A data logger is a device for electronically recording data for a certain time period or in a specific location using either built in instruments or sensors, or instruments and sensors that are externally attached to the device. The electronics are generally based on a digital processing chip. The devices are normally small, portable, battery powered and controlled by a microprocessor. They employ memory chips for storing data and sensors for collecting the data.
Many of these devices can be connected to a personal computer and employ specialized software to access, view and analyze the data that has been collected. Other types can have keyboards and LCD screens attached to them to view the data as a standalone unit.
There are many different types of data logging equipment, ranging from very simple counters in one environment to collecting a large range of measurements for specialized applications in a constantly changing environment. Many of the devices are programmable while others take static measurements and have limited or non changeable parameters. In many applications, these devices have replaced chart recorders.
One benefit of these data collectors is that they can be set to collect data over a 24 hour period unattended. They are often activated and left to measure and store information over a considerable period. This produces an accurate representation of the environment being monitored, such as relative humidity and air temperature. The humidity sensor measures both air temperature and moisture. The percentage of relative humidity is the ratio of air borne moisture to the highest moisture level that can be held by air at that temperature.
Anyone who uses a measuring instrument should be confident that the results obtained from the instrument are accurate and adhere to specifications. There are many laboratories throughout the world that specialize in the calibration and certification of measuring sensors. Calibration is necessary to ensure that the quality of the entity being measured conforms to internationally accepted standards.
The pressure sensor used to record the pressure of liquids or gases generates an electrical signal in the transducer. A transducer is a device that converts energy from one form into another. For example the pressure on the transducer is converted to an electrical signal that can be measured. There are various methods for generating the energy forms such as diaphragms, pistons, Bourdon tubes or bellows which are activated by the application of force or pressure over an area. The conversions are performed using a variety of sensing technologies such as capacitive, electromagnetic, piezoelectric, potentiometric and optical.
There are a great number of applications that make use of data logging devices. These include weather stations, the recording of soil moisture, road traffic counting, vibration and shock monitoring, vehicle testing, scientific measurements and hundreds more. The modern data logging device can now be combined with wireless technology for transmitting the data to central collection points.
Modern data logging devices have now become more sophisticated than their earlier counterparts and may now be employed as flight data recorders, event data recorders collecting data before and after an automobile crash, collectors of automobile diagnostic codes and countless more. The data logger has now become an integral part of daily life.
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