Novasina LabMaster-aw neo User manual

aw-Messgerät / aw measuring instrument / Appareil de mesure aw
Novasina versions: V1.11 and higher
Operang Instrucons
LabMaster-aw neo
Doc-No: 005739.04

www.novasina.ch
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Inhalt
1. Introducon 4
1.1 You are awesome! 4
1.2 Intended Use 4
1.3 Protecve Measures 4
2. LabMaster-aw neo 6
2.1 Instrument overview 6
2.2 Scope of Supply 6
2.3 Oponal Accessories 7
2.4 Get it started! 7
3. Screens and Menu 8
3.1 Measurement Screen 8
3.1.1 Chamber Area 8
3.1.2 Stable splay or Graph Area 8
3.1.3 Audit Trail Area 9
 3.1.4FunconKeyArea           9
 3.1.5WarningorInformaonSymbols          10
 3.1.6StatusBar            10
3.2 Main Menu Screen 11
3.3 Navigaon Buons 11
3.4 Menu „Chamber Sengs“ 12
3.5 Menu „System Sengs“ 13
4. Important Pre-Sengs 13
4.1 Temperature Control 13
4.1.1 Adjustment of Temperature 13
 4.1.2FunconalityofTemperatureControl         14
4.2 Novasina Stable System 15
4.2.1 Working principle of Novasina Stable System 15
4.2.2 Selectable Stability Modes 16
4.2.3 Which mode for which products? 16
4.2.4 Stable Indicator / Progress bar 17
4.2.5 Stability check temperature 17
4.3 Measurement Temperature Below Dew Point Temperature 18
5. How to Conduct a Measurement 19
5.1 Conduct a rst Measurement 19
6. Calibraon and Vericaon 20
6.1 Vericaon 21
6.1.1Performingavericaon          21
6.2 Calibraon 22
6.2.1Performingacalibraon          22
6.3 Sensor Health Indicator 23
6.3.1 Sensor Exhausted Warning 23
6.4 Sensor Calibraon Submenu 24
6.5 How to Handle SAL-T Standards Correctly 25
7. Plot of Measurement Sequence 25
7.1 Acvaon of plong of measurement sequence 25
7.2 Basic conguraon of the plot 25
7.3 Graph Analyzing 26
8. Recording of Measurement Values 27
8.1 Useful informaon about recording values with LabMaster-aw neo 27
8.2 Recording of a Measurement Sequence 27
8.2.1 Capacity of Data Storage 28
8.2.2 Data Logger Menu 28

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8.3 Measurement Protocols 29
8.3.1AutomacStorageof„StableProtocol“         29
8.3.2 Manual Release of a Protocol Print 29
8.3.3 Connect a Local Printer 29
 8.3.4ConnecngtoLIMS(Lab-Informaon-andManagement-System)      29
 8.3.4XMLDataforLIMS           30
8.4 Enter batch name and its use 32
8.4.1Conguraon           32
8.5 How to install the wireless barcode scanner 33
9. Audit Trail 35
9.1 Incident Groups in Audit Trail 36
9.2 Analysis of Recorded Audit Trail Events 36
10. Sample Database 37
10.1 How to Create a Sample Database Entry 37
10.2 Load a Method 38
10.3 File operaons 38
10.4 Templates 38
11. User Management 39
11.1 Basic Funconality of User Management 39
11.1.1HowtoCreateaUserAccountwithRespecvePermissions       39
11.2 Security Features of User Management 40
11.2.1ResetaForgoenorLostPassword         40
11.3 Administraon of Permission Proles 41
11.3.1AdjustablePermissionswithinPermissionProles        41
11.4 Administraon of User Accounts 43
11.4.1 Adjustable Parameters within User Account Menu 43
11.4.2 Check User Accounts 43
12. Addional Funcons 44
12.1 Acousc and Stable Signals 44
12.1.1AcouscSignals           44
12.1.2 External Signal 44
12.2 Save and Load of Conguraon (SD-Card) 44
12.2.1SaveConguraon           44
 12.2.2LoadConguraon           45
12.3 Reset to Factory Sengs 45
12.4 System Update 45
12.5 Brightness of Background Illuminaon 46
12.6 Select PC Interface 46
12.7 Help System 46
13. Maintenance 46
13.1 Cleaning of the Instrument 46
13.2 Cleaning the aw-measurement cell 46
13.3 Cleaning the Infrared „IR“ sensor 46
13.4 Periodic Vericaon and calibraon with Humidity Standards 47
13.5 Replacing Protecve Filters 47
13.6 How to Check Chemical Protecon Filters for Saturaon 47
13.7 How to Change a Measurement Sensor 48

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1. Introducon
1.1 You are awesome!
ThankyouforhavingpurchasedaNovasinaLabMaster-awneowateracvity
meter.Youhaveopted-inforcung-edgefunconalitypairedwithveryprecise,
accurateandreliablesensortechnologymadeinSwitzerland.Afantascsymbi-
osys! This top of the line instrument allows you to make and get most out of a
wateracvitymeasurementbutensuresafe,reliableoperaonandfull21CFR11
compatability,wherethisstandardisapplicableforsuchabenchtopmeter.
Pleasereadtheseoperanginstruconscarefullybeforesengtheunitinto
operaonandcontactusifyoufeelunsureaboutacertaintaskorprocedure.
Weareheretohelpyou.Yourlocalrepresentaveislistedonourwebsitewww.
novasina.com
1.2 Intended Use
TheNovasinaLabMaster-awneoisexclusivelyintended
formeasuringWATERACTIVITYunderstrictadherencetotheinformaon
and notes given in this manual. Any use beyond this scope is considered
tobeaviolaonoftheintendedpurposeandmayendangeryoursafety
or could result in the product being damaged. Any use of this Novasina
instrumentotherthanspeciedisatcustomer’sownrisk.Byany
meanswillthemanufacturerorsupplierbeliableforanyresulngdamage.
Safety Instrucons
• TheNovasinaLabMaster-awneoshouldbeserviced,maintained
• ALabMaster-awneomustnotbeusedinexplosiveorhazardouszones.Itis
designed to be operated in laboratory environments.
• Donotmeasureexplosiveorhighlyammablematerials/sampleswiththe
LabMaster-awneo.
• Beforeconnecngtheunittopower,ensurethatmainsvoltagecomplies
withratedvoltageandfrequencyofNovasinaLabMaster-awneo(check
labelontheback)whichis100...240VAC/50..60Hz.Verifyaswellthatplug
and cables do not have any visible damage.
• DasLabMaster-awneosystemmaybeusedonlyunderthespeciedopera-
ngcondions(seeSpecSheet,downloadableonourwebsite)
• Pleaseconsiderandrespectlocalregulaonintermsoftheusageondope-
raonofelectronicmeasurementinstruments.
• Pleaseuseoriginalaccessoriesandsparepartsfromyourlocalrepresenta-
veonly.Thosepartsarelistedonourwebsite,www.novasina.com.
• Withoutwrienpermissionofthemanufacturer,itisforbiddentoperform
anytechnicalchange(mechanical,electronical,hardwareandsoware)at
thisaw-meter.
• PowermustbedisconnectedbeforethehousingofLabMaster-awneois
opened(disconnectpowerplugcompletely)
• Theworkplacemustbeset-upaccordingcurrentESDregulaonsandaser-
vicetechnicianmustuseandwearallnecessaryESDimplements.Otherwise,
defects on components cannot be excluded.
• UnanthorizedopeningoftheLabMaster-awneowillleadtoimmediateloss
of warranty
1.3 Protecve Measures
Pleasetakenoteandrespectprotecvemeasurestoavoidinstrumentproblems
due to improper handling. Warranty is gone in that case.

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1.3.1 Power On / Power O
• Removepowerplugonlyifinstrumenthasshut-downCOMPLETELY!Dataor
essenalsystemlescanbedestroyedotherwise.
• Switchoinstrumentonly,ifsamplehasbeenremovedfromthemeasure-
mentchamber.Alternavelyitcanleadtosensorfailureduetocondensa-
on.
1.3.2 SD-Card
• DonotremoveSD-Cardduringreadingandwringprocedures.Otherwise,
datacanbedestroyedordriverlescanbeblocked.
• IftheinstrumentrefusesaccesstotheSD-Card,rebootthiswateracvity
meter.IthappensifSC-Cardisdefecveorifpreviouspointhasnotbeen
respected.
1.3.3 Chemical Protecon Filter
EachLabMaster-awneoisequippedwithamechanicalproteconlterwhich
helps avoiding direct contact of the sensor with the sample once sample cup is
overlled.However,somesamplescontainvolaleslikeglycerin,polyethylengly-
col(PEG),alcohol,organicacidslikeacecacid,strongaromaand/oressenal
oils.Allthosevolalesaectawateracvitymeasurementifanyprevenve
measuresareinplaceandcanleadtosensordestruconinaveryshortme.
Novasinaoersapragmacsoluonbyinstallingchemicalproteconlters.
Thoselterscontainspeciallypreparedmaterialwhichabsorbthedangerous
volalesBUTletwatervaporpassingthrough.Thisallowsausertogetthereal
wateracvityvalueofhissamplewithouttheinuenceofvolalecompounds.
Eventhoughitisbesttomonitorltersaturaonbychangesinvericaon/
calibraonintervals,youcanapplythefollowingruleifsampleisnotloadedby
volalesdramacally:
• Measureupto5samplesaweek,changelterhalf-yearlytoyearly
• Measuremorethan5samplesaweek,changelterquarterlytohalf-yearly
Arespecvelterselecondatasheetwhichguidesyouthroughlterselecon
can be downloaded on our website www.novasina.com
Contactourlocalrepresentave,ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutwhichlteristhe
most appropriate one or if you feel unsure about the exchange intervall.

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2. LabMaster-aw neo
2.1 Instrument overview
2.2 Scope of Supply
TheLabMaster-awneoisavailableinoneversioncontainingallfeautersand
connecvityinterfaces.Noupgradesorlicensepurchasesneeded
Ifyouopenthebox,youshouldnd:
• 1xLabMaster-awneo
• 1x Carton box with:
 -2xePWdispenserwith20samplecupseachplusadispensersupport
 -1xUSBand1xRS232cable
 -1xGreycasewith:
  6xSAL-T(11/33/58/75/84/97%rH)
  1xSAL-T100(empty)
1x Allen key
  1xServiceToolLabMaster-awneo
 -1xUSBkeywithmanualinpdfonit
• 1x power cord
• 1x Quick Guide
• 1xFactorycercate

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2.3 Oponal Accessories
Asideofthechemicalproteconlter,Novasinaoersavarietyofoponalac-
cessories.ThiscontainsaddionalSAL-Tstandards,rangingfrom4%rH(0.04aw)
upto97%(0.97aw).
AnotherrequestedaccessoryistheSI-Set.Togetfurtherproductinsights,espe-
ciallydetailedinformaonaboutthekinecsofthewaterandtheinnerstructu-
ralchanges,sorponisothermsareagoodtooltosupportthoseinvesgaons.
Togetarstimpressionabouttheshapeofsuchanisotherm,theNovasina
SI-SetinconjunconwiththeSAL-Thumiditystandardsdothejob.Pleasenote
thatitisnotpossibletogeneratethesameresoluonandextentwiththisme-
thodlikeincaseofusingaDVSIsothermbutitcostsalsojustafraconofsuch
kind of machines.
2.4 Get it started!
YouhaveunpackedthenewLabMaster-awneowithpleasantancipaon,now
weinstructyouhowyoucangetaperfectstartworkingwiththenewaw-meter.
Gotlostsomewhere?Noworries,thereisaHelpSystemontheinstrument.
Simplypresstheyellowbuonwiththequesonmarkandgetinfoaboutthe
programmingopportuniesinthatspecicmenu.
2.4.1SwitchingOnandO
Switchontheinstrumentbypushingthesmallblackbuonyoucanndinthe
rightlowerfront-sidecorner.Thesystemisboongforapprox.45sec.Oncecom-
pleted,themeasurementscreenisdisplayed.
PressthesameblackbuonifyouwanttoswitchoaLabMaster-awneo
Important:
Alwaysshut-downinstrumentCOMPLETELYbeforeyouremovepowerplug.Data
oressenalsystemlescanbedestroyedotherwise.
2.4.2Preparingtheinstrumentfornormaloperaon
• Programmcorrectdateandme(inmenu„systemsengs“)
• Performavericaonorcalibraon,iftheinstrumenthasnotbeenusedfor
alongerme.Ifitisbrand-new,novericaonorcalibraonisneededto
startworkingwiththeLabMaster-awneo.

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3. Screens and Menu
3.1 Measurement Screen
Oncebootprocessiscompleted,mainscreenappears.Itcontainsthefollowing
areas:
1. Chamber Area
2. Stable Display or Graph Area
3. Audit Trail Area
4. FunconKeyArea
3.1.1 Chamber Area
Allnecessaryinfromaonaboutameasurementisdisplayedhere.Thisincludes:
• Status LED:
 -Analy.:LEDashinginyellowcolor,ifmeasurementisrunning.
 -Stable:LEDturnsgreen,ifmeasurementisnished.
• CurrentMeasurementInfo(yellowcolor):WaterAcvityvalue,temperature,
measurementmeplussampleIDofanongoingmeasurement.
• Stableindicator(progressbar):Indicangprogressofmeasurement.Thegre-
enerthebar,theclosertocompleon.Stablemodeisdisplayedunderneath
of the bar.
• MethodName:Ifamethodisloadedfromsampledatabase,methodname
isdisplayedattheboomofchamberareawindow.
3.1.2 Stable splay or Graph Area
Dependingonsengs,stablemeasurementinformaonorgraphvisualizaon
isdisplayedinthisarea.Tochangefromonetotheother,press„MainMenu“
buoninthefunconkeyarea,thenpressontheicon„Display“andchange
sengsaccordingtoyourneeds.
Stable Display Area
Onceameasurementhasbeennished,thestableinformaonisdisplayedin
thisarea,clearlyvisiblefromdistancewiththefollowinginformaon:
• Stable:Indicates,thatmeasurementiscompleted.
• aw:MeasuredWaterAcvityvalue.
• Temp: Measurement temperature.
• Time:Measurementmeinhours,minutesandseconds.

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Toseeagraphvizualizaonofthemeasurement,pressontheStableDisplay
Area.
Graph Area
Toacvatethegraphfuncon,makesurethat„Graph“isselectedin„Display“
menuonthemainscreen.Individualgraphsengscanbemadein„GraphPara-
meters“menuwhichislocatedinMainMenu->ChamberSengs.
Toanalyzeagraphinmoredetailsorfull-screenmode,simplypressonthegraph
area
The following parameters are available as a graph:
• Y-Axis
 -Bluecolor:WaterAcvity(or%rH,dependsonSengs).
 -Redcolor:Temperature.
• X-Axis
 -Measurementme:Measurementmeinminutes,intervallcanbeset
 in„GraphParameters“in„ChamberSengs“menu.Thecurrent
intervall is displayed just above the graph.
3.1.3 Audit Trail Area
The last few events of the day are displayed in this area. Press on the audit trail
areatoseethecompleteaudittrailandtobeabletoltercertainevents,inclu-
ding last masurement results.
Every entry consist of the follwing data:
• Dateandme:TimeStampwhentheeventwaslogged.
• IndicangEventleerinbracket:
(U):UserEvents.
(P):ParameterChanges.
(E):Errors.
(S):SystemEvents.
(R):MeasureResults.
• LogDescripon:Shortinfoanddescriponabouttheevent.
3.1.4 Funcon Key Area
Inthisarea,thefollowingmaincontrolbuonsareaccessible:
• SampleDatabase:Loadaspecicmethodfromsampledatabaseoradminis-
trate it.
• Start/Stop: Start or Stop a measurement. The actual status is displayed in the
buonitself.
• Help:Thebuonwiththequesonmarkistheentrytothishelpmenu.
• MainMenu:Accesstomainmenuwithallthe„chamberseng“and„sys-
temseng“opons.
• Log-o:Log-ocurrentuser/lockinstrument.Anewlog-inmightrequirea
userpassword,ifonehasbeenprogrammed.

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3.1.5 Warning or Informaon Symbols
Oncethereisanissuewhichneedsspecialaenon,aninformaonisdisplayed
inthechamberarea,replacingthedisplayofthecurrentmeasurementvalues.
Symbol Descripon Note
An error with the current
measurement chamber
hasbeennoced
Press icon the get more details
Sensor will be brought to
operaontemperature
Pressiconthegetmoredetails.However,
a measurement can be started but data
willonlybedisplayed,ifthissymbolhas
disappeared
Duetoanon-goinginci-
dent,measurementvalues
cannot be gathered
Example:dewprotecon
isacvated
Press icon the get more details
Due to a warm sample or
warmSAL-T,thereisarisk
ofcondensaonofwater
on the sensor
Remove sample/standard from measure-
ment chamber as soon as possible.
Let it cool down outside of the chamber.
Do not forget to cover sample cup or
SAL-Ttoavoidhumidityexchangewithair
humidity from ambient air
3.1.6 Status Bar
Thefollowinginformaonisdisplayedalternang:
Text / Symbol Descripon Note
User:...,Time:... Currentdateandme
Pressicon(cham-
bersecon)for
moreinformaon
Press on the displayed
icon in chamber area to
getaddionalinfo
Pressicon(cham-
bersecon)to
abort beep!
Press on the displayed
icon in chamber area to
switchofthe„beep“
Press icon the get more details
Calibraonvalidity
expired
Sensor should be calibra-
ted
Thisfunconneedstobeac-
vated. Will be displayed in light
red color
Filter exchange
required
Chemicalproteconlter
must be replaced
Thisfunconneedstobeac-
vated. Will be displayed in light
red color
Stable signal re-
minderacvated!
Stable signal reminder has
beenacvated
Sensor nearly
exhausted!
Sensorisinbadcondion
and cannot be calibrated
anymore soon
Contact your local representa-
vetoorderasparesensorto
avoidinstrumentdownmedue
todefecvesensor

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3.2 Main Menu Screen
Themainmenuscreenoerseasyaccesstoallfunonswhicharenecessaryto
programmtheLabMaster-awneoaccordingtouser‘sorcompany‘sneeds.
Note:
Individualmenuandfunconscanbelockedbyanacveusermanagement.If
youneedcertainfunconsforyourworkroune,pleasecontacttheadministra-
torofthisLabMaster-awneo.
Themainscreenoersthefollowingiconsandfuncons:
Element Descripon Note
Protocol will be printed.
Switch back to measure-
mentscreenaerprinng
If measurement is currently run-
ing,actualprotocolisprinted.If
stable,stableprotocolisprinted
You can select here if you
want to see a graphical
visualizaonorastable
values in the stable display
or graph area
Press on this icon to go
back to measurement
screen
Thisbuonisalsoavailablein
submenus
Accessingsystemsengs
to adjust system parame-
ters
System parameters are like
date/me/units/usermanage-
ment etc
Accessing chamber set-
ngstoadjustchamber
parameters
Chambersengsarelikemea-
surementtemperature,stability
modes etc.
3.3 Navigaon Buons
Whileprogrammingsengsinsubmenus,navigaonbuonsaredisplayedto
easebrowsingthroughallavailableopons.
Buon Descripon Note
Close the current subme-
nu and dispalys the parent
menu
Allmenusareclosed,
switch back to measure-
ment screen
Thisbuonisalsoavailableon
main screen
Scroll one page upwards
Only availabe if further menu
items are above the current
visible window
Scroll one page down-
wards
Only availabe if further menu
items are below the current
visible window

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3.4 Menu „Chamber Sengs“
Allrelevantprogrammingandsengsforthemeasurementchambercanbe
doneinthissecon.
Menu Point Descripon Note Factory
Sengs
Temperature
Control
Adjustment of tempera-
ture control See chapter 4.1 25.0°C
Stable Mode Stability system Mode See chapter 4.2 ISO 18787
Stability
Observaon
Time
Stabilityobservaonme
formodes„Manual“and
„Query“
See chapter 4.2.
This menu item
isonlydisplayed,
if stable mode is
setto„Manual“
or„Query“
5 min.
Stability
Check Tempe-
rature
Observance of target tem-
perature for temperatur
stability
See chapter
4.2.5. This menu
item is only dis-
playedif„Tempe-
raturecontrol“
is on and Stable
Mode is NOT set
to„Quick“
O
Graph Para-
meters
Sengsforgraphvisua-
lizaononmeasurement
screen
See chapter 7.2
Data Logger Menu item for logging
funcons See chapter 8 SampleNumber:0000 Intervalrecording:10sec
Sensor Calib-
raon
Allnecessaryfunconsto
display cal points or set
vericaontolerance
See chapter 6
Chamber Info
The following info is
displayed:
CHAMBER
-Instrumentname
-Serialnumberchamber
-Firmwareversioncham-
berandIR-sensor
SENSOR
-Versionofsensor
-Serialnumberofsensor
-Firmwareinfo
-Lastcalibraoninfo
PROTECTION FILTER
-Lastregisteredexchange
ofchemicalprotecon
lter

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3.5 Menu „System Sengs“
Allrelevantprogrammingandsengsforthesystemitselfcanbedoneinthis
secon.
Menu Point Descripon Note Factory
Sengs
Date,Time Sengofdateand
me
It is inevitable that date and
meissetcorrectly.Otherwise
funconslikeaudittrail,mana-
gementofcalibraonpointsas
wellasvariouslog-andprotocol
funconswillbeskemedornot
working properly
Units
Submenuforseng
the measurement
unit and date format
aw,°C,
DD.MM.YYYY
Acouscand
stable signals
Adjustment of acou-
scandstablesignals See chapter 12.1.
Maintenance
Submenu for mainte-
nanceofLabMaster-
aw neo
See chapter 13.
System info
Info about inst-
rument,master
rmwareandtypeof
license
4. Important Pre-Sengs
4.1 Temperature Control
4.1.1 Adjustment of Temperature
Externalregulaons(ISO,AOACetc)orinternalguidelinesrequestawaterac-
vitymeasurementataspecictemperature(i.e.25°C).TheLabMaster-awneo
allowsameasurementtemperaturesengbetween0°C(32°F)and60°C(140°F).
Tosetorchangeatemperaturevalue,gotoChamberSengs->Temperature
controlandentertherequestedtemperatureinthepop-upkeypad.
Delengthecurrenttemperaturevaluesetstemperaturecontrolto„OFF“
Note: Iftargettemperaturehasnotbeenreached,a„stabilitychecktempera-
ture“isacvated,stabilitycannotbereached,thusmeasurementisdelayed.A
Retarded(temp)messageappearsbelowthestableindicatorbarinthatcase.
Important!
Toavoidcondensaonofwater,placesampleinmeasurementchamberonly
aertargetmeasurementtemperaturehasbeenreached.
Hints:
• Ideally,measurementtemperatureshouldnotbelowerthansampletempe-
rature.Bythis,condensaoncanbeexcluded.
• Ifstableparametersaresetcorrectly,ashortmecondensaon(humid
sample,max.4°Covermeasurementtemperature)canoccurandisnotan
issue.

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4.1.2 Funconality of Temperature Control
• Sample surface temperature is the one which is regognized and control is
setto.Controllerisopmizingitselftocurrentoperaonandenvironmental
temperatures.
• Samplesurfacetemperatureiskeptconstanttotargetvalue+/-0.02°C.
• Ifinstrumentisoperatedincompletelynewcondionsortargetvalueis
changedremarkably,itcantakeupto30minsunltargetvalue+/-0.30Cis
reached.Itisnotanerroroftheinstrument,itismoreanindicaonthat
opmizaonisinprogress
• Onceopmizaonofcontrolhasbeennished,theparametersarestored
onceinstrumentisshut-downortemperaturecontrolissetto„OFF“

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4.2 Novasina Stable System
Therearetonsofliteratureaboutit,youcanloveitorhateitbutitisprovenby
physicsandchemistrythatareliable,preciseandaccuratewateracvitymeasu-
rementrequiresanestablishedhumidityequilibriumbetweenthefree,availa-
ble water in the sample and the humidity of the air which is located above the
sample surface. A perfectly established humidity equilibrium requests endless
me.Butnolabtechnicianhasendlessme,thusareasonablecompromise
betweensucientaccuracyandmeasurementmeisneeded.TheNovasina
stablesystemisitexactly.Byoeringvarioussengs,itcanbeperfectlyadapted
tosampleproperes,takingdierentwater-sampleinteracons(vanderWaals
forces,hydrogen-bridges,coulombforcesetc)andlayeringeects(likeliquidoil
whichstaysontopofthewaterlayer)intotheaccount.Buthowdoesitwork?
4.2.1 Working principle of Novasina Stable System
The basic layout is quite simple. Once the water exchange between free availa-
blewaterinthesampleandhumidityintheairmovetowardsaneqilibrium,the
net amount of water which is exchanged becomes smaller and smaller. Therefo-
re,thechangeinairhumidity/andwateracvitynally)becomessmallerinthe
same way.
Now,monitoringthechangeofwateracvitybymetellssomethingaboutthe
degree of humidity equilibrium establishment.
Novasina‘sapproachistoallowachangeinvalueof0.001aw(0.1%rH)withina
certainmeframe.Andthemeframeiswhatyouhavetoprograminmenu
„ChamberSengs“->StableMode.Youcanselectfromvariouspresengsor
selectastabilitymemanually.Inthiscase,anaddionalsubmenucalled„Stabi-
lityobservaonme“isdisplayed.
Forexample,youprogram2minutesasstabilityobservaonme,then
• itdoesnotmeanthatmeasurementisnishedwithin2minutes
• itmeans,measurementisperformedsolong,unlmeasurementvaluedoes
notchangemorethan0.001aw(0.1%rh)within2minutes.
Graphically,thestablesystemcanbeexaplinedthisway.Again,astablemeof2
minutes has been programmed.
Measurement has started and instrument is always considerng the last two mi-
nutesandbuildthedierencebetweenentryandexitvalue:
Themeasurementconnuesunlthechangeinwateracvityvalueisequalor
lessthan0.001awin2minutes:

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Oncethisoccuredtherstme,measurementisconsideredascompletedand
acouscsignalisissued.
4.2.2 Selectable Stability Modes
Assamplesaredierent,Novasinaoersdierentstabilitymodesandsengsto
takethesample‘sproperesintotheaccount.Thefollowingmodesandopons
are available:
• Slow:isequivalenttoastabilitymeof6minutes.
• Average:isequivalenttoastabilitymeof4minutes.
• Fast:isequivalenttoastabilitymeof2minutes.
• ISO18787:MeasurementaccordingISO18787:2017standardwithrequi-
rementsintermsoftemperature(25+/-1°C)anddeterminaonofthenal
measurementpointbyreachingaplateaudenedwithamaximumamplitu-
deof0,0003aw,bythreeconsecuvemeasurementsandbystabilityover1
min.BymonitoringbothstabilitycriteriaoftheISOstandard,awrongmea-
surementbyaninialover-orundershootofthevalueduetotemperature
dierenceofchamberandsamplecanbeavoided.
• Manual:anewsubmenuisavailableinchambersengswhereyoucan
entertherequestedstabilitymeinminutes.
• Quick:at-linemodeforproducon,everymeasurementisnishedwithin
max.10minutesaslongastemperatureissetintherangeof20°Cto30°C
• Query:aqueryabouttherequestedstabilitymeisissued,everymea
measurement is started.
Note:Astabilitymebelow2minutesisnotrecommendedforbatchrelease
measurementsinnalQCasequilibriumcouldnotbeestablishedinawayto
ensure the stated specs.
4.2.3 Which mode for which products?
Itisadicultquesonandthereisnogenericanswer.YourlocalNovasinaagent
canassistyouinndingthebestmodeorstabilitymeforyourproduct.Asa
ruleofthumbonecansay,thedriertheproduct,theshorterthestabilityme
(orgoingtowardsFmode).Themorelongchainsugarsareinvolved,gotoA
modeorstabilityobservaonmeof3-4mins.Oncefat/oilisinvolved,Smode
orstabilityobservaonmehigherthan5minsarenecessary.
Itisalsopossibletondoutyourself.Select„Manual“asstabilitymodeandthen
enterastabilityobservaonmeaccordingtotheruleothumbabove.Once
measurementisnished,letthesampleinthechamberforanother20-30mins.
Iftheactualvaluediersmorethan+/-0.005awfromthegreendisplayedstable
value,addanother2minstostabilityobservaonmeandredothemeasure-

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ment,unlyouhavenobiggershioncemeasurementisstable.Thatisyour
stabilityobservaonmeforthecurrentlymeasuredproducttype.
Note:TheloggeddatameasurementdataontheSD-Cardcanbedisplayedas
agraphwithinNovalogMC.Thismightsimplifythendingofthebeststability
observaonme
4.2.4 Stable Indicator / Progress bar
Fortheeaseofuse,theprogressofequilibriumestablishmentandstablecondi-
onsachievementbasedonuser‘sprogrammingisvisibleonthemeasurement
screen,byastableindicator(progressbar).Inaddion,otherusefulinformaon
around stability is displayed as well.
The stable indicator has two colors:
• Yellowindicatestheremaining„me“tocompletethemeasurement
• Green indicates the progress of the measurement
Inotherwords,thegreenerthebar,thecloserthemeasurementistoit‘send.
Theselectedstabilitymodeortheprogrammedstabilityobservaonmeis
listed below the progress bar.
Dependingonthesengsandcondionoftheawmeter,itcanoccurthatthe
progress bar is fully green but measurement is not considered as stable and
stabilityisretarded(delayed).Respecveinformaonisdisplayeddirectlybelow
the stable mode info in red color.
Retarded (gradient)
Progressbarisgreen,retarded(gradient)isdisplayed.Inthiscase,thewater
acvityvalueisquesonableduetoaremarkabletemperaturedierencebet-
weensamplesurface(IR)andsensor.Ifmessagepersists,openchamber,check,
if measurement table and outer metal ring of measurement head are clean and
free of dust and dirt and redo the measurement.
Retarded (temp)
Progressbarisgreen,retarded(temp)isdisplayed.Itindicatesthattempera-
ture control could not reach a stable target value. This delay and error message
canbeavoidedbyseng„Stabilitychecktemperature“to„OFF“in„Chamber
Sengs“.However,itcanoccurthatmeasurementwillnotbenishedattarget
temperature+/-0.05°C.Iftemperaturecontrolisswitchedo,retarded(temp)is
it as well.
4.2.5 Stability check temperature
Thissengallowstheusertodisnguishbetweenameasurementwhichis
exactly at target measurement temperature or if it is also ok if temperature is
justarounditasbyexperience,somesampleshaveatemperaturecoecientof
0.002aw/°K,soevenifcurrenttemperatureis2°Cawayfromtarget,wespeak
aboutadeviaonof0.004awfromthenalvalue.Somethingwhichmightbe
neglectable,dependingontheinternalrequirementsintermsofwateracvity
value accuracy.
Stability check temperture „ON“
Stability is reached if aw value is stable plus once sample has reached target
measurementtemperature+/-0.05°C.Thismodeensuresaccuracyandprecisi-
on as well as high repeatability but it takes longer as sample temperature must
beexactlyattarget.Usethismodeifyouwanttocomparewateracvityvalues
frombatchtobatch(qualitytrending)ordierentproducts.Itismandatoryto
record the values at the same temperature if you compare them!

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Stability check temperture „OFF
Stabilityisreachedoncewateracvityvalueisstable(progressbarcompletely
green).Itcanbethattemperaturehasnotreachedtargetmeasurementtempe-
ratureatthatmebutasmenonedbefore,deviaonsaresomemesneglec-
teble.Advantagehereisthatmeasurementiscompletedinshortermeasthere
is no delay due to not reached target measurement temperature.
4.3 Measurement Temperature Below Dew Point Temperature
Somemesitisnecessaryandrequestedtoperformawateracvitymeasure-
mentatsampletemperaturesbelowdewpointtemperature.Typicalcondions
oncecondensaoncanoccur:
• Measurementat25°C,labtemperature30°Candairhumiditymorethan
74%rH
• Iflabtemperatureis25°Candlabairhumidityis50%,sampletemperature
mustbehigherthan14°C,otherwisecondensaonhappensoncoldsurface
once measurement chamber is opened.
The following problems can appear if target measurement temperature is pro-
grammed to a value below the dew point temperature:
• Oncethemeasurementchamberhasopened,smallwaterdropletsarefor-
medwithinthemeasurementchamberasthesurfaceisverycold(remem-
bertheCokeyoutakeoutofthefridgeonveryhotsummerdays).Thiswater
actsasaddionalfreewaterinconsecuvemeasurementsandwillresultin
wrongvalues,moreover,youmightclassifygoodproductsasoutofspecs
• Onceyouopenthemeasurementchamber,waterowsdownontheoutside
ofthemeasurementhead.Thiswillalsofalsifyconsecuvemeasurements.
Inbothcases,drytheinstrumentbyprogrammingthesampletemperatureto
40°Candletthemeasurementchamberopened.
Ifpossible,avoidmeasurementswithsampletemperaturesbelowdewpoint
temperature.Ifitisnecessary,putsampleintotheawmeter,closeit,change
sampletemperaturefrom25°Ctothelowrequestedtemperature,performthe
measurementandheatupto25°CaerwardBEFOREopeningthemeasurement
chamber! Or place the instrument in a cold environment. This lowers the chance
ofcondensaononcoldsurface.

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5. How to Conduct a Measurement
5.1 Conduct a rst Measurement
However,evenifthereisawordthattherststepsarethemostdicultand
challengingone,-honestly-forgetaboutthat.Doingarstmeasurementwith
theLabMaster-awneoissimpleas1-2-3.Justfollowthestep-by-stepinstrucon
below:
1.Preparesampleinawaythatthesmallporonisrepresentave.Cut
thesampleinsmallpieces,grindit,homogeniseitoruseanotherway 
tocreatelilechunks.Justdonotuseceramicsasitabsorbsfree
waterandcanchangethewateracvityvalue
2.Fillsamplecuphalfto3/4.Donotoverllasitwilljustsqueezesample
intotheproteconlterwhichresultsinlterreplacementorcleaning
work
3. Program important parameter as measurement temperature and
selectappropriatestablemode/stableme.Feelunsure?Justread
chapter 4.
4.Gotomainscreenandpress„START“buon
5.Measurementwillbenishedoncestabilityhasbeenreached.Inthat
moment,anacouscindicaon(beep)isalsoreleased.
6. Open measurement chamber and remove sample. Always remove
sampleoncemeasurementiscompleted.NEVERswitchoinstrument
withsampleorsaltstandardsleinthechamber

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6. Calibraon and Vericaon
Contaminaonbyvolalesandageingofthesensorelementcaninuencethe
accuracyofthemeasurementsensor.Duetothatreason,itisnecessarytoverify
theinstrumentfrommetome.Ifvericaonfails,atwoormorepointcalib-
raonhastobeperformed.
Note:Withinscopeofsupply,therearevarioussaltstandardwithRFIDchip
whichallowsaawlessidencaonofusedstandardbytheLabMaster-awneo.
PleaseuseNovasinastandardsonlytoperformvericaonorcalibraon.Stan-
dardsorownpreparedliquidswithoutRFIDchipcannotbeusedforautomac
vericaonandcalibraon.
Calibraonneedslessmeifyoustartwithsaltstandardvaluesboom-up,i.e.
start with the lowest and end with highest value.
Important!
• Ifachemicalproteconlterismountedinfrontofthesensor,removeit
asitjustelongatestheprocedure.Themechanicalproteconlterwhichis
installed by default must not be removed.
• Makesurethechamberisabsolutelydry.Ifsmallwaterdropletsarepresent,
itmightleadtowrongvericaon/calibraonresults.
• Acalibraonat1.0000aw(SAL-T100)mainlycausessuchsmalldropletsof
water,sopleasecalibratethispointastheverylastoneintherow.Once
nished,lethemeasurementchamberopenforawhileunlsmalldroplets
have disappeared.
• Vericaonorcalibraonmustbeperformedatatargetsampletempera-
tureintherangebetween15°C(59°F)to30°C(86°F).Ifthetemperatureis
notwithinthisrange,thefollowingerrormessageisdisplayed:
• If the temperature of the measurement chamber is outside of stored data
rangeforeachsaltstandard,thefollowingerrormessageisdisplayed.A
calibraonistherebynotpossible:
• Ifsurfacetemperaturediersmorethan+/-4°Coftheprogrammedtarget
sampletemperature,meforcalibraonismuchlongerthannormal.Itis
indicatedbyapop-upmessageasbelow.Toavoidit,pleasestorethestan-
dards at more or less the same temperature as target sample temperature