Meridian Design mÜV User manual

User's Guide
mUV™ User's Guide © 2007 Meridian Design, Inc.
Revision 20070801 ll Right s Reserved

About Us
Meridian Design, Incorporated, was founded in 1986 as an
engineering company specializing in turnkey embedded
control solutions. Meridian Design as developed products in
fields as diverse as fiber optic transceiver modules, LED
flas lig ts, kitc en composters, laboratory test equipment,
s ape memory muscle actuators, avionics, microscopy,
medical centrifuges, model train electronics, and pulse
detonation wave engine controllers.
Our mission is to use our engineering expertise to design
very low cost solutions for developing world needs t at can
be sold into first world markets to fund future work.
T e AquaStar™ UV Portable Water Treatment System was
t e first directly marketed product offered by Meridian
Design. Ot er versions of t e AquaStar Plus!™, including
solar-powered, are being developed for use in impoveris ed
areas of t e world w ere water-borne illness ends t e lives of
over two million people eac year.
For more information about us, our products, or t e latest
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Rarely Asked
Questions (RAQ),
Visit our website:
www.uvaquastar.com
Write us:
[email protected]
Meridian Design, Incorporated
820 anoas reek ircle
San Jose, A 95136
Or Call:
[phone], 9 am - 5 pm, Pacific Time
Meridian Design, Incorporated
EPA Est. 82431-CO-001
Limited One Year Warranty / Repair information
Your mÜV ™ UV Portable Water Treatment System (t e “Product”) is
warranted by Meridian Design, Incorporated to be free from defect in
materials or workmans ip for a period of one year from t e date of purc ase.
Meridian Design, Incorporated will eit er repair or replace (at our option) free
of c arge, any parts necessary to correct defects in materials or
workmans ip. S ould repair be needed wit in t e warranty period, s ip t e
Product prepaid, insured, toget er wit $5 U.S. for return s ipping and
andling, and a copy of your original sales receipt, to:
Meridian Design, Incorporated
ATTN: Service Dept.
820 anoas reek ircle
San Jose, A 95136
(For t ose outside t e U.S., please contact us for international s ipping
c arges).
Be sure to include your name, address and p one number wit your mÜV .
T is warranty excludes normal wear and tear, tube glass breakage, and
improper use. In no event s all Meridian Design, Incorporated be liable, or in
any way responsible, for any damages or defects in t e Product caused by
t ird-party repairs or modifications.
NO-HASSLE LIFETIME REPLACEMENT POLICY
Accidents appen. Rat er t an t row away your damaged mÜV , we offer a
simple lifetime replacement policy. Send us your broken mÜV , toget er wit
$20 U.S to cover our repair costs and return s ipping, and we'll send you a
new or rebuilt unit in exc ange. (Note: T e repair and s ipping fee is valid
t roug 2008, and may be adjusted annually for inflation. In any case, we'll
always make sure you ave a working mÜV for less t an alf t e cost of a
new unit.)
5

mÜV Specifications
Weight
•2.5 ounces total (71 grams) wit end cap and prefilter
Dimensions
•4.5" x 1.75" w (11.5 cm x 4.5 cm)
•Displacement Volume (w en floating): 2 ounces (50 mL)
omponents
•Battery: 1 x Type RCR123 Li-ion rec argeable battery. 16, 75 second
cycles per c arge; 500 rec arge battery life
•UV-C Tube: 10V3W Germicidal 3W UV-C (254 nm) ozonating, ot-
cat ode, low-voltage. Rated useful life (to 85% efficiency) = 3,000 ours.
Expected life as used in mÜV (driven at 4W, producing 0.6W UV-C at
20 ° C) = 1,500 ours
•Pre-filter: Nylon mes 0.2mm screen
•W ite LED: 1/4W ig efficiency solid state lamp, 12 Lumens out
Dosage and Efficacy
•Dosage Time: 75 seconds per liter (1 cycle). Below 40°F (5°C), dosage
time s ould be doubled (2 cycles per liter)
•UV-C lig t is ig ly effective in killing pat ogens, w ile filters tend to
miss t e very small viruses, some pat ogens, suc as Cryptosporidium,
are resistant to c emicals because of t eir toug spore s ell.
•W en water quality is suspect, suc as unclear water or w en storing
water for longer periods of time, combinations of met ods work best.
•C arge time: 8 rs on alkaline or NiMH cell. 5Hrs on solar panel.
•See www.uvaquastar.com for testing and ot er efficacy details.
ongratulations!
T ank you for purc asing t e mÜV ™ (pronounced “move”) Ultraviolet
Portable Water Treatment System by Meridian Design, Incorporated. Our
products are designed wit t e ig est quality components to ensure years of
trouble-free service in a variety of environments.
T e mÜV is an ultraviolet (UV-C) water treatment solution appropriate for
use in all climates and settings. Campers, ikers, emergency crews – or
anyone w o values aving clean water, will benefit from mÜV .
mÜV as a “Lantern Mode”. It contains a andy separate low power, w ite
LED for lig ting.
Using a rec argeable Li-ion battery, t e mÜV can quickly treat a liter of
water in less t an 2 minutes, and provide over 15 liters, or 4 gallons, of clean
water on a single c arge. Lig tweig t, rugged and simple to operate, mÜV
is t e ideal water solution for everyone's survival kit.
Before using your mÜV for t e first time, we recommend reading t e next
section of t is manual, Using t e m Ü V , to familiarize yourself wit t e unit.
•UV-C light can cause irritation to the eyes and skin if exposed for an
extended period. T e UV-C lig t is reflected back into t e container
by t e water surface and is absorbed by all common container
materials (including plastic, metal and glass except quartz) and is
t erefore entirely safe w en operated as intended. If t e lig t is ever
turned on outside of t e container t e user s ould simply turn it off by
pressing t e button again.
•Keep away from children
•Operation in air generates ozone w ic is an eye and lung irritant
•Please was your mÜV wit a mild detergent and water prior to first
use. Clean it and store it in a dry environment w en not in use.
•Rec arge at least once per year.
•Never insert in any bodily orifice. Just don't. Please.
T anks!
-- Team AquaStar
4mUV™ User's Guide 1 © 2007 Meridian Design, Inc.
Revision 20070801 ll Right s Reserved

Recharging the mÜV
Single ell Battery
Open t e top screw cover wit a ¼ turn twist to reveal t e rec arge wires. Separate
t e two gold plated magnets and attac t e red end to t e positive contact of t e
source battery and t e black end to t e negative battery contact. In a few seconds t e
w ite LED s ould start 'pipping' (dim blinking once per second) if connected properly.
T e pipping will stop w en trickle c arging is complete, in at most 10 ours .
A D-cell is t e most cost
effective rec arge option
as it can rec arge t e
unit 10 times. An AA or
9V cell will only supply
1-2 rec arges.
Solar panel or wall charger
Connect t e red and black wire ends to t e positive and negative steel contact points
on t e panel. T e LED will pip and also will go on solid w en c arging is complete.
T e ig voltage input from t e panel does not engage t e step-up switc ing c arger
circuit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What if the unit won't respond at all?
Rub t e contacts against t e battery to improve contact or clean surfaces. T e unit as a battery
deep-disc arge protection mode. In rare instances it may be necessary to rec arge t e unit wit
t e solar panel or a 9V battery to rec arge t e Li-ion cell from a completely disc arged state.
2. an the mÜV be used with any container?
Yes. Any container t at t e unit can fit into and still be agitated so all t e water gets treated.
W en treating a quantity of water larger t an 1L, make sure to dose t e water wit
proportionately longer times. i.e. more t an 2L but less t an 3L gets 3 doses, and so on.
3. What recharging sources can be used?
Any single cell battery: AA, C, D in carbon zinc, alkaline or NiCd, NiMH or Lit ium CR123, CR2
or rec argeable RCR123, 18650 cell or our accessory solar panel.
4. an I replace the tube if it breaks?
No. T e UV tube is not field-replaceable. T e mÜV as been substantially reinforced wit t e
tube sealed in t e plastic and s ould wit stand all but t e most severe abuse.
Tips
•Use t e cap on it's retainer lead to remove t e unit easily if dropped or floated in water
•W en t e brig t w ite spot at t e top of t e tube turns a dimmer orange, t e battery is
getting low; you will ave about 5 cleaning cycles left at t is point. W en t e batteries are
too low for a complete cleaning cycle, t e LED will flas and abort t e cycle.
•Just as filters don't like to be frozen, neit er does t e mÜV. Below freezing t e battery
cannot supply adequate power to t e unit and freezing diminis es its life as well.
Consider leaving t e unit inside t e tent if below-freezing temperatures are expected.
•W en cold, let t e bulb strike up brig t before dunking t e end in water.
•T e tube cover will glow in t e dark making t e unit easy to find at nig t.
Using the mÜV
1. Fill a container wit water to between 300ml and 1L. If t e water is
too silty t e UV-C will be less effective. In t is case we recommend
pre-filtering t e water until it is clear, agitating t e water so t at more
of it comes into closer contact wit t e lamp, and/or running t e water
t roug more t an one cycle to assure complete disinfection. Remove
protective end cap from unit.
2. To start cleaning cycle, press and old t e button for
two seconds until t e LED blinks and release. T e tube
will lig t after 3 seconds of blinking giving you time to
immerse t e bulb end in t e water. T e bulb will glow
blue w ile t e cleaning cycle runs.
3. Stir wit t e unit during t e cleaning cycle to improve
t e disinfection process. T e unit will float if dropped
into t e container but t is is not t e most effective
way to treat. Agitating t e water t oroug ly assures
a complete treatment. T e unit will fit into and plug a
standard 1L-2L soda bottle. S ake to mix well.
4. T e cleaning cycle will run for about 75 seconds. If
less t an 1L is being treated, t en t e cycle can be
terminated early by pressing t e button again. T e
blue UV-C lamp will turn off and t e w ite LED in t e
cap will turn on w en t e disinfection cycle as
finis ed. A flas ing LED indicates an error and t e
cycle may not ave been completed (see “Tips” and
“FAQ” for more information).
Cover UV-C lamp to protect bulb w en not in use.
Lantern Mode
mÜV contains a andy, separate, low-power, w ite LED
for lig ting. Click twice to start flas lig t. (LED lig t does
not clean water, and is safe to use out of container)
T e LED lig t is self timed and will go dim in 12 minutes,
and will go off a minute later. Clicking t e button w en t e
lig t is in dim mode will return it to brig t mode for 12 more minutes. Eac 12
minute cycle of w ite LED lig t uses approximately 2% of t e battery capacity.
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