Hydrology Field Methods

Connecting a Campbell Scientific Datalogger to a Computer

Connecting the serial port on a standard Campbell Scientific datalogger to the RS-232 serial port on your computer requires the construction of a patch cable.

1. Purchase a short (3 to 6 foot) RS-232C DB-9 Male to DB-9 Female cable. The original pin connections are Male 1 to Female 1, Male 2 to Female 2, etc.

2. Cut the cable about half-way down.

3. Remove about 3 inches of outer insulation and metal shielding from each of the two cut ends.

4. Remove about 1/2 inch of insulation from each of the wires.

5. Using a multi-probe, determine the color for each of the pins, and enter them into the following table.

   Female Pin	Wire Color	Male Pin	Wire Color
   1		5
   2		9
   3		4
   4		3
   5		2
   6		5
   7		3
   8		5
   9		-

6. Trim unused wires: Male 1, 6, 7, and 8, and Female 9.

7. Connect the wires from the two ends as indicated in the table. Note that Male wires 3 and 5 connect to multiple Female wires.

8. Solder each connection, and then wrap each connection with insulating tape or plastic dip.

9. Wrap the completed connections with insulating tape. It may be helpful to add a length of stiffening material (4-inch metal rod), to keep the connection from bending.