Star-Oddi Starmon Mini User Manual

Temperature recorder and seastar supporting software

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Distributed by MicroDAQ.com, Ltd.

www.MicroDAQ.com

(603) 746-5524

User Manual for

Starmon mini

Temperature Recorder

and

SeaStar

Graphic Supporting Software

Skeidaras 12

210 Gardabaer

Iceland

Tel: +354 533 6060

star-oddi@star-oddi.com

www.star-oddi.com

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Page 1 Distributed by MicroDAQ.com, Ltd. www.MicroDAQ.com (603) 746-5524 User Manual for Starmon mini Temperature Recorder SeaStar Graphic Supporting Software Skeidaras 12 210 Gardabaer Iceland Tel: +354 533 6060 star-oddi@star-oddi.com www.star-oddi.com...
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Communication Cable ................10 Connecting ..................... 10 COM Connection ..................11 Com Port Wizard ..................11 Using Starmon mini - Tutorial ..............12 Starmon mini Set Up ................12 View Data ....................21 Open Data ....................21 Import ..................... 21 Buttons ....................
Page 4 12.5 Quick Retrieve and Restart Recorder ............. 74 12.6 Change Battery Life ................74 12.7 Insert New Calibration Constants ............76 Group ......................79 Appendix......................83 Directories and Files ................83 Help Menu ....................88 Recorder Backup ..................91 ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 4...
Page 5: Introduction
The serial name of the recorder is T-nnnn. nnnn is a four-digit number. The recorder is powered by a small 3.6V lithium battery. The battery can be replaced with the use of a soldering iron. The recorder can be sent to Star-Oddi for battery replacement and recalibration.
Page 6: Preparation
SeaStar is compatible with other Star-Oddi instruments. A recorder type must be selected before connecting to the recorder. The default setting in the software is set to Starmon mini as a recorder type. Change the recorder type to Starmon mini by doing the following: ©2014 Star-Oddi.
Page 7: Configuration Of The Communication Port
User Manual SeaStar Graphic Supporting Software 1. Choose the File menu and the New Recorder Type command. 2. Select Starmon mini as a recorder type. Figure 2.2 Select Starmon as Recorder Type 2.2 Configuration of the Communication Port It is necessary to define which USB or serial port on your PC computer you will use for connecting the communication cable.
Page 8 After you plug in the USB cable you will see a new communication port in your device manager, called Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port. Make sure that the port is enabled and select the appropriate port in SeaStar. Figure 2.5 USB Communication Port in Device Manager ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 8...
Page 9 Under Ports you can view all available ports. Make sure that the port you are intending to use is enabled: right-click on the appropriate port and select properties. Under Device usage it should state use this device (enable). Figure 2.6 Enable Communication Port ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 9...
Page 10: Hardware Connections
If the battery inside the recorder is dead, the PC and cable are still able to connect to the recorder and retrieve data. 3.2 Connecting Unscrew the end cap on Starmon mini. The socket becomes accessible as shown in the following figure: Figure 3.1 Connector Socket under the Cap Connect the communication cable between the serial port of the computer and the socket inside the recorder.
Page 11: Com Connection
3.2). Com ports up to COM255 can be selected. 3.4 Com Port Wizard Figure 3.3 Com Port Wizard Choose Wizards- Connection Wizard. Connect the USB cable and the selected port will appear in the wizard pop-up window (see figure 3.3). ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 11...
Page 12: Using Starmon Mini - Tutorial
Start the SeaStar software. Remember to carry out the software preparation outlined in chapter 2. Step 2 - Connect Unscrew the end cap on Starmon mini. Connect the communication cable between the serial port of the computer and the socket inside the recorder. Step 3 - Connect to the Recorder Connect the recorder, the selected com port will turn green in the Connection Wizard window.
Page 13 Once the connection has been established, a window appears with information on the 4.3). Figure 4.3 Connecting to the Recorder Press OK. The Recorder is now on-line, as indicated at the bottom of the SeaStar window. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 13...
Page 14 The results are added to the CCD file and the MIT file. Note: If the retrieved number of data does not match the last measured number of data, erroneous results are to be expected. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 14...
Page 15 Figure 4.6 Measurement Sequence Definition Select the start time of recordings (date-month-year, hours-minutes). The start time of the new measurement sequence must be set at a minimum of three minutes in advance. Set the sampling interval (hours-minutes-seconds). ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 15...
Page 16 By hitting the Previous button the settings go back to previous, before changes were made. To read more about templates see chapter 7. After the settings have been selected, press the OK button. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 16...
Page 17 The results are written to a text file, bearing the recorder name with a NMS extension. If a recorder has not been selected then the file bears the recorder type name, still the NMS extension. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 17...
Page 18 Click Yes if you wish to retrieve the data, click No if you would like to retrieve it later. If you want the software to automatically retrieve data upon connection, check the Remember this setting option. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 18...
Page 19 The recorder cannot be loaded with new settings if it contains data that has not been retrieved. This is a safety feature which prevents data from being accidentally lost. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 19...
Page 20 Measurement command. When a data file has been opened, a new window appears with the data shown as a chart and a table. The next chapter will describe in detail how to view and process data. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 20...
Page 21: View Data
5.2 Import Data files from other recorders than Starmon can be imported into SeaStar and viewed as charts and tables. The imported file must be a text file with the extension ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 21...
Page 22: Buttons
Click the button and the following window appears: Figure 5.2 Series list By selecting Only show active table columns only the selected series will be displayed in the chart table. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 22...
Page 23 Horizontal/Vertical Gridlines These two buttons give the option of hiding/displaying the horizontal/vertical gridlines in the chart. A drop-down menu appears when clicking the horizontal gridlines button. Figure 5.4 horizontal gridlines Select the series gridline. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 23...
Page 24 This button gives the option of displaying/hiding data points in the chart. Histogram The chart can be shown as histogram, displaying the distribution of values by percentage. Click the Histogram button and the following window appears: Figure 5.6 Histogram and data statistics ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 24...
Page 25 Click this button to zoom in on a previous view. Adjust Axis This button adjusts the axis in order to display all data within the zoomed timeline. Open file in PatternFinder Click this button to transfer data to PatternFinder ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 25...
Page 26 The graph can be exported in formats as jpg, gif, bitmap, metafile, pdf, htm and svg. Templates If the changes have been made to the graph u that template. It is also possible to load a previously saved template. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 26...
Page 27: Using The Mouse
This view is automatically selected when data is retrieved or a data file is opened. If the chart is closed, but a recorder has been selected, this command can be selected to view the chart. The software will open the latest chart that was viewed for that recorder. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 27...
Page 28 <measurement sequence name>.CCD.  NMS Upon completion of a NMS editing session, estimation of memory and battery usage is calculated and the results placed in a NMS file, which is then displayed to the user. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 28...
Page 29 SNMS LOG File success or failure, a log file for each recorder type is placed in the SeaStar directory. The log file name, for Starmon mini, is DSTT.LOG, i.e. the same naming convention as for the type INI files. Each time a SNMS is performed then the appropriate LOG file is updated.
Page 30 It can be of interest to view the data in its native form, for example to spot saturation/out of range intervals. The DAB can be viewed graphically as a trend via: \Data Trend and Table\ ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 30...
Page 31 Time Synchrone Data (TSD) and Rate of Change (ROC) If the TSD and/or ROC file creation has been enabled under the Settings menu, then information about TSD and ROC can be found in chapter 7. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 31...
Page 32 Figure 5.11 Name the Screenshot The screenshots can be viewed in View-Screenshots or by browsing the screenshot folder, <\SeaStar\ScreenShots\>. The button also performs its normal operation which is to store the screenshot in the clipboard. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 32...
Page 33: Opening Data In Excel
Excel: 1. Excel is started. 2. The a. No changes should be made in first step, so hit the next button. 4. You can now create the graph with columns B and C. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 33...
Page 35: Histogram
6.2 Histogram To print out a histogram, open the chart which histogram you want to print out and click on the Histogram button on the chart bar. The following window appears: Figure 6.2 Histogram ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 35...
Page 36 To change the selected printer, click Setup and select another printer. To see a preview of the print out, select Preview under Report Destination and click OK (see figure 6.3 and 6.4). Figure 6.4 Report Preview ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 36...
Page 37: Files
The dialog window in figure 6.5 has the same functions as the one in figure 6.3. Note that as some of the files are very large, it is recommended to highlight the data you want to print out before printing. Figure 6.6 Report Preview ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 37...
Page 38: Settings
After connecting to a recorder, another directory is automatically created in data files and other files relate directory. Each Starmon mini recorder has its own data directory. User Defined Paths If this option is selected, the User definition data directory becomes active as shown in figure 7.1.
Page 39: Preferences
The user defines whether degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit are used as a unit for temperature measurements. Select Number of Decimals The user defines the number of decimals for temperature values displayed in SeaStar and for text files that are created. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 39...
Page 40: Data File Format
If data is to be exported to other programs, it is recommended that the date and time be joined in one column. Select Decimal Point The user defines whether a comma or period is used for the values displayed in SeaStar and for text files that are created. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 40...
Page 41: Connection
If the data echo check is enabled it is assured that the information file was transferred correctly to the recorder, therefore it is OK to disable the comparison test. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 41...
Page 42: Retrieve Data
Thus if a data file has for example the name 25M1106.DAD then the backup file, that was the first retrieval, gets the name 1#25M1106.DAD, and the 25M1106.MIT file that is associated with the DAD file, is backed up as 1#25M1106.MIT. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 42...
Page 43: View Data
Each time data retrieval is performed, a subdirectory, which name is the sequence numbe files are placed in the sequence directory. The reconvert number system is optional, and the user can disable it in the reconvert menu. When the reconvert number system ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 43...
Page 45: Time Synchronize Data (Tsd)
If the user wants to time synchronize two or more data files, it is possible to select three options: 1 hour, 10 minutes, or 5 minutes. The restriction is that the sampling interval selected must be greater than the initial interval, and it must also be dividable ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 45...
Page 46: Rate Of Change (Roc)
P: Parameter expressed in a user defined unit t: Time (hour, minute or second) The way the ROC is set up and viewed is very similar to the TSD. Figure 7.10 ROC Definition ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 46...
Page 47: Chart
OK button. Time Axis To change the time scale of the chart click on the X axis. A dialog box appears: Figure 7.12 X-Axis Settings Dialog Box ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 47...
Page 48: Chart Editor
There are five main branches on the tree:  Series  Chart  Data  Tools  Export The tree menu gives access to the same features as the tab menu described in the immediately. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 48...
Page 49 The Series window offers the same features as t Figure 7.14 Chart Editor When a particular series is selected, like the Temperature series for example, a two tab menu is revealed, as seen in fig. 7.15 Figure 7.15 Format Series ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 49...
Page 51 The legend menu (see figure 7.18) gives the user an option of showing a series legend. The 8 tab menu gives options in styling positioning and formatting the legend. Figure 7.18 Legend Menu ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 51...
Page 52 Paging can be useful for viewing distinct time periods, one at a time, days or hours for example. No offset is offered and sampling periods and start time can limit the usefulness of this option. Figure 7.20 Paging Menu ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 52...
Page 53 Changes can be made to the time and measurement values. Changes made to the data, are included when the data is exported, but if the data are viewed again or affected by changes made to the database. Figure 7.22 Data Menu ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 53...
Page 54 Figure 7.24 shows options when saving the chart as a picture to a file, or copy the picture to the clipboard. There are seven format possibilities.  Metafile  Bitmap  JPEG  GIF  PDF  VML  SVG ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 54...
Page 55 SeaStar at the moment. Figure 7.25 Export Menu: Native Data Data can be exported to files in four formats, see figure 7.26.  Text file (.txt)  XML (.xml)  HTML (.hml)  Excel (.xls) ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 55...
Page 56 To copy a part of a data file, for example from a DAT file, then highlight the part you want to copy and use the Ctrl+C keyboard buttons to copy the data snippet to the clipboard. Then use the paste-option in another Windows application to transfer the data from the clipboard. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 56...
Page 57: Timeline
When the graph first appears, the Timeline is inactive. By selecting the Timeline in the Series List (see fig. 7.28), the Timeline becomes visible as shown in figure 7.29. Figure 7.28 Timeline Selection ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 57...
Page 58 Timeline settings. The Timeline is not a part of the *: DAT or the *.TSD files. If the data is exported (see the Export section), then the Timeline (if selected) will be included. Thus, the Timeline can also be used for statistical purposes. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 58...
Page 59: Templates
NMS are OK, the user has an option to write a description for the template (see fig. 7.33). INI file and saved in the SeaStar\NMS directory. The name of the file is MST<date><type letter>time<Interval mode>.INI. Fig. 7.31 Template Options in Edit\New Measurement Sequence ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 59...
Page 60  Start time in the past is not allowed as will be apparent when exiting the Edit NMS window.  Some recorder types are less compatible than others, an example of that is a DST milli template converted to a DST GPS NMS. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 60...
Page 61 1. Use Default: No recorder selected. 2. Use Recorder: Recorder selected but not a measurement sequence. 3. Use Sequence: Measurement sequence selected. 4. Use Online: Recorder is on-line. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 61...
Page 62: Multiple Intervals
New Measurement Sequence Definition command. Select Multiple Intervals and the following dialog box appears: Figure 8.1 Multiple Interval Selection 8.1 Start Time The user defines the date and time when recordings should start. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 62...
Page 63: Measurement Interval
With the Use Sequence button it is possible to get same settings as from other recorders, by browsing for their serial no. By hitting the Previous button the settings go back to previous, before changes were made. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 63...
Page 64: Reconvert Data
Set Reconversion Measurement Sequence Start-Time If the user notifies from retrieved data that the date and clock are incorrect at the start of measurements, then it is possible here to specify a new start date and time. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 64...
Page 65  RBD file. This option rarely needs to be selected. If the constants from the MID and RID file are corrupt, the user should contact Star-Oddi for an RBD file. See chapter A.3 for instructions on how to transmit the RBD files to the recorder.
Page 66: Temperature Definition
Figure 9.2 Temperature Reconvertion Definition 9.3 Offset Adjustment When Starmon mini recorders are used over a longer period of time the temperature measurements can start to deviate from correct values. This is usually due to aging and Star-Oddi recommends the recorders to be calibrated after 2-3 years.
Page 67 Each time a reconversion is performed, a numbered file is created in the sequence folder. To view previous conversions select a file under View and choose Previous as can be seen in figure 9.3. Figure 9.3 Previous Conversions ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 67...
Page 68 If data from the same sequence is retrieved more than once, a bookmarked data sequence file (DAD) is created. These files can be accessed and reconverted by choosing File-Reconvert data-Previous as can be seen in figure 9.5. Figure 9.5 Reconvert Previously Retrieved Data ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 68...
Page 69: Recorder Modes
(date/month/year) and sampling interval (hours/min.) defined by the user. When the memory is full, the recorder shifts automatically into Sleep Mode. Upon connection and command from the PC, the recorder is put into PC Mode. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 69...
Page 70: Memory And Battery
The data memory pointer is reset to the beginning of the data memory and starts to write over older recordings. The organization of the memory is now as follows: Data memory Settings Unused memory/ Old recordings Figure 11.2 Data Memory with New Settings ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 70...
Page 71: Battery Calculations
 Energy estimation calculations are not in accordance with actual energy consumption. To change/correct the battery energy numbers in the recorder refer to chapter 13.5. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 71...
Page 72: Wizards
Port wizard (see figure 12.2). The wizard goes through available ports and activates them one at a time and asks the user to confirm that the communication cable is connected to this specific port (see figure 12.3). ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 72...
Page 73: Start Recorder
Choose the Wizards menu and the Retrieve Data command to enter the wizard (see figure 12.5). Figure 12.5 Retrieve Data Wizard This wizard retrieves data from the recorder and offers the user to start it again with a new measurement sequence. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 73...
Page 74: Quick Retrieve And Restart Recorder
A new wizard has been added to the Wizards menu, the Change battery life wizard. Choose the Wizards menu and the Change battery life command to enter the Change battery life wizard (see figure 12.7). Figure 12.7 Change battery life ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 74...
Page 75 Each time the number of weeks is changed, the Calculated total battery used(%) is recalculated, note that the Calculated total battery used(%) value will not show a directly weeks * energy pr week, as the sleep + delay values must be accounted for. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 75...
Page 76: Insert New Calibration Constants
= temperature in °C x = decimal values (recorder raw measurement values) Having recalibrated a Starmon mini recorder the results must be placed in a text file named after the recorder and with the extension NCT. For example, for recorder T4605 the NCT file should be named T4605.NCT.
Page 77 3) Connect to the recorder and retrieve the RID file. 4) Having connected to a Starmon mini (like T6405) the wizard will look for a NCT file with the same name, like T6406.NCT, in the SeaStar\RBD\ folder. Having found the matching NCT file, the wizard will read the NCT file and merge it with the existing RID and save as a new RBN file in the SeaStar\RBD\ folder.
Page 79: Group
Name the group and enter a description. The group file will be saved under the directory: C:\SeaStar\Groups. Each group has its own subfolder where data files from each sequence in the group are stored, this way the data can be accessed from PatternFinder and Gná. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 79...
Page 80 To add a sequence to the group connect to a logger and define and start a new measurement sequence. When starting the new sequence the following window appears: Figure 13.4 Add Sequence to Group ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 80...
Page 81 When retrieving data from a logger and the sequence is already in a group the data retrieval time is registered in the group. Also when the data is converted/reconverted a copy of the *DAT file is stored in the group folder. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 81...
Page 82 Figure 13.6 Send Group It is also possible to transfer a group by clicking the Send Group to button the group view pane. Close Group Select Close Group to close an open group. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 82...
Page 83: Appendix
(data directory). All in all it is a three level directory structure. An example of this directory structure for Starmon mini is: C:\Seastar\ The installation directory, SeaStar.exe location.
Page 84 The INI file will user defined directory, where a *.RID file must be selected. Recorder Related Files Every file for Starmon mini that is recorder related has the following name format: Txxxx - The name is the recorder ID (serial no.) Description...
Page 85 (bookmark) and a number. Then follows a description of the header item, and then 1-4 directives, all separated by tabs. Eventually a comment trails the directives, preceded by a semicolon (;). The following is a description of the directives contained in the data header. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 85...
Page 86 0: Colon (:) 1: Dot (.) Channel 1: Set as left axis, normally temperature. The four directives are: Axis header, unit: Text Column header, unit: Text Number of decimals: (0-3) Axis direction (1,2) Ascending Descending ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 86...
Page 87 An integer value in mbar Channel 3: Set as extra right axis, normally salinity. The four directives are: Axis header, unit: Text Column header, unit: Text Number of decimals: (0-3) Axis direction (1,2) Ascending Descending ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 87...
Page 88: Help Menu
A.2 Help Menu Choose Help and the following window appears: Figure A.1 Help Menu User Manual Select User Manual to open the Starmon mini user manual. Troubleshooting Select Troubleshooting to open the Trouble-Shooter. Release Notes Select Release Notes to view a description of the latest features added to SeaStar, the date when they were added and a reference to the chapter number of each manual where the additions can be found.
Page 90 Tickets can also be created by e-mailing support@star-oddi.com with the problem description and files attached. If you want to add more information to a previously created ticket you can reply to the support response. ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 90...
Page 91: Recorder Backup
A.3 Recorder Backup When replacing the battery, new recorder sessions have to be transmitted to the recorder. The user should contact Star-Oddi for a RBD file.The name of the backup file is Txxxx.RBD (serial no. of the recorder plus the .RBD ending).
Page 92 Figure A.7 Set Sequence Number 6. The SeaStar software downloads the RBD file into the recorder and the window in figure A.8 appears. Click OK. Figure A.8 Backup Operation ©2014 Star-Oddi. All Rights Reserved Page 92...

Star-Oddi Starmon Mini User Manual

1 Introduction

2 Preparation

3 Hardware Connections

4 Using Starmon Mini - Tutorial

5 View Data

6 Printing

7 Settings

8 Multiple Intervals

9 Reconvert Data

10 Recorder Modes

11 Memory and Battery

12 Wizards

13 Group

Appendix

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Summary of Contents for Star-Oddi Starmon Mini

Table of Contents