YSI ProDSS User manual

Field Procedures 1 17
th
Edition, 2015
MULTIMETER: YSI-ProDSS rev. 9/23/15
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
•YSI-Pro SS multimeter
•data sheet, clipboard, pencil
Note: The battery may be damaged if kept in
an environment outside the range of -20 - 60°C
(-4° - 140°F).
NOTE 2015-16:
We purchased one instrument in
summer 2015 in the expectation of purchasing a
second and making it our standard field water-
quality testing equipment in summer 2016.
Meanwhile, we are experimenting with settings
and field instructions, and recording values side-
by-side with our current equipment.
INITIAL INSTRUMENT PREPARATION:
1. CABLE CONNECTION
Inspect the cable connection between the
handheld meter and the cable. If cable is not
connected to the meter, make sure t e
connectors are clean and dry before
connecting!
If connecters are clean and dry,
align the keys on the cable assembly connector
with the slots on the instrument connector. Push
together firmly, and then
twist the outer ring
clockwise until it locks
into place. The metal pin
should “snap” into place
and be visible through
small hole in the outer
ring (see image).
2. SENSORS AND GUARD CHECK
If any of the individual sensors are not
connected, refer to “Settings and
Troubleshooting” section for sensor installation.
If there is an empty “slot” with no sensor
installed, a port plug or sensor must be
installed or t e bulk ead will be damaged!
1. Remove calibration cup: firmly hold the
calibration cup with one hand and twist the
cup’s retaining nut counterclockwise until it
loosens (don’t keep turning; once it is loose
you can slide it off). Remove the cup and set
aside in a clean, dry place.
2. Firmly hold the bulkhead with one hand and
turn the sensor guard counter-clockwise until
completely unthreaded. Set aside the sensor
guard in a clean dry place. Use caution
once t e sensors are exposed!
3. Conduct a quick visual inspection of the
sensors; clean any debris on the sensor tips
with a lint-free cloth and rinse with water .
Carefully “test” the connection of each sensor
by grasping the sensor near the bulkhead
between your thumb and finger, and try to
turn the sensor to determine if it is loose. If
the sensor moves or twists at all (sensors
should firmly be in place), reconnect the
sensor guard and inform the team leader.
(See “Settings and Troubleshooting,” below,
under “Sensor Installation”.) If sensors are
firmly in place, proceed to next step.
4. Carefully slide the sensor guard over the
sensors and push it toward the bulkhead until
the sensor guard threads align with the
bulkhead threads. Carefully finger-tighten
the sensor guard clockwise.
NOTE: If any resistance is felt, loosen the
sensor guard completely to prevent cross-
threading. Incorrect installation may cause
damage to the sensor guard or bulkhead.

PREPARING FOR SAMPLING:
1. Turn on the meter by pushing the power
key . (To turn off the meter, hold down
the power key for 1.5 seconds.) If the meter
does not turn on, inform the team leader and
see the “Settings and Troubleshooting”
section under “Battery Troubleshooting”.
2. The main display, or “Run” screen, will
appear. Take note of the battery charge at
the top right, displayed as a percentage. If
the charge is low, inform your team leader.
C arging t e Internal Li-Ion Battery Pack
Use YSI designated charging equipment only!
If the battery is not charged, the meter must be
charged from the AC power adapter (strongest
charge source) , directly from a computer USB
connection, or from an external, portable USB
battery pack. When using the AC adapter, turn
the unit on first so it recognizes the AC adapter.
Once the charging signal appears on the screen,
it can be turned off. It takes approximately 14
hours to charge the Pro SS battery with the unit
turned off. For maximum battery life, if practical,
don’t charge until the battery is ≤40%, and bring
the battery back up to ≥80%.
Expected battery life:
• 20 hours at 25% (default) LC brightness
• 14 hours at 100% LC brightness
Study the main “Run” screen. Confirm the
following:
•The battery charge is >10%. If not, inform
your team leader.
•The date and time are correct:
The date and time should be displayed at
the top of the screen; if not, refer to the
“Settings and Troubleshooting” section
under “ ate/Time”.
•Logging is correct:
At the top of the screen in the green bar,
it should read “Log One Sample”; if not,
refer to the “Settings and
Troubleshooting” section under “Logging
ata”.
•Individual parameter units are correct:
temperature - °C
barometric pressure – inHg
dissolved oxygen concentration – O mg/L
specific conductivity (at 25 °C)–SPC µS/cm
salinity – SAL ppt
pH
turbidity – FNU
If any parameters shown above are not
displayed or do not match the units on the
Run screen (see photo below), notify your
team leader and refer to the “Settings and
Troubleshooting” section under “Sensor
isplay etails”.
Pro
-
DSS main display:
1. Logging mode—Single
(“One Sample”) or
Continuous (“Start
Logging”)
2. Current screen/menu
3. ate/Time
4. GPS signal indicator
5. Battery charging
indicator
6. Battery charge %
7. USB/PC connection
indicator
8. Scroll bar
9. Message area
10. isplayed
measurements

Field Procedures 3 17
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Edition, 2015
3. Select your Site :
a) Select the System button , then
highlight Logging [single] by using the
down arrow. (Note: the green band
indicates which feature is highlighted.)
Select this feature by hitting Enter.
b) Before selecting a site, make sure the
Use Site List check box has been
selected .
c) Select Site [site name] . Scroll down until
you find your site, and hit Enter.
d) The green bar should read Select [your
site].
Hit Enter, then Escape twice. This
should return you to the Run screen.
SAMPLING:
1. Place t e probe at t e sampling point:
Standing downstream or to the side of the
probe, place it in the main current, in a
place with steady flow, adequate depth,
good mixing, and no surface turbulence.
Do not sample downstream of w ere
your team as disturbed t e bottom.
Sample at mid-depth or 8-12” below the
surface if the water is deep. You may dangle
the probe or place it on clean rocks at the
bottom if the stream is shallow. You must
immerse t e probe at least alfway up
t e guard.
Agitate the probe under water
to dislodge any bubbles at the probe tips.
2. Stabilize and log readings:
Turn on the Auto Stable feature:
a) Hit the Probe button , then
select Auto Stable.
b) Confirm settings (see image):
•Parameters are all set to
[On] (ISE=pH)
• Continuous Mode and Log
Samples
boxes are
checked
• Sample Period(s) is set to
[15]
• Sample Count is set to
[10].
c) Hit the up arrow and select Start Auto
Stable. You’ll return to the Run screen.
On the Run screen, there will be a
flashing red symbol next to each
parameter. Wait until all of these
flashing red symbols become green and
stay green for at least two minutes
(use the on-screen clock). Also observe
the readings (particularly temperature,
O, and pH) to look for drift.
d) *Record t e pressure ; this won’t save
in the meter due to a software glitch!
e) Once you’re sure that all parameters
have stabilized, press Enter to log a
reading. T e first time you it Enter,
it will probably just lig t up t e
darkened screen; you ave to it
Enter again before it will say
“Sample Logged” at t e bottom.
Anytime the screen is dark, hitting any
button just brightens it.
Jumping Values: If readings won’t stabilize
…you can still log the readings, but you’ll need
to estimate values for the non-stable
parameters. For instance, if you see turbidity
values jumping up and down, watch the
readings over a period of several minutes and
estimate the average, to the nearest whole
number, considering both the extremes and the
most frequent numbers. In a pinch, we might
be able to calculate the average at the office.
3. If you’re taking replicates at t is site:
Remove probe from stream, shake off
water, and replace in stream. Then collect
and record a second reading
(same as above).
4. Remove the probe from the
stream. Rinse with purified
water if the stream was dirty.
Re-tighten the calibration cup.
5. Record t e meter number , if
the data sheet asks for it.
6. If you are not submitting the
data to Clallam County
, record
the latest calibration dates for all
parameters. Select the File

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button, View GLP , and scroll to see when
the instrument was last calibrated for each
parameter.
7. Record t e data: Select the File button
and select View ata and Show ata. (If no
data is displayed, make sure you have the
right date and time entered at the bottom.)
Scroll down until you can see the bottom
row, which is the last set of data recorded
when you hit Enter to log your reading. (If
you took a field replicate at this site, this
last row will be those replicate readings;
you’ll have to scroll back up a bit to find
your primary sample readings.) To see the
data readings for each parameter, hit the
Right Arrow key to scroll. Record the
readings on your data sheet, in the following
order, using our rounding convention (see
Quality Assurance protocol):
a) Temperature: to nearest 0.1°C
b) *Pressure: see above
c) DO Concentration: to nearest 0.1
mg/L
d) Specific Conductivity: to nearest
whole µS (microSiemens)
e) Salinity: to nearest 0.1 ppt (parts per
thousand)
f) pH: to nearest 0.1
g) Turbidity: to nearest whole FNU
COMMON SENSE AND EXPECTED RANGES:
Please compare your readings with the
expected ranges on the datasheet. If you’re outside
the expected range, consider re-sampling or
troubleshooting with your fellow samplers.
Conductivity readings in particular have a
nasty habit of being wacky. Stream conductivity is
rarely lower than 25 µS. If your readings are lower
than this, you might not have held the probe
completely underwater. Try taking another set of
readings.
8. If you performed replicates, check the
“Water Chemistry—General” protocol to see
if your pairs of readings are within the
acceptable precision limits; resample as
needed.
9. Record time and full initials of the
sampler; this should be someone who has
been properly trained (see “Quality
Assurance” protocol).
10.Turn off t e meter, make sure the
calibration cup is on tight, and place the unit
in the field bag.
ProDSS Settings & Troubles ooting
Sensor, port plug, guard installation
Perform sensor/port plug installation in a clean,
dry environment; do not install in t e field!
The ports on the Pro SS bulkhead are
universal; therefore, you can install any sensor
into any port. For highest accuracy, always
install a conductivity/temperature sensor to
compensate all measurement data for
temperature and dissolved oxygen data for
conductivity.
Before installing a sensor or port plug,
make sure t at t e sensor and
bulk ead
connectors are clean and dry.
If there is an
empty “slot” with no sensor or port plug
installed, a port plug or sensor must be
installed or t e bulk ead will be
damaged!
Equipment needed for sensor/port plug
installation:
•Sensor(s) and or port plug(s)
•Bulkhead

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•Krytox or silicone o-ring lubricant
•Sensor installation/removal tool
•Lint-free cloth
Sensor Installation
1. Inspect the bulkhead port for contamination.
If the port is wet, carefully dry with a lint-
free cloth.
2. Apply a thin coat of lubricant to the sensor
o-rings. Wipe off any excess lubricant with a
lint-free cloth.
3. Carefully align the sensor and bulkhead
connectors by inserting the sensor into the
port and then gently rotating the sensor
until the connectors align. Once aligned,
push the sensor toward the bulkhead until
the sensor seats in the port.
4. Carefully finger-tighten the retaining nut
clockwise. NOTE: If any resistance is felt,
loosen the retaining nut completely to
prevent cross-threading. Incorrect
installation may cause damage to the sensor
or bulkhead that is not covered by the
warranty.
5. Use the sensor installation/removal tool to
tighten the retaining nut clockwise until
snug, about a ¼ to ½ additional turn of the
retaining nut. NOTE: o not over-tighten
the retaining nut. Over-tightening can cause
damage to the sensor or bulkhead not
covered by the warranty.
Port Plug Installation
If there is an empty slot in the bulkhead, install
a port plug. Never submerge t e bulk ead
wit out a sensor or port plug installed in
all ports!
1. Apply a thin coat of lubricant to the o-rings
on the plug port. Wipe off any excess
lubricant with a lint-free cloth.
2. Insert the port plug into the empty port and
press until firmly seated.
3. Finger-tighten the port plug clockwise to
install. If necessary, use the sensor
installation tool to make sure that the plug is
fully seated into the port.
NOTE: The o-rings will not be visible if a
port plug is correctly installed. o not over-
tighten the port plug; over-tightening can
cause damage to the port plug or bulkhead
not covered by the warranty.
Sensor Guard Installation
Without the sensor guard, the sensors are
extremely vulnerable to environmental damage.
1. Carefully slide the sensor guard over the
sensors and bulkhead. Push the sensor
guard toward the bulkhead until the sensor
guard threads align with the bulkhead
threads.
2. Carefully finger-tighten the sensor guard
clockwise.
NOTE: If any resistance is felt, loosen the
sensor guard completely to prevent cross-
threading. Incorrect installation may cause
damage to the sensor guard or bulkhead that is
not covered by the warranty.
Battery pack troubles ooting
If the instrument is not turning on, do the
following:
1. Attempt to charge the unit: Using YSI
charging equipment only, plug unit into
the AC adapter with the USB connector
(see figure on next page).

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Field Procedures 6 17
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2. If this does not power on the unit,
remove battery pack cover and examine
battery pack (see figure on previous
page).
NOTE: Do not remove t e battery pack
if it is ot to t e touc , is producing an
odd odor, or is leaking a fluid.
Removing and examining the battery pack
needs to be done with extreme care by a
team leader and in a dry, clean place,
preferably not in t e field!
a) Remove the battery pack cover by
unscrewing (counter-clockwise) the
four screws with a flat or Phillips
head screwdriver (the retaining
screws are captured into the cover
and are not removable).
b) Inspect the battery pack; make sure
the battery pack connector is
properly connected to the
instrument.
c) If the connectors do not appear to
be properly connected, grasp the
battery pack connector with two
fingers and pull the connector
straight up to disconnect and
remove. Inspect the connector and
instrument pin connectors for any
debris or damage. If the connectors
look OK, align the battery pack
connector wire terminals with the
three instrument pins and connect
the battery pack.
d) If connectors look properly
connected, reinstall the battery
cover and attempt to charge the unit
again. If the unit still will not turn
on, the battery pack may need to be
replaced. (Before ordering a new
battery pack, call YSI at
800.765.4974 and troubleshoot
problems with a Pro SS tech.)
e) If a new battery pack has been
ordered, refer to the YSI manual for
battery removal/disposal and
replacement.
System settings
Date/Time
If the date and time are inaccurate, press the
system button , go to the Date/Time
submenu option, scroll down to Date and hit
Enter. In the numeric entry screen, use the
arrow keys to maneuver around. If entire date
needs to be corrected, click the delete entire
entry
key . If not, use the backspace key
to partially correct the date. After
correcting the date, hit Enter. Scroll down to
Time and hit Enter, then follow similar
instructions as for date correction to correct the
time. When finished, hit the Esc. or left arrow
button until you are back to the Run screen.
Logging Data
If the logging settings are inaccurate, press the
system button , scroll down to the logging
submenu option, go to the Continuous Mode,
and uncheck the box by pressing Enter. The
box should become unchecked . Press the
Esc button to return the Run Screen. In the
green bar at the top of the screen it should now
read “Log One Sample”.
Sensor Display Details
If there is a parameter not displayed on the
Run Screen, either the sensor is not installed
correctly, or it is not working properly. To
check if the sensor is installed properly, refer to
the above section on Sensor, Port Plug,
Guard Installation and carefully examine the
sensors.
If the units do not match on the Run Screen, go
to the probe button and scroll down to
Display submenu and hit Enter. Scroll down
and select the desired parameter. A submenu
will appear with multiple parameter unit
options; select the proper unit (see protocol
above) and return to the Run Screen.