Measurement Computing USB-5100 Series Reference guide

USB-5100 Series
USB Data Loggers for Windows® and Mac®
Software Help
Document Revision 6
December 2015
© Copyright 2015

SM USB-5100.docx
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Table of Contents
About this Help Document...................................................................................................................6
What you will learn from this help document ....................................................................................................6
Conventions in this user's guide .........................................................................................................................6
Where to find more information.........................................................................................................................6
Chapter 1
Introducing USB-5100 Series...............................................................................................................7
Getting Started....................................................................................................................................................7
Installing USB-5100 Series Software.................................................................................................................7
Installing USB-5100 Series Software ............................................................................................................................... 7
Checking for Software Updates........................................................................................................................................ 7
A Tour of the USB-5100 Series Software Interface...........................................................................................8
The Points Table............................................................................................................................................................... 8
The Details Pane............................................................................................................................................................... 9
The Plot............................................................................................................................................................................10
Chapter 2
Working with USB-5100 Series Data Loggers..................................................................................11
Connecting Devices..........................................................................................................................................11
Connecting a USB logger ................................................................................................................................................11
Disconnecting a Device ...................................................................................................................................................11
Connecting Multiple Devices...........................................................................................................................................11
Launching Devices ...........................................................................................................................................12
Launch Logger Dialog Box ..............................................................................................................................12
Launch Options for USB-5100 Series Data Loggers........................................................................................13
Logger Information..........................................................................................................................................................13
Sensors.............................................................................................................................................................................13
Deployment......................................................................................................................................................................14
Options.............................................................................................................................................................................15
Using Launch Utilities......................................................................................................................................15
Configuring a Filter Series at Launch ..............................................................................................................................15
Configuring a Data Assistant (Scaling)............................................................................................................................16
Configure Alarms ............................................................................................................................................................18
Statistics: Maximum, Minimum, Average, and Standard Deviation ................................................................20
Filtered Series vs. Statistics Logging................................................................................................................21
Burst Logging...................................................................................................................................................22
Checking the Device Status..............................................................................................................................24
The Status Dialog Box......................................................................................................................................25
Device Identification........................................................................................................................................................25
Device Details..................................................................................................................................................................25
Current Readings .............................................................................................................................................................25
Stopping a Device.............................................................................................................................................26
Chapter 3
Reading Out, Plotting, and Analyzing Data......................................................................................27
Reading Out Data .............................................................................................................................................27
Plotting Data.....................................................................................................................................................28
Opening Files....................................................................................................................................................30
Working with Plots...........................................................................................................................................30
Actions..............................................................................................................................................................31
Menus...............................................................................................................................................................31
Using the Arrow Tool.......................................................................................................................................32

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Using the Crosshair Tool..................................................................................................................................32
Zooming, Panning, and Smart Scaling Plots ....................................................................................................33
Zooming...........................................................................................................................................................................33
Panning............................................................................................................................................................................33
Smart Scaling...................................................................................................................................................................33
Copying the Plot...............................................................................................................................................34
Closing a Plot ...................................................................................................................................................34
Printing Plot Elements......................................................................................................................................34
Printing a Graph...............................................................................................................................................................34
Printing Points and Details...............................................................................................................................................34
Chapter 4
Modifying a Plot ..................................................................................................................................35
Setting Properties for Plot Elements.................................................................................................................35
Setting Axis Properties ....................................................................................................................................................36
Setting Series Properties...................................................................................................................................37
Setting Legend Properties.................................................................................................................................38
Setting Title Properties.....................................................................................................................................39
Setting View Properties....................................................................................................................................39
Adding a Graph Label ......................................................................................................................................40
Moving a Series from Front to Back on the Plot ..............................................................................................41
Filtering a Series...............................................................................................................................................41
Hiding/Showing or Removing a Series from a Plot..........................................................................................42
Copying a Series to Another Plot .....................................................................................................................42
Overlaying Series.............................................................................................................................................................42
Merging Files....................................................................................................................................................43
Converting Units...............................................................................................................................................44
Undoing and Redoing Plot Changes.................................................................................................................45
Saving Project Files..........................................................................................................................................45
Using the Linear Data Assistant (USB-5106 Only)..........................................................................................45
Default Settings................................................................................................................................................................45
Hiding Assistants.............................................................................................................................................................45
Updating the Linear Scaling Assistant.............................................................................................................................45
License Agreement ..........................................................................................................................................................46
Linear Scaling Assistant...................................................................................................................................46
Using the Linear Scaling Assistant..................................................................................................................................46
Exporting Data..................................................................................................................................................47
Exporting Table Data........................................................................................................................................47
Exporting Details..............................................................................................................................................48
Formatting the Date/Time Column in Excel.....................................................................................................49
Chapter 5
Hardware Reference ...........................................................................................................................50
Updating USB-5100 Series Logger Firmware..................................................................................................50
Determining the installed firmware version:....................................................................................................................50
Updating the firmware.....................................................................................................................................................50
Fixing a Read Header Failed Error...................................................................................................................51
Chapter 6
Preferences..........................................................................................................................................52
Setting Preferences...........................................................................................................................................52
General Preferences..........................................................................................................................................52

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Export Settings.................................................................................................................................................................52
Selecting Devices.............................................................................................................................................................52
File Associations..............................................................................................................................................................53
Startup..............................................................................................................................................................................53
Data Encoding .................................................................................................................................................................53
Export Settings .................................................................................................................................................53
Communications Preferences ...........................................................................................................................54
Other Options...................................................................................................................................................................55
Plotting Preferences .........................................................................................................................................................55
Fonts................................................................................................................................................................................55
Layout..............................................................................................................................................................................55
Points Table & Details Pane ............................................................................................................................................55
Gridlines ..........................................................................................................................................................................55
Plot Setup.........................................................................................................................................................................55
Other Options...................................................................................................................................................................56
Undo & Redo...................................................................................................................................................................56
Display Preferences..........................................................................................................................................56
Default Units....................................................................................................................................................................56
Date/Time ........................................................................................................................................................................56
Series ...............................................................................................................................................................................57
Warnings Preferences.......................................................................................................................................57
General.............................................................................................................................................................................58
Warnings Before the Launch Screen................................................................................................................................58
Warning After the Launch Screen....................................................................................................................................58
Restoring Default Preferences..........................................................................................................................59
Menus...............................................................................................................................................................59
The USB-5100 Series Menu ............................................................................................................................................59
The File Menu..................................................................................................................................................................60
The Device Menu.............................................................................................................................................................60
The Edit Menu.................................................................................................................................................................61
The View Menu ...............................................................................................................................................................61
The Window Menu..........................................................................................................................................................62
The Help Menu................................................................................................................................................................62
The Toolbar......................................................................................................................................................62
Setting the Language/Format on Your Computer.............................................................................................63
On Windows....................................................................................................................................................................63
On Macintosh OS X.........................................................................................................................................................63

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About this Help Document
What you will learn from this help document
This help document describes the Measurement Computing USB-5100 Series.
Conventions in this user's guide
Note
Text presented in a box signifies additional information related to the subject matter.
bold text Bold text is used for the names of objects on a screen, such as buttons, text boxes, and check boxes.
italic text Italic text is used for the names of manuals and help topic titles, and to emphasize a word or phrase.
Where to find more information
Additional information about USB-5100 Series is available on our website at www.mccdaq.com. You can also
contact Measurement Computing Corporation with specific questions.
Knowledgebase: kb.mccdaq.com
Tech support form: www.mccdaq.com/support/support_form.aspx
Email: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone] and follow the instructions for reaching Tech Support


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Chapter 1
Introducing USB-5100 Series
USB-5100 Series is used for launching, reading out, and plotting data from USB-5100 Series data loggers.
Launch and read out USB-5100 Series data loggers
Check the logger status and current readings
Plot, filter, and export data
Save changes to graphs in a project file
Getting Started
Follow the instructions in the USB-5100 Series Getting Started to install the software, connect your logger,
launch, and readout data. You can expect to be comfortable with software fundamentals within a few minutes.
For an introduction to the software interface, see A Tour of the USB-5100 Series Interface.
Installing USB-5100 Series Software
You can download and install USB-5100 Series software from the MCC website.
Note: You must be an administrator to install USB-5100 Series software.
If you have additional questions, please contact MCC Technical Support.
Installing USB-5100 Series Software
Refer to the ReadMe.rtf file installed with the software for detailed information about the system
requirements needed to run USB-5100 Series.
Installing on Windows
You must be an administrator to install USB-5100 Series.
1. Download the USB-5100 Series for Windows from www.mccdaq.com/software.aspx.
2. Run the USB-5100 Series_Setup.exe installer file and follow the onscreen instructions.
The Java™ Runtime Environment is required. If the correct Java Runtime Environment version is not
already installed on your computer, the setup program asks if you want to install it. Click Yes and follow
the prompts. After the Java Runtime Environment is installed, the software installation continues.
3. Launch the software by double-clicking the USB-5100 Series icon .
The software is installed by default to \Measurement Computing\USB-5100 Series.
Installing on Macintosh
1. Oracle Java is available from www.java.com. Download a disk image for the Java Runtime Environment
(JRE) for Java 7 or higher and install it before installing the USB-5100 Series software.
2. Download the USB-5100 Series for Mac OS X from www.mccdaq.com/software.aspx.
3. Launch the USB-5100 Series.pkg file, and follow the onscreen instructions.
4. Click Restart when you reach the final screen of the installation program. The software does not recognize
your logger until you have restarted.
5. After restarting, launch the software by double-clicking the USB-5100 Series icon in the computer
Applications folder.
Checking for Software Updates
Periodically check for updates to USB-5100 Series at www.mccdaq.com/software.aspx.

USB-5100 Series Software Help Introducing USB-5100 Series
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A Tour of the USB-5100 Series Software Interface
This is the main USB-5100 Series window. Use the menu bar or tool bar to access all the features within the
software. The status bar at the bottom of the window shows the current view in place (as selected from the
Window menu) as well as the device currently selected or connected.
1 Points table 3 Plot
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Details pane
Figure 1. Main USB-5100 Series Window
This example shows a file that has been opened and plotted. There are three components to a plotted data file:
the Points Table, the Details Pane, and the Plot.
The Points Table
The Points Table lists data points (values) and logged events displayed in the plot. The Points Table is linked to
the graph – only the data for the series and events on the plot are listed in the Points Table.
Figure 2. Points Table
The data points are listed chronologically. Each point or event is listed in a single row and each series or event
type is displayed in a column. You can resize the columns by clicking and dragging the dividers between the
column headers.

USB-5100 Series Software Help Introducing USB-5100 Series
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To navigate the Points Table:
Use the arrow keys or scroll bars to move up, down, left, and right in the Points Table.
Click the crosshair tool in the plot to select the corresponding point in the Points Table.
Click a value or event cell in the Points Table to display the crosshair on the graph at the time
corresponding to that cell.
To resize the pane, drag the divider between the Points Table and the plot.
To hide the Points Table, clear the View»Points Table checkbox option.
To hide the Points Table by default when you plot data, complete the following steps:
1. Select File»Preferences»Plotting»Layout.
2. Clear the Show the points table when plotting data checkbox.
The Details Pane
The Details Pane shows information for each series and event displayed in the plot including:
Information about the devices, such as model and serial numbers.
Deployment information, such as the launch description, deployment number, start time and time zone,
logging interval, and battery voltage at launch.
Series statistics, such as the total number of sensor samples and events, time of the first and last sample, and
the maximum, minimum, average, and standard deviation for each sensor series in the plot,
Figure 3. Details Pane
Click to expand or to collapse an entry in the Details Pane. Click Show All/Hide All to expand or collapse
the entire details tree.
Click a series node in the details tree to select the corresponding series on the graph and corresponding column
in the Points Table.
To resize the pane, drag the divider between the Details pane and the graph.
Right-click a series to hide it on the plot and in the Points table. The hidden series will be grayed out in the
Details Pane. Right-click a grayed out series to show that series or select Show All Hidden Series to show all
series that were previously hidden.
To hide the Details Pane, clear the View»Details Panecheckbox option.
To hide the Details pane by default when you plot data, complete the following steps:
1. Select File»Preferences»Plotting»Layout.
2. Clear the Show the details table when plotting data checkbox.

USB-5100 Series Software Help Introducing USB-5100 Series
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The Plot
The plot displays the data series and events in a graph. The plot has a time axis (x-axis) and a value axis (y-axis)
for each series selected in the Plot Setup dialog box. The title is displayed at the top of the plot by default. The
title text comes from the Description field in the Plot Setup dialog box.
The legend lists the keys (line colors and marker types) for each series, and is displayed to the right of the plot
by default. If the crosshair tool is in use, it also lists the date, time and point values currently selected by the
crosshair.
Figure 4. Plot Display
To hide the title, clear the View»Title checkbox.
To hide the legend, clear the View»Legend checkbox.
Double-click a plot element (series, axis, title, or legend) to change its properties, or right-click the plot and
select the item from the context menu.
For more information about working with the plot, see Reading Out, Plotting, and Analyzing Data.