Wireless Environmental Monitoring in a Museum


Eltek Wireless Data Logging System Covers All Points



CHESTERLAND OH — Eltek has supplied the next-generation wireless monitoring solution for the interior of a prestigious museum located in Cambridge, England to ensure that the exhibits are in a controlled and non-damaging environment. The site is approximately one square kilometer but in actual surface area is actually many times greater, as it consists of 4 levels and some basement area. This is made more complicated by the fact that the building is a stone-built structure with modern construction extensions. Therefore museum curators needed a flexible monitoring system with a broad range of data logger capabilities. Staff also requested analysis software to track readings by room to get a highly accurate environmental profile for long-term preservation.



The Eltek Custom Solution

Because of the sheer size of the exhibit area, it would have been extremely difficult to install a conventional wired monitoring system. Individual dataloggers could have been used in the different areas, but this would have made it a hassle to collect and aggregate the data and would also drive up the cost. With this in mind Eltek supplied the museum with a custom-made wireless data logging system to meet all of its environmental monitoring requirements.



Eltek GenII Wireless Radio Data Logging Systems provide data logging and alarm generation for a wide range of applications. These systems can support up to 128 transmitter units and up to 250 channels, including models with built-in sensors or external inputs. Staff can place these data loggers almost anywhere, making the system easy to install and use.



The museum's extensive system consists of:

54 x GC-10 Temp and RH sensor/transmitters

7 x GL-70 Temp and RH, visible light and ultraviolet light (UV) sensor/transmitters

2 x RP250 Radio Repeaters to extend wireless range

1 x RX250 Data Logger Receiver



The museum's 54 units of GC-10 temperature and humidity transmitters and 7 units of GL-70 environmental data loggers make a total of 159 sensor channels along with the centrally-located data logger receiver—a big setup by any manufacturer's standards! This combination ensures optimal coverage for the exhibits. The GC-10 transmitters utilize their built-in temperature and humidity sensors to take readings, while the GL-70 units have internal temperature, humidity, visible light and ultraviolet light (UV) sensors to log every environmental parameter. This saves staff the cost and hassle of getting external sensors, enabling cost-effective monitoring.



Each Wireless Transmitter records the environmental data in its location and transmits it to a central Eltek RX250 Data Logger Receiver which then sends the data to an office PC via serial RS232 communication. For truly independent and robust monitoring, the system will continue functioning in the event of PC or mains AC failure, and it's not necessary to have a PC permanently connected. Versions with text messaging and alarm outputs are also available. The system also uses a pair of radio repeaters to extend the transmitters' wireless range and cover this difficult site in terms of radio communications. The system's storage can store up to 2 million readings for extended recording.



Eltek worked closely with the customer Tobit Curteis Associates which specializes in the conservation of wall paintings. All parties were especially eager to make sure that the data collected was made as meaningful as possible to the museum. This resulted in the development and supply of Eltek's Darca Heritage software, custom-designed for conservation monitoring applications. Darca Heritage allows users to zone the data collection, such as only viewing data from the Egyptology section, and also enables long-term analysis of environmental data, for example to form temperature and humidity profiles.



Darca Heritage has been designed specifically for museum curators and conservators monitoring large installations. The software allows users to access sensors according to their physical location. Sophisticated but simple to use, it provides powerful tools for:

• Configuring and metering sensors

• Changing logger settings

• Automatically updating site data to a datafile or database

• Sending alarms via email or text message if any channel inputs go outside of safe limits

• Generating reports presenting the data



In addition to standard measured values, calculated parameters may be added and analyzed either graphically or statistically. Sensors may also be metered graphically on user-entered floor plans which show each sensor group's physical location. The enhanced version of the software, Version 2, has been designed specifically for environmental monitoring on a large scale site with data accessed by multiple users. All site layout information and downloaded data is stored centrally in a database for ease of maintenance.



Eltek's custom wireless system is ideal for logging every environmental value for the museum. Temperature, Humidity, Visible and Ultraviolet light are all monitored in this application and Eltek's modular design enables each to be monitored at high accuracy. Eltek also has models logging Voltage/Current, Resistance and Digital/Event/Pulse inputs. This turnkey solution saved museum curators the hassle and cost of installing a wired system and delivered advanced conservation software—all at a competitive price.



CAS DataLoggers is Eltek's North American Master Distributor and we supply these systems for both organizational and individual needs. Systems are already installed in museums, labs, storage and warehousing facilities, residences--just about any environment where accurate and reliable data is essential for monitoring, manufacturing, research or audit purposes. You can view our selection of wireless Eltek models at http://www.dataloggerinc.com/manufacturers/Eltek/6/.



For more information on our Eltek Gen II Wireless Systems which can monitor a broad range of environmental values, or to find the ideal solution for your application-specific needs, contact a CAS Data Logger Applications Specialist at (800) 956-4437 or visit the website at www.DataLoggerInc.com.



Contact Information:

CAS DataLoggers, Inc.

12628 Chillicothe Road

Chesterland, Ohio 44026

(440) 729-2570

(800) 956-4437

sales@dataloggerinc.com

www.dataloggerinc.com

Contact This Company

All Topics