Downloading Data from the LI-1000

Many LI-COR instruments have dedicated software to download data to a Windows®, Mac®, or Linux computer. The LI-1000 Datalogger, however, does not. Fortunately, most command-line terminal programs are able to receive data from the LI-1000. Below are the steps necessary to download data from the LI-1000, using a free terminal program called Tera Term.

  1. Connect the RS-232 serial cable to the LI-1000.
  2. This is a 9-pin to 25-pin null modem cable.
  3. Connect the other end to the computer, if it has a 9-pin serial port.
  4. If not, you will need a USB-to-serial adapter. We recommend the 6400-27 adapter from LI-COR; we cannot guarantee that third-party adapters will work with the LI-1000.
  5. Download the free Tera Term terminal program at http://logmett.com/index.php?/download/tera-term-478-freeware.html.
  6. Open Tera Term.
  7. Select the Serial option, and select the COM port that your instrument is connected to – it may already be selected. Click OK.
  9. Click Setup on the top menu, and enable the Serial Port radio button.
  10. Select Baud rate = 4800, Data = 8 bit, Parity = none, Stop = 2 bit, and Flow control = none. Click OK.
  12. Click File on the top menu, and select Log.
  13. This is where your log file will be saved. Select the directory you want and the name of the file. Instead of the default file extension (.log), you can append it with a text file extension (.txt). For the options at the bottom, you’ll want to enable ‘Append’ and ‘Plain Text’, but nothing else. Press Save. Tera Term is now ready to receive data.
  15. Turn on the LI-1000. Press the [OUT] button.
  16. Using the left arrow key, select 48 (for 4800 baud).
  17. The LI-1000 will prompt for a form. Select H for horizontal or V for vertical.
  18. If H is selected, enter the maximum number of characters per line—for example, “len=80”.
  19. The LI-1000 will then ask to “dump all”.
  20. Select Yes to download all the data. Select No to download only a portion of the data, and enter StartDates, StartTimes, EndDates, and EndTimes.
  21. Press Enter.
  22. The LI-1000 will now display the message “dumping…” while it sends the data to the computer.
  23. You can close out of Tera Term when the transfer is finished.
  24. You can then open the file (tab delimited text file) in Notepad or Microsoft Excel to analyze the data.