Accuracy and resolution
Although accurate temperature sensors are widely available, it has been difficult to take advantage of them due to errors caused by the measuring device. Your PT-104, however, is inherently accurate due to its innovative design. Rather than relying on voltage references, which tend to be temperature-sensitive, it uses reference resistors, which are extremely stable with low temperature coefficient and drift. The exact value of each resistor is stored in an EEPROM to provide the ultimate in accuracy (yearly recalibration is recommended). A high-performance 24-bit ADC is used to achieve the 0.001 °C resolution.
Temperature
The PT-104 measures temperature using platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs). Both common industry standards (PT100 and PT1000) are supported. The unit is compatible with two, three and four-wire sensors (four-wire PT100 sensors are recommended for accurate measurements). A wide range of PT100 sensors are available for use with your PT-104.
Voltage
For voltage measurements, each input connector can be treated as a differential input with ground, or two single-ended inputs. Both inputs must be zero volts or above, though it does not matter which input has the higher voltage.
Two voltage ranges are available (0 to 115 mV and 0 to 2500 mV). For the most accurate measurements use the 0 to 2500 mV range.
Resistance
When measuring resistance, the PT-104 uses a four-wire circuit to give the greatest possible accuracy. Two resistance ranges are available (0 to 375 Ω and 0 to 10,000 Ω). The unit is calibrated for 0 to 375 Ω so this range should be used for accurate measurements.
Single channel screw terminal adaptor
Interfacing third-party sensors not fitted with the 5-pin mini-DIN connector or measuring voltage or resistance is possible using the PP660 screw terminal adaptor. This inexpensive adaptor has 4 breakout terminals and occupies a single channel of the PT-104.
Software
The PT-104 data logger is supplied with PicoLog 6 data logging software. This powerful yet flexible data acquisition software allows you to collect, manipulate, analyze, display and export data.
Designed from the ground up to be intuitive from the outset, PicoLog 6 allows you to set up the logger and start recording with just a few clicks of the mouse, whatever your level of data logging experience.
From here, starting a capture is simple: plug in the logger, add a channel, press Record, and you’re logging! PicoLog 6 also includes a number of additional features to cater for more advanced data logging needs.
Also available to download, is PicoSDK, a software development kit. The SDK contains a range of software drivers and example code that you can use to write your own software or to use your PT-104 data logger with third-party software such as MATLAB, LabVIEW, C, C++, C# and Python.
But I need to measure more channels…
The PT-104 is capable of measuring up to 4 channels at once. Need more channels? No problem. Using PicoLog you can connect up to 20 PT-104s to one PC – giving you a potential 80-channel PT100 data logger. Alternatively you can use your PT-104 logger with up to 19 other Pico data loggers, such as the PicoLog 1000 multichannel data logger, to create your own custom data acquisition system.
The ultimate in portability
With both USB and Ethernet interfaces, the PT-104 can be used in a variety of situations. If you need a portable solution that can be used at various locations and is fast to set up and use, simply connect your laptop to the PT-104 by USB. Need to monitor a situation over a period of hours or days, or from a remote location? Plug your PT-104 into a spare port on your network and then access it remotely either from your LAN or over the internet. Using Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology means that you don’t even need a separate power supply. Please note that PicoLog 6 data logging software only supports Ethernet connection in Windows.
When accuracy is paramount the PT-104 is what you need
The PT-104 platinum resistance data logger gives you the ultimate in resolution and accuracy. You can use it to measure temperature, voltage and resistance. Having both USB and Ethernet interfaces gives you the choice of how you connect and power your PT-104, along with the ability to access the PT-104 remotely over a LAN or the internet. When the accuracy of your temperature measurements is paramount the PT-104 is what you need.
