E2000 Settling Time

E-2000 Settling Time

All of our devices with 2000g Piezoelectric accelerometers have a 6 second settling time on the primary accelerometer channel. What that means is that it takes about 6 seconds for the analog accelerometer to "warm up" and data during this time will appear unusual, as shown in the plot below. 

Default Settings

For the sake of eliminating any confusing data or potentially creating issues with acceleration triggers, the device will default to not recording the first 6 seconds of data with the primary accelerometer. All other sensors will still start immediately. That will result in the first 6 seconds of your data appearing blank like in the image below:

If you are interested in recording that first 6 seconds of data, that option is available in the configuration menu while in expert mode. To put your device in expert mode:

1.) Open notepad, save a blank file that's named expert.txt
2.) Plug your device in
3.) Open the "SYSTEM" folder of your device
4.) Add the expert.txt file to the "SYSTEM" folder
5.) Disconnect device. Give it a second and then plug in the device and go to the configuration window
6.) If it does not work the first time, try exiting the enDAQ Lab, unplugging the device and then plugging it back in

Once you have followed those steps, you should see an option on the measurements tab of the configuration menu that says “Record Warmup Data”. Selecting this option will cause the device to record all data, including the 6 seconds of settling time. Please note that selecting this option may interfere with primary accelerometer triggers, as the "warmup" data will cause the device to register around -300g and that will trip any main accelerometer triggers set within that range.

Trigger Settings

When configuring one of these devices, you will see an option in your trigger settings to choose either Fast 2000g Startup or Low Power Trigger. Selecting the fast startup option will keep the main accelerometer powered on while the device is waiting to be triggered. This option will cause your battery to drain a bit faster, but it will keep the sensor "warmed up" so that it will immediately start recording data. Selecting the low power option will leave the main accelerometer unpowered while waiting to be triggered. This will extend your battery life but it will cause the first 6 seconds of data to be cutoff when the recording sta