Pico PT-104 - Platinum Resistance Data Logger

The PT-104 is a four-channel temperature measuring data logger. It offers the ultimate in resolution (0.001 °C) and accuracy (0.015 °C). Along with temperature it can also be used to measure resistance and voltage.

Accuracy and resolution

Although accurate temperature sensors are widely available, it has been difficult to take advantage of them due to errors caused by the measuring device. Your PT-104 however, is inherently accurate due to its innovative design. Rather than relying on voltage references (which tend to be temperature sensitive) it uses ‘reference’ resistors which are extremely stable (low temperature coefficient and drift). The exact value of each resistor is stored in an EEPROM to provide the ultimate in accuracy (yearly recalibration is recommended). A high-performance 24-bit ADC is used to achieve the 0.001 °C resolution.

Temperature

The PT-104 measures temperature using platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs). Both common industry standards (PT100 and PT1000) are supported. The unit is compatible with two, three and four-wire sensors (four-wire PT100 sensors are recommended for accurate measurements). A wide range of PT100 sensors are available for use with your PT-104.

Resistance

When measuring resistance, the PT-104 uses a four-wire circuit to give the greatest possible accuracy. Two resistance ranges are available (0 to 375 Ω and 0 to 10,000 Ω). The unit is calibrated for 0 to 375 Ω so this range should be used for accurate measurements.

Voltage

For voltage measurements, each input connector can be treated as a differential input with ground, or two single-ended inputs. Both inputs must be zero volts or above, though it does not matter which input has the higher voltage. Two voltage ranges are available (0 to 115 mV and 0 to 2500 mV). For the most accurate measurements use the 0 to 2500 mV range.

Software

The PT100 data logger is supplied with PicoLog data logging software. PicoLog will automatically detect which sensor is connected and will display readings in the correct units. Also supplied is a software development kit. The SDK contains a range of software drivers and example code that you can use to write your own software or to use your PT-104 data logger with third-party software

But I need to measure more channels…

The PT-104 is capable of measuring up to 4 channels at once. Need more channels? No problem. Using PicoLog you can connect up to 20 PT-104s to one PC - giving you a potential 80-channel PT100 data logger. Alternatively you can use your PT-104 logger with up to 19 other Pico data loggers, such as the PicoLog 1000 multichannel data logger, to create your own custom data acquisition system.

The ultimate in portability

With both USB and Ethernet interfaces the PT-104 can be used in a variety of situations. If you need a portable solution that can be used at various locations and is fast to set up and use, simply connect your laptop to the PT-104 by USB. Need to monitor a situation over a period of hours or days, or from a remote location? Plug your PT-104 into a spare port on your network and then access it remotely either from your LAN or over the internet (using Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology means that you don’t even need a separate power supply).

When accuracy is paramount the PT-104 is what you need

The PT-104 platinum resistance data logger gives you the ultimate in resolution and accuracy. You can use it to measure temperature, voltage and resistance. Having both USB and Ethernet interfaces gives you the choice of how you connect and power your PT-104, along with the ability to access the PT-104 remotely over a LAN or the internet. When the accuracy of your temperature measurements is paramount the PT-104 is what you need.

Spreadsheet view

Displays text data in a format that can be easily copied and pasted into other applications. Data can also be saved to disk in standard ASCII text format.

Graph view

Graphs can be displayed both during and after data collection. Each channel can be displayed in its own graph or multiple channels can be displayed in the same graph. Axes can be set up manually, automatically or in chart recorder mode. Multipliers allow you to magnify areas of interest. Graphs can be copied and then pasted into reports.

XY graph view

Displays one parameter against another. Useful for plotting voltage against current, for example.

Player view

Displays previously recorded data. It enables you to scroll quickly through stored files to compare results on successive runs. The player can be used to examine old data while new data is still being recorded.

Parameter scaling can be used to convert raw data into standard engineering units. A wide range of equation and table lookup scaling options are provided. Additional parameters can be calculated. For example, to calculate power output from a boiler you may need to multiply a flow reading from one channel with the temperature difference between two further channels. Alarm limits can be set for each channel to alert the user should a parameter go out of a specified range.

Software Development Kit (SDK)

As well as the supplied PicoLog software, also included are drivers and examples for those who want to write your own software or interface to other programs. Software drivers are supplied for Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac (OS X) and Linux (including Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone).

Example code shows how to interface to third-party software packages such as Microsoft Excel and National Instruments LabVIEW as well as how to write your own software in C++ / C#.