After Logger Pro has been launced and a sensor has been identified by the program, you can quickly begin collecting data. There are a few ways to initiate data collection:
Starting data collection will overwrite previously collected data if data were collected in time mode and data collection lasted for less than 60 seconds. To prevent losing your data, you can store your data. If you have not stored your data, and if the collection mode is not time based, or if the mode is time based but the collection length is greater than 60 seconds, you will be presented with a dialog offering several choices:
Store Latest Run stores the latest Data Set and creates a new Data Set (identical to selecting Store Latest Run from the menu before pressing Collect).
Clears out the latest data before collecting.
Think of this as a pause feature for data collection. By appending, Logger Pro continues collecting data and adds it to the latest Data Set. Note, no data will be collected between the time the data collection stops and when you click Append to Latest. This is different from extending data collection.
Example: Your data collection ends at 60 seconds (either because you clicked
or the time ran out) and you want to append the data. Let's say you take a break for a beverage then come back. It took you 172 seconds. Logger Pro will continue marking the time of your run. If you click Append to Latest, data collection will resume at 232 and add it to your previous data set. Keep in mind that Logger Pro will continue to collect data until you click
.
If you have already collected data, then set up a new sensor, a new column will be added to the column marked "Latest," but the old data points will remain.
If trigger is set to none, data collection will begin shortly after the start command is given. If a trigger level or condition is set, the start command will ready the computer for data collection which will begin when the trigger condition is met. If the sampling rate is very fast, some objects may not be updated until data collection ends.
If the sampling speed is fast (more than 250 points per second), you will not see the data updated in the graph window until the collection is finished. In this case, if you stop the data collection before it finishes, no data will be saved. Likewise, if you stop collection before a trigger condition is met, you will get NO data.
Note: Changing the data collection mode will always save the data as a run, even if the run is less than a minute long.