globalwater GL500-2-1 User manual

Global Water
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GL500-2-1 Data Logger
Covers GL500U-2-1 and GL500S-2-1 Data Loggers
Global Water
Instrumentation, Inc.
11390 Amalgam Way
Gold River, CA 95670
T: 800-876-1172
Int’l: [phone], F: [phone]
[email protected]
11/30/09
01-460

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Congratulations on your purchase of a Global Water GL500-2-1 Data
Logger. This instrument has been quality tested and approved for
providing accurate and reliable measurements. We are confident that you
will find the logger to be a valuable asset to your applications. Should you
require assistance, our technical staff will be happy to help.
Table of Contents
I. Checklist ▫▫▫▫▫3
II. Inspection ▫▫▫▫3
III. Warranty ▫▫▫▫▫3
IV. Specification ▫▫▫▫▫4
V. System Requirements ▫▫▫5
VI. Software Installation ▫▫▫▫5
VII. Direct Connection ▫▫▫▫8
VIII. Modem Connection ▫▫▫▫9
IX. Main Screen ▫▫▫▫▫12
X. On-Line Help Files ▫▫▫▫16
XI. Get History ▫▫▫▫▫17
XII. Setup Menus ▫▫▫▫▫18
XIII. General Setup ▫▫▫▫▫19
XIV. Analog Setup ▫▫▫▫▫22
XV. Digital Setup ▫▫▫▫▫25
XVI. Programming ▫▫▫▫▫27
XVII. Input Connections ▫▫▫▫28
XVIII. Modem Cable Diagram ▫▫▫29
XIX. Maintenance ▫▫▫▫▫30
XX. Troubleshooting ▫▫▫▫30
XXI. Customer Support ▫▫▫▫31
XXII. CE Certification ▫▫▫▫32
Copyright ©Global Water Instrumentation, Inc. 2006

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I. Checklist:
a. GL500U-2-1 (USB) or GL500S-2-1 (Serial) Data Logger
b. GL500-2-1 Data Logger Manual
c. GL500S comes with a RS-232 Serial Cable
d. GL500U comes with a USB Cable, Type A to B
e. Global Logger Interface Software on CDROM
II. Inspection:
a. Your Data Logger was carefully inspected and certified by our Quality
Assurance Team before shipping. If any damage has occurred during
shipping; please notify Global Water Instrumentation, Inc. and file a
claim with the carrier involved.
III. Warranty:
a. Global Water Instrumentation, Inc. warrants that its products are
free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use
and service for a period of one year from date of shipment from
factory. Global Water’s obligations under this warranty are
limited to, at Global Water’s option: (I) replacing or (II) repairing;
any products determined to be defective. In no case shall Global
Water’s liability exceed the products original purchase price.
This warranty does not apply to any equipment that has been
repaired or altered, except by Global Water Instrumentation, Inc.,
or which has been subject to misuse, negligence or accident. It
is expressly agreed that this warranty will be in lieu of all
warranties of fitness and in lieu of the warranty of
merchantability.
b. The warranty begins on the date of your invoice.

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IV. Specification:
Power Supply: Two 9VDC alkaline batteries standard
5 VDC Min. to 24.0 VDC Absolute Maximum
Standby Current: 65uA Typical
Logging Current: 5mA Typical + sensor current
Operating Temperature Industrial, -40ºC to +85ºC (Batteries may not apply)
Analog Sensor Inputs: 4-20mA
Resolution: 12-Bit, 4096 Steps
2 channels + battery voltage monitor
Sensor Warm-up Time: Programmable, 0-60 Seconds
Digital Input: Switch closure input
Maximum Input Voltage: 24VDC
Maximum Frequency: 100Hz
Minimum Pulse Width: 2mS
Maximum Count: 65,535 (16-Bit)
Sample Modes: Fixed Interval: Programmable from 1 Sec. to >1 Year
High Speed: 10 Samples per second
Logarithmic Sample Rate (Approximation)
Exception (Log only on deviation from previous reading)
Storage Capacity: 81,759 Recordings for two analog inputs, battery voltage
monitor and date/time stamp
Communication Ports: GL500S-2-1: RS-232 4-pin circular connector
GL500U-2-1: USB Type B
Selectable Baud Rates: Auto Detect or fixed, rates at
9600, 19200, 28800, 38400, 57600, 115200

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V. System Requirements:
Desktop or Laptop computer with:
1) Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP Vista or Windows 7 Operating Systems
2) CDROM Drive
3) RS-232 COM Port (for GL500S) or USB Port (for GL500U)
Note that the software provided with the data loggers is for running on
desktop and laptop computers only. Software for many popular Handheld
PDA devices is available from Global Water. Special cables may be required.
VI. Software Installation:
Global Logger Installation: This software is for use on Windows based desktop
and laptop computers only. Insert the software installation CD and run the Setup
program. This will install the Global Logger application in the Program Files folder
and automatically put the Global Logger II icon on the desktop.
Serial communication (GL500S Only): If you are using the RS-232 serial port to
access the data logger, no further action is needed. You can start using the logger
by opening the Global Logger application program. Skip the next section.
USB Driver Installation (GL500U Only): With the installation CD in the CDROM
drive and DC power applied to the logger, plug the USB cable into the data logger to
open the ADD New Hardware Wizard. The menus that follow will look different for
different operation systems but the procedure is the same. Do not allow the
Hardware Wizard to automatically search for the driver. Instead, specify the
location (CDROM). If a generic driver gets, or has been previously installed, it must
be uninstalled before proceeding by using the Add or Remove Programs section of
the Control Panel. Instead, click the Search External Media box or Specify a
Location box and install the driver from the CDROM. Running the Setup program
that installs the Global Logger software also installs a folder with the driver in it. This
location can also be specified if the CDROM is not available; although, it is
recommended that the driver be installed at the same time the Global Logger is
installed.

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GL500U Only
The following menus apply to the Windows XP operating system.
1) Do not let Windows search
for software. Click “No, not
at this time” when asked if
Windows Update can search
for software.
Click Next.
2) Do not let Windows automatically
install the software. Click “Install
from a specific location”.
Click Next.
3) Specify the location of the driver.
Make sure the Global Logger CDROM
is in the CD drive and click “Search
removable media” only.
Click Next.

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GL500U Only
4) The Hardware Wizard searches
for the driver.
If Windows advises that the software
is not certified, click:
“Continue Anyway”.
This only means that Microsoft has not
licensed the software. Second party
software is allowed and no harm will
come to your computer.
5) The first half of the installation is
complete. The Hardware Wizard
must make two passes.
Click Finish.
6) Two drivers are required so the Hardware Wizard repeats the exact same process
again. As before; a: do not let the Windows Update do a search, b: tell Windows to
search from a specific location instead of automatically installing software, c: tell
Windows to search from removable media (CDROM).
7) The installation is complete.
Click Finish.

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8) To confirm the installation, look in the
Device Manager and find the USB Serial
Port. The COM setting following that will
show the virtual COM port that has been
automatically assigned to the driver. As
you will see in the following sections, this
COM port will be automatically detected
by the Global Logger software so it is not
necessary to note which port is being
used by the driver.
VII. Direct Connection:
Important: This data logger supports an Auto Baud Rate Mode which automatically
detects the communication speed. However; this communication software also
supports loggers which may be programmed in a Fixed Baud Rate Mode. This is
useful in telemetry applications, particularly when using Global Water data loggers
with our Global Access radio modem software. The upcoming discussion assumes
that the logger is programmed in auto detect mode. If you cannot connect to the
logger and suspect that the logger may be using a fixed rate mode; try each
connection speed separately, especially 38400 which is required when using the
Global Access software.
There are 3 ways to connect to the data Loggers, direct connection through the RS-
232 serial port (GL500S only) or USB port (GL500U only), as well as dial out through
an installed modem (GL500S-2-1 only with external serial modem).

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To make a direct connection to the logger, click the “Direct” option and from the
“Port” menu, select the port you wish to use.
For USB access (GL500U) select the USB serial port at the COM port the driver was
assigned, which is automatically shown in the list as “Global Logger USB Device”.
Serial connection (GL500S) is generally done using the serial cable provided with
the logger through the 9-pin COM1 connector at the back of the computer although
COM2 can also be used.
Next, select the desired baud rate from the “Baud Rate” menu. Generally, the
fastest rate of 115,200 is used although; long cables or other factors may require a
slower setting. Click “Connect” to make the connection. If a connection is not made,
an error message will appear. Check the battery, communication cable, driver
installation and COM port settings.
VIII. Modem Connection (GL500S Only):
Access to the GL500S-2-1 can be made through dial-out to a remote modem by
clicking the “Modem” option. The connection from modem to logger requires an RS-
232 serial modem, USB modems are not supported as an interface to the logger;
therefore, the GL500U logger cannot be accessed by modem. Also, some switch

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GL500S Only
settings must be made to the remote modem and an initialization file may be
required to properly configure the host modem.
Two baud rates are supported 9600 and 19200. Should you experience difficulty
establishing a reliable connection at 19200, try the slower connection speed. Note
that due to the slower baud rates and the additional handshaking performed during
modem communication, The Global Logger software will operate significantly slower
than during a direct connection.
The Global Logger software will remember the last 4 numbers dialed and has a
provision for using a stored text file (.txt extension) for initialization of the host
modem using standard AT commands. Some experience may be required to
configure your modem but a sample command file and some useful tips follow.
Select the baud rate
Type in or find the phone number
Useinitializationfile
Select the modem’s COM port
Browse

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GL500S Only
Sample initialization text file:
This is for reference and applies to
an external US Robotics modem only.
ATM1 ; speaker off when connects
AT&B1 ; fixed serial port rate
AT&D2 ; normal DTR
AT&H1&R2 ; h/w flow control Connect 19200
AT&I0 ; disable s/w flow control
AT&K0 ; disable compression
AT&M4 ; normal error control
Select the COM port for your modem
and the baud rate. Type in the phone
number or select it from the list of pre-
stored numbers. If necessary, click the “Use Initialization File” box and use
the browse button to search for the initialization text file for your modem. Click
“Connect” and the software will dial out, showing the status screen shown above.
Once a connection is established, “Connect” will appear for a few seconds along with
the baud rate of the connection. After connecting, the normal Global Logger screen
will appear and operate exactly as if a direct connection was made. All options and
features work the same but at a reduced communication speed.
When connecting the GL500S Data Logger to an external modem, a special cable is
required. Wiring diagrams are provided at the end of this manual and pre-wired
cables are available from Global Water.
The remote modem is configured by setting DIP switches. They should be set to
auto-answer on, DTR Normal, carrier detect normal and smart mode. Global Water
can provide external modems and interface cables at an additional cost if requested.
Contact our sales department for more information.
It may not be necessary to use an initialization string to configure the host modem
but if problems arise the modem should be set with software handshaking off (Xoff),
DTR normal, fixed baud rate, compression off and error correction on. This
configuration is done by building an initialization file using the standard AT
commands and loading it into the connection screen.

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IX. Main Screen:
The main screen is where the status and option menus are accessed. The data
logger will continue to log at normal intervals while connected to the Global Logger
software. While connected, the logger will draw an addition current from the power
supply of 5-10mA so it is advised that, if you plan to not access the logger for
extended periods of time, you disconnect to increase battery life. Interface cables
may remain connected. To disconnect, click on the “Disconnect” button. This label
on this button will change to “Connect” and clicking on it will return you to the
connection screen as previously discussed.
The functions and information in this screen are discussed in the following sections.
The screen image above shows water level and temperature although any type of
sensor can be connected to the logger. Battery voltage is always monitored on
channel 3.

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Tool Bar: The tool bar at the top of the screen has 3 options; File, Action and Help.
In this screen, the File option is used to exit the program only. Action allows a menu
driven interface to the various functions and displays the hot-keys, which can be
used for fast access. In the Help menu; Help allows you to view the on-line help files
(see section X, Page 16), About shows contact information and revision information
for the Global Logger software and Firmware Version displays the data logger’s
revision number.
COM Status: This reads “Connected” in green or “Not Connected” in red,
depending on the current connection status.
Logger Name: The logger name is a user defined name associated with a particular
logger to identify one from another. It is programmed in the Setup menu as
described later and is limited to 32 characters.
Logger Time: The time and date displayed is that of the real-time clock in the
logger. It is only updated upon initial connection and certain functions that cause
data to be read from the logger. These include Sample Continuously, Get Sample,
Sync Time and Setup whose functions are to be described later.
Interval: This field displays the logging mode. “Fast” indicates high-speed mode
and “Logarithmic” is shown in logarithmic mode. If the logger is in the normal fixed
interval sampling mode, the time between samples will be displayed. These modes
are to be described later.
Warmup: This displays the sensor warm-up time.

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Records: This field indicates the number of data recordings in memory.
Logging State: This shows whether the data logger is currently logging or waiting to
be started or stopped by the alarm timers. These features are described in detail
later.
Sample Continuously: Clicking this check box causes the Global Logger software
to take and display a real-time reading once per second until stopped by clicking it
again, as well as update the rest of the fields on the screen. These data readings
are not stored in the historical record and do not affect the normal recording of the
logger. The initial reading has a sensor warm-up time of 50mS and the sensor is left
powered up until this feature is turned off.
Get Sample: Clicking this button causes the Global Logger software to take and
display a single reading as well as update the rest of the fields on the screen. This
data reading is not stored in the historical record and does not affect the normal
recording of the logger. The sensor warm-up time is fixed at 50mS.
Get History: This button starts the download of all the historical data stored in the
logger memory. Oldest data is collected first and Clicking “Stop” halts the process.
This function is described in detail later.
Clear History: This resets the number of recordings in memory to zero. The user is
warned first and must confirm the action before the memory is cleared.
Sync Time: This button causes the data logger’s internal clock to be set to the
system time of the computer it is connected to. The user is warned first and must
confirm the action before the time is set.
Setup: Clicking this button enters the setup screen where the user can change and
program all parameters into the data logger. This function is described in detail later.

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Bar Graphs: The bar graphs show a visual representation of the most recent data
reading taken by using the Sample Continuously or Get Sample functions. The
upper and lower limits of the display are defined by the user as discussed in detail
later.
Numerical Reading: The numerical reading at the bottom of the bar graph shows
the actual data reading and is updated at the same time as the bar graph.
Successive numerical readings taken by using Sample Continuously or Get Sample
are shown in a list below the bar, up to 5.
Pulse channel: The GL500-2-1 Data Logger has one pulse channel with a
maximum count of 65,535. At the time of the logger’s normal sampling interval, the
counts are stored in memory along with the other sensor data and time stamp, and
then the counters are set to zero to start the counting sequence over again. The
Pulse Channel 1 field shows how many pulses have been counted since the last
logger recording. For example: If the logger is set to record once per minute and it
is put into Sample Continuously mode, the display will be updated once per second
and as pulses are applied to the pulse inputs, the Pulse Channel fields will update
the count. At the end of the normal one minute sampling interval, the total number of
pulses will be stored in memory and the Pulse Channel field will show zero until
more pulses are applied. Note that the pulse channel can be scaled to show rainfall,
water flow etc. by multiplying the count by a user definable number as described in
detail later.
Alarm 1: This field shows the time that the logger is set to start logging. The start
alarm is a 24-hour timer which will initiate logging, when enabled, at the next
occurrence of that time.
Alarm 2: This field shows the time that the logger is set to stop logging. The stop
alarm is a 24-hour timer which will halt logging, when enabled, at the next
occurrence of that time after the logger has started recording. If the Alarm 1 timer is
set to initiate logging, the Alarm 2 timer will halt logging at the next occurrence of the
Alarm 2 time after the logger has been started by Alarm 1. If the Alarm 1 timer is not
enabled, the Alarm 2 timer will halt the logger on the next occurrence of that time.
Note: Use care when programming the alarm times. If left enabled, changing
and reprogramming any of the setup parameters will restart the alarm timers
and could cause the logger to stop recording.

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X. On-Line Help Files:
Clicking on Help displays the on-line help files which contain all of the information
contained in this manual. There are 3 ways to access the information. The first tab
is Contents which accesses the table of contents for the manual. Clicking on any of
the topics opens up the
body of text on that
subject. Within each
body of text is a
discussion of that
subject and links to
related topics
underlined in blue.
Clicking on the link
will bring up a new
window with specific
information on that
topic. In this case,
Sensor Warm-up time
in the General Setup
menu.
Click the Index tab to find a listing of topics. Type letters into the keyword field and
the program automatically sorts the topics alphabetically. To find relevant topics
based on a keyword, click the Search tab. Type in a keyword and click List Topics.
When the desired topic is found, double-click on it or click Display at the bottom of
the screen to show information on that subject.

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XI. Get History:
Clicking the Get History button begins the downloading of the historical data into an
information screen. This screen allows the viewing of the recorded data and also
provides a path to export the data to an Excel compatible file (.CSV file). Note that
the logger continues to log as data is downloaded. Thus, more data points may be
downloaded than originally indicated.
At the top of the screen is shown the name assigned to the logger and the number of
recordings that have been retrieved. At the bottom of the screen are three buttons,
Pack, Save to File and OK.
Pack: The Pack function removes recordings that are identical to the previous ones.
All the channels must be the same as the row above for it to be removed. If even a
single channel has data that differs from the previous sample, the row will not be
removed. This function works best when a single channel is being recorded and
allows only the data showing changing conditions to be viewed.

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Save to File: Clicking this button
allows the data to be exported to an
Excel compatible .CSV file.
Specify the path and the file name
and click the Save button
Options: This opens a menu which
Allows you to select if you want the
Time and date in the time stamp to
Be in one column or two in the saved .CSV file. Click Close to return.
OK: Clicking the OK button
returns you to the main screen.
XII. Setup Menus:
Clicking the Setup button enters the setup menu which is composed of three
sections, Analog, Digital and General. The first screen to appear is General Setup.
At the top of the setup screen is a toolbar with three options, File, Action and Help.
File: The File option allows you to exit the setup screen but most importantly, it
allows all of the configuration information for the logger to be saved to a file or
restored from a file. Select “Load Setup File” to restore a configuration from a file
that has been previously saved or “Save Setup File” to save the current setup and
calibration information. The last 4 files are shown for convenience. Setup files have
a .SET extension. It is advised that after you calibrate and configure the logger, you
save the configuration to a file as a backup precaution before exiting the setup
menu.

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Action: The Action menu has two options, “Program Settings” and “Initialize to
Default Values”. Program settings will reprogram the data logger with all the setup
and calibration information and works the same as the Program Settings Button at
the bottom of the screen. Initialize
will restore all of the analog, digital
and general setup information fields
to default values. Only the setup
menus are changed, the data logger
must still be programmed with the
new default values. A warning message will appear before this action is taken.
Help: The Help menu provides access to the on-line help files and Global Water
contact information as described previously.
XIII. General Setup:
In the General Setup menu, the logger name, sensor warm-up time, logging mode,
logging interval and alarm times are entered.

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Name: The logger is a user definable name to identify the logger. Up to 32
characters are allowed however, a continuous string of characters of more than 16
with no spaces may not be displayed correctly. Click on the field to enter
information.
Sensor Warm-up Time: To conserve battery life, the
sensors do not normally have power applied to them.
Before taking a reading, the logger powers up the
sensors for the sensor warm-up time, and then removes
power from them again. The allowable times are zero
(50mS) to 60 seconds. Click on the field to enter or
select the time in seconds from the pull-down menu.
Baud Rate: Leave this set to Auto Baud Rate.
Only change this to a fixed baud rate if planning to
use this logger in a telemetry application, such as
using Global Water’s Global Access radio modem
software. Once programmed in a fixed rate mode,
you must set the baud rate in the opening connection menu of the Global Logger II
software to this speed, or the logger will not communicate.
Sample Periodically: Sampling at regular intervals is the most common recording
mode. Click the Sample Periodically option, select the units from the pull-down
menu and click the numerical field to enter the number of those units up to 65,535.
Fast Sampling Mode: In Fast mode, the sample rate is fixed at 10 times per
second. The time stamp will not read fractions of a second so there will be 10
samples per time stamp. Click the Fast mode option to select this feature.