Open Source Data logging system for LENR research

You should talk to people at the Martin Fleischmann Memorial Project, and at Hunt Utility Group. I believe they have a system they've set up to support MFMP's mission of open science called HugNet. They may either need an upgrade or be interested in collaborating with others on a standardized specification.

@nuclearNut
MFMP is currently working towards a DAQ system to supplement or replace HUGnetLab as an open-source tool for LENR research.

One key problem we need help with is to integrate the data from our Tektronix PA1000 power analyzer. It has a GPIB-on-USB data interface and an existing NI-VISA driver that stores data in a SQL-like database. HUGnet also uses MySQL, running in (Linux) Apache client-server mode for data storage. Our immediate need is for someone to write some php or Python scripts to insert the PA1000 data into the HUGnet server upload. If anyone here has the skills needed to take this on, we would really appreciate the help. HUGnetLab is (mostly) open-source and some source code and documentation is available on GitHub.

We're considering Brian Albiston's LabJack-based system as an alternative platform, and Brian has generously offered to help with this but only has limited time to devote to it. We have a LabJack T7-pro to work with, if anyone has experience and some high-level library modules for it. There doesn't seem to be any suitable turnkey software for it, and it isn't interface-compatible with the earlier LJ boxes.

Alan, that is interesting. Do you have a link to the Github page?

Quote from Eric Walker

Alan, that is interesting. Do you have a link to the Github page?

The HUGnet source repository is at: https://github.com/hugllc/HUGnetLab

HUGnetLab has a great advantage that I'm reluctant to abandon. It is built around a net broadcast framework and includes near-real-time graphing and downloadable, persistent .csv data archiving.

It also disadvantages as Ecco has reminded us, but these can be overcome in principle, because it is open-source. Here's a casual design spec (wish list) to open the discussion:

* Flexible, expandable and stable front-end with easy setup and provision for calibration in standard units.
Support for existing standard data interface formats (like GPIB) is essential for integration of 3rd party instruments.
* A/D sampling at 1k samples/sec minimum and configurable per-channel averaging for output data.
* Multiple binary/pulse/counter inputs with time stamp per event and sparse data storage.
* Near-real-time data upload to a public server, with graphic display of data and csv archive.
* Reasonable cost and easy learning curve for end users.

Not asking too much am I?

Hi guys,

I'm not LENR replicator or physicist. I'm professional electronics engineer, but recently I became interested in LENR topic especially after reading "Rossi vs. Darden developments" and results of SRI tests.
So I started thinking how can I contribute to LENR community.

I developed some data logging widgets both at my current company and for open-source community. Here is some example [tindie, ebay].

Right now I made simple and tiny voltage logger, it logs up to 8 voltages to SD card with configurable sample time, calibrations and filtering.
This is open source and open hardware project
Here is Github repo: https://github.com/akpc806a/Voltage_Logger
Some recent testing results: https://akpc806a.wordpress.com…ltage-logger-with-sd-card

Thus using of-the-shelf thermocouple amplifier for example [1, 2, 3], it is trivial to make logging system for high temperature measurements, which is essential for validation of LENR prototypes.

The logger hardware is cheap (around $20), so if someone interested I could assemble a couple and sell from my Tindie store to gain some user experience.

Hi guys,

Small update for my project.

The voltage logger is now available to buy on Tindie:

https://www.tindie.com/product…tage-logger-with-sd-card/

The price is just a material cost.

I tested this device also with AD8495 thermocouple amplifier, here is some comparison with Extech SDL200, the professional temperature logger ($300). Two identical K-thermocouples tied together in a hot water. The difference is about +-0.5 degC.

Hopefully someone will be interested

Hi @Alan Smith , thanks!

Yes, it is just for voltage recording in range (0...3.3V). For currents, one should use Hall sensors (like LEM HAS 200-S), for voltage -- just voltage divider and pull-ups (to make voltage unipolar) or better -- some isolation amplifier (like AMC1200 from TI)

Quote from asdf506f

Two identical K-thermocouples tied together in a hot water

I have tested commercial thermocouples (Omega) this way and it turns out it is a bad way to test. I put 5 thermocouples in a small aluminum block that was heated uniform in temperature and captured the data while it cooled. It looked like the thermocouples didn't match very well until I found that the problem was that they each had a slightly different time constant. If there were all brought to a constant equilibrium temperature, they all read very close to the same value. But if they were all measuring the same temperature that was, for example, a cooling block, the curves vs. time would be different due to the slightly different thermal time constants. So, you really need to evaluate at constant settled temperature.