what is SDI-12?

Google Gemini's answer:

SDI-12 stands for Serial Digital Interface at 1200 baud. Here's a breakdown of what that means:

• Purpose:

  • It's a standard communication protocol used for connecting digital "sensors" to data "recorders", primarily in environmental monitoring applications.

  • These sensors typically measure environmental data like soil moisture, water level, temperature and other meteorological or hydrological parameters.

• Key Features:

  • Low Power Consumption: SDI-12 is designed for sensors that operate on low power, making it ideal for remote locations where battery power is essential.

  • Digital Communication: It uses a digital serial communication method.

  • Multi-drop Capability: Multiple sensors can be connected to a single data logger, reducing wiring complexity and cost.

  • Standardized Interface: This standardization allows for interoperability between sensors and data loggers from different manufacturers.

• Applications:

  • Commonly used in:

    • Hydrology (water level, flow)

    • Meteorology (weather stations)

    • Agriculture (soil moisture)

    • Environmental monitoring

• Essentially, SDI-12 simplifies the process of collecting data from environmental sensors, particularly in situations where power efficiency and the ability to connect multiple sensors are crucial.

MTCW...

Each SDI-12 "sensor" contains metadata which describes what kind of data it is, what the units are, how it is scaled, how much of it there is, how long it takes to update the data, etc. The recorder does not need to be configured for each sensor, since it can get all the information it needs from the sensors themselves.

see also: SDI-12 Wikipedia