Agrosta 100USB User manual

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
The Agrosta®100USB is a durometer that measures without destroying the hardness of
fruits, vegetables,
And of different farm-products, agro-industrial products and foodstuffs
Congratulations for having acquired an AGROSTA®100 USB!
Your box contains:
- The device itself composed by the Usb box with pug, and a the sensor
- The software to be installed (On a CD)
- The sensor according to your requirements
- The manual
Mark and patent registered.
Designed and manufactured by AGROSTA

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
The AGROSTA®100 USB has been completely designed and assembled in France. The electronic card has
been manufactured through a highly robotized process.
The AGROSTA®100 USB is not waterproof ! It is a precision instrument, avoid falls and shocks
The AGROSTA®100 USB is guaranteed 2 years from the date of shipment
- Minimal % measurement : 5%
- Maximal % measurement : 100% when completely pressed (Shore A standard = 8.06 N for 100%)
- Resolution : +/- 1%
- Precision 24 Bits (10 million steps on the 100%)
- A100-10 sensor for peaches (35% to 95%), apricots (45% to 95%), grapes and
kiwis (35% to 95%) –With the 10 mm tip, a reading of 85% corresponds to 4.5 Kg per 0.5 cm2
with a penetrometer.
- A100-25 sensor for tomatoes (values from 45 to 80), cherries, plums, melon
flesh, grapes (values from 30 to 80), blueberries (values from 25 to 70 - destructive),
peppers
- A100-50 sensor for strawberries

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
STARTING / INSTALLING SOFTWARE
1) Install the soft completely (driver installation as well –check that driver installation is not blocked by
your system)
2) Close the soft if it has started after setup
3) Connect your device
4) Wait one minute till your computer recognizes it, and till the internal software inside the device starts
(If you don’t wait, you will obtain bad values)
5) Launch the soft from your desktop
6) The soft starts immediately, you can choose the COM port corresponding to your device on top –left
side –Click on the COM port corresponding to your device –If you have a doubt, start the device
manager of your PC, and find the COM port corresponding to “Ftdi” –Or, more easy, try each COM
port, wait one second, and press the tip on a table in order to see whether you obtain a measure
7) Place your sensor in the work position, tip free, and press on the button “RECORD SENSOR
FREE IN WORK POSITION”
8) Once the device receives the origin position, « OK » appears during one second :

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
MEASURING WITHOUT RECORDING
1) Take your fruits one after each other, and press till plastic abutment
When the sensor is removed from the fruit, the measurement is displayed, you can start next
measurement

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
START A NEW BATCH WITH RECORDING
1) Enter the name of the batch to be measured in the field « BATCH » - Avoid accents, “, /, *, ., :
in the name of the batch, but you can put the date inside this name for example
2) Enter complementary information in the field « FRUIT» if necessary
3) « START» appears –click on START :
4) Choose the number of measurements to be made on each fruit –Only the average will be
added to the list

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
5) Make the measurements
6) When the batch is finished, click on « END » - the button disappears, and a graph is
displayed
7) All data are available under Excel compatible format (.csv) in the following folder :
C:\AGROSTASAVE
8) Graphs & statistics are available in the following folder :
C:\AGROSTA
9) You can start a new batch by entering a new batch name

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
CONSULT PREVIOUS BATCHES
Just press the button “ACCESS TO BATCHES” in order to access to previous batches graph and statistics
You can as well delete old batches from this window
Close the consultation window, the main window appears
By clicking on “Open data file”, you can open the .csv file corresponding to your batch.
Excel is launched if it is defined in your computer as default software for the .csv files
If you click on “Open graph”, the drawing software of your computer is launched, and the graph is displayed
as a picture.
SELF CALIBRATION –NEW !
You can check if the calibration of your device is still valid.
1st –Start the instrument according the starting procedure above (Be sure that the sensor is in the
right position when you start the device !!
2nd –Press very strongly the tip on an hard and flat surface, like a table –You should obtain more
than 96 % (The best is to obtain 100%) –If it is not the case, contact Agrosta for calibration
YOUR CALIBRATION STAYS VALID AS LONG AS YOU OBTAIN 100 % ON AN HARD SURFACE

AGROSTA®100 USB
DIGITAL FIRMNESS INSTRUMENT
13 Rue du Bastringue 76440 SERQUEUX - FRANCE
[e-mail] - www.agro-technology.co.uk –Tel [phone]
CLEANING
Pull on the abutment carefully, and remove the tip, clean the red part with hot water and soap, and the
inside (yellow plastic part) with a wet tissue