ABSTRACT
This chapter covers data acquisition systems in general and more specifically, dataloggers and sensor networks applicable to environmental monitoring. A real-time clock is discussed since it is an important element of dataloggers providing timestamps to the data records. Importantly, this chapter covers various serial communication interfaces with emphasis on connecting dataloggers and multiple intelligent sensors together as a sensor network. In this regard, RS-232, UART, RS-485, SPI, I2C, and SDI-12 are discussed. A detailed wiring and programming example is given for a commercially available environmental datalogger.
