LPL Topics
Analog Measurements
Using the LI-6400
23-67
a collection of channels that are to be measured in the same way. That is,
groups define how channels are measured, as all channels in a group are mea-
sured the same way, in terms of frequency, number of samples, etc. Groups
are identified by number, starting with 0. The number of possible groups (his-
torically 5) is also obtained via
To illustrate groups and channels, consider the main LI-6400 application,
OPEN. The LI-6400 has a four gas analyzer signals (two CO
2
and two H
2
O),
and about 12 other sensors, such a light sensors, thermistors, etc. We want
readings for all of these sensors every, say, 1 second, and we want those read-
ings to be an average over the prior 1 second. But, the gas analyzer signals
require higher resolution and move averaging to smooth the noise than the
other sensors. We still want 1 second readings, but they should reflect a lot
more sub-readings than the other sensors. How do we accomplish this?
We could define two measurement groups: Group 1 could sample at 8 Hz and
provides a new reading (the average of those 8 samples) every 1 second.
Group 2 could sample at 20 Hz, and provides a new reading every 1 second,
but that new reading would be the average over the last 4 seconds, for exam-
ple, to help smooth the noise. Having defined the groups, we then can identify
the channels that are to be included in each group.
Note that in LPLÕs scheme of things, the same channel can be included in
multiple groups. One could, for example, measure a thermocouple in two dif-
ferent ways by including it in two different groups. One group might provide
high speed sampling, and the other longer term averaging.
Setting It Up
Analog measurements involve a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that the oper-
ating system takes care of, and you the programmer donÕt need to worry about
(very much). However, there is a right way and a wrong way to get things
done, so a few simple rules need to be followed.
The first step in making analog measurements is to tell the operating system
to make some work space for itself. This is done with
turns an address that you must keep track of. The best method is to use a glo-
bal pointer. It is in this internal structure that the operating system will keep
track of our group and channel definitions. Looking ahead, when we are done
with a particular set of definitions, we should get rid of them via
.
The next step is to define our groups (with
). Once this is done, we tell the operating system to ÒcompileÓ our
desires into an Òaction tableÓ, using
Summary of Contents for LI-6400
Page 1: ...Using the LI 6400 Portable Photosynthesis System ...
Page 15: ...Part I The Basics ...
Page 16: ......
Page 174: ...Making Measurements Answers to Questions 4 56 Using the LI 6400 4 ...
Page 175: ...Part II Useful Details ...
Page 176: ......
Page 200: ...Standard Tools Power ON Hooks 5 24 Using the LI 6400 5 ...
Page 214: ...Real Time Data Real Time Graphics 6 14 Using the LI 6400 6 ...
Page 234: ...Environmental Control Light Control 7 20 Using the LI 6400 7 ...
Page 244: ...Light Sensor Considerations Gallium Arsenide Phosphide GaAsP Sensor 8 10 Using the LI 6400 8 ...
Page 288: ...Data Logging Making Your Own AutoPrograms 9 44 Using the LI 6400 9 ...
Page 289: ...Part III Working With Files ...
Page 290: ......
Page 312: ...The LPL File System Troubleshooting 10 22 Using the LI 6400 10 ...
Page 340: ...Downloading Files Using a Data Capture Program 11 28 Using the LI 6400 11 ...
Page 375: ...Part IV Configuration Issues ...
Page 376: ......
Page 420: ...Defining User Variables Old Style vs New Style 15 18 Using the LI 6400 15 ...
Page 454: ...Using an Energy Balance Further Reading 17 12 Using the LI 6400 17 ...
Page 455: ...Part V Maintenance Troubleshooting ...
Page 456: ......
Page 572: ...Troubleshooting Useful Information 20 46 Using the LI 6400 20 ...
Page 593: ...Part VI Programming ...
Page 594: ......
Page 622: ...Programming with LPL Compiler Directives 22 28 Using the LI 6400 22 ...
Page 846: ...Index I 16 Using the LI 6400 ...