Logger Pro 3.4.6 Released

We are pleased to release another update to Logger Pro, our flagship application for Windows and Macintosh. In addition to collecting data from any combination of LabPros, Go! devices, Ohaus Scout Pro balances, and many video cameras. Logger Pro now supports the Wireless Dynamics Sensor System, Vernier and Ocean Optics Spectrometers, Ohaus Adventurer Pro balances, and many Garmin GPS units.

The new release is also a Universal Binary build for Macintosh, meaning that Logger Pro now runs natively on the new Intel-based Macs. Fast! The same build also runs natively on older PowerPC-based Macs running OS X 10.3 and newer.

Here are a few new features:

• Graphs can now have log axes or two Y axes.
• You can import data from another Logger Pro file, allowing the combination of results from many students.
• Time-offset curve fits are available. In a time-offset fit, the time is treated as zero at the beginning of a selected region of data. This allows simple interpretation of fit parameters.
• Simplified point-and-click synchronization of videos and data make it even easier to use videos with your sensor data.
• A distance-measuring tool makes it easy to analyze photos and videos.
• Video analysis now allows the tracking of more objects. Formerly the limit was three; now you can track as many as you like.
• Use the Interpolation Calculator to interpolate a curve fit’s X-value based on a Y-value and subsequently display the values on the graph. The Interpolation Calculator is different from the interpolate function in that the Interpolation Calculator remains in place while the interpolate function moves with the mouse pointer.
• A new gel analysis feature has been added for DNA gel electrophoresis work.
• Videos from DV (digital video) cameras are captured at a full 30 frames per second.
• Some models of Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS) units can be used as a data source both for live data collection and for remote data retrieval and subsequent analysis (Windows only).
• Export GPS data to Google Maps. GPS locations, and any associated sensor data, will be drawn on a Google map or satellite photo.
• New sample data files have been added.

Logger Pro 3.4.6 updates are free if you have any prior version of Logger Pro 3. Visit www.vernier.com/download for a free update. If you need a CD, give us a call, and we will send you one.

DV Cameras: Cool Tools for Physics

Logger Pro has supported video capture for some time, but version 3.4.6 adds much improved support for DV (digital video) cameras. These cameras have Firewire or USB 2 connection to a computer, and offer a full 30 Hz frame rate. Image quality is quite good, and even inexpensive consumer cameras allow you to set a very fast shutter speed. You can get a basic DV camera for about $300.

About New Versions of Software…

Does it seem like there are new versions of Logger Pro all the time? That’s because we are hard at work adding new features and supporting updated computer operating systems. Software written years ago may not work properly on new computers, and new hardware such as the Vernier Spectrometer or Wireless Dynamics Sensor System require new versions of Logger Pro. We listen carefully to your requests for new features, and we also fix occasional bugs. Do you have suggestions for new features? Write to info@vernier.com. Give us a call if you have questions about updating to a newer version of Logger Pro or Graphical Analysis. If you have version 3 of either application, updates are free.