Data loggers can help to record data from a sensor over time -- often over days or weeks, or even months. There are a variety of data loggers available, both commercial and open source. Each entry from a logger -- stored on, for example, a memory card -- may have a timestamp and some data loggers can record location from a GPS as well. Data loggers can be [paired with specific sensors](/wiki/water-sensors), and an [enclosure](/wiki/sensor-enclosures), as part of a test. ## Design constraints What are we trying to do that existing commercial data loggers don't do, or don't do well enough? We're looking for designs that optimize: * low cost (i.e. <$100) * easy to use * easy to build or buy * weatherproof (possibly) * waterproof (possibly) * Arduino-compatible (so that they're compatible with the huge [Arduino](http://arduino.cc) ecosystem) ## Options Most of the below options are #arduino based, and all are open source: [wikis:datalogger] [notes:datalogger-option] Edit the [full spreadsheet here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zBcLpN4PZIATLh6aDR7mwCoejWryLYYm6cJD38MqT58/edit) (by @cfastie) **** ## Questions [questions:data-logging] ## Activities We're hoping to collect a set of activities you could do with several different data loggers here, such as an example "field test," so please add help us by adding activities which can be performed with different data loggers: [activities:data-logging] **** ## Power How do you keep a data logger going in the field? Solar, big batteries, even run an extension cable out? We're developing resources on powering your data-loggers here. ## Power Questions [questions:data-logging-power] ## Activities [activities:data-logging-power] **** ## Waterproof enclosures The #riffle project -- and others -- have explored a lot of ways to make cheap waterproof enclosures for data loggers, but where wires and sensors can still stick out. Here are a some notes and prototypes under the tag #data-logger-enclosures. You can also visit the page on [sensor enclosures here](https://publiclab.org/wiki/sensor-enclosures) [notes:data-logger-enclosures] ...
Author | Comment | Last activity | Moderation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
shanlter | "Thanks for saying so @xose! Compared with Riffle or Mae d'aigua, this one is much simpler, we use Arduino board, haven't do many field test yet, et..." | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
xose | "@bronwen, @liz, am I wrong or this could be considered as "method"? It's own particularities made the KnowFlow a different one than Coqui, Riffle o..." | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
Bronwen | "@Bronwen awards a barnstar to shanlter for their awesome contribution! " | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
Bronwen | "Absolutely, @liz ! This is a really exciting (and well documented!) research note. Thanks for sharing, @shanlter ! " | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
liz | "Thank you for these well-written and elegantly photographed instructions! I found this note very inviting and i can't wait to order the parts and m..." | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
xose | "So cool!! " | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Ah, I see. Those keywords, DATE and TIME, refer to the time the sketch was compiled and are saved on the Arduino until a new sketch is loaded. Tha..." | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
zoomx | "As cfastie noticed this line RTC.adjust(DateTime((DATE), (TIME))); reset the RTC to the same time every... time the setup is fired that's because ..." | Read more » | about 7 years ago | |||
patcoyle | "Interesting work. Thanks, Chris. " | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
warren | "Yeah - so one idea behind the methods pages is to try to list out some of the "challenges" or next steps that'd be needed, and some of the remainin..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "I guess the method would be deriving NDVI from inexpensive sensors (not cameras) operated by a microcontroller. There might be a better sensor (or ..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
warren | "Wow, this is super! Thanks, Chris! Do you think as more info comes together around this device (like more posts, questions, etc) we might post it o..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "I've made a couple of those I2C hubs and they are very handy. They're fun to make too. I now put a little super glue between the header plastic bef..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
xose | "I can see your tiny forked I2C hub around the prototype ;) Amazind device!! " | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "That would be terrific if a ferrite bead eliminated the noise I was seeing. My impression was that the bead was protection against radio frequency ..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
pdhixenbaugh | "I know that USB cables sometimes come with a barrel on them that's designed to reduce electrical interference, but I forget what it's called (I had..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Thanks Ed, It's good to know there is hope for the Nano. That's an excellent thread you linked to. I might try removing the LED resistor and the r..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
EdMallon | "That lack of alarm is pretty irritating considering that the 1337 has them built in, and they could have simply used that chip instead. Watchdog ti..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
xose | "Amazing! I'll definitely give it a try ;) " | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Xose, Thanks for pointing to those Grove I2C hubs. I had been pondering how to fork the I2C line. Here is my attempt to make an I2C hub from male h..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "I figured out what I was doing wrong with the real time clock. This line in a sketch: RTC.adjust(DateTime((__DATE__), (__TIME__))); will set t..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "A nice thing about DuPont jumper wires is that each wire has a separate connector. So pin pitch does not matter (if it is at least 0.1 inch, the Ar..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
warren | "I love that Grove sells premade wires of different lengths with those connectors on them. Are the pin "pitches" (isn't that what you call the spaci..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "That's a nice little I2C hub. Maybe it would be easy to make something like that for DuPont wires from strips of male header: But somebody would..." | Read more » | over 7 years ago |