Wiki source code of ANU Seismic Data Loggers

Version 74.1 by Jack Dent on 2026/06/03 09:41

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38.1	9	ANU has designed and built three generations of seismic data recorders, two of which (the small yellow TerraSAWR and the larger beige LPR-200) are still in use today. Despite their contrasting appearance, they both use the same software, data cards, and have the same instrument response.
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1.1	12
46.2	13	= Power Considerations =
	14
74.1	15	Both the LPR-200 (or "Low Power Recorder" 200) and TerraSAWR are designed to use as little power as possible.
46.2	16
54.1	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.
46.2	18
74.1	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.
47.1	20
74.1	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
71.2	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
47.1	27	(% class="box infomessage" %)
	28	(((
	29	Power issues are easy and cheap to solve relative to the cost of your experiment, don't skimp!
	30	)))
	31
52.1	32	(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
54.1	33	In the case of an LPR, there is a large compartment for housing an internal battery, able to accommodate anything from a 10-30Ah battery. To use a standard lead acid battery with a positive and negative terminal, a 6 pin adaptor must be used. This ensures the voltage from the external power port (pins A and C) connect to the battery and ensure the system actually recharges. (See [[Peripheral Equipment>>doc:Instrumentation.Peripheral Equipment.WebHome]] for a more comprehensive overview of this kind of setup)
52.1	34
65.1	35	= GPS Considerations =
	36
67.1	37	GPS is required for the data to have accurate timestamps. A standard 3-5V 1575.42 Mhz coaxial "dongle" antenna works fine and can be found for relatively cheap (e.g. [[https:~~/~~/www.elecbee.com/en-3555-gps-antenna-bnc-male-for-garmin-gps-120120xl125-sounder-with-cable-2m) >>https://www.elecbee.com/en-3555-gps-antenna-bnc-male-for-garmin-gps-120120xl125-sounder-with-cable-2m]]. Anything that locates satellites and gives you a GPS-synced time works!
65.1	38
	39	The TerraSAWR has a built-in GPS but this doesn't work as well, especially if the logger is (wisely) buried. The LPR does NOT have a built-in GPS antenna, so an external antenna is mandatory.
	40
	41	In a pinch, a severed or broken antenna can be mended back together relatively easily by non-experts. Even stripping the wire and twisting it back together by hand on site is possible!
	42
15.1	43	= Data Card Formatting and Information =
	44
42.1	45	Both the TerraSAWR and LPR-200 require SD Cards to be formatted in FAT32 filesystem. For 64Gb cards it can be difficult to format in FAT32, but [[software >>http://auspass.edu.au/field/fat32cardformatter.exe]]is available. ANU recommend SanDisk Extreme 150 mb/s cards in either 32 or 64Gb size. We strongly discourage using cards larger than 64Gb, and in general smaller cards are less likely to fail. We have also found that "adapter" cards (e.g. SD to microSD) are prone to having write issues and strongly advise against them.
15.1	46
42.1	47	The loggers can be "pre-programmed" with information (e.g. site name, sampling rate, etc) or they can be programmed in the field using the buttons on the logger. To pre-program the cards you simply edit a text file (named "[[ANUSRSetup.txt>>http://auspass.edu.au/field/ANUSRSetup.txt]]" for the LPRs, or "[[tSAWRSetup.txt>>http://auspass.edu.au/field/tSAWRSetup.txt]]" for the TerraSAWRs) and place it in the root directory on the SDCard. When the logger boots up, it will parse and load this information.
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66.1	49	(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="HTheformatforANUSRSetup.txt2FLPR200swillbeasinglelineoftextthatlookslikethis:" %)
	50	The format for ANUSRSetup.txt / LPR200s will be a single line of text that looks like this:
24.1	51
25.1	52	{{{XXX195G0100010034864 2 }}}
24.1	53
46.2	54	//corresponding to//
24.1	55
46.2	56	site XXX19,
	57	network 5G,
	58	sample rate 0100, (i.e. 100 Hz)
	59	"gps interval" 01 (once per hour~-~- don't change),
	60	start mode (always 0),
	61	stop mode (always 0),
	62	seismometer type (3 = broadband (+/- 20V), 2 = Guralp (+/- 10V), 1 = shortperiod (+/- 5V),
	63	and seismometer serial number (4864).
	64
29.1	65	(% class="box warningmessage" %)
	66	(((
72.1	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)
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	71	The format for TSAWR loggers is shorter:
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	74	(((
	75	NOTE: The format is shorter as they don't have an option to set the "GPS sync". The GPS sync number should be omitted otherwise the formatting will not work!
	76	)))
24.1	77
31.2	78	SITE15G02500039999 2
	79
33.1	80	corresponding to site SITE1,
31.2	81
	82	network 5G
29.1	83	sample rate 0250, (i.e. 250 Hz)
	84	start mode (always 0),
	85	stop mode (always 0),
31.2	86	seismometer type (3 = broadband (+/- 20V), 2 = Guralp (+/- 10V), 1 = shortperiod (+/- 5V),
29.1	87	and seismometer serial number (9999).
24.1	88
29.1	89
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	91	The formatting process using the logger:
29.1	92
30.1	93	The process for formatting an SD card within the logger is straightforward. Navigate to the "SD INFORMATION" screen and press ERASE SD CARD. This process may take up to a minute. This will result in erasing all files from the card. Upon starting recording, a new 'seed' will be written containing all the information that the logger has been set with FINISH THIS SECTION
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42.1	95	[[image:original_0747763c-e3dd-4667-b897-833f12c8e0b8_20241219_130604.jpg\|\|height="240" width="298"]]
29.1	96
24.1	97	Here is a general guideline for how much data you can expect to fit on a card:
	98
	99	{{{ 64Gb card: 245 days @ 250hz or 610 days @ 100hz
31.1	100	32Gb card: 122 days @ 250hz or 305 days @ 100hz
	101	}}}
24.1	102
46.2	103	== Default Settings ==
24.1	104
46.2	105	As of 2025, the default settings for both LPR (v. 2.7) and TSWAR (v 3.6a) loggers are below. If you're using a broadband instrument, you are essentially good to go without having to program the cards.
	106
	107	* XX.ANUSR network and station name
	108	* 100 Hz Sample Rate
54.1	109	* 40 Vpp (or +/- 20 V) gain / Trillium Compact seismometer version
46.2	110	* Record on Restart enabled
	111
	112	Note that if a user sets the gain incorrectly, this can be fixed later (assuming nothing clipped) by multiplying or dividing by factors of 2. The gain setting can be looked up from the logfile, else you may have to guess from a PSD or other method.
	113
31.1	114	= Logger Menus Overview (and setup) =
24.1	115
36.1	116	The same menus are used in both the TSAWR and LPR-200 loggers.
31.4	117
31.1	118	== System Information ==
	119
	120	This menu provides an overview of the status of the station. Under 'Initialisation Parameters', the status of systems that are initialised upon powering on the logger can be checked.
	121
	122	This menu also displays the firmware version, battery, external, and solar voltages, and the temperature of the system.
	123
59.2	124	* Check that all //Initialisation Parameters// are marked as successful.
	125	* Check that solar voltage is above 10 V in the software, or preferrably physically check that the battery's voltage is increasing via a DMM.
31.1	126
	127	== Live Seismometer Data ==
	128
	129	This screen displays real time seismometer data for all 3 axes of the seismometer. Initially, a plot of raw data from all 3 channels is shown. By pressing enter, a high pass filter can be applied showing a more useful plot of all channels. The up and down arrows can be used to change between a view of all channels, individual channels, and all channels on different X axes.
	130
44.1	131	* Check that all 3 channels are present and are producing a signal.
	132	* Stomp on the ground near where the sensor is installed to check that a signal is being picked up by all 3 channels.
	133	* Common representations of poor signals include channels sloping smoothly from high values to zero, or sharp corners in the plots.
31.1	134
33.1	135	== GPS Data ==
31.3	136
	137	This menu displays the status of the stations' GPS connection. The screen lists; UTC time, UTC date, latitude, longitude, altitude, number of satellite connections, and SNR.
	138
59.2	139	* Check that the station is connected to satellites. 3 or more should be perfectly adequate to keep time.
31.3	140
	141	== SD Information ==
	142
	143	The menu lists if the SD card has been initialised, as well as the capacity and space free on the memory card. See "Data card formatting" (above) to see how to format and initialise the inserted SD card.
	144
31.2	145	== System Configuration ==
	146
	147	This menu is used to set the stations identifiers and parameters.
	148
	149	First, the sampling rate can be chosen from a set of options (1 Hz, 10 Hz, 25 Hz, 40 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 250 Hz, 1000 Hz).
	150
	151	Next, the station identifier (up to 5 characters) and the network code (2 characters) can be set.
	152
	153	Record start and stop mode should be left to 'On Request' mode.
	154
	155	The seismometer model and serial number (up to 10 characters) can be set. Seismometer model options include:
	156
54.1	157	* Trillium Compact (same for 20s and 120s models)
43.1	158	* CMG - 3ESP
	159	* Guralp 40T
	160	* LE-3D Lite
	161	* Mark L4C
	162	* Mark L4
31.2	163
	164	Additionally, the following settings can be used in place of the seismometer model types: +/- 20V, +/- 10V, +/- 5V
	165
31.3	166	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.
31.2	167
43.1	168	* Set the sampling rate, station identifier, and network code. Set the appropriate seismometer type. Most importantly, ensure the record on restart setting is checked.
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31.3	170	(% class="box errormessage" %)
31.2	171	(((
60.1	172	Again, ensure the 'RECORD ON RESTART' option is marked with a cross (the default setting). This ensures that the logger will record any time it receives enough power!
31.2	173	)))
	174
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42.1	176	[[image:original_2b83fcf5-ee5a-4375-bab1-2d738e4ffe8c_20241219_130646.jpg\|\|height="234" width="289"]]
34.1	177
31.3	178	== STA/LTA Configuration ==
	179
43.1	180	The Short Term Average and Long Term Average Configuration screen.. this is a relic for when people weren't recording continuously. Not advised!
31.3	181
27.2	182	= LogFile Conversion Script =
	183
72.1	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).
27.2	185
28.1	186	= Instrument Response =
27.2	187
60.2	188	Both the TerraSAWR and LPR-200 use the same ADS1281 analog-to-digital converter chip and are designed to have identical instrument response. The ADC (analog to digital) chip in both loggers originally samples at 1024000 Hz and downsamples towards the output data rate via a 5th order SINC filter, then another four FIR filters. If the output is below 250 Hz, a final "pure" /5 decimation is done without any sort of FIR filter (for better or worse!).
1.1	189
62.1	190	In the logger's menu, the user can choose to apply a 2nd stage "sensor gain" by selecting an instrument type in the setup menu. This effectively selects a 10 Vpp (e.g. short period sensors), 20 Vpp, 40 Vpp (most broadband sensors) regime to match the sensor's sensitivity. This has the effect of doubling amplitude from 10v to 20v, or quadrupling from 10v to 40v. If you have set your sensor correctly (and the signal isn't clipped!) you can "correct" this by simply multiplying your data by 0.5 etc. This gain manifests itself in stage 2 in the response information.
	191
60.2	192	//(The 600+ Stage 3 SINC coefficients during the initial 1024k > 16k decimation were left off as they slowed down the process x10 and contribute at most 0.3 db amplitude and 0.31 ms phase delay discrepancies, and primarily only to frequencies near the nyquist. If for some reason you want to add this phase manually we can share the parameters with you.)//
28.1	193
62.1	194	You might notice that the response information may come in two versions. The response from our website (see link below) includes the 2nd "sensor gain" stage for clarity. e.g. here is a Trillium Compact 120 & ANU Logger response
	195
	196	##Channel Response
	197	From M/S (Velocity) to COUNTS ()
	198	Overall Sensitivity: 3.95452e+08 defined at 1.000 Hz
	199	8 stages:
	200	Stage 1: PolesZerosResponseStage from M/S to V, gain: 754.3
	201	Stage 2: ResponseStage from V to V, gain: 0.25
	202	Stage 3: CoefficientsTypeResponseStage from V to COUNTS, gain: 2.09715e+06
	203	Stage 4: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 1
	204	Stage 5: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 1
	205	Stage 6: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 0.99998
63.1	206	Stage 7: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 1##
62.1	207
	208
64.1	209	However, if retrieving from AusPass or IRIS, the 2nd "sensor gain" stage is combined with the logger gain. This has no affect, but you may detect that the former Stage 2 V->V ResponseStage has been merged into the Stage 3 gain.
62.1	210
	211	##Channel Response
	212	From M/S (Velocity) to COUNTS ()
	213	Overall Sensitivity: 3.9546e+08 defined at 1.000 Hz
	214	6 stages:
	215	Stage 1: PolesZerosResponseStage from M/S to V, gain: 754.3
	216	Stage 2: CoefficientsTypeResponseStage from V to COUNTS, gain: 524288
	217	Stage 3: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 1
	218	Stage 4: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 1
	219	Stage 5: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 0.99998
	220	Stage 6: FIRResponseStage from COUNTS to COUNTS, gain: 1##
	221
	222
60.2	223	For the most part, the data logger response essentially flat when the samplerate output is set to 100 Hz or less and for seismological purposes is likely to be impossible to detect below 20 Hz regardless.
28.1	224
71.1	225	Instrument response can be downloaded from IRIS [[Nominal Response Library>>https://ds.iris.edu/ds/nrl/datalogger/anurses]] if need be, or [[directly from us>>http://auspass.edu.au/data/logger_response]] , or by downloading the response of an equivalent sensor at AusPass (e.g. get_stations(level='response') ).
28.1	226
56.1	227
59.1	228	[[Amplitude and phase response for ANU logger at 50 Hz>>image:ANU_50hz_response.png\|\|data-xwiki-image-style-alignment="center" height="356" width="475"]]
56.1	229
59.1	230	[[Amplitude and phase response for ANU logger at 100 Hz>>image:ANU_100hz_response.png\|\|data-xwiki-image-style-alignment="center" height="355" width="473"]]
56.1	231
59.1	232	[[Amplitude and phase response for ANU logger at 250 Hz>>image:ANU_250hz_response.png\|\|data-xwiki-image-style-alignment="center" height="359" width="479"]]
56.1	233
59.1	234	[[Amplitude and phase response for ANU logger at 1000 Hz>>image:ANU_1000hz_response.png\|\|data-xwiki-image-style-alignment="center" height="367" width="489"]]
56.1	235
	236
60.2	237	[[Huddle test comparing a Trillium Compact 120 + TerraSAWR vs a Trillium Compact 120 + Nanometrics Centaur (M8.AUANU) at 100 Hz>>image:TC120_ANU_vs_CENTAUR.png\|\|data-xwiki-image-style-alignment="center"]]
28.1	238
55.1	239	= ANU TerraSAWR (Gen 3, FW 3.5a, 2014- current) =
28.1	240
55.1	241	Earliest known model is dated July 2014 (though first deployed in 2019) and our current flagship model. Lightweight and small.
1.1	242
55.1	243	= ANU LPR-200 (Gen 2, FW 2.6a/2.7a, 2011 - current) =
1.1	244
55.1	245	Earliest known model is dated May 2011 (but first deployed November 2012) and still in use today. Potentially capable of housing much larger batteries than the TSAWR due to the larger cavity space.
1.1	246
69.1	247	We have found that the older LPR SD card slots can sometimes fail such that the data cards prematurely "pop out" during recording, which can be catastrophic. This seems to mostly occur in periods of hot weather, but not always. We have developed a small add-on that screws into the nearby serial port that effectively holds the cards in place and will ship included with these loggers. Screw the device in firmly, then gently slide over a pre-inserted card until it is flush with the top of the card. It probably won't slide over all the way and that's by design. Take care not to force the depress the card inadvertently (although testing has shown it will still record).
68.1	248
	249	[[image:LPR_card_adaptors.jpg\|\|alt="image of the LPR SD-card adapter"]]
	250
46.2	251	= ANU "ANUSR" (Gen 1, 2003? - 2012) =
1.1	252
46.2	253	This logger has been retired for a long time and has a different instrument response. It used modular component boards and was powered via an acrylic case of 6 x 6V lantern batteries. There is a somewhat complete one above the CAT lab door if anyone is so inclined to have a look.
1.1	254
	255
	256	= References =
	257
42.1	258	* [[PDF Manual>>http://auspass.edu.au/field/LPR-200_Instruction_Manual.pdf]]
73.1	259
	260	[[TSAWR & LPR-200 sensor pinout>>image:ANU_seismometer_connection.png]]
	261
	262
42.1	263	)))
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	265	(% class="col-xs-12 col-sm-4" %)
	266	(((
	267	(% class="box" %)
	268	(((
6.1	269	Contents
1.1	270
42.1	271	{{toc/}}
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17.1	306	(% class="box" %)
	307	(((
7.1	308	= TerraSAWR Specs =
6.1	309
1.1	310
42.1	311	[[image:Terrasawr 1.jpg]]
9.1	312
42.1	313	[[image:1704865206800-824.jpg]]
9.1	314
42.1	315	[[image:1704864886951-793.jpg]]
9.1	316
11.1	317	\|=Size (L x W x H)\|30 x 25 x12cm
45.1	318	\|=Weight (with battery)\| 1.9kg (2.5kg)
14.1	319	\|=Battery\|(((
46.2	320	Lead-acid 12v, ~~7-9Ah
2.2	321
	322	Rechargeable
1.1	323	)))
46.2	324	\|=Current Firmware\|3.5a (Jan 2025)
16.1	325
42.1	326	[[image:terrasawr battery.jpg]]
2.2	327	)))
1.1	328
17.1	329
1.1	330	(% class="box" %)
	331	(((
7.1	332	= LPR-200 Specs =
3.1	333
42.1	334	[[image:LPR 1.jpg]]
3.1	335
42.1	336	[[image:LPR 2.jpg]]
9.1	337
42.1	338	[[image:LPR 3.jpg]]
9.1	339
11.1	340	\|=Size (L x W x H)\|42 x 34 x17 cm
45.1	341	\|=Weight (no battery)\|5.5 kg
14.1	342	\|=Battery\|(((
46.1	343	NOW: Any 12v battery with tab connections that will fit (ex. the same TSAWR battery)
3.1	344
46.2	345	DISCONTINUED: LiFePo4 140Ah Rechargeable (shown below).
3.1	346	)))
46.2	347	\|=Current Firmware\|(((
	348	2.6a (old GPS modules) / 2.7a
16.1	349
46.2	350	Jan 2025
	351	)))
	352
42.1	353	[[image:LPR battery.jpg]]
3.1	354	)))
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42.1	374	)))

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