Campbell Scientific CR3000 Micrologger - Manual (Page 455)

Section 11. Glossary
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DTE
Data terminal equipment. While the term has much wider meaning, in
the limited context of practical use with the CR3000, it denotes the pin
configuration, gender, and function of an RS‐232 port. The RS‐232 port
on the CR3000 and on many third‐party telecommunications devices,
such as a digital cellular modems, are DCE. Attachment of a null‐modem
cable to a DCE device effectively converts it to a DTE device.
Duplex
Can be half or full. Full‐duplex is simultaneous, bidirectional data.
Duplex
The percentage of available time a feature is in an active state. For
example, if the CR3000 is programmed with 1 second scan interval, but
the program completes after only 100 millisecond, the program can be
said to have a 10% duty cycle.
Earth Ground
A grounding rod or other suitable device that electrically ties a system
or device to the earth. Earth ground is a sink for electrical transients and
possibly damaging potentials, such as those produced by a nearby
lightning strike. Earth ground is the preferred reference potential for
analog voltage measurements. Note that most objects have a "an
electrical potential" and the potential at different places on the earth ‐
even a few meters away ‐ may be different.
engineering units
Units that explicitly describe phenomena, as opposed to the CR3000
measurement units of milliVolts or counts.
ESD
Electrostatic discharge
ESS
Environmental Sensor Station
excitation
Application of a precise voltage, usually to a resistive bridge circuit.