YSI 9600 - Manual (Page 58)

SECTION 6 MANAGING 9600 FILES
6.1 INTRODUCTION
This section deals with the management of data that have been logged to the memory of the 9600 during
laboratory tests or field deployments. It is important to understand that data is stored in the 9600 in a raw
format, i.e., only the outputs of the sample and reference detectors are present along with a designation as to
whether the point is a sample, a standard, or a blank and the battery voltage. In addition, each raw reading is
characterized by a date and time stamp. While data stored in this format can be very useful in
troubleshooting problems, generally it will not be what is desired by typical customers. To obtain the data in
the most desired format, i.e. nitrate-N concentration and sample absorbance, the user should select the YSI
Data Format for transferring the data from 9600 memory. With this selection, all of the necessary
calculations are made “on the fly” to convert the raw readings into absorbances and concentrations. During
this calculation, the calibration values (standard and blank) will be automatically used to compensate readings
between calibration points for any drift in the 9600 optical and/or FIA systems. The user can obtain the raw
readings if required by choosing the Comma Separated Values (CSV) format that will generate a file that can
readily be opened in spreadsheets such as Excel for diagnostic purposes.
It is also important to realize that the 9600 utilizes nonvolatile flash memory for data storage. Since the data
is electronically written to the flash, no power or battery backup is required to maintain the integrity of the
files. Thus, there is no worry about data loss if your batteries inadvertently are expended in a field study or
there are power fluctuations during a deployment when the 9600 is powered from auxiliary devices.
To use the various commands which control 9600 file management, click the File selection in the main
NUview display (below left) to generate the directory of the files which are stored in 9600 memory (below
right).
6.2 DIRECTORY
The directory of the 9600 file memory is shown above right. Note that each file resident in the memory is
characterized by 4 parameters as described below:
YSI Environmental 58 Model 9600 Nitrate Monitor