PCE Instruments PCE-MMK 1 User manual

© PCE Instruments
Multifunction Moisture Meter PCE-MMK 1
User Manual
User manuals in various languages (français,
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Last change: 21 July 2020
v1.0
English

© PCE Instruments
Contents
1Safety notes........................................................................................... 1
2Description ............................................................................................ 2
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................... 2
2.2 Technical specifications of the multifunction moisture meter............................................. 2
2.3 Device overview............................................................................................................... 3
2.4 Display indications ........................................................................................................... 3
2.5 Delivery contents.............................................................................................................. 4
3Switching on/off ....................................................................................4
4Device settings......................................................................................4
4.1 Set material temperature compensation........................................................................... 5
4.2 Setting the moist / dry indicator ........................................................................................ 5
4.3 Setting the display backlight............................................................................................. 5
4.4 Setting the temperature unit............................................................................................. 5
5Self test ..................................................................................................6
6Measurement of the ambient temperature and air humidity ............ 6
7Moisture measurement.........................................................................6
7.1 Selection of wood group (W1, W2, W3)............................................................................ 7
7.2 Selection of building material group (B1, B2, B3, B4) ....................................................... 7
7.3 Wet / dry indicator............................................................................................................ 8
8Battery replacement.............................................................................. 8
9Warranty................................................................................................. 8
10 Disposal ................................................................................................. 8

© PCE Instruments
1
1 Safety notes
Please read this manual carefully and completely before you usethe device for the first time. The
device may only be used by qualified personnel and repaired by PCE Instruments personnel.
Damage or injuries caused by non-observance of the manual are excluded from our liability and
not covered by our warranty.
•The device must only be used as described inthis instruction manual.If used otherwise,
this can cause dangerous situations for the user and damage to the meter.
•The instrument may only be used if the environmental conditions (temperature, relative
humidity, …) are within the rangesstated in the technical specifications. Do not expose
the device to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, extreme humidity or moisture.
•Do not expose the device to shocks or strong vibrations.
•The case should only be opened by qualified PCE Instruments personnel.
•Never use the instrument when your hands are wet.
•You must not make any technical changes to the device.
•The appliance should only be cleaned with a damp cloth. Use only pH-neutral cleaner,
no abrasives or solvents.
•The device must only be used with accessories from PCE Instruments or equivalent.
•Before each use, inspect the case for visible damage. If any damage is visible, do not
use the device.
•Do not use the instrument in explosive atmospheres.
•The measurement range as stated in the specifications must not be exceeded under
any circumstances.
•Non-observance of the safety notes can cause damage to the device and injuries to
the user.
We do not assume liability for printing errors or any other mistakes in this manual.
We expressly point to our general guarantee terms which can be found in our general terms of
business.
If you have any questions please contact PCE Instruments. The contact details can be found at
the end of this manual.

© PCE Instruments
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2 Description
2.1 Purpose
The multifunctional moisture meter PCE-MMK 1 has been designed for mobile use. The universal
tester shows the moisture in building materials or wood as well as the air humidity and
temperature. The display immediately shows a humidity reference value in %, so no conversion
is necessary. The scope of delivery of the multifunction moisture meter PCE-MMK 1 includes
various insertionprobes for wood,building materials andstacks of paper orcardboard. By means
of a self-test, the universal moisture meter can be checked for correct operation. In addition, the
universal humidity and moisture meter has manual temperature compensation.
2.2 Technical specifications of the multifunction moisture meter
Measurement
range
Wood
1 … 75 %
Building materials
0.1 … 2.4 %
Temperature
-40 °C ... +70 °C / -40 ... +158 °F
Humidity
0 … 100 % RH
Resolution
0.1 %
Accuracy
Wood
1 … 30 % / ±1 %
31 ... 60 % / ±2 %
61 ... 75 % / ±4 %
Building materials
±0.5 %
Temperature
-40 ... -10 °C, +40 ... +70 °C / ±2 °C
-10 ... +40 °C / ±1 °C
Humidity
0 ... 20 % RH, 80 ... 100 % RH: ±5 % RH
20 ... 80 % RH: ±3.5 % RH
Electrode length
8 mm (internal), 30 mm and 150 mm (external)
Measuring principle
electrical resistance
Auto Power Off function
after approx. 3 min without use
Automatic backlight cutoff
after approx. 10 seconds
Housing
plastic, shockproof
Battery
3 x CR 2032
Environmental conditions
0 ... +40 °C / 32 ... 104°F, 0 ... 85 % RH
Dimensions
139 x 47 x 25 mm / 5.5 x 1.9 x 1.0 in
Weight
100 g / <1 lb (without electrodes)

© PCE Instruments
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2.3 Device overview
1. Protective cap
2. Measuring electrodes
3. Digital and analogue display
4. Setting key [SET]
5. Delete key [CLR]
6. Power / menu key [MODE]
7. Function test points on the protective cap
8. Sensor for ambient temperature and relative
humidity
2.4 Display indications
1. Battery status indicator
2. Menu indicators:
"LIGHT" - Set backlight
"TEMP" - Set temperature compensation
"UNIT" - Select °C or °F
3. Self test mode
4. MIN / MAX graph
5. Dry / wet: indicator
DRY, MOIST, WET
6. Wood class (W1, W2, W3)
7. Building materials (B1, B2, B3, B4)
8. Moisture display (numerical)
9. Moisture display (graphic)
10. Temperature display

© PCE Instruments
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2.5 Delivery contents
1 x multifunctional moisture meter PCE-MMK 1
1 x measuring cap for self-test
1 x measuring cap for external electrodes
1 x ram electrode, 1 x penetration electrode, 1 x paper electrode
2 x 30 mm measuring tips, 8 x 30 mm needles, 2 x 80 mm needles, 2 x 150 mm measuring tips
2 x 300 mm extension
2 x 10 mm needles (replacement for internal electrodes)
1 x user manual
3 Switching on/off
To switch on the device, press the [MODE] key for 2 seconds. The display will show the ambient
temperature, a diagonal scale from 0 to 60 % and the moisture value 0.0 %. Below this, there is
a horizontal scale with the marking DRY / MOIST / WET. At the very bottom of the display, you
will see the indication WOOD W1 for woods of group 1 which is selected as standard material.
Press the [MODE] key again for 2 seconds to switch off the unit. If you do not press any button
within 3 minutes, the unit will switch off automatically to conserve battery power.
4 Device settings
Briefly press the "SET" and "CLR" keys simultaneously to open the settings menu. Use the
"MODE" key to select one of the menu items. Then change the values with the "SET" or "CLR"
key.
Set temperature Set dry index Set wet index Set light mode Set temp unit

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4.1 Set material temperature compensation
The relative material moisture depends on the temperature of the material. The instrument
automatically compensates this temperature by measuring the ambient temperature.
In addition, you can enter the temperature manually and thus increase the accuracy of the
measured value. You can set the value with the "SET" key and the "CLR" key. This value is not
saved and must be re-entered each time the instrument is switched on.
Increase value with SET
Decrease value with CLR
4.2 Setting the moist / dry indicator
With the values for the dry and wet indicator, you can adapt the display of the DRY/MOIST/WET
scale to a specific material. Once you have entered the appropriate values, you can see at a
glance whether the sample is dry or too moist for your application. Use the [SET] key and the
[CLR] key to increase or decrease the value and the [MODE] key to change from "Dry" to "Wet".
4.3 Setting the display backlight
AUTO: The backlight is switched off automatically after a period of inactivity and
is switched back on as soon as a measurement is started.
ON: The display backlight is permanently switched on.
OFF: The backlight is deactivated.
Press the SET key to switch between the backlight options. This setting is not saved. When the
unit is switched on again, the function is set back to "AUTO".
4.4 Setting the temperature unit
You can switch the temperature unit from °C to °F. This
setting will be saved to the device and is still available
even after the meter is switched on again.

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5 Self test
Go to TEST mode by pressing and releasing the MODE key. Place the electrodes at the contacts
on the protective cap, marked with "T" and "B". Compare the display with the following pictures.
Contacts marked with B Contacts marked with T
correct incorrect correct incorrect
6 Measurement of the ambient temperature and air humidity
The universal moisture meter continuously measures the ambient temperature and relative
humidity. The ambient temperature is used for temperature compensation during material
moisture measurement, thus increasing the accuracy. Press and hold the [SET] key for 2 seconds
to toggle the display between ambient temperature and relative humidity.
7 Moisture measurement
Before starting the measurement, you must first select the material group by briefly pressing the
[MODE] key.
WOOD for measurements in wood, wood-based materials and cardboard / paper, divided into
3 groups
BUILD for building materials such as plaster, aerated concrete, screed and concrete, divided
into 4 groups
TEST to check the meter with the supplied protective cap
Then select the wood or building material group as described in the following sections 7.1 and
7.2. To measure the moisture content, slowly and carefully prick the measuring electrodes into
the material (without applying much force). The puncture in wood should be vertical to the wood
fibres. At a moisture content of less than 20 %, the penetration geometry is of no great
importance for the measurement result. Always measure at several points for comparison or to
be able to calculate an average value.
For hard woods and building materials, the use of ram electrodes is recommended. These are
connected to the plug on the protective cap via the connection cable. The paper electrode is
connected in the same way. For very hard material, where there is a risk of destroying the meter
(breakage of the needles), it is also possible to drive in two nails and apply the electrodes to
these.

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7.1 Selection of wood group (W1, W2, W3)
The device has three groups (W1, W2, W3) for wood and wood-like materials. You can change
the group by briefly pressing the [SET] key. The following chart shows what kind of wood belongs
to which wood group.
Wood groups
W1
W2
W3
Abachi
Agba
Mahogany
Afrormosia / assamela
Pear tree
Maple
Pine tree
Rubber tree
Black afara
Alder
Chestnut
Coco-produa
Beech
Aspen
Khaya
Dabema
Balsa
Cherry
Cork
Ebony
Tree heath
Pine
Melamine chipboard
Red oak
Beech, European
Poplar (general)
Phenolic resin
chipboard
Oak
Birch, yellow birch
Plum
Ash
Logwood
Sandalwood
Ash, American
Oak
Swiss pine
Ash, Japanese
Aspen
Walnut
Lime tree
Alder
White maple
Rosewood
Alder, red
White birch
Rosewood
Alder, black
White beech
Copper beech
English oak
White Poplar
Silver poplar
Ash
Juniper
Teak
Yellow birch
Trembling poplar
Winter linden
Yellow pine
Cypress
Winter linden,
American
Douglas fir
Elm
Willow
Red cypress
White oak
Horse chestnut
Wood fibre insulation
board
Cedar
Tree of life
Fibreboard
Cypress
Larch
Kauramin chipboard
Cardboard
Chestnut
Paper
7.2 Selection of building material group (B1, B2, B3, B4)
The device has characteristiccurves for fourgroups of buildingmaterials. You canswitch between
these by briefly pressing the [SET] key.
B1 Plaster
B2 Aerated concrete
B3E Screed
B4 Concrete

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7.3 Wet / dry indicator
Below the measured moisture value, the test instrument shows a moisture evaluation in the form
of a scale on the display. During the measurement, a small marking point above the scale moves
from left to right. The scale has 3 main ranges: DRY / MOIST and WET. These have 5 divisions
each. This indicator is only meaningful if suitable minimum and maximum values are set for the
material to be measured, see chapter 4.2. A minimum value of 70 and a maximum value 850 can
be recommended as a starting value and then the values must be adjusted upwards or
downwards, depending on the desired indication.
8 Battery replacement
If the battery voltage is too low, this is indicated by an icon in the display. You must replace the
batteries when the icon is visible. To do this, remove the screw on the back of the device and
replace the batteries, making sure the polarity is correct when inserting the new batteries.
9 Warranty
You can read our warranty terms in our General Business Terms which you can find here:
https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/terms.
10 Disposal
For the disposal of batteries in the EU, the 2006/66/EC directive of the European Parliament
applies. Due to the contained pollutants, batteries must not be disposed of as household waste.
They must be given to collection points designed for that purpose.
In order to comply with the EU directive 2012/19/EU we take our devices back. We either re-use
them or give them to a recycling company which disposes of the devices in line with law.
For countries outside the EU, batteries and devices should be disposed of in accordance with
your local waste regulations.
If you have any questions, please contact PCE Instruments.