NovaLynx Corporation
110-WS-S10
Page 10
August 2021
6.3
SD Card
The SD card is designed to fit easily into the card slot one way only. Do not bend the card or force it
into the slot. The logger is compatible with SD cards up to 2GB capacity but not SDHC cards. MMC and
MMC mobile cards up to 2GB capacity are also compatible.
The SD card is used to set the time on the logger's internal clock as well as program logger functions.
Once these tasks are done, the card is initialized. The length of time the memory card takes to initialize
will depend on the formatting of the card and the amount of data already stored on it. The green LED
will then switch on indicating that the unit is ‘Ready to Record Data’. The green LED will remain on
while the unit is in this state. The red LED will flash briefly every time data is transferred to the card.
It is not necessary to re-program the logger or set the clock each time it is used. Once initialized, simply
turn on the logger and insert the memory card to begin logging.
NOTE: if the green light on the logger
does not come on when the card is inserted, remove the card, cycle the power, and re-insert the card.
To avoid losing data or corrupting the card, never remove the card or disconnect the power supply
when the red LED is flashing or blinking. Instead, press the purge button and wait for the LEDs to turn
off (buffered data is transferred to the card). There will be an audio signal to indicate that the button
has been pressed. The green LED will automatically switch off to indicate that the unit is no longer
enabled to record data. Now it is safe to remove the card and/or power down the logger.
When the memory card becomes full the logger will stop logging data; it will not overwrite files already
saved. Files on the card can be copied to your computer and the old data files erased from the card in
order to continue using the card. Do not erase the SETUPOLD.TXT or SETUPOLD(BACKUP).TXT files as
you may need to use them again as templates.
6.4
Data Collection and Transfer
Data from the sensor is recognized by the start (STX) and end (ETX) characters on the data packet. The
logger inserts the time and date at the start of each data record and stores it temporarily in a buffer
(1024 bytes). Data is transferred from the buffer to the SD card in 512 byte packages. The red LED
blinks each time data is written to the card.
Aside from the timestamp, which the logger adds to the beginning of a record, the data is recorded
exactly as received from the sensor. Most of the sensors that are compatible with the S10 logger are
programmable with regard to the parameters they report and the engineering units related to the
data. Unless previously arranged, all sensors will report their default parameters and units (refer to the
sensor's user manual). The user will be able to alter the settings on the sensor via the USB cable and
software designed for the specific sensor.
