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Changes for page ANU Seismic Data Loggers

Last modified by Jack Dent on 2026/06/03 09:42
From version 74.1
edited by Jack Dent
on 2026/06/03 09:41
Change comment: There is no comment for this version
To version 71.1
edited by robert
on 2025/11/04 15:36
Change comment: There is no comment for this version

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1 -XWiki.JackD
1 +XWiki.robert
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12 12  
13 13  = Power Considerations =
14 14  
15 -Both the LPR-200 (or "Low Power Recorder" 200) and TerraSAWR are designed to use as little power as possible.
15 +Both the LPR-200 (or "Low Power Recorder" 200) and TerraSAWR are designed to use as little power as possible, and more or less use the same amount of power.
16 16  
17 17  At 100 Hz and with a GPS cable connected these loggers draw about 220 mW of power once the screen is off (higher sample rates draw more power but only marginally, < 5 mW). Adding a sensor (e.g. a Trillium Compact 120) increases this to approximately 400 mW, or 0.4 volt-amps. So, in theory 7 Ah battery should last about 10 days without a solar panel, but in practice it seems to be a bit closer to 8 which may be due to variability in power drain while in getting GPS locks.
18 18  
19 -For very sunny environments (latitudes < 30) a 20 Volt, 10 Watt solar panel should have no issue keeping these loggers alive over the summer months, and assuming unobstructed skies, should also be fine over winter. **However** when possible a 20 Watt panel works best, especially as they usually cost only $10-20 more these days.
19 +For very sunny environments (latitudes < 30) a 20 Volts 10 Watt solar panel should have no issue keeping these loggers alive over the summer months, and assuming unobstructed skies should also be fine over winter. However there is no harm in using 20 or even a 40 Watt panel, especially for high latitudes, coastal regions, or areas without a full sky view. In theory up to a 60 Watt solar panel is fine, but we don't recommend anything over 40 Watts and that amount of power is already overkill.
20 20  
21 -Measurements of a 20 Watt panel in the Canberra (Aus) area show that in full sun, roughly 0.75 amps are put out. As the LPR-200 and TSAWR loggers step down the solar voltage to 12v, a 20 Watt solar panel realistically provides 9 Watts to a seismic station. Theoretically, 1 hour and 9 minutes of sun per day should keep the battery charge stable. However, in practice, 1 hour and 30 minutes of full sunlight for a 20 Watt solar panel is required to keep these stations at a stable charge (this was tested over a 5 day period under Canberra sun in spring)
22 -
23 -**Note**: It is important to understand 2 main limitations of the solar component of these seismic stations. First, the voltage output of most solar panels will drop significantly if even a small portion of the panel is shaded. This is why 'full' sun is a requirement. Second, 1 hour and 30 minutes of full sun per day will not always be achieved. The sunniest possible location for a seismic station is always ideal.
24 -
25 -40 Watt panels can also be used, and may be needed for extreme climates, or areas without a full sky view. 60 Watt panels have also been known to work, but this is now reaching the the limit of what the loggers can reasonably handle for extended periods and are not recommended for long term deploys.
26 -
27 27  (% class="box infomessage" %)
28 28  (((
29 29  Power issues are easy and cheap to solve relative to the cost of your experiment, don't skimp!
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64 64  
65 65  (% class="box warningmessage" %)
66 66  (((
67 -NOTE: the 2 at the very end is for "RECORD ON RESTART". The record on restart option ensures that if the logger dies and is powered back up whilst in the field (due to battery charging cycles or other causes) that the recording will resume. (# of blank spaces before this doesn't matter)
61 +NOTE: the 2 at the very end is for "RECORD ON RESTART". The record on restart option ensures that if the logger dies and is powered back up whilst in the field (due to battery charging cycles or other causes) that the recording will resume. (# of blank spaces before this doesn't matter)
68 68  )))
69 69  
70 70  (% class="wikigeneratedid" id="HTheformatforTSAWRloggersisshorter:" %)
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181 181  
182 182  = LogFile Conversion Script =
183 183  
184 -Both the TSAWR and LPR-200 write logging information as a binary "dat" file which includes GPS time syncs, temperatures, battery power, and position. To convert them into ASCII you can read, use [[THIS PYTHON SCRIPT>>http://auspass.edu.au/field/anusr_log.py]] (current version: 1.42, 02/2026).
178 +Both the TSAWR and LPR-200 write logging information as a binary "dat" file which includes GPS time syncs, temperatures, battery power, and position. To convert them into ASCII you can read, use [[THIS PYTHON SCRIPT>>http://auspass.edu.au/field/anusr_log.py]].
185 185  
186 186  = Instrument Response =
187 187  
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256 256  = References =
257 257  
258 258  * [[PDF Manual>>http://auspass.edu.au/field/LPR-200_Instruction_Manual.pdf]]
259 -
260 -[[TSAWR & LPR-200 sensor pinout>>image:ANU_seismometer_connection.png]]
261 -
262 -
263 263  )))
264 264  
265 265  (% class="col-xs-12 col-sm-4" %)
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299 299  
300 300  
301 301  
302 -
303 -
304 -
305 -
306 306  (% class="box" %)
307 307  (((
308 308  = TerraSAWR Specs =
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366 366  
367 367  
368 368  
369 -
370 -
371 -
372 -
373 373  
374 374  )))
ANU_seismometer_connection.png
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