Dear colleagues,
I've been trying to collect data from a Compact Card via comunication link as described on the CFM100's user guide. Every time I try to collect data through both the "Custom" and "Collect Now" buttons, even when I choose the "collect all data" and "create a new file" settings, I've noticed that I always receive the same amount of data, the most recent ones.
However, I know the Compact Card is capable of storing a longer data tables period of time, but I haven't been able to access that. Is there any additional settings which I'm not paying attention?
Regards,
Francisco.
How long should the logger be able to store data? I.e. the table fill times from Loggernet Station Status?
And how long is the period that you really can retrieve data?
Was this a working system that at some point started to show your described problem?
Hello, thank you for your attention. I've made an estimation of 180 days, because this system is installed in a bouy and it'll be unapproachable during this period of time.
I've run some tests sending new programs to the datalogger and I've noticed that since I'm using the CardOut() in auto mode when I send a new program without changing the declared data tables the CFM100's LED turns orange if I say not to erase previous data. Hence, the datalogger stops the writting on the CompactFlash Card and I think that was the problem.
Do you know why is this happening?
If by auto mode you mean you are letting it auto-allocate the size of the tables, then the answer is that when you do this the logger allocates the card by writing empty files of the calculated maximum size of the tables onto the card, essentially filling the whole card.
(It writes empty files so the logger can write data into the file without having to update the file allocation table of the card which is time consuming and potentially risky.)
Because the files are there, even if containing little data, if you tell the logger to not erase anything when loading a new program, it has no free space on the card to put further files or data. It will not write data from a program that has changed into an existing file as the metadata in the table, e.g. start time, program sig etc, will be wrong.