They are fastened to vehicles or hidden in packages and subjected to the actual dynamic environment. Later, when connected to a host computer, the data is uploaded and analyzed. Often, the goal is to reproduce the damaging elements of the environment in a laboratory, to improve the design of products, packages and systems. Dallas Instruments, a Lansmont Company, has been a pioneer in this field. In most respects, a large amount of instrument memory is very desirable.
More memory means a longer total recording time, more data and greater statistical accuracy.
But there can be a problem with all this memory when it comes time to upload the data to a host computer. In many measurement situations, the overall size of the recorder doesn't matter. When investigating the shock and vibration in a railcar, for example, there is usually enough room to mount even the largest of instruments. But sometimes size is of the utmost importance. So the most versatile configuration is the most compact, providing that functionality is not sacrificed.