Campbell Scientific PC400 Datalogger Support Software - Manual (Page 213)

Appendix A. Glossary of Terms
A
Advise – See Data Advise
ASCII File – A computer file containing letters, numbers, and other characters
using the ASCII character encoding.
Asynchronous – The transmission of data between a transmitting and a
receiving device occurs as a series of zeros and ones. For the data to be “read”
correctly, the receiving device must begin reading at the proper point in the
series. In asynchronous communications, this coordination is accomplished by
having each character surrounded by one or more start and stop bits that
designate the beginning and ending points of the information (see
Synchronous). The transfer of information is not otherwise coordinated
between the sender and receiver.
Analog Channel – A terminal on the datalogger’s wiring panel where leads for
analog signals are connected. The analog channels are designated single-ended
(SE) or differential (DIFF) on the wiring panel. Many sensors, such as
thermistor temperature probes and wind vanes, output analog signals.
Array-based Datalogger – See Mixed-array Datalogger.
B
Batch Files – An ACSII text file that contains one or more DOS commands or
executable file commands. When the batch file is run, the commands in the file
are executed sequentially.
Battery – This entry in the status table returns the datalogger battery voltage.
Baud – The rate at which a communication signal travels between two devices.
Binary File – A file based on software defined formatting. A binary file can
only be interpreted by the software programmed to decode the formatting. This
format is used for more efficient data storage than is provided by ASCII.
BMP (Block Mode Protocol) – The communications protocol used by the
server to communicate with table-based dataloggers and RF modems.
Broadcast – Part of the radio (RF) technique of polling remote radio modem
datalogger sites. A single modem sends a message (broadcast) that all affected
remotes hear and respond to.
C
Call-back – When a datalogger is programmed for Call-back, it will
automatically call the host computer when a specified condition is met. The
computer must be set up to look for such an incoming call.
Call-back ID Number – A three-digit number that is used to identify what
datalogger has called the host computer. (Not available for Table-based
dataloggers.)
A-1