ICT VSL Voltage Sensor Logger
The Voltage Sensor Logger (VSL) is a stand-alone logging instrument for the measurement of any sensor with an analogue voltage output.
The VSL can support up to five differential or up to ten single ended sensors with the same voltage input requirements.
The VSL is a fully self-contained unit, only requiring power input from a 22W solar panel (field applications) or 24V power supply (laboratory applications). Communication is via a USB port or wireless connectivity. The VSL is IP-65 rated and has Windows and Mac compatible software for complete logging solutions including look-up tables, scripts and sensor calibration capabilities.
The VSL is ideally used in combination with the ICT International range of soil, plant and environmental sensors. To custom design a VSL to your sensor contact ICT International for a complete solution.
How It Works
Sensor Compatibility:
There are two levels of compatibility:
- Single ended and differential compatibility
- Voltage excitation compatibility
Single ended sensors use two conductors: one ground and one signal. Differential sensors have two signal conductors as well as one ground signal. Both single and differential ended have a voltage conductor.
Voltage excitation is the amount of energy sent to a sensor from the VSL. Some sensors require low excitation and can be damaged with a large excitation. For example, the MP306 volumetric soil moisture content sensor requires an excitation between 6V and 15V whereas Decagon’s EC-5 volumetric soil moisture content sensor requires an excitation between 2.5V and 3V. Applying a 6V excitation to the EC-5 sensor will damage the sensor. Therefore the MP306 and EC-5 sensors are incompatible.
Power Supply:
8-30V DC is supplied to the VSL through a solar panel or mains. The VSL has an internal lithium-polymer battery for short-term power supply during periods of no external power supply.
Sensor Outputs:
The default setting is the millivolt (mV) output from the sensor following excitation. The mV output can be converted to meaningful data via a Look-up Table, Script, or Sensor Calibration.
More Details
The VSL is a stand-alone instrument and does not have extensive cabling and power requirements. All data is stored within the unit on a removable MicroSD card. Communication with the VSL is made by USB or wireless connection. Wireless is capable of up to 250m range.
The VSL has an internal lithium-polymer battery for several days field work. Batteries can be charged overnight with a CH24 power supply.
The VSL has Windows and Mac compatible configuration software. The software is GUI based and extremely user-friendly. Custom calibration equations or data can be entered and edited via the software. Real-time measurements, diagnostics and sensor configuration can easily be made.
The VSL has 2 wire, non-polarised bus for power input. There is no chance of incorrect wiring of positive and negative voltage because the VSL is non-polarised.
The VSL is IP65 rated and has been demonstrated to operate in extreme environmental conditions. Units are being used in diverse environments from hot Australian deserts, tropical Amazon rainforests, temperate German forests, Indian agricultural fields and North American Arctic cold.
Instrument Logging |
|
| Analogue Channels | 5 differential or 10 single ended |
| Resolution | 0.00001V—24-Bit |
| Accuracy | 0.001V |
| Minimum Logging Interval | 1 second |
| Delayed Start | Suspend Logging, Customised Intervals |
| Sampling Frequency | 10Hz |
Data |
|
| Communications | USB, Wireless Radio Frequency 2.4 GHz |
| Data Storage | MicroSD Card, SD, SDHC & SDXC Compatible (FAT32 format) |
| Software Compatibility | Windows 8 & 8.1, 10. Mac OS X |
| Data Compatibility | FAT32 format for direct exchange of SD card with any Windows PC |
| Data File Format | Comma Separated Values (CSV) for compatibility with all software programs |
| Memory Capacity | Up to 16GB, 4GB microSD card included. |
Operating Conditions |
|
| Temperature Range | -40°C to +80°C |
| R/H Range | 0-100% |
| Upgradeable | User Upgradeable firmware using USB boot strap loader function |
POWER |
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| Internal Battery Specifications | |||
| 960mAh Lithium Polymer, 4.20 Volts fully charged | |||
| External Power Requirements | |||
| Bus Power | 8-30 Volts DC, non-polarised, current draw is 200mA maximum at 17 volts per logger | ||
| USB Power | 5 Volts DC | ||
| Internal Charge Rate | |||
| Bus Power | 60mA – 200mA Variable internal charge rate, maximum charge rate of 200mA active when the external voltage rises above 16 Volts DC | ||
| USB Power | 100mA fixed charge rate | ||
| Internal Power Management | |||
| Fully Charged Battery | 4.20 Volts | ||
| Low Power Mode | 3.60 Volts – Instrument ceases to take measurements | ||
| Discharged Battery | 2.90 Volts – Instrument automatically switches off at and below this voltage when no external power connected. | ||
| Battery Life varies | |||
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