AlphaLab AIC2 User manual
USB Port
2.1mm Power Adapter Jack
Operation Overview
During operation, air is drawn in at the top, is measured, and exits at the bottom. Do not b ock the
air intake and exit openings. When operating, the disp ay shows the ion count present in the air,
updating twice per second. The 10-foot ong ground wire shou d be used to connect the meter to
earth ground for most types of measurements, especia y if you are measuring high ion eve s.
At power on or when changing po arity, the meter stabi izes for about four seconds, after which
ion measurements begin. For accurate readings, avoid measuring near charged p astic such as
synthetic fabric (c othing). Excess charges wi reduce both positive and negative ion counts in
the vicinity.
In a typica environment, ions do not mix we . There can be c usters of negative ions in one area
with a most no ions just a few inches away. Thus, it is norma for the ion eve to f uctuate
irregu ar y as air is drawn into the meter. To provide a more stab e reading, the meter imposes
five second averaging. An a ternative average of 2 or 14 seconds can be se ected.
Ion peak eve s are continua y saved in the meter. By pressing the “Peak Mode,” the saved
maximum ion eve that occurred (since the ast time “Reset Peak” was depressed) is disp ayed.
“Record”, initia izes automated recording for ater retrieva via the USB port. The A phaApp PC
app ication provides for retrieva and management of the meter data. The app ication may be
down oaded at: https://www.alphalabinc.com/alphaapp/
“Sca e” switches the meter’s range between 10 to 2 mi ion ion cm3 and 100 to 200 mi ion
ions cm3.
Earth Ground Jack
Air Ion Counter AIC2
AIC2 Operation Details
Power Up / Operation
On power up the fan wi come on, and the disp ay wi
indicate “Stabi izing” for about four seconds, at which
point ion measurements wi begin. To change the
desired ion po arity, press “Po arity.” Note that when the
po arity is changed, the meter re-stabi izes.
“Sca e” se ects the a ternative 200 mi ion range on the
dua sca e mode . On the standard (sing e range) AIC2
the sca e is fixed at 2 mi ion. The 200 mi ion sca e
a ows for the measurement of extreme y high ion
eve s, such as the output of an ion generator. A disp ay
of 1---.-- indicates over range.
Se ected Po arity Temperature
Defau t Range, 2 mi ion ions cm3
Averaging
The factory defau t is 5 second averaging. The
a ternative averaging rates are 2 and 14 seconds. The
14 second averaging great y reduces the ion eve
f uctuation caused by uneven mixing of ion eve s in the
air. However, the onger averaging resu ts in a
corresponding de ay in the meter’s response time.
To view the current averaging setting, ho d down
“Sca e”. Then whi e continuing to ho d “Sca e” down,
depress “Record”. To change the average, fo ow the
same procedure but ho d both “Sca e” and “Record”
down for 10 seconds or unti a ternative average time
appears. Re ease both keys, and start the procedure
again unti the eve you desire is disp ayed.
Note that a though the disp ay of the average wi
disappear five seconds after depressing any other
function, the se ected average wi continued to be
emp oyed unti it is changed.
Defau t Averaging Time
A ternative Averaging Time
Groun ing
To einsure accurate measurements, the meter shou d be grounded (earthed). The inc uded
ground strap is provided for this purpose. Air ions are e ectrica y charged air mo ecu es.
Grounding the meter provides the reference for the ion eve s. At ower ion eve s, ho ding the
meter is sufficient provided that the person ho ding the meter has not bui t up a static charge.
Occasion y touching a grounded item, such as a water pipe or the screws on the ight switch
p ate, wi insure that the operator is at ground potentia . High eve s of ions can create a static
charges on surfaces, inc uding the meter. If this takes p ace, the charged surface wi repe
ions that are the same po arity as the charged surface, resu ting in a fa se ( ow) ion reading.
Grounding the meter wi prevent this and ensure a correct reading.
Peak Mo e
Pressing "Peak Mode" disp ays the rea time ion eve s
(top disp ayed va ue) as we as the highest ion eve
measured by the meter since the ast time the peak was
reset. Whi e in this mode, momentari y pressing "Peak
Reset” wi reset the peak va ue. When the peak mode
is off, the meter continues to capture the highest ion
eve measured. When the po arity is changed, the peak
va ue is reset.
Meter Calibration / Re-zeroing
Ca ibration estab ishes the zero point when no ions are
present. Ca ibration is not necessary each time the
meter is used. If there has been a major temperature
variation or if the meter has not been used for a ong
period, the meter’s zero point shou d be verified. To do
so, depress “Standby”, preferab y from the most sensitive
2 mi ion (__ x103 sca e). In standby, the meter’s ion
sensor remains active, but the fan is turned off. After
stabi izing, the ion count shou d gradua y drop to 0.00 +/- 0.06. Residua air ions and ambient
noise wi cause the reading to f uctuate by about two to six ( east significant digit) counts. If
the meter does not sett e near 0.00, the meter needs to be re-ca ibrated. For instance if the
meter sett es at a reading of -0.15, the meter’s zero point has an offset of -0.15, which wou d
be e iminated if re-ca ibrated. It is advisab e to be in the norma 5 second averaging before
going into standby. In 5 second averaging, the ion count wi sett e to zero in 10 to 20 seconds.
In 14 second averaging sett ing takes more time. To come out of standby mode, depress
“Standby” or any other function key.
To re-estab ish the meter’s zero point, press “Ca ibrate”.
During the ca ibration process the zero reference point
for both sca es is estab ished. During the process, a
se f-test is a so conducted. Ca ibration typica y takes 50
to 60 seconds, during which a status bar indicates the
ca ibration progress. It is norma for the status bar to
increment in steps at 10 to 15 second interva s.
Ca ibration and se f test errors: If the zero point cannot
be determined, a ca ibration timeout message wi
appear. This is caused by high wind, c ose proximity to
a strong static or e ectrica fie d, or extreme y high eve s
of ions. If this error occurs, cover the intake or p ace the
meter in a different position/ ocation. Other possib e
errors inc ude “Excessive Offset” or “Low Sensitivity.”
These errors are an indication of sensor contamination
or moisture condensation. These errors can usua y be
reso ved by b owing compressed air through the air
intake, or in the case of condensation, a owing the
meter to dry out.
Prerecor e Data Uploa Example
Power Options an Battery Level
Operation time with the insta ed 4 AA a ka ine
batteries is typica y 16 hours. To access the
batteries, remove the two screws on the
battery cover at the back of the meter. The
meter may be operated with a 6 or 9VDC,
200mA regu ated or unregu ated power
adapter with a 2.1mm barre p ug, positive
center. Note that if the battery eve drops
be ow the eve required for the interna
processor, the disp ay wi be b ank; however,
the back ight of the disp ay may sti be
i uminated. If this occurs, rep ace the
batteries. Note that the power adapter does
not charge the batteries. You can use
rechargeab e AA batteries, but they must be
charged outside of the meter with an
appropriate charger.
Battery Leve : Each missing bar represents a
drop of approximate y 20% of battery’s
usab e capacity.
Data Recor ing / USB
With the data recording function, measurements
may be recorded for ater up oad to a PC/Laptop.
When “Record” is pressed, the current disp ayed
measurement is saved into non-vo ati e memory
and a record number is momentari y disp ayed. Up
to 9,999 records or record sets may be saved. The
software app ication A phaApp provides the user
with the abi ity to retrieve recorded data and de ete
saved data. The A phaApp app ication a so a ows
the option of configuring the meter to record a
stream of measurements at a specified interva .
When configured to record a stream of
measurements, pressing "Record" turns on the
record function indicated by the disp ay of the
record set number. In this mode measurements are
continua y saved at the configured interva unti
"Record" is pressed a second time, at which time
the recording stops and the set number is no onger
disp ayed. When attached to a PC/Laptop, the
A phaApp app ication a so a ows for the rea -time
streaming of the meter’s measurements.
Peak Mo e Data Recor ing: When recording in
peak mode, on y the peak eve s are recorded. No
rea time eve s are recorded.
Record or Set #
AlphaApps USB Utility
Real Time Example
Prerecor e Data Uploa Example
Rea time ion eve data and p otting
Up oad/view/p ot prerecorded data
Se ectab e Ion measurement/record interva s; 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 30, or 120 seconds
96 hours of nonvo ati e storage in the AIC2 at the 1 second measurement interva
Ion eve verses time graphs with optiona se ectab e automatic sca ing and time compression
P otted graphs and data tab es may be saved for ater retrieva
Tab e data (which is comma-de imited) can be pasted into a spreadsheet
Down oad at: https://www.alphalabinc.com/alphaapp/
SPECIFICATIONS
Ion Po arity Positive or Negative Ions - se ectab e
Ion Range
Ion Reso ution 10 Ions/c (2M Sca e), 100 Ions/cm3 (200M Sca e) m3
Ion Accuracy +/- 20%, repeatabi ity 5%
Averaging 5 or 14 seconds - se ectab e
Peak Va ue Continua y saved
Peak va ue disp ay - se ectab e
Peak va ue reset - se ectab e
Rea Time Data Output Micro USB Port
Data Recording On command or automatic at se ectab e interva s
Up to 9,999 records - non-vo ati e memory
PC App ication
A phaApp Rea time data p otting and record retrieva
Temperature Disp ayed in Ce sius, 1% accuracy
Ca ibration Zero reference verification and Se f Test- se ectab e
Environmenta -1° C to 43° C, 0-90% RH non-condensing
Wind ,< 15 km/hr (9 mph)
Power - Interna Battery - 4 AA A ka ine (~16 hour ife)
Consumption 75mA, 17mA in stand by mode
Battery condition continua y disp ayed
Power - Externa 6 to 9VDC regu ated or unregu ated
Power Jack, 2.1mm positive center
9VDC regu ated, 200mA Adapter inc uded
Size 7.63 x 4 x 1.75 inches (194 x 102 x 45 mm)
Desk Stand Retractab e - Integrated into the bottom of the meter
Disp ay Graphic 64x128 pixe s, Back it , 1.3x2.5 inches (35x64mm)
Weight 20 oz (567 g)
2 Mi ion or 200 Mi ion Ions cm3 - se ectab e
Warranty: !"#"#"
Designed and manufactured in the USA by
A phaLab Inc., 3005 South 300 West, Sa t Lake City, UT 84115
www.a pha abinc.com Te (801)487-9492 Fax (801)487-3877
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Removable Shiel
Manua V2.6 October 2020
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