Sensor Topics Your source for sensor-related articles

About the Blog

These articles provide information to help you use your sensors to collect the data that is important to you.


Search the Blog


Subscribe to the Blog

Get an email when a new article is posted. Choose the topics that interest you most.


Area / Application

Product Category

Activity

Corporate / News

Enter your email address:



Suggest an Article

Is there a topic you would like to learn more about? Let us know.

Leave this field empty

Displaying 1 - 20 of 33 articles

How to Easily Replace and Update a CS223 Sensor Head

Author: Ajay Singh | Last Updated: 01/15/2024 | Comments: 0

how to easily replace and update a cs223 sensor head

Campbell Scientific’s CS223 Pt-1000 Class A, Back-of-Module Temperature Sensor (discontinued effective 31 October 2023) has been replaced by the CS241 Pt-1000 Class A, Back-of-Module Temperature Sensor. When needed, you can replace the CS223 sensor head with a CS241 head without having to replace the entire... read more

How the DustVue Can Help You Get USABLE Soiling Data

Author: Ben Todt | Last Updated: 12/04/2023 | Comments: 0

how the dustvue can help you get usable soiling data

Should you be concerned about the impact of soiling or fouling on your photovoltaic (PV) power plant performance? Did you know that in a recent estimate, more than US$6 billion of annual revenue is lost because of diminished power generation at PV facilities due to... read more

Get the Most out of VSPECT®

Author: Jacqalyn Maughan | Last Updated: 08/22/2023 | Comments: 3

get the most out of vspect<sup>®</sup>

Understanding the benefits of VSPECT® will help ensure you are maximizing your benefits when using this technology. In this article, we’ll explore this topic to provide you with a better measurement experience. Why do Campbell Scientific monitoring platforms give me extra vibrating wire data? Have you ever... read more

Use VSPECT® to Verify: Bad Sensors or Bad Data?

Author: Jacqalyn Maughan | Last Updated: 04/06/2023 | Comments: 0

use vspect<sup>®</sup> to verify: bad sensors or bad data?

Have you ever thought your bad vibrating wire sensor measurements were caused by erratic or erroneous data? You may be surprised to learn that data issues may not be the cause. If you are using a data-acquisition system other than one of the Campbell Scientific... read more

Troubleshooting Vibrating Wire Piezometers

Author: Nathanael Wright | Last Updated: 03/28/2023 | Comments: 0

troubleshooting vibrating wire piezometers

Campbell Scientific vibrating wire measurement hardware, with our patented VSPECT® technology, offers a distinct advantage over all other vibrating wire measurement systems. Unlike non-Campbell Scientific vibrating wire interfaces that use pulse counting to derive vibrating wire frequency, Campbell Scientific's VSPECT vibrating wire measurement products use spectral... read more

Death Valley, a Year Later

Author: Dirk Baker | Last Updated: 07/29/2022 | Comments: 9

death valley, a year later

About a year ago (May 2021), I installed a weather station next to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) official station at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park (California, USA). To familiarize yourself with this project, read my previous article. The purposes of this installation... read more

Which surface temperature sensor is best for your application?

Author: Libbie Anderson | Last Updated: 05/05/2022 | Comments: 0

which surface temperature sensor is best for your application?

At Campbell Scientific, we redesigned our back-of-module temperature sensors and launched the CS241 and CS241DM purpose-built sensors to optimize performance on bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules and help you collect data as precisely as possible. These newer sensors have some similarities to our previous sensor models, but... read more

But It’s a Dry Heat… like a Furnace

Author: Dirk Baker | Last Updated: 06/21/2021 | Comments: 6

but it’s a dry heat… <em>like a furnace</em>

In this article, I'll share my experience collaborating on a research project to record some extreme weather conditions that may even set a world record!  On August 16, 2020, the weather station located at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park (California, USA) recorded a temperature... read more

Why Do We Need an Algorithm for Rainfall Intensity Correction?

Author: Dirk Baker | Last Updated: 03/05/2021 | Comments: 0

why do we need an algorithm for rainfall intensity correction?

In this article, I’ll explain how errors can occur when measuring the precipitation amount, discuss a correction approach, and demonstrate how an algorithm can be used to design high-quality tipping bucket rain gauges. Introduction Liquid precipitation (rain) is at once one of the simplest measurements mechanically and... read more

Monitoring the Performance of Bifacial Solar PV Panels: Challenges and Opportunity

Author: Ajay Singh | Last Updated: 10/13/2020 | Comments: 0

monitoring the performance of bifacial solar pv panels: challenges and opportunity

When we are faced with challenges, there is often an opportunity for improvement. In this blog article, learn how our engineers redesigned our back-of-module (BOM) temperature sensor to resolve specific challenges that impacted the quality of bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) panel performance monitoring. Bifacial PV panels... read more

Making Real-Time Crest Measurements

Author: Mike Nelson | Last Updated: 09/08/2020 | Comments: 0

making real-time crest measurements

There are times during major weather events when we may hear the news reporter indicate the local river is expected to crest in the next 12 hours at an estimated stage level. What is a crest and a stage level, and how do they affect me? Basically,... read more

Relative Humidity: To Average, or Not to Average?

Author: Dirk Baker | Last Updated: 01/30/2020 | Comments: 2

relative humidity: to average, or not to average?

Have you ever been told not to average relative humidity (RH)? Have you ever created a data logger program with Short Cut and noticed that it does not allow you to average RH when you generate your data table? Do you know why? In this blog... read more

Evolution Not Revolution: Updating an Established Product Range

Author: Andrew Sandford | Last Updated: 01/06/2020 | Comments: 0

evolution not revolution: updating an established product range

Imagine that you already have a winning sensor that has sold more than 15,000 units. As time passes, you realize that technology has evolved, but your sensor hasn’t. If you are objective in your product evaluation, you may determine that there is justification for the... read more

Why Should You Use a Heated Sonic Anemometer?

Author: Robin Deissinger | Last Updated: 11/19/2019 | Comments: 0

why should you use a heated sonic anemometer?

Are you ready to get heated? In this interview, Hayden Mahan, Product Manager of the Gas Flux and Turbulence Group, shares his excitement about our heated sonic anemometer (the new CSAT3BH) and why heat matters. Hayden was interviewed by Robin Deissinger, the blog editor. Interview... read more

Soil CO2 Flux Measurements Made Easy

Author: Robin Deissinger | Last Updated: 06/24/2019 | Comments: 0

soil co<sub>2</sub> flux measurements made easy

Patented technology enables a new sensor to measure soil CO2 flux directly, providing you with new flexibility to make your measurements. In this interview, Hayden Mahan, Gas Flux and Turbulence Product Manager, introduces us to the eosFD and explains how this sensor works. Hayden was... read more

Taking In-Situ Soil Measurements to New Performance Depths

Author: Dirk Baker | Last Updated: 04/17/2019 | Comments: 0

taking in-situ soil measurements to new performance depths

Advances in technology and mechanical design offer vast improvements for those of you who need soil measurements at multiple depths—especially environmental researchers and anyone who works with environmental monitoring networks. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the measurement challenges you may face... read more

How to Create Custom Sensors in Short Cut

Author: Jason Ritter | Last Updated: 02/27/2019 | Comments: 4

how to create custom sensors in short cut

Have you ever wanted Short Cut to support more sensors? Although Short Cut supports many sensors, you may have found that the sensor you want to measure is not on the list. What do you do then? How do you add that sensor to your... read more

New Product Support: Bifacial Plane of Array (BPOA), solar energy’s newest irradiance expression

Author: Matt Perry | Last Updated: 12/12/2018 | Comments: 1

new product support: bifacial plane of array (bpoa), solar energy’s newest irradiance expression

Plane of array irradiance (POA) is a well-known term used to quantify the incident irradiance on a given solar array. It is the parameter most directly related to the power output of a PV module and is used extensively in PV performance analysis and modeling... read more

No Compromise: Quality Weather Measurements and Simplicity

Author: Robin Deissinger | Last Updated: 10/17/2018 | Comments: 2

no compromise: quality weather measurements and simplicity

Can a simplified weather station solution still provide you with good measurements? In this interview, Alan Hinckley, Senior Application Scientist-Meteorologist, shares his excitement for the ClimaVue™50 and how users of various backgrounds can benefit from its simplicity in capturing quality weather data. Alan was interviewed... read more

A Safer Solution to Scrub Agents from Campbell Scientific Gas Analyzers

Author: Ben Conrad | Last Updated: 06/25/2018 | Comments: 0

a safer solution to scrub agents from campbell scientific gas analyzers

If you have an eddy-covariance system, you understand the importance of performing routine maintenance tasks so you can continue to acquire high-quality, consistently reliable data. Some of these maintenance tasks are straightforward, such as making sure that the optics on your gas analyzer are clean... read more