ES-405-9800 Manual Rev A Page 27
9 DATA RETRIEVAL and COMMUNICATIONS
This section describes the methods used to retrieve data files from the ES-405. The unit has a
single serial data output which can be routed through the RS-232 data port or the USB serial port,
and may be used with a local computer, laptop, or digital datalogger. An RS485 output is available
for connection to the CCS modem to allow remote data viewing and collection. Access to the data
through the serial port is easy using the Comet software or simple terminal or escape commands.
9.1 Serial Port Connections to a Computer
The ES-405 can be directly connected through the supplied USB cable to most standard desktop
computers and laptops. The USB port is located behind the front door, in the bottom right of the
unit.
The ES-405 can be directly connected through the purchased serial cable to desktop computers
that have a 9-pin (DB-9) RS-232 serial port connector.
The ES-405 default settings are 115200 Baud, 8 data bits, no parity, one stop bit, no flow control.
The baud rate may be changed to a slower rate. The other communications settings are fixed.
9.2 Modem Options for Remote Data Retrieval
Met One Instruments CCS cloud display and storage cell modem is recommended for remote
access to the ES-405. Contact Met One for details.
9.3 Comet™ Data Retrieval Software
The ES-405 is supplied with a CD containing a free copy of the Comet™ program, which is a
simple Windows-based communications terminal program developed by Met One Instruments.
This is the recommended method for all ES-405 data retrieval, since Comet allows the user to
easily download the data logs, error logs, and settings files from the ES-405, without having to
know any of the underlying communications protocols. The Comet CD also contains a very
comprehensive pdf user’s manual for the program. Install the program onto the computer that you
will be using for data retrieval and review the manual for complete data examples.
Note: If you use the Comet software for routine ES-405 data retrieval, you will not need to
use or understand any of the terminal program setups, Terminal commands, or escape
commands shown in the rest of this manual subsection.
9.4 Downloading Data Using a Terminal Emulator
ES-405 data can also be easily downloaded through the serial port using a terminal emulator
program, like PuTTY. Connect the serial port of the ES-405 to your computer or laptop serial port
using the supplied serial cable.
Importing the raw text file into a spreadsheet:
The data saved in a text file from a terminal download can be viewed by simply opening the text
file. However, the data is often hard to view in the raw text format due to the comma-separated
layout of the data fields. The easiest way to analyze the data is to open it as a .csv file into a
spreadsheet program such as Excel
®
:
1. Open the spreadsheet program.
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