System Operation Manual
SAT-DN-00434, Rev. B
LOBO
2017-05-16
Page 57 of 86
Copyright
2017 Sea-Bird Scientific. All rights reserved.
8
Event Scheduling
As described previously, the STOR-X is the central data logger and controller for LOBO. The STOR-X operates
on a flexible, user-defined daily schedule. There are three basic types of events allowed:
•
Power (on/off)
•
Acquire
•
Email data
As required, support for new events or commands may be added to the STOR-X firmware to allow
integration of new sensors. For example, the STOR-
X uses the new “SAMPLE” event to retrieve the
last data
measurement point from the WET Labs Cycle PO
4
sensor.
The typical order of events is power on, acquire data for the scheduled amount of time, and then power
off. Between power off and power on events, the STOR-X enters a low-power sleep mode in order to
conserve battery life. Data may be emailed after each event, at periodic intervals, at arbitrary times
throughout the day, or at the end of the day. A description of the email can be found in Section 7.3.2. The
frequency and duration of acquisition events is dependent on user needs, storage capacity, and available
power.
The following sections discuss the schedule file format, a utility to assist in creating schedule files, and
power and data considerations.
8.1
Schedule File Format
Schedule files are used by the STOR-X to schedule power, data acquisition, and email events. The schedule
file is a simple ASCII text file containing the daily events for the STOR-X. For the basic format of the schedule
file, please refer to the STOR-X manual RD1. However, the server scripts used in the LOBO system requires
special delimiter lines at the beginning and end of the file to allow the STOR-X to easily extract the schedule
file after retrieving it from the server. The beginning of the file must contain the line
##### SCHEDULE FILE START
while the end of the schedule file must have the line
##### SCHEDULE FILE END
The lines must be exactly as shown. Anything before or after these lines will be ignored by the STOR-X
when extracting the schedule file.
Creating the schedule file manually is tedious and error prone, particularly when there are a large number
of events to schedule. Therefore it is recommended to use the Schedule File Generator utility to create a
baseline schedule, and edit it manually if necessary. The utility is described in the following section.
8.1.1
Schedule File Generator Utility
The Schedule File Generator, more commonly known as the ISUSSchedule program, was originally created
for use with the ISUS and ISUS-X, but it can also be used to generate STOR-X schedule files. The utility can
also be used to verify the syntax of schedule files. This utility should have been included with the LOBO
shipment. Note that only version 1.5.1 or later may be used with this system.
