Many service technicians, performance contractors, and engineers use temperature data loggers powered by batteries. The data loggers investigate occupant comfort complaints, monitor indoor environmental conditions, adjust temperature setbacks, and evaluate heating/ventilation/air conditioning/refrigeration systems.
Temperature data loggers can also be used by ecologists, research scientists, and hydrologists who need to measure air, soil, and water temperature without being physically present on the site.
The measurement accuracy offered by today’s advanced data loggers is very reasonable when compared to expensive computer-based data acquisition systems. Some of the tips that will help you in choosing an accurate temperature data logger suitable for your requirements are.
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Knowledge of Accuracy Requirements
Irrespective of what you need to measure, it is important to understand your measurement accuracy requirements. Accuracy specifications are different in various data loggers and sound knowledge of specific accuracy requirements will help you in avoid paying for the accuracy that you do not require.
While looking at the accuracy specifications of a data logger, look at the charts that show accuracy over the entire measurement range and are not limited to a single value. The accuracy of a data logger at the high or low end of a given range might be different from the accuracy at the middle of the range.
One should also be sure of data logger resolution which is the number of increments of value a data logger can report at a time. It should also be kept in mind that higher resolution does not mean better measurements. If you do not have an idea about accuracy and resolution requirements in a data logger an experienced supplier of data logger will help you in choosing the device that suits you well.
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Consider power requirements
Data loggers are low-power devices. As they are used in various environmental conditions and sampled at different rates, battery life can differ largely. Make it a rule that you select a data logger that has a battery life of a maximum of one year at the logging rate you require. In some remote situations, you can also go for solar-powered options.
You can also check whether the batteries of the data logger are replaceable or not. The user-replaceable batteries are very convenient as they eliminate the expense and time to ship the logger back to the manufacturer for battery replacement.
Data loggers which run on standard batteries are very convenient than those which require special batteries. The batteries in some loggers are irreplaceable and in such cases, the logger must be replaced when the battery is drained out.
Read more: Temperature Data Logger For Better Temperature Control
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Do not ignore software
There are many different types of analysis software packages and data graphing available just like different data loggers. One should look for software that is compatible with Macintosh or Windows. It should be highly intuitive so that the learning curve is minimal. The software should be such that it enables you to easily and quickly perform tasks like starting the data logger, offloading data, and configuring parameters with point-and-click simplicity.
Take a look at our LM View Software: www.gtek-india.com/product/data-loggers/lm-view
There are some packages that help you in batch configuration and read out about a hundred loggers quickly. The software package should also have powerful data plotting capacity and the ability to append, merge and easily crop data. It should help you in exporting data to programs like Microsoft Excel for quick analysis.
In the case of BLE data loggers, there should be an app that allows you to configure loggers, view data in graphs, share data files for analysis in Excel, Numbers, and other applications, and store data in the cloud.
Conclusion
Temperature data loggers are used in various fields like museum preservation, climate monitoring and water monitoring among others. At G-Tek Corporation, we have different types of temperature data loggers that can help you in fulfilling the needs of your organization.