Sea-Bird Scientific SUNA V2, User Manual

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Section 7 Reference
7.1 Communication
Go to the Telemetry tab in SUNA Settings to set up communication and data file types.
The default serial baud rate is 57600.
The default for "Transmitted Frame Format" and "Data Format" is "FULL_ASCII."
• FULL_ASCII —Contains all collected data in comma-separated fields. The file
extension is .csv . The frame size is typically 1600–1800 bytes. Use this format so
that data can be reprocessed.
• NONE —For "Transmitted Frame Format" data output is turned off. For "Data Format"
sensor data storage is turned off.
Other available formats:
• FULL_BINARY —Contains all collected data. The file extension is .bin . The frame
size is 632 bytes. Use this format so that data can be reprocessed.
• REDUCED_BINARY —Contains data from part of the spectrum and data from some
auxiliary sensors. The file extension is .bin .The frame size is 144 bytes. Use this
format so that seawater data can be reprocessed.
• CONCENTRATION ASCII —Contains a time-stamp, nitrate concentration,
absorbance at 254 and 300 nm and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) to measure the
quality of the data. The file extension is
.csv .
• APF —Deep SUNA V2 only. Used for APEX floats. Contains the user-selected parts
of the spectrum and other auxiliary sensors. The frame size is typically
300–400 bytes.
• The user can set the "Transmitted Frame Format" to "NONE" to turn off data output.
This increases the rate at which data is collected, and uses 10–30% less power.
• The user can set the "Frame Format" to NONE to turn off internal data collection.
The default "File Creation Method" is "By File Size." Others are available:
• By File Size —The software makes a new file when the data file in use gets to the
user-selected maximum size. The file name starts with "C" ("Continuous" file).
• By Sample Event —The software makes a new file when data collection starts for the
first time after the power has been turned off, then on. The manufacturer
recommends that the user select this for test purposes only. Use of this setting can
result in so many stored files that the sensor operates slowly or incorrectly. The file
name starts with "A" ("Acquisition" file).
• Daily —All data that is collected during a calendar day is put into a single file. This file
name is a seven-digit number that is the year and the day of the year, for example,
D2015142.csv. The file name starts with "D" ("Date-stamped" file).
The default "Maximum File Size" is 2 MB when the "Mode of Operation" is set to
"Continuous." It is user-selected from 1–65 MB. The "Daily" and "Sample Event" files
contain all of the data that is collected during the day or during one cycle of operation.
7.1.1 File types
The sensor uses three types of files:
• Data—either ASCII ( .csv ), or binary ( .bin ).
• Calibration—reference spectrum updates from the manufacturer ( .cal ).
• Log—information about the sensor ( .log )
Table 2 Information in data files
Column Data type Full ASCII Full Binary
1 Date, yyyy-mm-dd
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