Does the A&D AD-1688 weighing data logger also work with scales from other manufacturers?

What is the A&D AD-1688 weighing data logger?

It is a compact device designed to be connected to scales and balances made by A&D via their RS-232 interface. It stores the weight and – if required – a sequential number and the date/time. After weighing, it is connected to a USB port on a computer (just like a flash drive) to access the data:

data logger ad-1688 connected to pc

The CSV file created by the AD-1688 can be opened in applications such as Excel by simply double-clicking on it. The weight will appear as a number in its own column, ready for further processing.

Does the data logger work with scales from other manufacturers?

Sometimes, but it almost never works as well as with scales from A&D. In our tests, the following problems occurred.

Connectors and pinout

Weighing data logger AD-1688 connectors
Connectors of the cables included with the AD-1688 weighing data logger

The data logger comes with suitable cables for (almost) all scales and balances made by A&D. On a DE9 connector (often erroneously called DB9), it uses pins 2 (RxD), 5 (GND) and 6 (DSR), though the latter is not strictly necessary. To connect to scales from other manufacturers, you may need adapters such as “gender changers” or null modem adapters, or you may need to make a special cable:
rs232 gender changer null modem adapter

Please do not assume that the pinout is compatible just because the connector can be plugged in on your scale!

Possible damage

Some scales use pins of the RS-232 port for other purposes, e.g. for powering peripherals such as check weighing signal lights. These pins must not be connected to the AD-1688!

Power supply via the RS-232 interface

The AD-1688 gets its power from the scale it is connected to (or the USB port when connected to a computer). RS-232 voltage levels are clearly defined in the RS-232 standard. Nevertheless, the “RS-232” interface of some scales does not supply the voltage required to operate the AD-1688. On a Kern DE parcel scale, for example, the data logger did not turn on at all, even though the pinout matched:

ad-1688 weighing data logger and kern de scale
AD-1688 weighing data logger conencted to a Kern DE parcel scale

Further analysis revealed that this scale did not contain an RS-232 transceiver and that logic one (“mark”) was sent as 0 V (instead of −15 to −3 V).

Interface parameters

The settings for baud rate, number of data bits and parity must match on the scale and on the data logger, otherwise the AD-1688 won’t be able to read the incoming data correctly.

When using the data logger with scales from A&D, you do not have to worry about this: Almost all A&D weighing instruments use 2400 bps, 7 data bits, parity “even”. This is also the default setting of the AD-1688.

For scales made by other manufacturers you will have to change the interface parameters either on the scale or on the data logger. The AD-1688 supports the following settings:

  • Bit rate: 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200.
  • Data bits/parity: 7 even, 7 odd, 8 none.

Data format

The data logger expects all data to be sent as ASCII in A&D’s standard format:

First line: byte number; second line: ASCII character sent by an A&D balance; third line: hexadecimal value
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91011121314151617
ST,+00456.89gCRLF
53542C2B30303435362E38392020670D0A

Only a very small number of scales made by other manufacturers support this exact format. If your scale sends data in a different format, two problems may occur:

  1. Unless each line is terminated with carriage return and line feed, the AD-1688 won’t record it.
  2. Even if this is the case, the numeric value of the weight will not be separated from the unit (and other characters sent by the scale).

You can generally solve the second issue by using the import wizard of your spreadsheet application. With Excel, the easiest way to open the file in the import wizard is to rename it from .CSV to .TXT.

You can try this out yourself by right-clicking here and downloading a (renamed) file we recorded on an AD-1688 connected to an Ohaus Catapult 5000 scale. This is the scale shown in the header image of this article.

Number of lines

Many scales send several line breaks after the weight (for the paper feed of a serial printer). This causes the data logger to create empty rows not containing any data. If you cannot modify the line feed configuration of your scale, you can instead increase the “Line” setting of the AD-1688 to combine several lines into one row.

This will result in empty columns (see example file above), which is much better than empty rows. However, the maximum is 7 lines. Beyond that, data will spill into the next row.

Decimal point or comma

The AD-1688 data logger cannot convert between a decimal point and comma. If you’re in a country which uses a decimal comma, this again means that you will have to use the import wizard of your spreadsheet app to correctly format the weight as a number.

Note: A&D scales let you choose whether the weight should be sent with a point or comma (e.g. “12.34″ or “12,34″) and therefore do not have this problem. You only have to ensure that the “dP” setting on the data logger matches the decimal separator used by your scale.

Transmission mode

Most scales have a “print” or “data” button to send a single weight reading to a connected device. However, this is not always the case. Some scales send the weight continuously with several values per second. This would quickly fill the memory of the AD-1688. You can mitigate this by using the “Rec” setting so that data is only stored at certain intervals, but this is far from ideal for most applications.

Other scales use bi-directional protocols (very common with point-of-sale scales):

nci pos protocol
Example: NCI POS protocol

Such scales can definitely not be used with the AD-1688 weighing data logger as it can only passively record incoming data. It is unable to send requests to the connected scale (see pinout above, there is no transmit pin).

Intended use according to A&D

Finally, the manual (PDF) clearly states that the AD-1688 is designed to be connected to “balances and scales with an RS-232C connector manufactured by A&D“. It was never intended to be used with weighing instruments made by other manufacturers. Given the many pitfalls described here, this is an understandable decision.

Conclusion

The trouble-free operation of the AD-1688 weighing data logger is only guaranteed with compatible scales from A&D.

On scales from other manufacturers, the AD-1688 may work, but there are many potential problems that can cost you a lot of time. Even in the best case, the resulting CSV file will often not be fully comma-separated due to differences in the data format and will require further processing.

If your scale is not made by A&D, consider connecting it to a PC for data acquisition. You can use our Simple Data Logger software, which is designed to work with scales from many different manufacturers.

Note: The information in this article is valid for firmware P1.10 of the AD-1688.

Links and further information about the AD-1688 weighing data logger

Software Kern BalanceConnection: what’s new in 2019

Two versions of Kern’s BalanceConnection software are now available: the standard version (SCD-4.0) and the Pro version (SCD-4.0-PRO).

The following table shows the features of the standard version on the left and the additional features of the Pro version on the right (according to Kern’s 2019 catalog):

BalanceConnection SCD-4.0BalanceConnection SCD-4.0-PRO
· For operating systems Windows XP, Vista, 7,
8, 8.1, 10
· Supports balances measuring devices with
RS 232, RS 485, Bluetooth, LAN or WLAN
network (TCP/UDP/IP)
· Highly flexible formatting of the output (any
order, formatting and rounding), particularly
recording of date and time for every value
transferred, if required
· Any number of devices/interfaces can be
connected, as well as simultaneous and
synchronised recording of several balances
· Key-activated or time-controlled interro-
gation of measurements or trigger of device
functions, also for continuous recording
· The interface protocols for KERN balances are
already predefined (standard configuration)
· Compatible interface cable included when
you order a KERN balance at the same time
· Many different transfer and recording
options:
– Microsoft ® Excel/Access/Word in the
fore ground or background
– Other Windows applications (through key
simulation), e.g. shipping software or ERP
system (SAP, Sage, etc.)
– File recording (e.g. as text or CSV file)
– Print out on text or label printer
– Screen output such as large display, line
chart (drying curve for moisture analyzer),
histogram, etc.
· ODBC/SQL databases such as SQL Server
or MySQL
· Transfer to HTTP Webservices/Web forms
· Histogram
· Enables the connection of medical balances
to practice EDP systems using the device
data transfer protocol (GDT) and also the
HL7 protocol
· Implementation of programs/scrips using
freely-definable command lines
· Command sequences
· Defining the conditions for specific events
and the reaction to these events
· Filter for stability recognition (configurable
value storage)
· Central configuration repository, e.g. on the
network
· On-screen displays with configurable user
interface for flexible balance operation

If you do not need the features listed on the right, the standard version is the right choice. However, this version has also become a bit more expensive compared to the single version available so far.

Inexpensive alternatives

If you don’t need the extensive functionality of BalanceConnection and only want to connect a single scale to your PC, we offer two very inexpensive alternatives. Each of these programs has a single purpose and is therefore easy to set up and use:

  • 232key: Transfers the weight to any application (e.g. Excel, shipping software, etc.) using a key simulation (virtual keyboard wedge).
  • Simple Data Logger: Stores the weight in a CSV file (if desired with date and time), the weight can also be retrieved from the scale using a timer (Plus version only).

Further information

Record the weight from a scale or balance to a file – Simple Data Logger software

Connecting your scale to a PC and recording the weight should not be a difficult task. However, data logging software available from scale manufacturers or third parties is often expensive, difficult to use or frustratingly unreliable. We developed Simple Data Logger (SDL) to address these issues.

SDL writes the weight received from a scale or balance to a file, optionally adding the date and time. The CSV files generated by SDL can easily be opened in Excel and other spreadsheet applications for further processing and visualization.

Recording the weight from a precision balance using Simple Data Logger

SDL currently supports the following connections:

  • COM port: RS-232, USB virtual COM port, Bluetooth SPP, etc.
  • TCP/IP: Ethernet, WLAN (raw TCP format only).

Note: Your scale has to send data in ASCII format.

Get started recording weight values with Simple Data Logger

Connect your scale to your computer, download and install SDL, then follow these steps to configure the software (updated on December 7, 2019 – please refer to the documentation on the SDL website for the latest instructions):

  1. Input tab:
    Input tab: A&D scales and balancesIf your scale or balance is listed in SDL, simply select it and press the set default parameters for device button. Otherwise, select “generic measuring instrument” and enter the interface parameters manually. Set the radio button to match your connection: COM port (RS232, USB VCP, Bluetooth SPP) or TCP/IP.Make sure that you’ve specified a terminator (a.k.a. delimiter, the last character your scale sends in each line of data) or a timeout (e.g. 100ms, SDL will process received data if no additional data is received during this time).
  2. Output tab:
    Output tab (English US)Choose a file for the recorded data. SDL will create if for you if it does not exist (otherwise, data will be appended). Choose (or enter) a date and time format or select “None” from the list if you do not want SDL to add the date or time. Pick a decimal separator (for numeric values) and value separator (used to separate values from each other). The correct settings for your locale can be made automatically by clicking on the set values button.
  3. Start tab:
    Start tab: A&D FX-300i balancePress the start button to start recording data. Press the “PRINT” button on your scale or balance to send the weight to SDL. Depending on you scale, this button might have a different name (e.g. “DATA”). Some scales like the A&D FX-300i used in this example also have to ability to automatically transfer each (stable) weight. Data received will be shown in the event log (with the captured weight value shown in blue) and the weight will be written to the chosen file. Press stop to stop data logging and to close the file.

    Note: SDL can also handle continuous streams of weight data if this is what your application calls for (we’ve tested it with a scale which sends 100 values per second). The total number of recorded values is only limited by your disk space (but please keep in mind that Excel cannot open files containing more than 1,048,576 rows).

Process the weight values in Excel (or other spreadsheet applications)

Provided that you’ve made the right format settings in the output tab, you can easily open the CSV file in Excel (or other spreadsheet applications like Google Docs, OpenOffice/LibreOffice Calc). The weight will be recognized as a number, allowing you to make further calculations (i.e. calculating the total weight as shown below):
Everything shown here can be done with the “Basic” version of SDL (which is free for personal, non-commercial use). The “Plus” version has additional features including a timer to request the weight from the scale in user-defined intervals.

Very affordable licences can be purchased from our partner FastSpring (immediate license delivery).

 

Links and further information