Apera Instruments PC60 User manual

PC60 Premium Multi-Parameter Tester
(pH/EC/TDS/Salinity/Temp.)
Instruction Manual
APERA INSTRUMENTS, LLC
www.aperainst.com
V6.4

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Thank!you!for!purchasing!Apera!Instruments!PC60!Premium!Multi-Parameter!Tester.!Please!
carefully!read!this!instruction!manual!before!using!the!product!in!order!to!have!an!accurate!and!
reliable!test!result,!and!avoid!unnecessary!damages!to!the!meter!or!probe.!
!
For!video!tutorials,!please!go!to!support.aperainst.com!
Contents!
1.!Battery!Installation!.................................................................................................................................!3!
2.!Keypad!Functions!....................................................................................................................................!3!
3.!Complete!Kit!...........................................................................................................................................!4!
4.!Preparation!Before!Use!..........................................................................................................................!4!
5.!pH!Calibration!.........................................................................................................................................!5!
6.!pH!Measurement!....................................................................................................................................!6!
7.!Conductivity!Calibration!.........................................................................................................................!7!
8.!Conductivity!Measurement!....................................................................................................................!7!
9.!Parameter!Setting!...................................................................................................................................!9!
10.!Technical!Specifications!......................................................................................................................!10!
11.!Icons!and!Functions!............................................................................................................................!11!
12.!Probe!Replacement!............................................................................................................................!11!
13.!Warranty!.............................................................................................................................................!12!

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1. Battery Installation
Please install batteries according to the following steps. *Please note direction of batteries: All
POSITIVE SIDES (“+”) FACING UP. (Wrong installation of batteries will cause damage to the
tester and potential hazards)
2. Keypad
Functions
■ Short press------ < 2 seconds ,Long press------- > 2 seconds
1.Short press to turn on the tester and long press to
turn off the tester.
2.When turned off, long press to enter parameter
setting.
3. In measurement mode, short press to turn on
backlight.
1.In measurement mode, short press to switch
parameter pH→COND→TDS→SAL
2.In mode setting, short press to change parameter
(Unidirectional)
1. Long press to enter calibration mode.
2. In calibration mode, short press to confirm
calibration.
3.When measured value is locked, short press to
unlock;
① Pull!the!battery!cap!up!
② Slide!the!battery!cap!along!to!the!direction!of!arrow!
③ Open!the!battery!cap!
④ Insert!the!batteries!(ALL$POSITIVE$SIDES$FACING$UP)!(see!graph)!
⑤ Close!the!battery!cap!
⑥ Slide!and!lock!the!battery!cap!along!to!the!direction!of!arrow!
⑦ Fit!the!tester’s!cap!while!making!sure!to!push!all!the!way!down.!The!!tester’s!
waterproof!design!may!be!compromised!if!the!cap!is!not!fitted!correctly.!
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Battery!
Cap
Buttons
Probe!
Ring!
Probe
Probe!Cap
LCD!
Display
pH!Sensor
BPB!Sensor
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+
+
+
+
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-
-
-

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3. Complete Kit
4. Preparation Before Use
If it is first-time use or the tester hasn’t been used for a long time, pour some 3M KCL solution in
the probe cap (about 1/5 of the probe cap) and soak the probe for 15-30 minutes.
When not in use, we recommend store the pH probe in the storage 3M KCL solution in the probe
cap to keep the sensor’s accuracy. But even if stored dry, it won’t do any permanent damage to
the sensor. It will only temporarily cause the probe to lose its sensitivity, which can always be
restored by soaking in the storage solution.
The!storage!solution!is!3M!KCL!(potassium!chloride).!One!bottle!of!10mL!storage!solution!comes!with!the!
tester!kit.!If!the!soaking!solution!was!contaminated,!please!replace!with!new!ones!timely.!
*!DO!NOT!use!any!other!brand’s!storage!solutions!because!different!chemicals!may!be!used!and!
potential!permanent!damage!could!be!caused!to!the!meter.!
Diagram!-!2!

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5. pH Calibration
Things needed in addition to what’s in the box:
A clean cup, distilled water (8-16oz), and tissue papers for rinsing and drying the probe.
5.1 Short press to turn on the meter; rinse the probe in distilled water, shake the meter in the
air and use tissue paper to dap off excess water (never rub or wipe the sensor).
5.2 Pour certain amount (about half volume of the calibration bottle) of pH 7.00 and
pH 4.00 buffer solution in separate calibration bottles;
5.3 Long press to enter calibration mode; Short press to exit.
5.4 Dip the probe in pH7.00 buffer solution, stir gently, and allow it to stand still in
the buffer solution until a stable reading is reached. When stable icon is
displayed on the LCD screen (as shown in Diagram 3), short press to
complete 1-point calibration and the tester returns to measurement mode. Indication Icon will
appear at the bottom left of the LCD screen.
5.5 Rinse the probe in distilled water and dry it. Long press to enter calibration mode.
Dip the probe in pH 4.00 buffer solution, stir gently, and allow it to stand still in the buffer
solution. When stable icon is displayed on the LCD screen, short press to complete
2-point calibration and the tester returns to measurement mode. Indication icon will
appear at the bottom left of the LCD screen.
5.6 If necessary, rinse the probe in distilled water and dry it, and dip the probe in 10.01 buffer
solution (sold separately) to complete 3rd point of calibration according to the steps in 5.5,
will appear at the bottom left of the LCD.
■ Notes
a) Tester will automatically recognize pH buffer solution. Users can perform one-point, two-point,
or three-point calibration. But for the 1st point calibration, only 7.00 pH solution can be
used. Then use other buffer solutions to conduct 2nd or 3rd point calibration. Tester!will!
automatically!recognize!5!kinds!of!pH!buffer!solutions. Refer to the table below:
Calibration
USA Series
NIST Series
Calibration
Indication Icon
Recommended
Accuracy and
Range
1-point
1) 7.00 pH
1) 6.86 pH
Accuracy ≥ 0.1
pH
2-point
1) 7.00 pH
2) 4.00 or 1.68 pH
1) 6.86 pH,
2) 4.01 pH or
1.68 pH
Measurement
Range＜7.00
pH
Diagram!-!3!
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1) 7.00 pH
2) 10.01 or 12.45 pH
1) 6.86 pH,
2) 9.18 pH or
12.45 pH
Measurement
Range＞7.00pH
3-point
1) 7.00 pH
2) 4.00 or 1.68 pH
3) 10.01 or 12.45 pH
1) 6.86pH
2) 4.01 or
1.68pH,
3) 9.18 pH or
12.45 pH
Wide
Measurement
Range
b) For pH Calibration buffer solutions, we recommend that users replace new buffer solution
after 10 to 15 times of use to keep the standard buffer’s accuracy. Do NOT pour the used
calibration solutions back into the solution bottles in case of contamination.
c) This pH probe will NOT give accurate and stable readings for distilled or deionized water.
This is because distilled and deionized water do not have enough ions present for the
electrode to function properly. Specialized pH probes need to be used for
distilled/deionized water measurement. Contact us at [e-mail] for more details.
d) When%testing%purified%water%like%spring%water%or%drinking%water,%it%will%take%longer%for%the%readings%
to%get%stabilized%(typically%3-5%minutes)%because%there%is%very%few%ions%left%to%be%detected%by%the%
sensor%in%those%purified%water.
e) Do NOT store pH probe in distilled water to prevent permanent damage to the probe.
f) For the self-diagnosis information, please refer to the table below:
Symbol
Self-Diagnosis information
Checking and methods to fix
Wrong calibration solution or the range of
calibration solution exceeds standard.
a) Check if calibration solution is correct (1st point
of pH calibration must be pH 7.00)
b) Check if electrode is damaged.
c) Check if there is any air bubble in the glass
bulb pH sensor
Is pushed before measurement is stable
( comes up and stays)
Wait for the smile icon to come up and stay,
then press
* If you find any air bubble in the glass bulb of the pH sensor, simply shake the probe for a few times
to remove it. The existence of an air bubble in the glass bulb will cause instable measurements.
* The 1st point calibration must be 7.00 pH. Perform the 2nd point calibration (4.00 pH) immediately
after the 1st point. Do NOT turn off the meter before you conduct 2nd point calibration. If the meter is
turned off after 1st point calibration, users will need to restart the calibration process with the 7.00 pH
first and the 4.00 pH following after. Calibrating directly in pH 4.00 after turning meter off and back on
will cause Er1.

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6.pH Measurement
Short press to turn on the tester. Rinse the probe in distilled water and dry it. Dip the probe in
sample solution, stir gently, and allow it to stand still in the solution. Get readings after
comes up and stays.
7. Conductivity Calibration
7.1 Press key to switch to conductivity measurement mode. Rinse the probe in distilled water
and dry it.
7.2 Pour certain amount (about half volume of the calibration bottle) of 1413μS/cm and 12.88
mS/cm conductivity calibration solution into accordant calibration bottles.
7.3 Long press key to enter calibration mode, short press to exit.
7.4 Dip the probe in 1413 μS/cm conductivity calibration solution, stir gently and
allow it to stand still in the solution until a stable reading is reached. When stable
icon appears and stays on the LCD screen, short press key to complete one-point
calibration, the tester returns to measurement mode and indication icon will
appear at the bottom left of the LCD screen.
7.5 After calibration, dip the probe in 12.88 mS/cm conductivity calibration solution. If the value is
accurate, it is not necessary to conduct 2nd point calibration. If it is inaccurate, follow the steps
in 7.3 to 7.4 to complete the 2nd point of calibration using 12.88 mS/cm buffer solution.
* 1000 µS/cm = 1 mS/cm
8. Conductivity Measurement
Press key to turn on the tester. Rinse the probe in distilled water and dry it.
Dip the probe in sample solution, stir gently, and allow it to stand still in the solution until a stable
reading is reached. Get readings after comes up and stays. Press to switch from
Conductivity to TDS, and Salinity
■ Notes
a) The TDS and Salinity measurements are converted from the conductivity
measurements via a certain conversion factor.
b) The tester can calibrate 84μS, 1413 μS/cm and 12.88 mS/cm conductivity calibration
solution. User can conduct 1 to 3 points calibration. Refer to the table below. Usually
calibrating the tester with 1413 μS/cm conductivity buffer solution alone shall meet the
testing requirement.

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Calibration Indication Icon
Calibration Standards
Measuring Range
84 μS/cm
0 - 200 μS/cm
1413 μS/cm
200 - 2000 μS/cm
12.88 mS/cm
2 - 20 mS/cm
c) The tester has been calibrated before leaving the factory. Generally, users can use the tester
directly or users can test conductivity buffer solutions first. If the error is large, then calibration is
needed.
d) For conductivity calibration solutions, we recommend that users replace new solutions after 5 to
10 times of use to keep the standard solution’s accuracy. Do NOT pour the used calibration
solutions back into the solution bottles in case of contamination.
e) Temperature compensation factor: The default setting of the temp. compensation factor is
2.0%/℃. User can adjust the factor based on test solution and experimental data in parameter
setting P4.
Solution
Temperature
compensation factor
Solution
Temperature
compensation factor
NaCl
2.12%/˚C
10% Hydrochloric acid
1.32%/˚C
5% NaOH
1.72%/˚C
5% Sulfuric acid
0.96%/˚C
Dilute ammonia
1.88%/˚C
f) 1000 ppm = 1 ppt
g) TDS and conductivity is linear related, and its conversion factor is 0.40-1.00. Adjust the factor
in parameter setting P5 based on the requirements in different industries. The factory default
setting is 0.71. Salinity and conductivity is linear related, and its conversion factor is 0.5. The
tester only needs to be calibrated in Conductivity mode, then after calibration of conductivity,
the meter can switch from conductivity to TDS or salinity.
h) Conversion Example: if conductivity measurement is 1000µS/cm, then the default TDS
measurement will be 710 ppm (under the default 0.71 conversion factor), and the salinity be
0.5 ppt.

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i) For the self-diagnosis information, please refer to the table below:
Symbol
Self-Diagnosis information
How to fix
Wrong conductivity buffer solution, which
exceeds the recognizable range of the
meter.
1. Check if buffer solution is correct
2. Check if electrode is damaged.
Is pushed before measurement is stable
( comes up and stays)
Wait for the smile icon to come up and then press
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9. Parameter Setting
9.1 Setting Chart
9.2 Parameter Setting
When turned off, long press to enter parameter setting →short press
to switch P1-P2… →P8. Short Press , parameter flashes → short press
to choose parameter, → short press to confirm →Long press
to turn off.
9.3 Parameter Setting Instruction
a) Select standard pH buffer solution (P1): There are two options of standard buffer solutions:
USA series and NIST series. Refer to following chart:
Symbol
Parameter Setting Contents
Code
Factory
Default
P1
Select pH buffer standards
USA – NIST
USA
P2
Select automatic lock
Off – On
Off
P3
Select backlight
Off - 1 - On
1
P4
Temperature compensation factor
0.00 - 4.00%
2.00%
P5
TDS factor
0.40 - 1.00
0.71
P6
Salinity unit
ppt - mg/L
ppt
P7
Select temperature unit
˚C - ˚F
˚F
P8
Back to factory default
No – Yes
No

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Icons
pH Standard Buffer Solution Series
USA series
NIST series
Three-point
calibration
1.68 pH and 4.00 pH
1.68 pH and 4.01 pH
7.00 pH
6.86 pH
10.01 pH and 12.45 pH
9.18 pH and 12.45 pH
b) Automatic lock (P2):
Select “On” to activate auto lock function. When reading is stable for more than 10
seconds, the tester will lock the value automatically, and HOLD icon will display on LCD.
Press key to cancel auto hold.
c) Backlight (P3)
“Off”-turn off backlight, “On”-turn on backlight, 1- backlight will last for 1 minute.
d) Factory default setting(P7)
Select “Yes” to recover instrument calibration to theoretical value (pH value in zero
potential is 7.00, slope is 100%), parameter setting return to initial value. This function can
be used when instrument does not work well in calibration or measurement. Calibrate and
measure again after recover the instrument to factory default status.
10. Technical Specifications
pH
Range
-2.00 to 16.00 pH
Resolution
0.01 pH
Accuracy
±0.01 pH ±1 digit
Calibration Points
1 to 3 points
Automatic Temperature Compensation
0 – 50˚C (32 – 122˚F)
Cond.
Range
0 to 200.0 μS, 0 to 2000 μS,
0 to 20.00 mS/cm
Resolution
0.1/1 μS, 0.01 mS/cm
Accuracy
±1% F.S
Calibration Points
1 to 3 points
TDS
Range
0.1 ppm to 10.00 ppt