SpecLog

SpecLog records data from connected spectrometer instruments and provides a desktop monitor for viewing live and historical measurements.

Quick start

Start the logger:

SpecLogger

Open the monitor:

SpecMonitor

Keep the logger running while using the monitor. The logger collects and saves instrument data; the monitor reads and displays those saved measurements.

Configure SpecLog

Open the configuration editor:

SpecLogger --config

The shared configuration is saved at:

C:\Users\Public\LOG_Config\config.cfg

Use the section list on the left to select global settings or a device.

Global settings

The SETTINGS section contains options such as:

• Logging interval
• Log-folder location
• Maximum log-file size

Device communication

For each device, use the Communication tab to configure its connection:

• Enable or disable the device
• Protocol
• Address or COM port
• Baud rate
• Termination
• Other serial communication attributes

Device commands

Use Commands > Values for ordinary measurements. Each command can contain:

• Variable name
• Instrument command
• Display alias
• Minimum and maximum limits
• Expected static value

Use Commands > Status Indicators for commands that return status bits. Click the indicators button to add, remove, reorder, or reverse individual indicators. The editor calculates bits and bit_static automatically.

Click Save after making changes. The editor validates the configuration and keeps the previous file as config.cfg.bak. Restart the logger and monitor to apply the updated configuration.

Control the logger

Start or stop the logger from a terminal:

SpecLogger start
SpecLogger stop

You can also use Start and Stop at the bottom of the configuration editor. Current status is shown as Running, Stopped, or Status unavailable. Operation results and errors appear in the Messages area.

For troubleshooting, start the logger with a visible debug console:

SpecLogger -debug True

Start logging automatically without login

Open a terminal as Administrator and enable system startup:

SpecLogger -startup True

The logger will start automatically after the next computer boot. A 30-second delay allows USB and serial drivers to initialize first.

To run it immediately without rebooting:

SpecLogger start

Disable automatic startup from an Administrator terminal:

SpecLogger -startup False

The configuration editor also provides Enable and Disable startup buttons. Administrator permission is normally required to use them.

After Enable, open Task Scheduler and find Speclogger task, disable Stop the task if it runs longer than in settings.

If the startup task was created by another administrator, a standard account may show startup as Unavailable. If new log data is still being written, the logger status displays Running (log activity). Start and Stop remain disabled until the editor is opened with sufficient permission.

Use the monitor

Open the monitor normally:

SpecMonitor

Use the monitoring-item controls to select which measurements are plotted. Use Historical Data to open a separate historical-data window. Enter a start time and duration, choose curves from the Items to plot checklist, then click OK to plot the selected range in that window. This checklist is independent of the main monitor's live-item selection. After data is loaded, checking or unchecking an item updates the historical plot immediately without loading the files again. The main monitor remains open and continues displaying live data. Click Reset to cancel the current historical request and clear the selection fields and plot.

The historical plot uses a time-only horizontal axis; its title shows the full start and end date/time. Click Save to export the loaded Date, Time, and currently checked measurement items to a CSV file.

Click Load in the Historical Data window to open an existing SpecLog CSV file in the historical plot. File loading is kept out of the main monitor so its graph continues showing live data.

Click Save Figure to export the historical plot, including its title, axes, curves, and legend, as a PNG image.

To load all available history, leave Start Time empty, keep Duration at All, and click OK. The first import may take longer; later queries load only new or changed files.

Start the monitor with a visible debug console when troubleshooting:

SpecMonitor -debug True

Monitor curves use a high-contrast subset of the packaged Bruker color palette that remains visible on a white background. They cycle through solid, dashed, dotted, and dash-dot line shapes when additional curve styles are needed. Style assignment is recalculated from the currently selected items, so selections that fit within the color palette use solid lines only. These application styles are stored internally in SpecLog/config/monitor_config.cfg; they are separate from the public device configuration.

Plot legends are displayed below the curves rather than over them. Legend and axis text use larger fonts, and long legends automatically use additional columns.

Common status messages

• Running: The logger is active and directly detectable.
• Running (log activity): New data confirms that the logger is active, but the current Windows account cannot query the system startup task.
• Stopped: The logger is not running.
• Status unavailable: The current account cannot verify the logger state and no recent log activity was detected.
• Startup Enabled: Automatic logging is configured for system boot.
• Startup Disabled: The startup task exists but automatic boot startup is disabled.
• Startup Unavailable: Open the configuration editor as Administrator to inspect or control a task created by another administrator.