. When set to Automatic, the mic volume adjusts itself in response to the present sound level.

Speaker Volume This setting determines the loudness of audio-note play back and sound output.

Output Device To play audio notes and sound output through the GLX’s builtin speaker, set Output Device to Internal Speaker. Set Output Device to Headphones or External Speake r if you have headphones or powered stereo speakers connected to the GLX’s signal output port.

Speaker Configuration This setting de termines how sound generate d in the Output Screen is play ed through headphones or external spe ake rs . If Output Device is s et to Headphones or External Speakers, the two options are Mono and Stereo ; if Output Device is set to Internal S pea ker, the only option is Mono.

F4 Version

Press to see the version numbers of the Firmware, Core, and Power Manager installe d on your GLX. These version numbers represent the updatable portions of the GLX’s operating system.

Audio Settings dialog box

T o change an audio sett ing

Keypad

1. From the Settings screen press to open the Audio Settings dialog box.

2. Use the arrow keys to high light the desired setting.

3. Press .

4. If a menu opens, use the arrow keys to sel ect the desired value and press .

Mouse

1. At the bottom of the Settings screen, click Set to open the Audio Settings dialog box .

1. Click the desired setting.

2. If a menu opens, click the desired value.

88 Settings Screen

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 89

Chapter 4: Navigation and Input

Data Source Menus

The axes of the Graph, the columns of the T able, the sections of the Digits display, and the Meter each have a data source field, which you access to choose what data to displ ay. Selecting any of these data sourc e field s opens a da ta source menu containing a list of all available data sources.

Identifying a Data Source

• In one of the simplest cases—a GLX with one single-meas urement sensor connected, and no calculations or manually entered data—the data source menu contains two items, as illustrated to the right. only one data source option, so it is selected automatically.

Selecting the other option in the menu, Data Properties, opens the Data Properties dialog box for t he selecte d measurement. See “Accessing Data Proper ties” on page 90.

In this examp le, there is

• In this example, the GLX is conne cted to two s ingle-measuremen t sensors: a Temperature Sensor and a Rel ative Pressure Sen sor. There are t w o d ata sources to choos e from. The sele cted data so urce has a chec k mark nex t to it. The two data source s a r e from two different sensors, so each has a different icon.

• Certain sensors make more than one measurement. T he data source menu pictured here is from a GLX connected to a Press ure/Temperature Sensor. Note that the two data s ources have the same icon, ind icating that they both come from the same sensor.

• The menu pictured to the right is from a GLX connected to two sensors: a Temperature Sensor and pH/ORP/ISE/Temperature Sensor. The pH/ORP/ ISE/Temperature Sensor makes several measurements , one of which is T emperature. There are two data sources named “Temperature,” one from the pH/ORP/ISE/Temperature Sensor and one from the Temperature Sensor. You can tell which sensor each temperature m easurement is from by looking at the icon s n ex t to th e m eas u re m e n t na m e s .

Expanding the Data Source Menu

• The menu pictured to the right is f r om a GLX con nected to a Motion Sensor.

The Motion Sensor makes three measurements: Position, Velocity, and Acceleration. Only one measurement, Position, is visible. The “More” option that appears with a Motion Sensor icon indicates that other measurements are a vaila ble from that sens or , b ut a re not s ho wn. Sele ct “More ” to s ee the ot h er available measurements.

• In the menu pictured to the right, two sensors are present that each ha ve hidden measurements . There are two “Mor e” opti ons, one for each s ensor. They can be distinguished by their differe nt icons.

90 Multipress Text Input Mode

Accessing Data Properties

Selecting the Data Properties option from a data source menu opens the Data Properties dialog box for the selected measurement. In this example, the Data Propertie s for Relative Pressure would ope n.

To access the Data Proper ties of anot h er measure ment, first select that measurement from the dat a source menu, then open the menu again and select Data Properties.

For information on the Data Properties dial og box, see page 69.

Multipress Text Input Mode

Multipress text input is used to ente r numbe r s and letters through the keypad of the GLX. Each o f the GLX’s input keys has a nu mbe r and several letters or punctuation marks printed on it. In multipress mode, repeatedly pressing a key will cycle through th es e characters.

The 7 key ( ) will cycle through punctu ation marks, not all of which are printed on the key. The characters in the cycle are:

7 ? ! @ ( ) , : ; & ~ % # < >

The 0 key ( ) cycles through two characters: 0 and a spac e.

The decimal point key ( ) cycles through two characters: a period (or decimal

point) and E, which is used often in scientific notation.

Using a USB Keyboard

For most use r s, text entry is faster and easi er with a USB keyboa rd1 connecte d to the GLX. A keyboard also all ows th e input of capital letters in areas of the GLX environment where Shift and Caps Lock are not available.

Most keys on the GLX’s keypad have an obvious equivalent key on an attached USB keyboard. The less obvious keyboard equivalents are shown in the table below.

GLX Key USB Keyb oar d Equivalent

Enter and Return Home

PASCO part PS-2540 or PS-2541

F5 F6 Backspace and Delete

* (asterisk)

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 91

Scientific Notation

The GLX displays very la rge and very small numbers usi ng s cientific notation. You can also input any number using scient ific notation. On the GLX, the letter E, when it is pl ac ed be tw een two numbers (wi th n o sp ac es ) is interpr et e d as meani ng “times 10 raised to the p ower of….”

The letter E can always be input by pressing the decimal point key ( ) twice,

even wh en th e G L X is n o t in m u lt ip r ess text in pu t m od e .

Below are some examples of sc ientific notation and their normal equivalents.

5E2 = 500

1.234E5 = 123400

56.789E1 = 567.89

6.518E-3 = 0.006518

A lowercase e can be used interchangeably with uppercase E:

4.35e5 = 4.35E5 = 435000

A number expressed in scientific notation must not have a space adjacent to the E. The number to the left of the E can contain a decimal point, but one is not required. The number to the right of the E must not contain a dec im al point.

Printing

The Graph, Table, Calculator, Sensors, Output, Notes, Meter, and St opwatch screens can all be printed on certain models of printers USB port. In these screens, select the print command (or comma nds) from the

menu.

To install a printer on the GLX, simply connect it to the GLX’s USB port using the cable that came wi th y our printer . D r iv ers for comp atible pri n ters are factory installed on the GLX and updated when eve r the GLX receiv es a firmware update (see page 93).

connected to the GLX’s

The list of co m pat i bl e pr i nte r s is con ti nually increasing as new printer models become available. For an up-to-date list of compatible printers, visit www.pasco.com or contact PASCO technical su pport at:

support@pasco.com

(916) 786-3800

(800) 772-8700

92 Printing

Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide 93

Chapter 5: Hardware Maintenance and

Operation

Firmware Update

From time to time, PASCO issues a free update to the firmware that runs on the GLX. Updates include new and impro ved features and bug fixes. Send in the registration card that you received with your GLX, or register at www.pasco.com/glx to be notified of new updates.

To check the version of firmware currently installed on your GLX, open the Settings screen (see page85) and press .

You can always download t he la te st u pdate from www.pasco.com/glx. Fol low the instructions at the website to download the update to your computer or a USB flash drive. When you downl oad the firmware update, also downloa d the latest revision of thi s Users’ Guide from the same web page.

Installi ng updates may delete files save d in the RAM and Flash folders of the GLX. Transf er s tored files to your computer before upgrading the GLX. (See “Tran sferring Files” on page 100.)

Updating from a Computer

Once the update is on your computer, con nect the GLX to the USB port and run DataStudio. When DataStudio detects a GLX running an older firm ware version, it will give the opt ion of upgrading that GLX. (See “GLX with DataStudio” on page 99.)

Updating from a USB Flash Drive

Connect the USB fla sh drive con tainin g the update t o the GLX’s USB port. Open the Data Files scre en (see pa ge 78). Press to open the Files menu and select Upgrade GLX Firmware.

Version numbers displa y ed in the

Settings screen

To updat e the firmware from a f lash drive, t he pr evio us fir mware versi on mus t be 1.35 or later.

Battery and Power

Battery Charging

To char g e th e battery, simply connect the GLX to the AC power adapter. The GLX will automatically power on. If its battery is less than fully char ged, the GLX will begin to charge the battery and remain powered on until the battery is fully charged.

If the battery is fully charged and AC power is con nected, the GLX will automatically save da ta and shut down after 60 minutes of i dle time. power on and top off the battery as needed.

The typical full charging time for a new battery at room temperature is about 14 hours. When practical, allow the GLX to charge its battery in a room-temperature or cooler environment. Plac e the GLX on a flat surface with it s stand unfolded t o accommodate air flow and heat dissipation.

It will periodically

The icon in the upper-right corner of the display indicates the condition of the bat tery. See page 11 for details.

The GLX is considered idle when

not

•the GLX is

• the Stopwat c h is

•the GLX is

puter running DataStudio, and

•the GLX is

its keypad, a mouse, or a USB keyboard.

See “Timed Auto Power Off” on page8 for more information.

collecting dat a,

not

running,

not

connected to a com-

not

receivi ng i n put thr o ugh

94 Battery and Power

While charging, the GLX monitors its own temperature to prevent overheating. The maximum recommended ambient temperature for charging is 32 °C (90 °F) without sensor s, or 28°C (82 °F) with four maximum-lo ad s ensors

connected. If the GLX becomes too hot, i t will te mporari ly s top cha r ging to al low its elf t o c ool, resulting in a longer charge time.

Battery Power and Data File Storage

The GLX’s RAM (random-acce ss memory) requires a small amount of power. In order to prese rve stor ed data , the GLX automat ical ly shut s down when it s batt ery begins to run low. At that point, AC power must be connected within three days to prese r ve data files stored in the RAM folder.

When powered off, disconnected from AC power, and starting with a fully charged battery, the GLX will store RAM data for two weeks.

Flash memory does not require power. Dat a files stored in the Flash folder will be preserved inde finitely even if the batte r y runs down or is remo ved.

A maximum-load senso r is one that draws 10 0 mA of current from the GLX, such as the PASPORT CO PASPORT sens ors draw muc h le ss cur rent.

sensor . Most

For permanent storage, save files in the GLX’s Flash folder or tra n sfer files to a USB Flas h d r iv e o r a com pu t er.

GLX Storage

To maximize the long-term performance of the battery, keep it charged as much as possible. Note that the battery will drain slowly even when the GLX is powered off and disconnected from AC power. When you are not using the GLX, follow these storage guidelines:

• Whenever possible: Keep the GLX connected to AC power .

• Unplugged for more than a few days: Backup your data and allow the bat-

tery to fully charge before disconnecting the AC power .

• Unplugged for more than a month: Backup your data, allow the battery to

fully charge, then follow the instructions und er “Manual Internal Disconnection” below. A disconnected battery or a GLX in “deep sleep” mode can be stored for up to a year before you sh ould recharge it.

Battery Disconnection

Automatic Internal Disconnection

See “Data Files Screen” on p age 78 for

more information.

When it is unplugged and turned off, the GLX uses a small amount of ba ttery power to pres erve data saved in RAM. In order t o avoid fully dis charging the battery (which is not good for it), the GLX will go into “deep sleep” mode whe n either of these cond itions is met:

• The GLX has been unused and unplugged for two weeks.

• The battery has drained to a critical level.

When the GLX enters deep sleep mode, it disconnects its battery by opening a switch on its circ uit board. At this point, data saved in RAM is lost, but data saved in Fl ash is preserved. Connect the GLX to AC power or press t he reset button (on the back of the GLX) to turn it back on.

PASCO Xplorer-GLX User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Part 1: Users’ Guide

Introduction

Included Equipment

Quick Start

1. Plug In the AC Adapter

2. Connect a Sensor

3. Collect Data

Overview of the GLX

Equipment Set-up Options

Shutting Down

The Record Button

Home Screen

Chapter 1: Displays

Graph

To Open the Graph

Active Fields

Choosing Data to Display

Data Cursor and Coordinates

Graph Function Keys

Data Annotation

Table

To Open the Table

Choosing Data to Display

Table Scrolling

Table Functi on Keys

Manuall y En ter ed Da ta

Digits Display

To Open the Digits Display

Choosing Data to Display

Digits Function Keys

Meter

To Open the Meter Display

Choosing Data to Display

Auto Scale and Reset

Print

Chapter 2: Utility Screens

Output

To Open the Output Screen

Navigating in the Output Screen

Output Fu nct ion Keys

Left and Right Output Channels

Calculator

To Open the Calculator

Types of Calculations

Calculator Function Keys

Output- co ntr ol Cal cul ati o ns

Notes Screen

To Open the Notes screen

Entering, Reading, and Printing Text Notes

Sto pwat ch

To Open the Stopwatch

Timing with the Stopwatch

Chapter 3: Settings and Files

Sensors Screen

To Open the Sensors Screen

Working with Multiple Sensors

Sensor Se ttings

Sensors Function Keys

Manual Sampling Mode

Timing Screen

To Open the Timing Screen

Theory of Timing

Setting Up the “Photogate Timing” Timer

Viewing and Collecting Data from a Timing Sensor

Working with Multiple Timers

Timing Screen Function Keys

Digital Adapter Options

Data Properties

To Open the Data Properties Dialog Box

Navigating in the Data Properties Dialog Box

Calibration

To Open the Calibration Dialog Box

Theory of Calibration

Types of Calibration

Navigating in the Calibration Dialog Box