Now offering a Wi-Fi option
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Overview
Please ask us about the lead time on this product due to component shortages.
The CR6 Measurement and Control Datalogger is a powerful core component for your data-acquisition system. The CR6 datalogger provides fast communication, low power requirements, built-in USB, compact size, and high analog input accuracy and resolution. It uses universal (U) terminals to allow a connection to virtually any sensor—analog, digital, or smart. This multipurpose data logger is also capable of doing static vibrating-wire measurements.
The CR6 can include integrated radio options:
- CR6-RF407: 900 MHz (United States and Canada)
- CR6-RF412: 920 MHz (Australia and New Zealand)
- CR6-RF422: 868 MHz (Europe)
- CR6-RF427: 905/920 MHz (Brazil)
- CR6-RF451: 900 MHz, 1 W (United States, Canada, and Australia)
- CR6-WIFI: 2.4 GHz
Learn about our patented VSPECT® spectral-analysis technology at our VSPECT® Essentials web resource.
The dynamic vibrating-wire measurement technique is protected under U.S. Patent No. 8,671,758, and the vibrating-wire spectral-analysis technology (VSPECT®) is protected under U.S. Patent No. 7,779,690.
Read MoreBenefits and Features
- Operational in extreme environments with a standard operating range of -40° to +70°C and an extended operating range of -55° to +85°C
- Connects directly to a computer's USB port
- U terminals configurable to what you want them to be: analog or digital, input or output
- Supports static vibrating-wire measurements using our patented VSPECT® spectral-analysis technology
- Differentiates even slight changes in data values with high-resolution measurements (to 0.05 µV, 24 bit Adc)
- Contains an onboard CPI port for hosting Campbell sensors and distributed modules (CDMs)
- Directly connects to Ethernet with 10/100 Ethernet RJ-45 or Ethernet over USB (virtual Ethernet)
- Includes a microSD card drive for extended memory requirements
- Provides simple serial sensor integration and measurement with SDI-12, RS-232, and/or RS-485
- Supports full PakBus® networking
- Includes an embedded web page for direct connection via web browser
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Technical Description
The CR6 measures almost any sensor with an electrical response, drives direct communications and telecommunications, reduces data to statistical values, performs calculations, and controls external devices. After measurements are made, data are stored in onboard, nonvolatile memory awaiting transfer to the computer. Because most applications do not require that every measurement be recorded, the program usually combines several measurements into computational or statistical summaries, such as averages and standard deviations.
Communication Options
The CR6-WIFI Option
The CR6-WIFI is the ideal solution for short-range wireless IP communications.
Using a Wi-Fi enabled device and our free LoggerLink Mobile App, you can wirelessly connect to the CR6-WIFI. The CR6-WIFI comes factory-configured as a Wi-Fi access point. Alternatively, the CR6-WIFI can be configured to join an existing Wi-Fi network with standard or Enterprise (EAP) security.
The CR6-RF407 Option
The CR6-RF407 is ideal for medium-range, license-free radio communications.
This 900 MHz, 250 mW frequency-hopping spread-spectrum radio option can join a high-speed "mesh topology" radio network of other data loggers using the included RF407 radio.
The CR6-RF412 Option
The CR6-RF412 is ideal for medium-range, license-free radio communications.
Designed primarily for unlicensed operation in Australia and New Zealand, this 922 GHz, 250 mW frequency-hopping spread-spectrum radio can join a high-speed "mesh topology" radio network of other data loggers using the included RF412 radio.
The CR6-RF422 Option
The CR6-RF422 is ideal for short- to medium-range, license-free radio communications.
Used in the EU, this 868 MHz, 25 mW radio option includes listen-before-talk (LBT) and adaptive-frequency-agility (AFA). It can join a high-speed "mesh topology" radio network of other data loggers using the included RF422 radio.
The CR6-RF451 Option
The CR6-RF451 is typically used for long-range, license-free radio communications.
With this internal 900 MHz, 1 W, frequency-hopping spread-spectrum radio option, the CR6-RF451 can be part of a "star topology" network where all RF traffic routes back through the master. It can work in a network with other devices using RF450 or RF451 radios. CR6-RF451s may be configured as master, repeater, or remote devices and can be located miles apart in harsh RF environments.
Specifications
| -NOTE- |
|
| Operating Temperature Range |
|
| Maximum Scan Rate | 1000 Hz |
| Case Material | High-impact-resistant polycarbonate and UV-resistant TPE, recycle code 7 |
| Analog Inputs | Up to 12 single-ended or 6 differential (The CR6 has 12 universal [U] and 4 control [C] terminals that can be programmed for a variety of functions. The number of analog inputs, switched excitations, and digital ports assume all the ports are configured the same.) |
| Universal Inputs | 12 individually configured inputs for analog or digital functions |
| Pulse Counters | 16 (C1 to C4 and U1 to U12) |
| Communications Ports |
|
| Data Storage Ports | microSD |
| Switched 12 Volt | 2 terminals |
| Digital I/O | 16 terminals (C1 to C4, U1 to U12) configurable for digital input and output. Terminals are configurable in pairs for 5 V or 3.3 V logic for some functions. |
| Input Limits | ±5 V |
| Analog Voltage Accuracy |
|
| ADC | 24-bit |
| Power Requirements |
|
| Real-Time Clock Accuracy | ±3 min. per year (optional GPS correction to ±10 µs) |
| Internet Protocols | Ethernet, PPP, RNDIS, ICMP/Ping, Auto-IP (APIPA), IPv4, IPv6, UDP, TCP, TLS (v1.2), DNS, DHCP, SLAAC, Telnet, HTTP(S), SFTP, FTP(S), POP3/TLS, NTP, SMTP/TLS, SNMPv3, CS I/O IP, MQTT |
| Communication Protocols | CPI, PakBus, SDM, SDI-12, Modbus, TCP, DNP3, UDP, NTCIP, NMEA 0183, I2C, SPI, and others |
| Battery-backed SRAM for CPU Usage & Final Storage | 4 MB |
| Data Storage | 4 MB SRAM + 72 MB flash (Storage expansion of up to 16 GB with removable microSD flash memory card.) |
| Idle Current Drain, Average |
|
| Active Current Drain, Average |
|
| Static Vibrating-Wire Measurements | Supported |
| Dimensions |
21.0 x 10.2 x 5.6 cm (8.3 x 4.0 x 2.2 in.) Additional clearance required for cables and leads. |
| Weight | 0.42 to 0.52 kg (0.92 to 1.15 lb) depending on communication option selected |
CR6-RF407 Option |
|
| Radio Type | Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Output Power | 5 to 250 mW (user-selectable) |
| Frequency | 902 to 928 MHz (US, Canada) |
| RF Data Rate | 200 kbps |
| Receive Sensitivity | -101 dBm |
| Antenna Connector | RPSMA (External antenna required; see www.campbellsci.com/order/rf407 for Campbell Scientific antennas.) |
| Idle Current Drain, Average | 12 mA (@ 12 Vdc) |
| Active Current Drain, Average | < 80 mA (@ 12 Vdc) |
CR6-RF412 Option |
|
| Radio Type | Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Output Power | 5 to 250 mW (user-selectable) |
| Frequency | 915 to 928 MHz (Australia, New Zealand) |
| RF Data Rate | 200 kbps |
| Receive Sensitivity | -101 dBm |
| Antenna Connector | RPSMA (External antenna required; see www.campbellsci.com/order/rf412 for Campbell Scientific antennas.) |
| Idle Current Drain, Average | 12 mA (@ 12 Vdc) |
| Active Current Drain, Average | < 80 mA (@ 12 Vdc) |
CR6-RF422 Option |
|
| Radio Type | Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Output Power | 2 to 25 mW (user-selectable) |
| Frequency | 863 to 870 MHz (European Union) |
| RF Data Rate | 10 kbps |
| Receive Sensitivity | -106 dBm |
| Antenna Connector | RPSMA (External antenna required; see www.campbellsci.com/order/rf422 for Campbell Scientific antennas.) |
| Idle Current Drain, Average | 9.5 mA |
| Active Current Drain, Average | 20 mA |
CR6-RF427 Option |
|
| Radio Type | Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Output Power | 5 to 250 mW (user-selectable) |
| Frequency | 902 to 907.5 MHz/915 to 928 MHz (Brazil) |
| RF Data Rate | 200 kbps |
| Receive Sensitivity | –101 dBm |
| Antenna Connector | RPSMA (External antenna required.) |
| Idle Current Drain, Average | 12 mA (@ 12 Vdc) |
| Active Current Drain, Average | < 80 mA (@ 12 Vdc) |
CR6-RF451 Option |
|
| Radio Type | Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) |
| Output Power | 10 to 1,000 mW (user-selectable) |
| Frequency | 902 to 928 MHz |
| RF Data Rate | 115.2 or 153.6 kbps (user-selectable) |
| Receive Sensitivity |
|
| Antenna Connector | RPSMA (External antenna required; see www.campbellsci.com/order/rf451 for Campbell Scientific antennas.) |
| Idle Current Drain, Average | 15 mA maximum (@ 12 Vdc) |
| Active Current Drain, Average | 650 mA maximum (@ 12 Vdc) |
CR6-WIFI Option |
|
| Operational Modes | Client or Access Point |
| Operating Frequency | 2.4 GHz, 20 MHz bandwidth |
| Antenna Connector | RPSMA |
| Antenna | pn 16005 unity gain (0 dBd), 1/2 wave whip, omnidirectional with articulating knuckle joint for vertical or horizontal orientation |
| Transmit Power | 7 to 18 dBm (5 to 63 mW) |
Compatibility
Please note: The following shows notable compatibility information. It is not a comprehensive list of all compatible products.
Miscellaneous
| Product | Compatible | Note |
|---|---|---|
| DevConfig | (Version 2.10 or higher) | |
| LoggerLink | (Version 1.3 or higher) | |
| LoggerNet | (Version 4.3 or higher) | |
| LoggerNet Mobile Connect | (Version 1.0 or higher) | |
| PC400 | (Version 4.3 or higher) | |
| RTDAQ | (Version 1.2 or higher) | |
| Short Cut | (Version 3.1 or higher) |
Additional Compatibility Information
Sensors
With several terminal types, the CR6 is compatible with nearly every available sensor, including analog (both voltage and current), thermocouples, serial, SDI-12, vibrating wire, pulse, and frequency sensors.
Measurement and Control Peripherals
The CR6 is compatible with all CDMs, multiplexers, vibrating wire interfaces, terminal input modules, and relays.
Communications
The CR6 communicates with a PC via direct USB port, 10/100baseT Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, multidrop modems, short-haul modems, phone modems (land-line, digital cellular, and voice-synthesized), RF telemetry, and satellite transmitters (HDR GOES, Argos, Meteosat, Iridium, and Inmarsat).
Data can be viewed on an iOS or Android device.
| Data Logger Option | Radio Type | Integrated Radio Is Over-the-Air Compatible With |
|
CR6-WIFI |
2.4 GHz, 20 MHz bandwidth |
Most other Wi-Fi devices, such as the CR310-WIFI, CR300-WIFI, NL240 |
|
CR6-RF407 |
902 to 928 MHz Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum |
RF407, CR300-RF407, CRVW3-RF407 |
|
CR6-RF412 |
915 to 928 MHz Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum |
RF412, CR300-RF412, CRVW3-RF412 |
|
CR6-RF422 |
868 MHz SRD860 LBT+AFA |
RF422, CR300-RF422, CRVW3-RF422 |
|
CR6-RF452 |
902 to 928 MHz, 1 W Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum |
Enclosures
The CR6 and its power supply can be housed in any of our standard enclosures.
Power
The CR6 uses an external power source and has a built-in charger/regulator. Intelligent power sourcing autoselects the highest voltage from three input sources (CHG, BAT, or USB) to operate in one of the following four modes:
- UPS (recommended)—A 16 to 32 Vdc source, solar panel (SP10, SP20), or power converter is used to charge a 12 Vdc battery, such as our BP7, BP12, or BP24.
- 12 Vdc battery or other reliable 12 Vdc source
- Charge only—dc power supply (16 to 32 Vdc)
- USB—Powered over 5 Vdc USB port for setup, programming, and testing (will not charge battery or boost USB power to provide 12 Vdc to the SW12 switched battery terminals or the 12V power output terminal)
Software
CRBasic, the CR6's full programming language, supports simple or complex programming and many on-board data reduction processes. The CR6 is compatible with CRBasic (version 3.5 or higher).
Related Documents
Product Brochures
Manuals
Videos & Tutorials
Downloads
CR6 OS v.12.02 (8.27 MB) 06-03-2023
This download is for the CR6 datalogger. Execution of this download places the Operating System file(.obj) on your computer. It also updates the CRBasic Editor compiler and support files.
Why Update? This OS has fixes related to the TX325/TX326 and other fixes. With this OS update it is recommended that you also update the Device Configuration Utility to the most recent version so that new datalogger features are available in the utility.
Note: Campbell Scientific always recommends updating operating systems on site if possible. When remote updates are required, it is recommended that you implement the necessary precautions to handle unexpected OS upload complications. All datalogger settings should be retained when updated remotely. If you choose to roll back to a previous operating system, the datalogger settings will be reset to default.
Watch the Video Tutorial: Sending an OS to a Local Datalogger.
CR6-RF407 Series OS Update v.2.0 (430 KB) 03-07-2019
This CR6-RF407 Series OS update is for the following:
- CR6-RF407
- CR6-RF412
- CR6-RF422
- CR6-RF427
Use the Device Configuration Utility to perform this update.
Note: This is not for the CR6-RF451.
Device Configuration Utility v.2.28 (45.7 MB) 20-04-2022
A software utility used to download operating systems and set up Campbell Scientific hardware. Also will update PakBus Graph and the Network Planner if they have been installed previously by another Campbell Scientific software package.
Supported Operating Systems:
Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7 (Both 32 and 64 bit)
CPI Calculator v.1.0 (2.49 MB) 06-07-2016
The CPI Calculator is a downloadable Microsoft Excel spreadsheet used to estimate the usage and capacity of a CPI network. The calculator provides an overview on CPI devices including the CDM-A108, CDM-A116, CDM-VW300, CDM-VW305, and the CSAT3B. The calculator can also estimate the measurement speed of the CDM-A108 and CDM-A116 based on the number of channels and measurement parameters.
The CPI Calculator is an estimation tool and will help you better understand and design CPI networks by considering the following:
- What is the capability of each CDM or CPI device
- What is the CPI network capacity
- How much of the CPI capacity are the CDMs or CPI devices using
Related FAQs
Number of FAQs related to CR6: 6
Expand AllCollapse All
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The CPI bus speed is adjustable in your CRBasic data logger program. Use the CPISpeed() instruction in your CRBasic program to adjust the CPI bus bandwidth to meet the following maximum combined (total) Ethernet cable lengths:
- 1000 kB/s for maximum combined Ethernet cable lengths of 15.2 m (50.0 ft)
- 500 kB/s for maximum combined Ethernet cable lengths of 61 m (200 ft)
- 250 kB/s for maximum combined Ethernet cable lengths of 152.4 m (500 ft)
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The potential transformer and the current transformer provide differential outputs that have galvanic isolation from the voltage and current in the circuit they are measuring. However, there is no need to run the outputs of these transformers into differential inputs of the data logger and unnecessarily consume additional data logger channels. We conducted extensive testing for noise immunity, for inaccuracies from ground loops, and more before concluding that single-ended measurements in the ACPower() instruction have the same performance as differential measurements would provide. Please note that as a result of the galvanic isolation of the potential transformer and current transformer, the data logger ground is NOT connected to the ground of the circuit they are measuring.
Said differently, you can connect differential outputs of a sensor to single-ended inputs of the data logger. However, doing so creates the possibility of poor common-mode noise rejection in the data logger and the possibility of introducing inaccuracies from ground loops between the sensor and the data logger. Note that in this application, the transformer isolation of the potential transformer and the current transformer eliminates these concerns.
Simply connect one of the potential transformer secondary wires and one of the current transformer secondary wires to the data logger ground. Which wire in either case makes a difference, as the phase information allows the measurement of power flowing in either direction. If you measure negative real power when it should be positive, then reverse the secondary wires of the potential transformer where they connect to the data logger. Alternatively, you can reverse the secondary wires on the current transformer, but don't reverse both pairs of wires.
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When idle, the CR1000, CR6, and CR1000X consume less than 1 mA @ 12Vdc. Similar to the CR6, the CR1000X has a much faster processor that requires more power when up and running. As such, there will be higher current draws during active measurements, serial communications, or when plugged into a PC via USB or Ethernet.
It may be helpful to think of the CR6 and CR1000X as being built on the same "platform."
-
Campbell Scientific sells, and embeds in their products, microSD cards that have single-level cell (SLC) memory. In contrast, many electronics retailers sell microSD cards that have multi-level cell (MLC) memory. The difference between these two types of memory is significant.
- The SLC microSD cards from Campbell Scientific are better suited for industrial and environmental applications where wide operating temperatures, low power consumption, and longevity are very important. Most SLC memory cards are designed with industrial applications in mind and, therefore, often have additional perks such as enhanced protection from ESD (electrostatic discharge) and mechanical damage.
- The MLC microSD cards commonly available at electronics retailers are less expensive, but they are generally not well suited for the majority of applications in which Campbell Scientific data acquisition products are used.
-
The serial modem can be connected to a CR6 using any of the following methods:
- Connect the modem to the RS-232/CPI port on the CR6 using cable pn 31055 (RS-232/CPI RJ45 to DB9 Male DTE).
- Connect the modem to the RS-232/CPI port on the CR6 using cable pn 31056 (RS-232/CPI RJ45 to DB9 Female DCE).
- Connect the modem to a C or U terminal pair on the CR6, where the pair has been configured for serial I/O.
- Connect the modem to the CS I/O port on the CR6 using an SC105.
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