Inexpensive Digital Strip Chart Recorder

T

Too_Many_Tools

Guest
I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?

Thanks for any leads.

TMT
 
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?

Thanks for any leads.

TMT

Inexpensive and "strip chart recorder" are mutually exclusive.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are lots of addons, google gets tons of hits
"http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=analog+data+recorders"

The next question is: "how much do you want to spend ?? "

Portable, USB, serial, .... lots of questions.

What are you trying to measure will determine what kind of analog data
recorder to buy.

donald
 
I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.

The uses for something like this is many....and I am not trying to be
specific since this will be used to measure a number of physical
parameters.

Let's say one wants a digital solution to what a old HP 680 Strip Chart
Recorder would work for...is there anything out there today that works
the same?

TMT
 
I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.

The uses for something like this is many....and I am not trying to be
specific since this will be used to measure a number of physical
parameters.

Let's say one wants a digital solution to what a old HP 680 Strip Chart
Recorder would work for...is there anything out there today that works
the same?

TMT
Click to expand...
Radio Shack used to sell a Metex VOM (Metex ME-11) that had a serial port
output and software that made essentially a data logger which you could then
pop into an excel or Quattro spreadsheet and massage the data anyway you
liked. I bought two of them from their on-line catalog when they were on
sale maybe 3 years ago, suspect you can still find them, maybe with an USB
port these days. I use one of mine for metering the transmitted signal from
NAA to detect SIDS. Lots more practical than my old Rustrak strip chart
recorder, I can just throw away the "uninteresting" data and not use any
paper at all. The other one is just a backup for my Fluke 77.

W4ZCB
 
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?

Thanks for any leads.

TMT

I don't know if the software is available, separately, but for $25 you
Click to expand...
can buy a 4 channel analog digitizer that comes with such software.
http://www.dataq.com/194.htm
 
On 10 Jan 2006 17:47:31 -0800, "Too_Many_Tools"
<too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:

I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.

The uses for something like this is many....and I am not trying to be
specific since this will be used to measure a number of physical
parameters.

Let's say one wants a digital solution to what a old HP 680 Strip Chart
Recorder would work for...is there anything out there today that works
the same?
Click to expand...
Something like the USB-1208LS from Measurement Computing (I'd post a
link but their referral/tag/cookie system seems to want two or three
lines for the URL) plus an old laptop PC might do the trick.

It's a relatively inexpensive USB gadget that comes with basic "strip
chart" software as a demo app. They have other, faster, and more
expensive models and more software, of course. IIRC, they still include
their Universal Library w/ the device, so you can write your own apps
with your own look & feel.

Higher end stuff is available from places like http://www.astro-med.com/
.... and priced accordingly. Good gear, though.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
 
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.

The uses for something like this is many....and I am not trying to be
specific since this will be used to measure a number of physical
parameters.

Let's say one wants a digital solution to what a old HP 680 Strip Chart
Recorder would work for...is there anything out there today that works
the same?

TMT

OK,
Click to expand...

So the spec's are: not battery operated and must weight in at about 15
pounds. ;-)

I have used some of the smaller devices at :
http://www.dataq.com/c_cr/index.htm

There will be trade offs on "chart speed" = sample rate and resolution
(step size) and max input voltage.

good luck

donald
 
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?

Thanks for any leads.

TMT
Click to expand...
Sure

Look For Data loggers.

DataQ makes some cheap ones www.DataQ.com
 
"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1136941627.419160.149340@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?
Click to expand...
"Round Robin Database Tool" - RRDTool - can possibly be hacked into
submission: http://people.ee.ethz.ch/~oetiker/webtools/rrdtool/


>
 
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?
Click to expand...
Check out

http://www.picotech.com/

Farnell stocked some of their gear when I last looked.

--
Bill Sloman, Nijmegen
 
In article <1136941627.419160.149340@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>,
"Too_Many_Tools" <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:

I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?

Thanks for any leads.

TMT
Click to expand...
http://www.lascarelectronics.com/promo.cfm?CFID=18736453&CFTOKEN=20840100

Independent datalogger that is connected to your computer via USB.
Program it and download data from it. About 99 bucks.

Al
 
Omega OM-EL-USB

USB data logger, stand-alone, temperature, temp/RH, voltage, or
current, about $60

http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=OM-EL-USB-1

OM-PL series, $115 with more options
 
[Note: F'up2 cut down --- should have been done by OP!]

In comp.arch.embedded Too_Many_Tools <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:
I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.
Click to expand...
While a paper strip recorder might have seemed a good idea back in its
day, actually using one in this day and age would be a rather obvious
waste of paper. The kind of device you're looking for is called a
storage oscilloscope or data logger, these days, mostly depending on
its typical sampling rate and number of channels.

Any computer or PDA with decent sound hardware should suffice for a
working, no-cost, software-only approach. Just connect your analog
input to line-in (adapt level and impedance as needed), and record
your signal as an audio stream, which you can later transform into
whatever kind of plot or display you like. It won't be spectacularly
accurate, granted, but it'll still outperform a paper strip plotter on
all practical counts.

--
Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de)
Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.
 
In comp.arch.embedded,
Hans-Bernhard Broeker <broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de> wrote:
Any computer or PDA with decent sound hardware should suffice for a
working, no-cost, software-only approach. Just connect your analog
input to line-in (adapt level and impedance as needed), and record
your signal as an audio stream, which you can later transform into
whatever kind of plot or display you like. It won't be spectacularly
accurate, granted, but it'll still outperform a paper strip plotter on
all practical counts.

For frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz or so you're right and not only because
Click to expand...
the typical paper strip plotter's performance in that range is rather poor.

(Most (all?) PC soundcards ar AC input only.)

--
Stef (remove caps, dashes and .invalid from e-mail address to reply by mail)

The only thing better than love is milk.
 
In article <42kqi7F1hi7q1U1@news.dfncis.de>, Hans-Bernhard Broeker <broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de> wrote:
In comp.arch.embedded Too_Many_Tools <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:
I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.

While a paper strip recorder might have seemed a good idea back in its
day, actually using one in this day and age would be a rather obvious
waste of paper. The kind of device you're looking for is called a
storage oscilloscope or data logger, these days, mostly depending on
its typical sampling rate and number of channels.

Any computer or PDA with decent sound hardware should suffice for a
working, no-cost, software-only approach. Just connect your analog
input to line-in (adapt level and impedance as needed), and record
your signal as an audio stream, which you can later transform into
whatever kind of plot or display you like. It won't be spectacularly
accurate, granted, but it'll still outperform a paper strip plotter on
all practical counts.
Click to expand...
Later transformation pretty much is not what a stripchart is all about.
Real time control and observation! Position, zeroing, instant gain change, etc.
Don't forget writing next to the plot. Very simple.

The only thing I have used, is NI VI, which comes with acquisition cards.
Converts to Excel.

greg
 
"Hans-Bernhard Broeker" <broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de> wrote in message
news:42kqi7F1hi7q1U1@news.dfncis.de...
In comp.arch.embedded Too_Many_Tools <too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:
I would agree...I am surprised that in today's world of electronics
that an inexpensive turnkey appliance is not available.

While a paper strip recorder might have seemed a good idea back in its
day, actually using one in this day and age would be a rather obvious
waste of paper. The kind of device you're looking for is called a
storage oscilloscope or data logger, these days, mostly depending on
its typical sampling rate and number of channels.

Any computer or PDA with decent sound hardware should suffice for a
working, no-cost, software-only approach. Just connect your analog
input to line-in (adapt level and impedance as needed), and record
your signal as an audio stream, which you can later transform into
whatever kind of plot or display you like. It won't be spectacularly
accurate, granted, but it'll still outperform a paper strip plotter on
all practical counts.

--
Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker@physik.rwth-aachen.de)
Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.
Click to expand...
 
Too_Many_Tools wrote:
I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.
Click to expand...
I've used http://xoscope.sourceforge.net/ with a PCI audio card and got
good results, but never quite come across a chart recorder.
 
On 10 Jan 2006 17:07:07 -0800, "Too_Many_Tools"
<too_many_tools@yahoo.com> wrote:

I am looking for an inexpensive digital strip chart recorder.

Does something like this exist?

Are there addons for a laptop, pda or pocket pc that allows one to
record, store and display analog data similar to the good old chart
recorder?

Thanks for any leads.

TMT
Click to expand...
Go to http://www.dataq.com/194.htm

For $50US, you get a 4 channel, 10 bit A/D converter (serial interface
to PC) and PC chart recorder software.

John
 
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