Naneos Partector 2 User manual

Partector 2
Aerosol Dosimeter
Operation Manual
English
May 2018
A nanoparticle dosimeter for easy workplace exposure monitoring

www.naneos.ch
2 | 20
Document information
© naneos particle solutions gmbh, 2018
Related device versions: v 1.0
Related firmware versions: ≥54
Document Date: 2018-06-13
Document Revision: P

www.naneos.ch
3 | 20
Abbreviations
DC diffusion charging, diffusion charger
HV high voltage
LED light-emitting diode
LDSA Lung Deposited Surface Area
N number concentration
d average particle diameter
SD micro Secure Digital memory card
Safety information
General notes and warnings
This operation manual must be read completely before using the
Partector 2. Incorrect use or handling and any consequences arising from
this may damage the device or endanger personnel.
The manufacturer declines all liability resulting from incorrect use and
handling.
Safety notes
Never operate the instrument at condensing conditions.
Do not blow into the instrument.
Do not open the Partector 2 as you may damage it.
The Partector 2 is a sensitive instrument made for measuring
nanoparticles. Sampling too much coarse dust will eventually lead to
deteriorating instrument performance. Use a cyclone when measuring in
environments where large numbers of microparticles might be present.
Do not operate the Partector 2 in an explosive atmosphere or in the
presence of flammable gases or fumes.
Have your instrument recalibrated once a year.
Use only the original USB power supply and USB cable.

www.naneos.ch
4 | 20
Instrument specifications
Measured values: LDSA Lung Deposited Surface Area
N number concentration
d average particle diameter
Concentration ranges: LDSA 0 - 12’000 m2/cm3
N 0 - 106pt/cm3
Particle size range: 20 –150 nm
Typical accuracy: LDSA ± 30 % or ± 3 m2/cm3
N ± 30 % or ± 1000 pt/cm3
d ± 30 % or ± 10 nm
Noise floor: ~ 1 m2/cm3in particle-free air
Time resolution: 1 s
Response Time: 4 s
Inlet flow: 0.5 l/min
Operating Temperature: 0 –40 °C
Storage Temperature: -10 –50 °C
Relative Humidity: 10 % to 90%, non-condensing
Operating height: 0 - 3000m above sea level
Battery: Rechargeable Li-Ion, 12Wh
Battery lifetime: ~ 18h (with a new battery; aging will occur)
Battery Charging: via USB, 5V / 1.5A
Data storage: SD-card
PC Interface: USB/serial by virtual COM-Port
Bluetooth range: 3 - 30 m, depending on obstacles
Noise: < 60dB
Dimensions: 8.8 x 14.2 x 3.4 cm
Weight: 450 g
Pollution degree: 2, or with cyclone at inlet 3.

www.naneos.ch
5 | 20
Checking the shipment contents
When unpacking the device, verify that you have received the following
items. If any of the components are missing or damaged, contact naneos.
Type
Items
Standard
Partector 2 device
USB cable, 1.2m
SD-card 8 GB
SD/SD-card adapter or SD/USB-adapter
Carrying sleeve
USB charger
Peli case
Storage and transport
To avoid damage during storage and transport, please use original
packaging.
Avoid locations with high/low temperatures and high humid conditions or
places that can get wet.
Do not store the device with an empty battery.
Do not store the device in direct sunlight.
For longer storage, mount the protection cap.

www.naneos.ch
6 | 20
Getting started
Instrument description
The Partector 2 is a hand-held, battery powered instrument to measure
the lung deposited surface area (LDSA), the number concentration and
the average particle diameter of nanoparticles. It displays the measured
data on a graphical display and stores it on a SD card. A user-defined
LDSA alarm level can be set. If the alarm level is exceeded, the
instrument’s internal buzzer is turned on to produce an audible warning.
The device can communicate with Android smartphones that support
Bluetooth low energy.
Figure 1: Partector 2 main parts
1 aerosol inlet 5 display 9 charge LED
2 USB Port 6 right soft key 10 serial plate
3 SD card slot 7 middle soft key
4 power button 8 left soft key
10
, 12Wh

www.naneos.ch
7 | 20
Aerosol inlet and outlet
The aerosol inlet is located at the top of the instrument. The internal pump
provides a regulated air flow of about 0.5 l/min. The standard aerosol inlet
has a 6-mm barb for tubing connection and contains a coarse wire mesh
to keep coarse dirt and small insects out of the instrument.
The air exits the device via the USB-port and SD-card
opening in the housing. Note that the air is not filtered
internally, so do not connect the instrument to hazardous
nanoparticle sources!
Supplying power
To chargethe Partector 2 or to operateit for periods longer than the battery
lifetime, connect the Partector 2 USB port to a PC, Laptop or to a USB-
charger or to a mobile power bank to charge the device.
While charging, the blue charge LED on the front panel lights up. When
the Partector 2 is fully charged, the LED turns off.
The Partector 2 supports fast charging (1.5A charging current). For
optimum charging, use the original USB power supply and USB cable.
Some PC’s and USB power supplies only provide 0.5A charging current,
which will prolong the charging duration.
Turning the device on and off
To switch on the device, press the power button. To turn it off, press and
hold the power button for two seconds and release it when the goodbye
message appears.
Insert / remove SD-card
To store data on the microSD-card, insert it in the Partector 2 as shown in
the graph till it snaps in.
To remove the SD-card, press on the inserted
card which will force the release. To insert the
card in your SD-card slot on a PC you need to
insert the card first in the SD/SD-card adapter or
SD/USB adapter provided.
Figure 2a: Inserting
the SD-card

www.naneos.ch
8 | 20
Recording measurements on the SD-card
If a SD-card is inserted in the Partector 2 before startup, the device
automatically starts recording on the SD-card when the device is turned
on. It automatically generates a filename depending on start date, time
and device serial. For more information about this, read the “Partector 2
data file” section.
If you insert the SD-card while the device is running, the data
logging will not start automatically. You need to turn the device
on after inserting the card.
Do not remove the SD-card while the device is running. The
data file needs to be closed properly, otherwise it will be corrupt.

www.naneos.ch
9 | 20
Keypad functions & symbols
In the picture below, you can see the Partector 2 display screens:
Figure 2: Partector 2 menu screens

www.naneos.ch
10 | 20
Home screen
On the home screen you can see the LDSA, the number concentration,
the average particle diameter, date and time and also the charge state of
the battery. If no keyis pressed for more than one minute,the display goes
dark to prolong battery life. Bypressinganykey, the display turns onagain.
The lightning symbol indicates that the high
voltage in the charger is on and working properly.
The blinking red dot indicates that data is being
written on SD-Card.
The exclamation mark indicates that an error
occurred at some point during the current
measurement.
Color coding of LDSA values
The LDSA display is color-coded to provide a quick assessment of air
quality. LDSA values below 50 m2/cm3are displayed in green, values
above 250 m2/cm3in red, and values in between in yellow.
Figure 3: color coding of LDSA values

www.naneos.ch
11 | 20
Info screen
The info screen displays device specific system information:
Serial: serial number of the device
Minutes: total operating time in minutes
LDSAmin: LDSA value integrated over time
Pulses: number of high voltage charging pulses
Calib: calibration factor
Date: date of calibration
Pressing the “status” soft button brings you to the status screens. Pressing
the “config” soft button brings you to the config screen.
Status screens
The status screens show the most important device data. You can switch
between the individual status screens by pressing “next”.
Ambient
p air pressure [hPa]
RH internal relative humidity [%]
T internal temperature [°C]
High voltage
HV charger corona voltage [V]
Idiff charger diffusion current [nA]
DV deposition voltage [V]
Electrometers
EM1 signal of electrometer 1 [mV]
EM2 signal of electrometer 2 [mV]
A1 electrometer 1 amplitude [mV]

www.naneos.ch
12 | 20
A2 electrometer 2 amplitude [mV]
Ratio Ratio A2 / A1
Miscellany
Batt battery voltage [V]
error displays the current error status (0 = no error)
flow approximate flow through device [lpm]
pump pump current [mA]
Config screen
In the config screen, you can change some settings of the Partector 2.
Alarm level: use the “up” and “down” soft key to change the alarm level
to the desired value. When the measurement value exceeds the alarm
level, the internal buzzer of the Partector 2 will produce an audible
warning.
Low power mode: you can choose whether the device should operate in
low-power mode or not. In low power mode, the display turns off
automatically after a minute of inactivity to increase battery lifetime.
Pressing any button (also the power button) will turn on the display again.
The display will also turn on automaticallyif an error message is displayed.
Bluetooth:The Partector 2 has a built-in Bluetooth module. This allows
the connection with other devices, like a Smartphone, to visualize the
measured data.
Time and Date: the internal clock of the Partector 2 has an accuracy of
about 1s per day. It does not change to daylight saving time and back
automatically. Therefore, you may need to set the clock from time to time.
Press the “next” soft button until you are on the field you want to modify,
then use the “up” and “down” soft buttons to change the field’s value.
Statistics screen
The statistics screen allows you to view the time series of the measured
data over a recent time interval. Press the central soft button to change

www.naneos.ch
13 | 20
the displayed metric (LDSA, number concentration, average particle
diameter). Press the “scale” soft button to change the time scale (last
minute, last hour, last day).
Extended information
Different inlet options
The Partector 2 comes with a standard inlet –a 6mm tube fitting with a
steel mesh. You can use either this or you can add a cyclone in front of
the tube intake to remove coarse particles. The internal pump cannot
support high pressure drops, so you should not use an impactor.
The Partector 2 is a miniature instrument with extremely
sensitive internal electrometers. Fibers or dust particles which
are larger than about 1 mm in size can produce short circuits
in the instrument. Therefore, the tube inlet has a steel mesh to
prevent really coarse dust particles or small insects from entering the
instrument. If you do not use the inlet, you risk aspirating coarse dust that
may result in a deteriorated instrument performance.
We recommend the use of a cyclone if you are measuring in environments
where a large number of coarse particles are present. For example, the
SKC GS-3 cyclone would be useful for this purpose.
http://www.skcinc.com/prod/225-100.asp
If you are certain that you have no coarse particles in your air (which is
normally the case in ambient air), then you can also use the standard tube
inlet.
The Partector 2 data file
To view the measured and stored Partector 2 data, remove the SD and
insert it in your PC as described in a previous section. Now you either
download the Partector 2 data analysis tool from the naneos website to
view the data or you open the data file with your favourite data analysis
program (Excel, Origin, Igor etc). The data file is a simple tab-delimited
text file. File names encode the recording time and device serial no. For
example, if you start recording a file on 2nd August 2017 at 12:35:44 with

www.naneos.ch
14 | 20
a device with the serial no. 8019, the file will be stored in the folder
2018_08_02 with the file name 8019_123544.txt.
The Partector data analysis tool allows you to quickly view graphs of all
instrument parameters, to average data in different intervals, and to
combine measured data with a GPS signal and plot it in Google Earth.
Read the separate quick guide on our website for more information.
Bluetooth
The Partector 2 supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The Partector 2
works in the advertising mode, i.e. it continuously sends out small data
packets that can be read by nearby BLE receivers. An Android app is in
development.

www.naneos.ch
15 | 20
Error messages
Error conditions
Whenever an operation parameter of the Partector 2 is outside of its
normal range, a warning message appears on the Partector 2 screen.
The warning shows up in red on the home screen:
Figure 4: generic warning message on home screen
There are different reasons for warnings to appear, and a click on the
“show” soft button will display details on the warning. Some error
conditions may disappear again by themselves (particularly such related
to high humidity), upon which the warning message will also disappear
again. However, it can be important to know that an error occurred, and
therefore, a red exclamation mark remains in the title bar as a reminder
that an error occurred at some point:
Figure 5: home screen after recovery from an error condition
The following table gives an overview over the possible error conditions
and on what to do to remove them.

www.naneos.ch
16 | 20
message
possible cause
what to do
SD card error:
“Card missing?”
“FS init”
- no SD card inserted
- SD card initialisation
problem
- bad card format
- insert SD card
- reboot device
- format SD card
Pulse low error
- too high relative
humidity
- device
contamination
- try measurement with lower
humidity
- contact naneos
Pulse high error
- diffusion current
does not reach
setpoint
- Contact naneos for
customer self-repair
Ucor low
- high voltage module
broken
- contact naneos
Buffer overflow
- software loop time
delayed.
- report error to naneos. You
can still measure with the
device if it only appears
infrequently.
RH high
- relative humidity is
very high and may
affect measurement
- if possibly, measure at
lower RH (dryer)
EM zero offset
high
- high RH
- device
contamination
- if possibly, measure at
lower RH (dryer)
Flow too low
- pump defective
- device
leaking
- clogged Intake
- check flow with a flowmeter
- contact naneos
- clean the intake
Selftest error
- contact naneos and report
error code on display

www.naneos.ch
17 | 20
Some of the error conditions are rather harmless (e.g. high electrometer
zero offset, high RH error), whereas especially the pulse errors will
interfere with a correct measurement. If you experience frequent errors,
please contact us by email, and send us a description of the error
message, what you were doing when it occurred, and the data file of that
measurement.

www.naneos.ch
18 | 20
Maintenance
High voltage is present in the device –do not open!
unless you have received other instructions from naneos.
Clean the device
Use a soft, slightly damp cloth to clean the housing surface.
Clean the intake
Use a 14mm open-end wrench to detach the intake. Clean the intake with
water. Dry the intake thoroughly and only screw it back on when it is
completely dry, because the remaining water could damage the device.
Disposal
The device contains a lithium ion battery and must be disposed of
accordingly. Under no circumstances should it be disposed of with
domestic refuse, nor crushed or burnt. Naneos offers to take products
back for correct disposal.
Standards and approvals
The Partector 2 is in conformity with the provisions of the following
European Directives:
2011/65/EU Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)
2014/53/EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED)
EN 61326-1:2013, EN 301 489-17 V3.1.1 (2017-02)
EN 300328 V.2.1.1
inkl. safety EN 61010-1

www.naneos.ch
19 | 20
Related documents
Partector 2 quick start guide:
www.naneos.ch/pdf/partector2_quick_guide.pdf
Partector 2 data analysis tool quick start guide:
www.naneos.ch/pdf/javatool_quick_guide.pdf
In-depth explanation of lung-deposited surface are (LDSA)
www.naneos.ch/pdf/LDSA.pdf

www.naneos.ch
20 | 20
Customer service & contact
naneos particle solutions gmbh
Dorfstrasse 69
5210 Windisch
Switzerland
Mail: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
www.naneos.ch