online data logging vs. time-series records for the Highland Technology AT180 and V180 electrical measurement modules

Online Datalogging vs. Time-Series Records for the AT180 and the V180

The AT/V180 acquires up to sixteen channels of electrical measurement, emulating a flexible configuration of polyphase wattmeters, analog inputs, and digital acquisition channels. The acquired data-true RMS volts, amps, watts, kilowatt-hours, temperatures, pulse counts, etc.-is readable at any time in an array of realtime data registers.

An experimenter will often need to observe the time-dependent behavior of an electrical system. For example, an air conditioning chiller might be under test, and its power consumption and power factor would be monitored over a time interval. Additional variables (say, cooling water temperature, compressor outlet pressure, etc.) might also be of interest. With suitable transducers, an AT/V180 can simultaneously acquire all these measurements, allowing full instrumentation of chiller performance over the duration of an extended test.

Two mechanisms are available to acquire AT/V180 data over the duration of an experiment. They are...

1. The B180.EXE program (furnished with all AT/V180s) includes a datalogging function, allowing real-time data to be selectively exported to printers or disk files.

2. The optional time-series record (TSR) feature of the AT/V180 allows the module to independently gather and store periodic time records of selected data. Data is acquired using an internal real-time clock, and stored in onboard nonvolatile memory. The TSR.EXE program manages TSR gathering and archiving.

In both cases, time series measurements can be acquired from the AT/V180 and exported in a format suitable for subsequent analysis by spreadsheets, scientific analysis programs, or the user's own software.

The major difference between using B180.EXE and the optional TSR facility is that B180 must be continually running on the host computer in order to gather and store data, whereas the TSR facility will continue to collect and store time-series records so long as the system is powered up. The TSR facility is thus preferred for long-duration data collection, or when other programs must be run to manage the experiment in question, or simply when the host computer
cannot be dedicated to acquiring AT/V180 data.

In the event that neither of the above facilities is suitable, user-developed software can also directly access the AT/V180 real-time data registers and integrate its measurements with other data acquisition and control facilities.

The B180 program, the TSR facility, and direct access to real-time data are discussed in detail in other application notes.





	Online Datalogging vs. Time-Series Records for the AT180 and the V180 The AT/V180 acquires up to sixteen channels of electrical measurement, emulating a flexible configuration of polyphase wattmeters, analog inputs, and digital acquisition channels. The acquired data-true RMS volts, amps, watts, kilowatt-hours, temperatures, pulse counts, etc.-is readable at any time in an array of realtime data registers. An experimenter will often need to observe the time-dependent behavior of an electrical system. For example, an air conditioning chiller might be under test, and its power consumption and power factor would be monitored over a time interval. Additional variables (say, cooling water temperature, compressor outlet pressure, etc.) might also be of interest. With suitable transducers, an AT/V180 can simultaneously acquire all these measurements, allowing full instrumentation of chiller performance over the duration of an extended test. Two mechanisms are available to acquire AT/V180 data over the duration of an experiment. They are...
		1. The B180.EXE program (furnished with all AT/V180s) includes a datalogging function, allowing real-time data to be selectively exported to printers or disk files. 2. The optional time-series record (TSR) feature of the AT/V180 allows the module to independently gather and store periodic time records of selected data. Data is acquired using an internal real-time clock, and stored in onboard nonvolatile memory. The TSR.EXE program manages TSR gathering and archiving.
	In both cases, time series measurements can be acquired from the AT/V180 and exported in a format suitable for subsequent analysis by spreadsheets, scientific analysis programs, or the user's own software. The major difference between using B180.EXE and the optional TSR facility is that B180 must be continually running on the host computer in order to gather and store data, whereas the TSR facility will continue to collect and store time-series records so long as the system is powered up. The TSR facility is thus preferred for long-duration data collection, or when other programs must be run to manage the experiment in question, or simply when the host computer cannot be dedicated to acquiring AT/V180 data. In the event that neither of the above facilities is suitable, user-developed software can also directly access the AT/V180 real-time data registers and integrate its measurements with other data acquisition and control facilities. The B180 program, the TSR facility, and direct access to real-time data are discussed in detail in other application notes.