Spectrum FLEDSCOUT EC 110 Meter User manual

EC 110 Meter
DATA LOGGER MANUAL
Item # 2220
®

2
CONTENTS
This manual will familiarize you with the features and operation
of your new data logging EC 110 meter. Please read this
manual thoroughly before using your instrument. For customer
support, or to place an order, call Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
[phone] or [phone]
between 7:30 am and 5:30 p.m. CST,
FAX [phone],
e-mail: specmeters.com.
www.specmeters.com
Spectrum Technologies, Inc
3600 Thayer Court
Aurora, IL 60504
General Overview 3
Data Logger Operation 4
Identifying the Correct Com Port 6
Connecting to a PC 7
Logger Software 8
Data Files 10
GPS Connection 11
Direct-Insert Probe 13
Service and Support 14
Specifications 15
Warranty 15

3
General Overview
Thank you for purchasing the data logging EC 110
meter from Spectrum Technologies, Inc. This
user’s guide deals with the features that are
unique to the data logging EC 110 meter. Infor-
mation on general meter operation is contained in
the accompanying Instruction manual.
The integrated data logger allows the user to eas-
ily collect field data with the EC 110 meter. The
logger can be used with or without GPS/DGPS.
After data has been collected, it is transferred to a
PC using the included software. The data is in
ASCII text file format and can be exported into
mapping software or popular spreadsheet
software for analysis.
Caution: Avoid touching the tip of probe as
this can affect the accuracy of the readings
(see p. 13)
NOTE: THIS BOOKLET CONTAINS INSTRUC-
TIONS ON OPERATING THE DATALOGGER
AND MAINTAINING THE DIRECT-INSERT
PROBE. INFORMATION REGARDING THE ME-
TER’S GENERAL OPERATION, CALIBRATION
PROCEDURE, AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ER-
ROR MESSAGES ARE DETAILED IN THE AC-
COMPANYING MANUAL.

4
The data logger has two modes of operation: Com-
munication and Measurement. These modes are
indicated by the green LED in the lower left corner of
the meter. When this light is flashing, the meter is in
Communication mode. When the light glows stead-
ily, the meter is in Measurement mode.
Communication Mode
When the meter is turned on, it will be in Communi-
cation mode for approximately 10 seconds. While in
this mode, the green LED will flash. It is only in this
mode that a user can initiate a logger communication
(download or reconfiguration). If communication be-
tween the logger and software is attempted during
this 10-second period, the logger will remain in Com-
munication mode indefinitely. The meter must be
turned off and then on to change to Measurement
mode (see following section).
Measurement Mode
Approximately 10 seconds after turning on the meter,
the LED light will glow steadily. This indicates the
logger is in Measurement mode. In this mode, you
can calibrate the meter and record data. When you
are finished collecting data, the meter must be put
into Communication mode by turning it off and back
on (see previous section). If you are collecting data
from several sites and need to turn off the meter be-
tween data collection sessions, wait until the meter
transitions from Communication to Measurement
mode after turning the meter back on.
Calibration
The procedure for calibrating the meter is given in
the accompanying meter instruction manual.
Data Logger Operation

5
Taking and Data Logging Measurements
When the probe is inserted in soil or water, the me-
ter’s LCD will immediately begin indicating the EC.
When this value stabilizes, the meter locks on to that
value and the LCD will display READY in the upper
right corner. To capture this value with
the data logger, press the HOLD/
ENTER button followed by the Print
button. The Print button is on the
lower right corner of the keypad next to
the Range button.
The LED also indicates whether the data logger is
receiving the GPS signal. See GPS Connection (p.
11) for more details.
Measuring Range
The meter has 5 EC measuring ranges (listed in sec-
tion 4.1 of the accompanying meter instruction man-
ual). When using the 2.76 mS/cm calibrating solu-
tion, the meter should, ideally, be in range r4. How-
ever, the range the meter is using is not generally
visible on the LCD. Pressing the Range button al-
lows the user to manually select a different range.
When the Range button is pressed, the meter will
transition to the next range which will briefly be dis-
played on the LCD in place of the temperature.
When initially inserted into a sample, the meter will
transition to the most appropriate range.
Print button

6
Identifying the Correct
Com Port
The computer
Communications Port to
which the cable is
connected can be
identified by using a
paper clip.
1. Disconnect the serial
cable from the meter.
2. To bring up the Port Selection screen, click on the
Com Port Button, select the com port to be tested and
click the Port Test button. Click the Test Port Now
button. If the message “Connection OK” is displayed,
another device (such as a modem) is probably connected
to that port. If the message “No Connection” is displayed,
this port may be the one connected to your serial cable and
you can proceed to the next step.
3. Place a paperclip on the end of the serial pin so that it
touches both the tip of the pin and the metal area between
the two black rings. Again click on the Test Port Now
button. If the message “Connection OK” now appears,
this is the com port connected to your serial cable.
paper clip
or wire
NOTE: The meter does not short-circuit the serial pin.
Therefore, when the Test Port Now button is clicked
while the meter is connected, the “No Connection”
message will be displayed.

7
Connecting to a PC
The EC 110 Meter software comes with a black PC inter-
face cable. This cable connects to the USB port of your
computer and to the meter’s computer port. The meter’s
configuration can be modified by clicking on the Meter
Settings button (see Meter Settings, p. 8). The Com
Port, Meter Type, Download, Clear Memory and Me-
ter Settings buttons are explained in the Logger Soft-
ware section (p. 8).
Note: Prior to 2014, the meter was shipped with a gray
cable that connected to a 9-pin serial port. This cable will
still work but may require a USB-to-serial adapter.

8
Meter Type
The Field Scout software
supports all of Spectrum
Technologies’ portable
data logging meters. Be
sure to select the EC
110 Meter from the Se-
lect Meter Type screen
Meter Settings
Clicking on this button will bring up the Meter Set-
tings screen. This screen allows you to configure
the data logger. The Meter Name will be the title on
the first line of the downloaded files.
If the box below the logger name field is checked,
the logger will store GPS data only if it has been dif-
ferentially corrected. If
the differential correc-
tion is not found, only
the pH reading will be
stored in the data file.
A time zone correction
should be entered in
the last box.
Logger Software

9
Download
After clicking the
Download button, a
progress bar will con-
firm that data is being
extracted from the log-
ger. When com-
pleted, the Save Data As box will appear. From
here you can give the data file a descriptive name
and select a folder in which to save it. The folder se-
lection field on the right allows you to browse to any
folder in your system.
When the file has been saved, the software will give
you the option of immediately viewing the file. The
data file is stored as a comma-delimited text file and
may be viewed in any text editor or spreadsheet soft-
ware.
Clear Memory
Data is not automatically removed from the logger
memory after a download. The Clear Memory but-
ton clears all data from the memory.

10
Data Files
The data is stored in comma-delimited text files. These
files can be opened with text-editing software (e.g. Micro-
Soft Word) or spreadsheet software (e.g. Excel).
The first two lines of the data file give the logger’s name
and serial number. The third line indicates that latitude
and longitude are referenced to the 1984 World Geodetic
Survey datum. The fourth line shows the column head-
ings for the rest of the data file.
Logging sessions are started and completed by turning
the meter on and off. The start of a logging session is
indicated by the data line “Logger Started.” If a GPS sig-
nal was found at the start of a logger session, a time
stamp is included on the “Logger Started” line.
The data is separated into 6 fields: Latitude and Longi-
tude (blank if a GPS unit was not connected), sample
number, EC value, EC units, and temperature. Possible
measurement units for EC are μS/cm, mS/cm or ppm.
The units of temperature match what has been selected
on the meter.
Sample data showing results of data collected with and
without GPS activated. Note: GPS signal not found when
recording data in lines 12 through 14.

11
GPS Connection
Cable Connections
A GPS/DGPS cable (item # 2950CV5) is required to
connect the EC 110 meter to a GPS unit. This cable
has a 9-pin male connection and a stereo pin that
connects to the meter’s data port. You will also need
a cable that allows the GPS unit to connect to a 9-pin
male serial port. If this cable doesn’t come standard
with your GPS unit, it should be available from the
manufacturer. This cable is generally used to upload
information from a computer to the GPS unit. These
components should be connected as shown in the
figure below.
GPS Setting
Your GPS unit must be set for NMEA 0183 input/
output messages. If the meter has trouble receiving
the GPS signal, check that it has the following set-
tings:
Data bits: 8 Stop bits: 1
Baud rate: 4800 bps Parity: None
Timing: 1 second GGA data string
Spectrum
GPS/DGPS
Cable
SPAD
Meter GPS
Unit
GPS computer
interface cable
EC110
Meter

12
Initial GPS connect
If the meter does NOT detect an incoming GPS signal,
it will flash steadily for 10 seconds and then glow
steadily once it gets into Measurement mode. If it
does detect the GPS signal (satellites found etc..), it
gives a series of 3 rapid flashes before going to the
steady glow for Measurement mode. If a GPS signal
is not found during power-up, the meter will not search
for it when taking readings and no geo-referenced data
will be collected during that sampling session. If the
meter is turned off and back on, it will again search for
the GPS signal. Be sure the meter is in Measurement
mode (see p. 4) before taking any readings.
Taking measurements
If the meter did NOT detect the GPS initially, once in
Measurement mode, the LED will go off and on very
quickly when a measurement is taken.
If it did detect the GPS signal initially, once in Meas-
urement mode, it will look for the GPS signal at the
time of every measurement. There are two possibili-
ties:
1. If it sees the GPS signal at the time of measurement,
the LED will go off for a noticeably longer time and then
come back on as a steady glow. Latitude and longi-
tude values will be added to the data file. The meter is
again ready to take a reading when the LED returns to
a steady glow.
2. If it does NOT see the GPS signal at the time of
measurement (signal lost, batteries die, cable gets
pulled out), the LED will flash briefly and then come
back on as a steady glow .
Tip: If you have your GPS unit set properly and
have checked the connection but still are not get-
ting geo-referenced data, uncheck the box re-
quiring the digital correction in Meter Settings
(pp. 8 - 9) .

13
Direct- Insert Probe
Connecting the Probe
The female connector for the direct-insert probe
pushes straight onto the 6-pin male socket on the
digital reader (see fig. 1). When inserting the
probe, rotate the plug to align the notch on the
probe with the guide on the inner wall of the
socket. Secure the plug by rotating the locking
ring until it is snug.
Figure 1. Orientation of pins on probe/meter interface
Probe Maintenance
The EC value measured by the sensor is highly
sensitive to surface contamination, especially from
skin oil. Therefore, the probe tip (see fig. 2)
should be cleaned regularly with rubbing alcohol
to ensure accurate conductivity measurements.
Figure 2. Probe sensor tip

14
In the unlikely event that you have a problem with
the hardware or software, please read the following.
Who do I contact?
Contact the company that you bought the
loggers from: Spectrum Technologies, Inc. or a
Spectrum Authorized Dealer.
Before calling, you can evaluate and often solve your
problem if you try the following.
1. Read this manual. It may only take a few moments
to get the answer you need.
2. Write down the events that led to the problem.
Have you changed anything in your computer
recently? Are you doing anything differently?
When Contacting Spectrum Technologies,
Inc. please indicate that you need Technical
Support. Be prepared to:
1. Provide details on the hardware and software
configuration of your computer including:
manufacturer, model number, peripherals, and
versions of the operating system.
2. Completely describe the problem. The more
information you provide, the faster and more
accurately we will be able to respond.
Service and Support

15
Warr anty
This product is warranted to be free from defects in material or
workmanship for one year from the date of purchase. During
the warranty period Spectrum will, at its option, either repair or
replace products that prove to be defective. This warranty does
not cover damage due to improper installation or use, lightning,
negligence, accident, or unauthorized modifications, or to inci-
dental or consequential damages beyond the Spectrum prod-
uct. Before returning a failed unit, you must obtain a Returned
Materials Authorization (RMA) from Spectrum. Spectrum is not
responsible for any package that is returned without a valid
RMA number or for the loss of the package by any shipping
company.
Specifications
Measurement Capacity:
- 1,080 data points without GPS
- 648 data points with GPS
Operating Environment:
- Weather Resistant
Power:
- 4 x AAA batteries
- Provides 40 hours of logging
Software Requirements:
- Windows 95 or higher
- Field Scout Software v. 3.4 or higher
(included)

16
This equipment has been manufactured for
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
3600 Thayer Court
Aurora, IL 60504 USA
The Manufacturer’s DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY is on file at the above
address, and certifies conformity to the following:
Model Number: 2220
Description: Data Logging Electrical Conductivity Meter
Type: Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and
Laboratory Use
Directive: 89/336/EEC
Standards: EN 61326 (1997)
EN 55022
EN 61000-4-2/-3
The meter also contains an add-on data logger that has been installed in other
products that have received CE certification.
Douglas L. Kieffer,
Soil/Water Products Manager March 4, 2009
R 2/14
3600 Thayer Court
Aurora, IL 60504
[phone] or [phone]
Fax [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.specmeters.com