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] ...
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cfastie | "Thanks Jeff. That's a really interesting question. I did not include step by step instructions, so a complete novice would have to do some research..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Love this post, Chris! Do you think there's enough here for someone else to try building and testing this out, and that it's worth marking as an ac..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Great suggestions, Chris. Also: I have often stolen uncommented code from the internet that works perfectly and I have no idea what it does. This..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Well-commented code is always helpful. At the novice level at which I work, good comments are sometimes hard to come by. I have often stolen uncomm..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
JSummers | "Hi Jeff, I was not aware of these technologies. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. Jack " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
shanlter | "Thanks!!!!! " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
donblair | "Great question re: whether powering the Feather on the 3V line really does work well ... I don't really know. But: looking at a schematic for one ..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Hi, Jack - this was a while ago, but lots has changed in some of these technologies. I was wondering if you'd considered using something like WebJa..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
stevie | "@cfastie do you have one of these? Any ideas on this question? " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Fixed! Thanks for finding this issue! " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | ":-) sorry, i'll push a new change which will fix this in a bit! " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "Hey Chris - yep, the different groups developing these projects; i'd love to design t-shirts! Modularizing and annotating code can go a very long ..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
shanlter | "OMG, the image layout is horrible from my laptop, help needed @warren " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
shanlter | "Hi all, third answer here. Thanks for asking the question Gretchen, I actually have the same question. So this is not exact answer, I am hoping som..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
cfastie | "That's a really good point that the En pin on the Feather can disable the regulator and reduce power consumption. We need a table of all the featur..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
donblair | "Thanks Chris -- this is incredibly useful. So important for folks to have a sense of the trade-offs and considerations when choosing solutions in ..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Teams? There are going to be teams? Will they have T-shirts? I'm still not sure overlapping code is relevant. If you have a working sketch for a K..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "I'd guess that there could be a lot of commonality in cases where you want to set up the same sensor on either device (or any Arduino). It could be..." | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
warren | "A good question for @rockets and @shanlter too! " | Read more » | over 6 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Cool. We'll have to get a third answer or Gretchen won't know what to think. " | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
MadTinker | "I’m still waiting on my Riffle and I’m a rank beginner so this response needs to be accepted with a grain of salt. I believe that what Chris said i..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "I'm not familiar with the KnowFlow, but I would not expect there to be much overlap in the sketches which are typically used to run the two devices..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
zengirl2 | "@cfastie well isn't that NASA item a bit complicated. Here's an Instructable that mentions that process. http://www.instructables.com/id/Low-Altit..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Thanks Zengirl. I don't think you can buy a NASA Aeropod. You can license the technology from NASA and manufacture them, but I don't know if anyone..." | Read more » | almost 7 years ago |