Q: My calibration files are missing. How do I get calibration files?
A: In most cases, download the latest version of SAARecorder. It will install most existing calibration files, including, most likely, your files. Most of our software knows where to find the files in the SAARecorder installation. If this fails, please contact Measurand.

Q: SAA works by integrating, over time, the tiny accelerations due to soil moving a few microns per day, right?
A: Wrong. SAA uses MEMS accelerometers with response down to 0 Hz, acting as gravity sensors. The MEMS have a DC output that responds to tilt in the gravity field. No reading depends on a previous reading.

Q: MEMS accelerometers are hopelessly noisy and cannot be used for accurate measurements, right?
A: Wrong. MEMS accelerometers are used in SAA and many manual inclinometers. Standard signal processing of accelerometers, including analog and digital filtering, results in tilt data with less than 1 part in 100,000 noise.

Q: It is well known that MEMS accelerometers drift, right?
A: Wrong. We have installations that have run over three years with no more variation than 1.5 mm/ 30 m (0.005%). MEMS are built of pure silicon, which has better material properties than steel.

Q: Is the DL1 logger (formerly DC) supported by Measurand?
A: Only for legacy installations. The standard logger is now the Campbell Scientific CR1000 or CR800.

Q: Can I export data from Measurand software?
A: All Measurand software includes the ability to export ASCII XYZ data and in some cases Matlab binary XYZ data.

Q: Why can I not get XYZ data directly from an SAA?
A: SAA produces raw data, communicated in serial RS485 format. XYZ data are created when the raw sensor readings are associated with calibration files and Measurand mathematics are applied to produce calibrated readings. This process is always done in a PC, because it requires significant resources and often involves thousands of readings.