Low Cost Analog Mini-logger
The Em5b is a low cost, limited use five-channel mini-logger. It powers and reads the EC-5, GS1, and 10HS soil moisture sensors, the ECRN-50 and ECRN-100 rain gauges, and the ECT temperature sensor.
Designed for use over the growing season, the Em5b runs for 5-6 months on 4 AAA-size alkaline batteries and has 46 kB of Flash Data memory (138 days at 1 scan/hour).
The Em5b comes with ECH2O Utility software for setting up and downloading data.
Advantages
Cost. The Em5b allows you to add inexpensive peripheral sites to a study.
Perfect for a season's worth of basic soil moisture data.
Limitations
Limited weatherproofing. Needs to be protected from the elements.
Not optimized for frequent data downloads. Port 1 must be unplugged before dowloading data; case closures can be cumbersome.
Only reads analog sensors (listed above).
