Extech Instruments MO290 User manual

User's Guide
Pinless Moisture/Humidity Meter + IR
Model MO290

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Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Extech MO290 Pinless Moisture Meter with
Patented Built-in IR Thermometer. Monitor moisture in wood and other building materials with
no surface damage with the Pinless Moisture sensor (Pin-type Moisture Probe included).
Measure Humidity and Air Temperature with built-in probe plus non-contact InfraRed
Temperature with patented IR design. Advanced functions provide Grains per Pound, Dew
Point and Vapor Pressure calculations. This meter is shipped fully tested and calibrated and,
with proper use, will provide years of reliable service.
Meter Description
1. IR temperature sensor
2. Laser pointer
3. Humidity sensor
4. Temperature sensor
5. LCD display
6. Relative Humidity button
7. Mode/Zero Button
8. IR thermometer button
9. Alarm set button
10. Alarm adjust down button
11. ON/OFF power button
12. Remote pin probe input jack (bottom)
13. Battery compartment (rear)
14. Alarm adjust up button
15. Moisture/Relative button
16. Protective cap
LCD Display
1. MIN MAX – Minimum and maximum value
2. HIGH LOW – Alarm limits
3. INT EXT – Internal/External probe
4. mBar – Vapor pressure
5. kPa – Vapor pressure
6. GPP – Grains per Pound
7. g/kg – Grains per kilogram
8. MOIST – Moisture mode
9. RH% - Relative Humidity mode
10. COND – Condensation mode
11. APO – Auto power off
12. DEW – Dew Point temperature
13. C/F – Temperature units
14. - Low battery
15. - Laser pointer On
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Safety
•Use extreme caution when the laser pointer beam is on
•Do not point the beam toward anyone's eye or allow the
beam to strike the eye from a reflective surface
•Do not use the laser near explosive gases or in other
potentially explosive areas
Features
•Quickly indicates the moisture content of materials with Pinless technology without
damaging the surface;
•Optional remote Pin-type probe (MO290-P) allows for moisture readings at different
penetration levels (3ft/0.9m cable length);
•Easy to read, large dual display with backlit feature;
•Simultaneously displays % moisture of wood or material being tested and Air
Temperature, IR Temperature, or Humidity
•Designed with patented IR design to measure non-contact surface temperature; 8:1
distance to spot ratio with 0.95 fixed emissivity
•Built-in Humidity/Temperature probe measures Relative Humidity,
•Air Temperature plus Grains Per Pound (GPP) and Dew Point (DP)
•Automatic calculation of differential Temperature (IR - DP)
•Min/Max and Data Hold
•Auto power off and low battery indication
Battery Replacement
1. Turn off the meter.
2. Remove one Philips head screw and lift off the rear battery cover.
3. Replace the 9V battery.
4. Secure the rear battery cover.

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Operation
Powering the meter
1. Remove the RH sensor protective cap before use.
2. Press the power button to turn the meter on.
3. If the symbol appears or the meter does not turn on, replace the battery.
Humidity (Dew point, GPP, g/kg) Measurements
1. Press the power button to turn the meter on.
2. Press the RH button
3. Relative Humidity will be displayed in the primary display and the temperature will be
displayed in the secondary display.
4. Press the up or down arrow button to change the temperature units.
5. Press the MODE button to display the DEW point.
6. Press the MODE button to display GPP (°F) or g/kg (°C)
Pinless Moisture Measurements
1. Press the power button to turn the meter on.
2. Press the MOIST button to select Moisture measurement.” MOIST”, and “INT”
(internal pinless sensor) will appear in the display.
3. Hold the meter so that the rear sensor is away from any surface or your hand. The
reading should be near 0.0. If not, press and hold the ZERO button for more than 2
second and the ZERO icon appears.
4. Place the rear sensor on the surface of the material to be tested and read the relative
moisture content.
Pin Type Moisture Measurements
1. Connect the external pin probe to the jack on the bottom of the meter.
2. Press the power button to turn the meter on.
3. Press the MOIST button twice to select Moisture measurement.” MOIST”, and “EXT”
(external pin probe) will appear in the display.
4. Press the probe pins into the material and read the % moisture content in the display.

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Infrared Temperature Measurements
1. Press the power button to turn the meter on.
2. Press the IRT button to enable the IR thermometer and the laser pointer. The laser
pointer icon will flash while the mode is active.
3. Press the up or down arrow button to change the temperature units
4. Aim the laser pointer at the surface to be measured and read the surface temperature
in the secondary display.
5. Release the IRT button. The last temperature measured and the laser icon will remain
on the display for approximately 10 seconds before returning to ambient temperature
measurement.
IRT MAX MIN display:
The meter can be set to display only the maximum or minimum temperature measured
during an IR scan.
1. With the meter in the IR hold mode, press the MODE button. “MIN” will appear in
the display.
2. Press the IRT button to enable the IR thermometer. The meter will display the
minimum temperature measured and will update only when a lower temperature is
measured.
3. Press the MODE button twice to enable the MAX mode and proceed as stated
above for the maximum temperature.
4. The MAX or MIN temperature is not stored when the function is exited.
IR Field of View
Ensure that the desired target is larger than the spot size. As the distance from an object
increases, the spot size of the area measured by the meter becomes larger. The meter’s
field of view ratio is 8:1, meaning that if the meter is 8 inches (cm) from the target, the
diameter (spot) of the object under test must be at least 1 inch (cm). Refer below to the
field of view diagram.
WARNING: Do not directly view or direct the laser pointer at an eye. Low power
visible lasers do not normally present a hazard, but may present some potential for
hazard if viewed directly for extended periods of time.
1” @ 8”
2” @ 16”
20mm @ 160mm
40mm @ 320mm

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Condensation Mode
The Condensation feature alerts the used when the surface temperature as measured by the
IR thermometer is close to or has reached the Dew Point temperature.
1. Press the power button to turn the meter on.
2. Simultaneously press the MOIST/REL and RH buttons. The “COND” icon will appear.
3. Point the meter at a surface, press the IRT button to measure the surface
temperature. The small display will indicate the IR surface temperature and the large
display will indicate the difference between the IR temperature and the Dew Point
temperature.
4. The meter will then report the potential for condensation on that surface in the
following manner
•If the temperature of the IRT is more than 14°C (25°F) above the Dew Point, the
temperature difference shall be displayed, with no other warning.
•If the temperature of the IRT is 3-14°C (5-25°F) above the Dew Point, the
temperature difference shall be displayed, along with a standard Condensation
Indicator icon. The meter shall beep once to confirm that the reading is in the risk
area.
•If the temperature of the IRT is less than 3°C (5°F) above the Dew Point, the
temperature difference shall be displayed, along with a flashing Condensation
Indicator icon. The meter shall beep twice to confirm that the reading is in the high-
risk area.
5. Press the RH button to exit the mode.
Vapor Pressure Mode
1. With the Condensation mode active, press the MODE button to display the Vapor
Pressure in mBAR (°F) or kPa (°C).
2. Press the MODE button to exit the Vapor Pressure mode.
Alarm High and Low Limit Setting
High and Low alarm points can be set for Humidity and Moisture measurements.
Humidity Alarm Set Procedure:
1. With RH% displayed, simultaneously press the RH and MODE buttons.
2. The “HIGH” icon will appear on the display.
3. Press the ▲or ▼button to set the high limit desired.
4. Press the ALARM SET button to save the value and proceed to the LOW set value.
5. With the “LOW” icon in the display, Press the ▲or ▼button to set the low limit
desired.
6. Press the ALARM SET button to save the value and to return to the normal mode.
7. If the humidity measurement is lower than the low alarm setting or higher than the
high alarm setting, the meter will beep once every second.
Moisture Alarm Set Procedure:
1. With MOIST displayed, simultaneously press the MOIST/REL and MODE buttons.
2. The “HIGH” icon will appear on the display.
3. Press the ▲or ▼button to set the high limit desired.
4. Press the ALARM SET button to save the value and proceed to the LOW set value.
5. With the “LOW” icon in the display, Press the ▲or ▼button to set the low limit
desired.
6. Press the ALARM SET button to save the value and to return to the normal mode..
7. If the moisture measurement is higher than the LOW alarm setting, the meter will
beep once every second
8. If the moisture measurement is higher than the HIGH alarm setting, the meter will
beep continuously.

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Auto Power Off
The meter will enter a sleep mode after 30 minutes of inactivity. The meter will emit a warning
beep 15 seconds before shutting down.
To disable the APO feature, press the MODE button when turning the meter ON. The “APO”
icon will not appear, indicating it is disabled.
Specifications
Function Range Accuracy
Pinless Moisture 0 to 99.9 Relative only
Ext. Pin Moisture 0 to 99.9 Relative only
Pinless Depth Up to 0.75” (19mm)
RH Measurement 0 to 10% ± 3%RH
11 to 90% ± 2.5%RH
91 to 100% ± 3%RH
Air Temperature -20 to 170°F (-29 to 77°C) ±3.6°F (2.0°C)
IR Temp -4 to 31°F ±9°F
32°F ± 2°F
33 to 392°F Greater of ±3.5% or ±9°F
-20 to-1°C ±4.5°C
0°C ±1°C
1 to 200°C Greater of ±3.5% or ± 4.5°C
Display 3-digit primary display, 4-digit secondary display
Vapor Pressure 0 to 20.0kPA
Dew Point -22 to 199°F (-30 to 100°C)
Mixing Ratio 0-999GPP (0 to 160g/kg)
Sample Rate 2 per second
Backlight White LED
Operating Temperature 40 to 110°F (4 to 43°C)
Storage Temperature -14 to 140°F (-30 to 60°C)
Operating Humidity 90%, 32-86°F (0-30°C), 75%, 86-104°F (30-40°C),
45%, 104-122°F (40-50°C)
Storage Humidity 90%
Power Supply 9V battery
Battery Life 6-8 weeks (4 hrs/day use), using alkaline batteries
Auto Power Off (APO) After 30 minutes (nominal) inactivity. The APO function can be
disabled by the user.
APO Quiescent Current 50µA maximum
Dimensions 6.5x2.8x1.5’ (165x70x38mm)
Weight 7.4oz (210g)

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Support line [phone]
Technical Support: Extension 200; E-mail: [e-mail]
Repair & Returns: Extension 210; E-mail: [email protected]
Product specifications subject to change without notice
For the latest version of this User Guide, Software updates, and other
up-to-the-minute product information, visit our website: www.extech.com
Extech Instruments Corporation, 285 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, MA 02451
Warranty
EXTECH INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION (A FLIR COMPANY) warrants this instrument to
be free of defects in parts and workmanship for one year from date of shipment (a six
month limited warranty applies to sensors and cables). If it should become necessary to
return the instrument for service during or beyond the warranty period, contact the
Customer Service Department at [phone] ext. 210 for authorization or visit our
website www.extech.com for contact information. A Return Authorization (RA) number
must be issued before any product is returned to Extech. The sender is responsible for
shipping charges, freight, insurance and proper packaging to prevent damage in transit.
This warranty does not apply to defects resulting from action of the user such as misuse,
improper wiring, operation outside of specification, improper maintenance or repair, or
unauthorized modification. Extech specifically disclaims any implied warranties or
merchantability or fitness for a specific purpose and will not be liable for any direct, indirect,
incidental or consequential damages. Extech's total liability is limited to repair or
replacement of the product. The warranty set forth above is inclusive and no other
warranty, whether written or oral, is expressed or implied.
Calibration and Repair Services
Extech offers repair and calibration services for the products we sell. Extech also
provides NIST certification for most products. Call the Customer Care Department for
information on calibration services available for this product. Extech recommends that
annual calibrations be performed to verify meter performance and accuracy.
Copyright ©2009 Extech Instruments Corporation (a FLIR company)
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.