MadgeTech 4 Software: Features and Setup Guide

MadgeTech 4 software is the free Windows programme that sets up, starts, stops and downloads MadgeTech data loggers. Install the software and the USB drivers, connect the logger with an interface cable, choose a start method and reading interval, then download the readings as a graph, data table or statistics report. 

MadgeTech 4 is the desktop programme that configures MadgeTech data loggers and collects their recorded data. Without it, a logger is a sealed device recording numbers you cannot reach. The software is where you set the device up, pull the readings off it, and turn them into a record you can hand to an auditor.

It is free. MadgeTech 4 Standard comes with every MadgeTech data logger, and updates cost nothing. There is no licence fee and no per-device subscription.

Who makes it and who supplies it in Australia

MadgeTech, Inc. is an American manufacturer that develops both loggers and software. Pacific Sensor Technologies Pty Ltd is the authorised Australian distributor, based in Pakenham, Victoria. Australian buyers download the same software from either site, but local supply, calibration and support come through PST.

Three things happen inside the software:

• Setting up devices. You choose how often the logger takes a reading, when it starts, when it stops, and what happens if a reading goes out of range.
• Collecting data. You download readings into the software’s internal file database, where they stay until you delete them.
• Reporting. You view the data as a graph, a data table or a statistics report, add notes, and export it to Microsoft Excel.

Key point

MadgeTech 4 stores downloaded data in its own file database on your PC. The software will not download the same data twice, and resetting a logger erases its stored readings permanently. Always download and save before you reset a device.

MadgeTech 4 needs Windows 7 or later, .NET Framework 4.8 or 4.8.1, at least 4 GB of RAM and 30 MB of free disk space. Most modern office PCs clear these comfortably. Older machines on a factory floor sometimes do not.

Tip

Both the software and the USB drivers must be installed. Installing only the software is a common mistake and leaves the Connected Devices panel permanently empty.

Select the device in the Connected Devices panel, open the Device tab, then choose a start option from the Control group. MadgeTech 4 offers four start methods, and the right one depends on how many devices you are running and whether you need live readings.

Custom Start is the option you will use most. It opens the full settings screen, where you choose three things.

• Start method. Immediate begins recording as soon as you click Start. Delay lets you pick a future date and time. Manual waits for you to trigger the device using the method on its product information card.
• Reading interval. How often the logger takes a measurement. Shorter intervals give more detail but fill the memory faster.
• Stop method. Manual, Automatic (a set date and time) or Readings (a set number of readings). You can also enable memory wraparound, which overwrites the oldest readings once memory is full.

Click Start when you are done. The status in the Connected Devices panel changes to Running, Waiting to start or Waiting for manual start, depending on what you chose.

Key point

Manual stop is always available, even when you have set an automatic or readings-based stop. If a device is recording and running in Real Time at the same time, you need to click Stop twice.

Hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple devices. The start options only become available if every selected device is the same model. For larger deployments, Batch Start is quicker: programme one logger, then swap devices in and out of the docking station and each matching device starts automatically. Only devices of the same model and firmware can be batch started together, which is worth checking if you are running a mixed fleet of multi-channel loggers alongside single-channel units.

Alarm rules, the alarm log, annotations and workflows do most of the work. If you are keeping temperature records for food safety, vaccine storage or a quality system, these four features are what turn raw readings into a defensible record. They apply equally whether you are running temperature data loggers in a cool room or a validation kit in a sterilising cycle.

There are two kinds. Device alarm rules live on the logger itself, set under Device Properties on the Alarm tab. You set a high and low threshold, optional warning thresholds, and a delay so a brief door opening does not trigger an alert.

Software alarm rules only work when a device is running in Real Time and connected to the software. Open Manage Rules in the Alarms group. Rules can fire when all conditions are met or when any condition is met, and can send email notifications, or text messages via email, once the email server settings are configured.

Supporting information

Software alarm rules need the PC running and the logger connected. If you need alarms that work when nobody is at the computer, look at MadgeTech Cloud Services or a wireless data logger system instead.

The Alarm Log records every alarm the software has seen. You can dismiss an alarm, or acknowledge it, which is the more useful option. Acknowledging lets you add a title and a comment explaining what you did about the breach. The software then places an annotation on the graph at the exact point the alarm fired, with your comment attached.

For recurring issues, set up comment templates under File, Options, Alarms. This gives you a consistent record of the corrective action taken, which is exactly what an auditor asks for.

Annotations attach notes to a graph or to a single reading. Only one annotation can be added per reading. They stay with the saved report and are visible when you print.

Cooling flags are automatic annotations that mark the graph when readings cross temperature thresholds you define. If you are recording a cooking and cooling cycle, this saves reading the graph by eye to find the moment each threshold was crossed. You can name the thresholds and save your settings as the default.

Recommendation

Start with Standard. It is free and does everything a food business, cold storage operator or general industrial user needs. Move to Secure only if a regulator or client audit specifically requires electronic signatures and an audit trail. Talk to our team first, because Secure is not compatible with every logger.

Most MadgeTech 4 support calls come down to missing USB drivers, an unclaimed wireless device, or a reading interval that is too fast for Real Time. The table below covers the usual suspects. Device-specific steps are in the user guides, and older devices sometimes need a firmware update.

Tip

If panels have been dragged out of place, reset the whole layout under File, Options, Display, then Reset screen layout. It is faster than rearranging panels by hand.