General Questions
Technical Questions
How can I extend the data collecting time of my X6-1A, X6-2, or X250-2?
I only need 20g of scale. Is the X250-2 applicable to my needs?
Why does the axis register 1 g when the sensor is not moving?
My X6-2 or X250-2 will not turn on and my PC will not recognize the unit. What's wrong?
Where are you located?
Gulf Coast Data Concepts, LLC is located in Waveland, MS about a block from the Gulf of Mexico.
When were you established?
GCDC was established in 2006 after its founding officers decided to give up their day jobs as government contractors.
What do you do?
We specialize in designing and producing products that are as much fun to play with as they are to design. GCDC prides itself on designing, producing, and selling high quality products at a reasonable cost. If you have a specific need we may be able to customize one of our existing devices to your needs. Let us know!
What are your store policies?
We accept credit card purchases using VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and Diner's Card. At this time, we accept orders from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Sales tax is only required for orders shipping to the state of Mississippi. Our products are shipped via United States Postal Service Priority Mail or Parcel Post, or UPS Ground or 3-day Select. Given the small, lightweight nature of our products we recommend USPS services. Allow 2 days for order processing.
Price, specifications and terms of offers are subject to change without notice. Customer pays return shipping charges for all RMA services. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
What are your privacy policies?
Gulf Coast Data Concepts respects your privacy and does not collect or disseminate customer data to third parties. All of the purchasing information obtained from our web site will be used for processing purposes only. The only e-mails you will receive from us are updates to any recent orders and/or returns. However, that doesn't mean our ISP or store front sponsor doesn't collect websurfing information. Check here for further information.
What are your return policies?
Gulf Coast Data Concepts provides exceptional data acquisition systems at very reasonable costs. However, if our customer believes that our product is defective or does not perform to specification, it may be returned within 30 days for a refund of the purchase price. A Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from our sales department prior to returning the product. The customer is solely responsible for shipping any returned product and agrees to use only reputable carriers capable of providing proof of delivery and insurance for the entire value of the shipment. The customer agrees to bear all shipping and insurance charges and all risk of loss for the return product during shipment. The customer agrees that all returned products will be 100% complete and undamaged.
What are your methods for shipping?
We offer several shipping options provided by United States Postal Service (USPS) and United Parcel Service (UPS). You can read more about these services here.
What makes a GCDC data logger special?
Our data loggers are easy to use, include excellent capabilites, and are offered at very affordable prices. Read more about our data logger product-line features.
Why doesn't XLR8R run on my computer?
The XLR8R program requires Java 6 (Java 1.6 runtime environment). Make sure your computer has the latest Java version. Java is a free download from Sun Microsystems at www.java.com. We have noticed that occasionally the XLR8R zip file becomes corrupt if downloaded from our website. If you are having trouble with the application (doesn't run, hangs, or crashes), download the application from our website again. If you are certain that you have latest Java running on your Apple machine and XLR8R still doesn't run, make sure that you have Java 1.6 as the default runtime environment.
How can I calibrate my accelerometer?
Every accelerometer has some offset error but remains linear within 2% throughout the full-scale. The X250-2 will typically have 5-15g offset error on any of the three axes. Correcting the offset error of the sensor will result in very accurate g-force data.
The calibration procedure we developed uses zero g and one g to provide offset and scaling factors. Please refer our calibration procedure for complete instructions. However, this method is not applicable to the X250-2 impact sensor.
How can I extend the data collecting time of my X6-1A, X6-2, or X250-2?
A 5 volt supply at the USB connector will provide external power to the X6-1A, X6-2, and X250-2 devices. If USB communications are present, such as when connected to a PC, the devices will cease data collection and attempt to mount as a mass storage device and HID. Commercially available "USB chargers" will provide a 5v supply without USB communications, like those sold at Walmart, Best Buy, and other electronics retailers. In the case of the X6-1A, the most efficient method of powering the device externally is by connecting a 1.5 volt supply directly to the battery terminals. A single D-cell battery will operate the X6-1 for approximately 4 weeks continuously at 20 Hz sample rate.
Is the recorded data averaged or filtered?
The analog accelerometer sensors of the X250-2 are over-sampled by 16X so a recorded 512Hz rate is internally sampled at 8192Hz. This is done for several reasons:
The X6-1A and X6-2 use digital sensors that incoporate three sigma-delta analog-to-digital converters operating at 20.5KHz. The output is filtered and decimated to the sample rate requested by the data logger microprocessor.
Can I access the accelerometer real-time with my PC?
Yes. Using our Java API, a HID data pipe can be established to provide real time access to the accelerometer sensor data, the real time clock, and temperature sensor. Contact our technical support staff for further information about the Java API.
I have an old accelerometer, can I upgrade the firmware?
Yes. Please contact our sales department for instructions on how to return the unit to GCDC. We will upgrade the firmware and return the device promptly.
I only need 20g of scale. Is the X250-2 applicable to my needs?
The X250-2 provides 14-bit resolution. Considering the technical setup of the sensor, at low gain the X250-2 spreads the 14-bit resolution over a full-scale of 625 g's (there is a certain amount of capability beyond 250 g's that must be considered). This means that there are 26 counts of resolution per g registered by the sensor at low gain. At high gain mode, the sensor output is amplified to provide an effective +/-28g range. High gain mode provides 232 counts per g. Please note that the sensors are AC coupled to the high gain amplifiers. This means that the DC component, such as the effects of gravity, are filtered from the signal. The following table lists the resolution achieved at several scales.
How does the deadband work?
The deadband function is an effective way to reduce the amount of data collected and extend the system battery life. The deadband causes the system to "sleep" until a threshold is exceeded. A new sample from the accelerometer sensor must exceed the previous reading before the microcontroller records the data. The deadband setting is expressed in "counts" units from the AD converter and is applied to the output of each axis. The equation to convert counts to g-force is included in the specification sheet for each device.
The deadband timeout feature will force a sample write periodically regardless of the deadband setting. This deadband timeout value is expressed in seconds. This feature ensures periodic data is recorded during very long periods of inactivity. If the timeout is set to 0 seconds, the deadband setting is ignored and the device records constantly.
How do I set the Real Time Clock?
The Real Time Clock (RTC) is set using a text file named "time.txt" located in the root directory of the microSD card. The system looks for the time.txt file upon booting. If the file exists, the time stored in the file is loaded to the RTC and the time.txt file is deleted. The time information in the time.txt file must be in the exact "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss" 24-hour format, occur on the first line, and end with a newline character. The time file method of setting the RTC does not require any special communication drivers to the device so it can be implemented from any text editor. Direct initialization of the RTC is possible but requires the use of our Java API. Please contact our technical support staff regarding the Java API.
Why does the axis register 1 g when the sensor is not moving?
At rest, the MEMS accelerometer sensor will register the force of gravity as 1 g. The RMS result of the three axis will indicate 1 g. If the sensor is positioned orthogonal to gravity, a single axis will register 1 g.
My X6-2 or X250-2 will not turn on and my PC will not recognize the unit. What's wrong?
The X6-2 and X250-2 devices will not operate properly if the rechargeable lithium polymer battery is completely discharged. First, plug the device into a USB port and allow a few minutes to charge the battery. Then, disconnect the device from the USB port and open the case to expose the printed circuit board. Very briefly short the battery terminals with a coin or screwdriver to force a cold reboot of the system. The system should now begin to operate properly. Reconnect the device to the USB port and allow the battery to fully recharge.