Decagon Devices MAS-1 User Manual

MAS-1

4-20 mA Soil Moisture Sensor

User Manual

Version 2

Decagon Devices, Inc.

2365 NE Hopkins Court

Pullman WA 99163

[phone]

www.decagon.com

[e-mail]

©2011 Decagon Devices, Inc.

All rights reserved.

MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Customer Service and Tech Support . . . . .2

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Seller’s Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

2. About the MAS-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. Integrating the MAS-1 . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Conventional (PLC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Non-Conventional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Testing the Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

4. Installing the MAS-1 . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Removing the Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

5. Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Mineral Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Potting Soil/Peat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Rock Wool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

6. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . .15

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

1. Introduction

1. Introduction

Thank you for choosing the MAS-1 4-20 mA Soil Moisture
Sensor. These innovative sensors will enable you to monitor
soil moisture accurately and affordably with a standard 2­wire, 4-20 mA analog interface for use with many data
acquisition and control systems. The MAS-1 can not be used
with the standard Decagon data loggers.

Specifications

Electrical

Interface: Standard 4-20 mA, 2-wire analog transmitter
Supply voltage: 10-32 VDC continuous
Output current: 4-20 mA
Overvoltage protection: Yes
Reverse polarity protection: Yes
Settling time: 4 seconds
Wiring: Red wire: (+) supply
Black wire: (-) output
Shield: Not connected

Measurement

Type: Volumetric water content (VWC)
Range: 0-50% VWC typical
Resolution: Depends on current measurement (data

acquisition) device
Accuracy:
± 4 % VWC with factory mineral soil calibration in a
typical mineral soil;
± 1-2% VWC with medium-specific calibration in most
porous medium

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

1. Introduction

Output: 4-20 mA current proportional to VWC
Sensor measurement interval: 1 second

Operating Environment
Temperature: -40 to 50 °C

Physical Properties
Dimensions: 8.9 cm x 1.8 cm x 0.7 cm
Cable: 2 m, 3 wire (22 AWG tinned Red and Black wire, 24
AWG tinned bare wire);
(Custom cable length available upon request)

Customer Service and Tech Support

When contacting us via fax or email, include the following
information: Your MAS-1’s serial number (found on the
white cable label), your name, address, phone and fax
number, and a description of your problem.

Phone:

Call Monday - Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST.
US and Canada (toll-free):
Outside of the US and Canada:

1-800-755-2751

[phone]

Fax:

[phone]

E-mail:

[e-mail]

.

NOTE

: If you purchased your MAS-1 through a distributor,

please contact them for assistance.

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

1. Introduction

Warranty

The MAS-1 has a one year warranty on parts and labor. It is
activated upon the arrival of the instrument at your location.

Seller’s Liability

Seller warrants new equipment of its own manufacture
against defective workmanship and materials for a period of
one year from date of receipt of equipment (the results of
ordinary wear and tear, neglect, misuse, accident and exces­sive deterioration due to corrosion from any cause are not to
be considered a defect); but Seller’s liability for defective
parts shall in no event exceed the furnishing of replacement
parts F.O.B. the factory where originally manufactured.
Material and equipment covered hereby which is not manu­factured by Seller shall be covered only by the warranty of
its manufacturer. Seller shall not be liable to Buyer for loss,
damage or injuries to persons (including death), or to prop­erty or things of whatsoever kind (including, but not without
limitation, loss of anticipated profits), occasioned by or aris­ing out of the installation, operation, use, misuse, nonuse,
repair, or replacement of said material and equipment, or out
of the use of any method or process for which the same may
be employed. The use of this equipment constitutes Buyer’s
acceptance of the terms set forth in this warranty. There are
no understandings, representations, or warranties of any
kind, express, implied, statutory or otherwise (including, but
without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability
and fitness for a particular purpose), not expressly set forth
herein.

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

2. About the MAS-1

2. About the MAS-1

The MAS-1 measures the dielectric constant of the soil in
order to find its volumetric water content. Since the dielec­tric constant of water is much higher than that of air or soil
minerals, the dielectric constant of the soil is a sensitive
measure of water content. The MAS-1 supplies a 70 MHz
oscillating wave to the sensor prongs that induces an electro­magnetic field in the medium (soil) surrounding the sensor.
The charging and discharging of the sensor is controlled by
the dielectric of the surrounding soil.

A microprocessor on the MAS-1 measures the charging of
the sensor, and therefore the dielectric constant of the soil
which is related to the water content of the soil. The micro­processor makes a dielectric measurement and updates the
transmitted current once per second. The transmitted 4-20
mA current can be converted to the water content of the soil
using a simple calibration function.

The MAS-1 was designed to be used with standard 4-20 mA
controllers and monitoring systems. It cannot be used with
Decagon logging systems. For more information about
using Decagon logging systems please contact Decagon’s
customer support representatives.

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

3. Integrating the MAS-1

3. Integrating the MAS-1

A 4-20mA system generally consists of a sensor, a transmit­ter, a power supply, and a device to read the current being
transmitted through the current loop. The MAS-1 is an inte­grated sensor and 4-20mA transmitter. When the MAS-1 is
powered by the Power Supply, it transmits a current though
the loop that is proportional to the soil dielectric permittivity
and therefore the soil volumetric water content. In Figure
1, the current loop is shown by the dotted line labeled I=4­20mA. The arrows indicate the direction of the current.

Figure 1 - 4-20mA current loop diagram

The MAS-1 uses a microcontroller to regulate the interval at
which it takes measurements. It takes one second from the
time it is powered up to take its first measurement and trans­mit current though the loop. The trasnmitted current will
reach a stable value within four seconds of power up. After
the initial four second startup, measurements are taken every
one second, while the current in the loop is continuously
maintained. Since the measurement intervals are controlled

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

3. Integrating the MAS-1

by the MAS-1 itself, there is no need to pulse the excitation
voltage. A constant supply voltage should be applied in
order for the MAS-1 to function as it is designed.

Wiring

Conventional (PLC)

A Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is typically used to
read the current transmitted from the MAS-1. The red wire
(see Figure 2) of the MAS-1 is connected to a voltage output
terminal that is able to supply 10-32 VDC. The black wire is
connected to an input terminal that is capable of accepting a
current input ranging from 4 mA to 20 mA.

Figure 2 - Typical wiring connection

Non-Conventional

When using a device, such as a data logger, that does not
have an input capable of measuring current, a pickoff resis­tor can be used as shown in Figure 3. Assuming that the Sin­gle Ended Input has an input impedance, or resistance, much
larger that of R

loop passes through R

, then all of the current in the 4-20 mA

Volt

. If the data logger can measure

Volt

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

3. Integrating the MAS-1

the voltage drop over the R

, then the current can be cal-

Volt

culated as

I = V

measured

/ R

(1)

Volt

Where I (mA) is the 4-20 mA current, R
resistance of the pickoff resistor, and V
voltage drop over R

Volt

.

measured

(ohms) is the

Volt

(mV) is the

Figure 3 - Wiring connection for devices without current
inputs

The optional 100uF capacitor shown in parallel with the

R

Volt

reduces measurement noise. It should have a voltage rating
higher than the largest supply voltage and be sure to observe
correct polarity.

The value of R

is limited by the amount of impedance

Volt

that the MAS-1 circuitry can drive current through. The val­ues in Table 1 represent the maximum load that the MAS-1
can drive at the given supply voltage. Equation (2) was
derived from the values in Table 1, which were obtained
through direct measurement. Vin represents the supply volt-

age to the MAS-1, which ranges from 10-32 VDC. R

Volt Max

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

3. Integrating the MAS-1

is the maximum resistor value that can be used to convert
the current to a voltage. If R

is greater than R

Volt

Volt Max

, the

output current will decrease, which will cause the MAS-1 to
output incorrect readings. Equation (2) can be used to deter­mine the maximum value for R

R

Volt Max

= 58.651(Vin) - 355.76 (2)

Volt

.

Supply Voltage Load

12 V 340
24 V 1.072 K
32 V 1.509 K

Table 1 – Maximum resistance values for R

at specified voltages

Volt

The MAS-1 sensor has several advantages over voltage-out­put sensors, even for voltage-input data loggers.

• The MAS-1 supply voltage doesn’t need to be regulated
for the sensor to work properly; it can be any value
between 10 and 32 volts, without affecting sensor out­put.

• When using a current-based sensor like the MAS-1, the
signal is not affected by electrical resistance in the
cable, so the sensor output is not affected by cable
length or wire gauge.

• The MAS-1 requires only two conductors, so long lines
are both lower in noise and less expensive.

• With the MAS-1sensor the source impedance is small,
and a current loop is highly immune to noise on the line.

• Measured voltage can be tailored to a particular data
acquisition system simply by adjusting the value of

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

3. Integrating the MAS-1

R
with a 12 volt supply and a R

A typical application might be to use a MAS-1

Volt.

value of 100 ohms. The

Volt

output voltage range is the product of the current and the
resistance (Equation (1)), so for 4-20 mA it would be

0.4 to 2 volts.

Testing the Sensor

After integrating the MAS-1 into your PLC or other data
acquisition system, it is always a good idea to test the sensor
output to verify that it is functioning correctly with your sys­tem. Two convenient test conditions are having the sensor
surrounded by air and water. To test in air, suspend the sen­sor from the cable, making sure that it is at least 6 inches
from any object. To test in water, place the sensor in a
bucket of tap water (do not use de-ionized or distilled
water). The entire sensor (prongs + black plastic electronics
portion) should be immersed in water, and should be at least
2 inches from any container surface. Under these condi­tions, the sensor should transmit in the following ranges
(approximate):

Air: 3.4 to 4.7 mA
Tap water: 18.1 to 22.4 mA

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

4. Installing the MAS-1

4. Installing the MAS-1

When selecting a site for installation, it is important to
understand that the soil adjacent to the sensor surface has the
strongest influence on the sensor reading and that the sensor
measures the volumetric water content. Therefore any air
gaps or excessive soil compaction around the sensor can
profoundly influence the readings. Also, do not install the
sensors adjacent to large metal objects such as metal poles
or stakes. This can attenuate the sensor's electromagnetic
field and adversely affect sensor readings. Because the
MAS-1 has gaps between its prongs, it is also important to
consider the size of the media you are inserting the sensor
into. It is possible to get sticks, bark, roots or other material
stuck between the sensor prongs, which will adversely affect
readings. Finally, be careful when inserting the sensors into
dense soil, as the prongs will break if excessive sideways
force is used when pushing them in.

Procedure

1. The MAS-1 sensor was designed for easy installation
into the soil. After digging a hole to the desired depth,
push the prongs on the sensor into undisturbed soil at
the bottom of the hole or into the sidewall of the hole.
Make sure that the prongs are buried completely up to
the black overmolding. The sensor may be difficult to
insert into extremely compact or dry soil. If you have
difficulty inserting the sensor, try loosening the soil
somewhat or wetting the soil. Never pound it in!

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

4. Installing the MAS-1

2. Carefully backfill the hole to match the bulk density of
the surrounding soil. Be careful to not over stress the
cable or overmold by bending when installing the sen­sor.

Orientation

The sensor can be oriented in any direction. However, ori­enting the flat side perpendicular to the surface of the soil
will minimize effects on downward water movement.

Removing the Sensor

When removing the sensor from the soil, do not pull it out of
the soil by the cable! Doing so may break internal connec­tions and make the sensor unusable.

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

5. Calibration

5. Calibration

The current transmitted by the MAS-1 is proportional to the
dielectric permittivity of the medium surrounding the sen­sor, and therefore its volumetric water content (VWC) of the
medium. The VWC is calculated by applying a calibration
equation to the current transmitted by the MAS-1. The fol­lowing are generic calibration equations for common growth
media. Applying these equations will generally result in
accuracy of ± 4% VWC as long as the electrical conductiv­ity of the medium is less than 8 dS/m. If you wish to use the
MAS-1 in a medium that isn't listed below, if you need bet­ter than ± 4% accuracy, or if you are working in a high salin­ity material, then you should develop a custom calibration
for your particular medium. See www.decagon.com for
step-by-step instructions on developing a custom calibra­tion. Decagon can also develop a custom calibration for
your medium; contact Decagon for more details on the cali­bration service.

Mineral Soils

A single calibration equation will generally result in good
accuracy for all mineral soil types with electrical conductiv­ity < 8 dS/m. VWC is given by:

VWC = 0.00328 * mA2 - 0.0244 * mA - 0.00565

If your data acquisition system isn’t capable of higher order
mathematical operations, the mineral soil calibration can be

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

5. Calibration

approximated by the following linear model. This will
result in slightly worse accuracy at low VWC, with errors
becoming large above 35% VWC.

VWC= 0.0479

* mA - 0.391

Potting Soil/Peat

The following equation can be used to convert MAS-1 trans­mitted current into VWC in potting soil and peat potting
mixes. Please note that different potting soil types are quite
variable, so this calibration equation may not result in good
accuracy in your particular mix (although precision should
still be good). We recommend a custom calibration for best
accuracy when using the MAS-1 in potting soils.

VWC = 0.00531 *e

(0.29*mA)

Rock Wool

The MAS-1 was calibrated in Groden Expert™ rockwool at
several electrical conductivities. VWC can be calculated as:

VWC = 0.00446 * mA2 - 0.0359 * mA + 0.0741

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

6. Troubleshooting

6. Troubleshooting

If you encounter problems with the MAS-1, they will usu­ally be caused by one of two situations

• If the MAS-1 readings in air and/or water are outside the
ranges given in the Testing the Sensor section, then
there is likely a problem with the connection to the PLC
or other data acquisition system. Check the wiring and
check to make sure that the supply voltage is in the
specified range.

• If the MAS-1 is reading a negative value for VWC
while it is inserted into the soil, make sure that you have
good sensor-to-soil contact. When inserted, the MAS-1
should be completely covered up past the black over­molding. Removing and re-installing the full length of
the sensor with good sensor-to-soil contact should rem­edy this problem.

If problems persist, contact Decagon for assistance.

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

Declaration of Conformity

Declaration of Conformity

Application of Council Directive: 89/336/EE6

Standards to which conformity EN61326 : 1998
is declared: EN51022 : 1998

Manufacturer’s Name: Decagon Devices, Inc.
2365 NE Hopkins Court
Pullman, WA 99163 USA

Type of Equipment: Soil moisture sensor

Model Number: MAS-1

Year of First Manufacture: 2011

This is to certify that the MAS-1 soil moisture sensor, man­ufactured by Decagon Devices, Inc., a corporation based in
Pullman, Washington, USA meets or exceeds the standards
for CE compliance as per the Council Directives noted
above. All instruments are built at the factory at Decagon
and pertinent testing documentation is freely available for
verification.

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

Index

C

Calibration 12
Contact information 2

D

Declaration of conformity 15
Dielectric constant 4

E

Index

E-mail 2

F

Fax Number 2
Functional testing 9

I

Installation 10
Integration 5

O

Orientation 11

S

Seller’s liability 3
Specifications 1

T

Telephone number 2

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MAS-1 Soil Moisture Sensor

Index

Troubleshooting 14

W

Warranty 3
Wiring 6

17