EUTECH INSTRUMENTS CYBERSCAN CON 10 CONDUCTIVITYTDS METER, CyberScan CON 10, CyberScan CON 100, CyberScan CON 200 Instruction Manual

Instruction Manual

CyberScan CON 10/100/200

Hand-held Conductivity/TDS/Temperature Meter

Technology Made Easy ...

68X075513
09/2001 Rev 3

Preface

This manual serves to explain the use of the CyberScan series Conductivity meters. The
models covered are the CyberScan CON 10, CyberScan CON 100 and CyberScan CON 200
portable conductivity and total dissolved solids meters.

This manual functions in two ways: first, as a step by step guide to help the user operate the
meter; second, it serves as a handy reference guide.

This manual is written to cover as many anticipated applications of the CyberScan
Conductivity meters as possible. If there are doubts in the use of the CyberScan Conductivity
meters, do not hesitate to contact the nearest Eutech Instruments Authorized Distributor.

Eutech Instruments cannot accept any responsibility for damage or malfunction to the meter
caused by improper use of the instrument. Remember to fill in the guarantee card and mail it
back to your authorized distributor or Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd.

The information presented in this manual is subjected to change without notice as
improvements are made, and does not represent a commitment on the part of Eutech
Instruments Pte Ltd.

Copyright © 1998 Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revised in September 2001.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 DISPLAY AND KEYPAD FUNCTIONS 2

2.1 Display 2

2.2 Keypad 3

3 PREPARATION 5

3.1 Inserting the Batteries 5

3.2 Attaching the electrode holder onto the meter 7

3.3 Attaching the electrode onto the electrode holder 8

3.4 Connecting the A.C. adapter 8

3.5 Connecting the RS 232C cable (only for CyberScan CON 200) 9

4 CALIBRATION 12

4.1 Standard solutions for calibration 12

4.2 Preparing the meter for calibration 12

4.3 Calibration procedure 13

5 MEASUREMENT 19

5.1 Automatic Temperature Compensation 19

5.2 Manual Temperature Compensation 20

5.3 Taking measurements 21

6 MEMORY FUNCTIONS (IN CYBERSCAN CON 100 & 200 ONLY) 22

6.1 Data Input 22

6.2 Memory Recall 22

6.3 Memory Clear 23

7 PRINT FUNCTION (IN CYBERSCAN 200 ONLY) 24

7.1 Printing data 24

7.2 Printing errors 25

7.3 Sending data to the computer 25

7.4 Printing measurement data 25

7.5 Printing data from memory 25

8 SETTING UP THE CYBERSCAN (FOR CYBERSCAN CON 100/200 ONLY) 27

8.1 SETUP program 27

8.2 Program 1: Common functions 28

8.3 Program 2: Instruments Setup 30

8.4 Program 3: TDS Setup (in CyberScan CON 200 only) 33

8.5 Program 4: Communication Setup (in CyberScan CON 200 only) 35

9 CYBERCOMM POTRABLE - DATA ACQUISITION SOFTWARE (DAS FOR

CYBERSCAN CON 200 ONLY) 38

9.1 System Requirements 38

9.2 Loading CYBERCOMM PORTABLE 38

9.3 Running CyberComm Portable 44

9.4 Capturing And Printing Data Into Computer Using CyberComm Portable 48

9.5 Trouble-shooting Guide 49

10 TROUBLESHOOTING & ELECTRODE CARE 50

10.1 Troubleshooting 50

10.2 Electrode Care 52

11 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 53
12 ACCESSORIES AND CALIBRATION BUFFER SOLUTIONS 55

12.1 Replacement Meter and Meter Accessories 55

12.2 Calibration Solutions 56

13 SPECIFICATIONS OF CYBERSCAN CON 10/100/200 57
14 WARRANTY & RETURN OF ITEMS 58

1

1 INTRODUCTION

Thank you for selecting Eutech Instruments portable meter. This meter is a microprocessor­based instrument that is designed to be handy, user-friendly and capable of allowing one-hand
operation. It has a large customized LCD for clear and easy reading. It also has user-friendly
features, all of which are accessible through the membrane keypad. It is a unique and
intelligent instrument that has capability to cater to the preferences of the discerning individual.
You have one of three models:

•

CON 10 meter:

•

CON 100 meter:

•

CON 200 meter

Your meter includes a conductivity electrode (cell constant K = 1.0) with built-in temperature
sensor (Order Code: EC-CONSEN41B for CON 10, EC-CONSEN21B for C ON 100/200), and
batteries. Please read this manual thoroughly before operating your meter.

2

2 DISPLAY AND KEYPAD FUNCTIONS

2.1 Display

The LCD has a primary and secondary display. The primary display shows the measured
conductivity or TDS reading. The secondary display shows the measured temperature. The
display also shows error messages, keypad functions and program functions. See Figure 1.

1. HOLD indicator 9. Temperature coefficient in % 16. CONDuctivity mode indicator

2. SETup mode indicator 10. Temperature indicator 17. Low battery indicator

3. AUTO indicator 11. Automatic Temperature

Compensation indicator

18. Index number of the memory
recalled or stored (except CON 10)

4. MEASurement mode indicator 12. TEMPerature mode indicator 19. MEMory recall mode indicator
(except CON 10)

5. CALibration indicator 13. TDS mode indicator 20. ERRor indicator

6. parts per thousand or parts per million

indicator (for CON 10 & 200 meters
only)

14. ON/OFF indicator - option is
turned on

21. Printer indicator (for CON 200
only)

7.milligrams per liter or grams per liter
indicator (for CON 10 & 200 meters
only)

15. ON/OFF indicator - option is
turned off

22. READY indicator

8. microsiemens or millisiemens indicator

Figure 1: Full LCD Screen

3

2.2 Keypad

The large membrane keypad makes the instrument easy to use. Each button, when pressed,
has a corresponding graphic indicator on the LCD. See Figure 2. Some buttons have several
functions depending on its mode of operation.

Key Function

ON/OFF

Powers on and shuts off the meter. When you switch on the meter, the meter starts
up in the mode that you last switched off from. For example, if you shut the meter off
in TDS measurement mode (only in CON 10 & CON 200 meters), the meter will be in
TDS measurement mode when you switch the meter on.

HOLD

Freezes the measured reading. To activate, press HOLD while in measurement
mode. To release, press HOLD again.

MODE

Selects the measurement parameter.
~

CON 10 meter

: Toggles between conductivity, TDS and temperature.

~

CON 100 meter

: Toggles between conductivity and temperature.

~

CON 200 meter

: Toggles between conductivity, TDS and temperature.

CAL/MEAS

Toggles between Calibration and Measurement mode.

NOTE

: Temperature calibration is available from conductivity calibration mode; see

section 4.3 for directions.

ENTER /
RANGE

ENTER function:

Press to confirm values in Calibration mode and to confirm

selections in SETUP mode.

RANGE function:

Press to enter manual ranging function.

The MEAS indicator blinks while in manual ranging function.

MI/

!!!!

& MR/

""""

(CyberScan CON
100/200)

!!!!

&

""""

(CyberScan CON

10)

In Measurement mode:

Press MI

/

!!!!

(memory input) to store values with its corresponding temperature values

in the memory. Press MR (memory recall) to retrieve data from memory.

In Calibration mode:

Press to scroll through calibration values.

In SETUP mode:

Press to scroll through the setup subgroup programs.

SET

(CyberScan CON
100/200 only)

Takes you into the SETUP mode. This mode lets you customize meter preference
and defaults, and view calibration, electrode offset data and select cell constant.

(CyberScan CON
200 only)

Sends the displayed data through the RS 232C connector to the peripheral device
(computer or printer).

4

CyberScan CON 10 CyberScan CON 100

CyberScan CON 200

Figure 2: Keypad

5

3 PREPARATION

3.1 Inserting the Batteries

Four AAA batteries are included with your meter.

1. Use a Philips screwdriver to remove the two screws holding the battery cover. See Figure
3 below.

2. Lift meter stand to expose battery cover. Remove battery cover.

3. Insert batteries. Follow the diagram inside the cover for correct polarity.

4. Replace the battery cover into its original position using the two screws removed earlier.

Remove Screws

Figure 3: Back panel of meter showing battery compartment

6

To connect the Conductivity/TDS electrode with built-in temperature sensor:

a) During this operation, it is important that water does not get onto the BNC connector.

Also avoid touching the connector with soiled hands.

Slide the electrode connector of electrode over the socket of the meter (BNC connector).
Ensure that the slot of the connector is inline with the protrusions of the socket.

Rotate the connector clockwise until it locks. Be careful not to use excessive force in this
operation.

b) The built-in temperature probe uses a phono jack to connect with the socket on the

meter. Insert the jack into the socket as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 4: Connecting the Conductivity /TDS probe

Figure 5: Connecting the built-in temperature sensor

7

3.2 Attaching the electrode holder onto the meter

The meter has a slot on the side for the attachment of the electrode via the electrode holder.

a) The meter provides a slot on the side of the instrument for the electrode holder. Hold the

electrode holder over the slot of the meter. Ensure the flange of the electrode holder is
facing the slot. Note the orientation to make sure that it is the orientation that you desire
(see figure below).

b) Gently slide the flange of the electrode holder into the slot. Ensure that the electrode

holder is fixed properly into the slot.

3.2.1 Special Features

The electrode holder can be attached in different positions (multi-position) as shown. This
allows you the flexibility in measurement and storage.

Figure 6: Attaching the electrode

holder to the meter

Figure 7: Sliding the electrode

holder into the slot

Figure 8: Multi-position of the electrode holder

8

3.3 Attaching the electrode onto the electrode holder

Your meter comes complete with an electrode holder. It is designed for easy use and
installation. Care must always be taken to avoid use of excessive force in the process of
attaching these components.

a) Align the end of the electrode (sensor side) with the hole of the holder. N ote that the top

side of the holder is where the slot begins.

b) Always ensure that the diameter of the electrode you intend to use is 12 mm. Otherwise,

the electrode may not fit properly.

c) Insert the electrode into the hole of the holder until the top housing of electrode touches

the top of the holder. Remember not to force the electrode into the holder.

3.4 Connecting the A.C. adapter

The CyberScan CON 10/100/200 meter has the flexibility of operating from an A.C. power
source. This is extremely useful if you have an A.C. source available near the meter (e.g.
Laboratory).

1. Before plugging in the A.C. adapter, switch off the meter and the power source of the
A.C. adapter. This is a safety precaution that should be adhered to safeguard your meter.

2. The A.C. adapter should have the following settings:
Output Voltage: 9 V D.C.
Current: 500 mA

NOTE: Ensure that the input mains voltage (110/220/240 V) matches your adapter
requirements.

3. Insert the D.C. jack into the socket of the meter as shown in Figure 9.

4. Switch on the power to the adapter, followed by the meter.

9

3.5 Connecting the RS 232C cable (only for CyberScan CON 200)

The CyberScan Conductivity CON 200 meter provides an RS 232C output for you to transmit
the reading either to a printer or a computer. This is extremely useful in instances where the
meter is used for continuous monitoring of a certain process or experiment. The data output to
the printer or computer can be then evaluated.

The data is output in the ASCII format. This format allows the data to b e imported by a wide
variety of software that read ASCII data (e.g. LOTUS 123 C, Microsoft Excel, etc.).

Eutech Instruments also provides software that can capture the data transmitted into an ASCII
file for later use.

a) Open the communication port cover located at the bottom of the meter as shown in

Figure 10. Do not use excessive force when doing this.

b) Noting the orientation of the RS 232C connector, plug the RS 232C male connector into

the RS 232C port of the meter.

c) Fasten the connector by fastening the two screws at the side of the male connector.

Figure 9: Inserting the A.C. power adapter

10

3.5.1 RS 232C Configuration

The CyberScan CON 200 meter has a 9-pin female RS 232C connector with the following pin­out:

A one-is-to-one connection can be made with a 9-pin RS 232C port of the computer.

In case the meter output has to be sent to a 25-pin RS 232C connector, the following cable
configuration may be used:

PIN NO DESCRIPTION

1­2 Transmit Data
3­4 DSR (Data Set Ready)
5GND
6­7 CTS (Clear to Send)
8­9-

Figure 10: The CyberScan CON 200 RS 232 port

Location of
RS 232 port

11

CyberScan CON 200 25-pin connector
2 (TxD) --------------------------------------- (RxD) 3
4 (DSR) -------------------------------------- (DTR) 20
5 (GND) -------------------------------------- (GND) 7
7 (CTS) --------------------------------------- (RTS) 4

Refer to Figure 11 for the pin number position.

5432 1

987 6

The meter uses hardware handshake i.e. the meter expects both DSR and CTS lines to be
active before it sends data. If the

key is pressed while the printer is not ready or if the
printer is off, the meter displays error by blinking the printer and the ERR annunciators
alternately, and waits for the printer to be ready. While the meter is displaying printer error, the
user may press the CAL/MEAS key to return to the measurement (MEAS) mode.

Figure 11: Pin number position of the 9-pin RS 232 port

Figure 12: Error in printin

g

12

4 CALIBRATION

4.1 Standard solutions for calib ration

Select conductivity or TDS calibration solution (available from the distributor) which is close to
the expected conductivity of the sample that you want to measure. Ensure that the calibration
solution which you use comes with a “Temperature vs Conductivity” or a “Temperature vs
TDS” label on it. This information is required during calibration.

NOTE: Eutech’s calibration solutions are supplied in shatterproof bottles of 480 ml. Refer to
section 12 for Ordering Information and details for other accessories.

In CON 100 meter, calibration is only done in the conductivity (COND) mode. The CON 10
and CON 200 meters allow calibration either in the conductivity range or the T DS range but
not both. As such, a calibration in the TDS mode of a particular range will replace a prior
calibration in the conductivity mode if both ranges are the same (i.e. Range 2 in COND and
Range 2 in TDS).

In general, it is recommended that calibration be performed around a point close to 2/3 of full
scale. For better accuracy, perform a calibration close to the expected measurement range
prior to the measurement.

Corresponding TDS values are obtained by multiplying the recommended conductivity values
by the TDS factor. The default TDS factor is 0.5.

4.2 Preparing the meter for calib ration

Before starting calibration, make sure you are in the correct measurement mode. When you
switch on the meter, the meter starts up in the measurement mode you shut it off in previously.
For example, if you shut the meter off in COND measurement previously, the meter will come
back into COND measurement when you switch the meter on.

Before calibrating, select the correct mode by pressing the MODE key. There are 3 modes:

COND for conductivity measurements,
TDS for total dissolved solids (TDS) measurements,
TEMP for temperature measurements.

13

4.3 Calibration procedure

4.3.1 Procedure for conductivity calibration (CyberScan CON 10/100/200)

1. If necessary, press the MODE key to select

COND mode. The µs indicator appears in the
upper right hand corner of the display.

2. Rinse the probe thoroughly with de-ionized

water or a rinse solution.

3.

Dip the probe into the buffer solution. The
end of the probe must be completely
immersed into the buffer solution. Stir the
probe gently to create a homogeneous
sample. Agitate the probe in the solution to
dislodge air bubbles that are trapped in the
probe.

4. Press the CAL/MEAS key to enter the COND

calibration mode. The CAL indicator will be
shown. The primary display will show the
measured reading.

5. Use the ! or " key for CON 10, or MI/! or

MR/" key for CON 100/200, to adjust the
measured value to that of the standard

solution.

6. Wait for the measured conductivity value to

stabilize. See Figure 13 for the conductivity
calibration procedure.

NOTE: To exit without confirming the
calibration, press the CAL/MEAS key.

For calibration in the other ranges (maximum:
5 ranges, repeat steps of the procedure, this
time using a solution with a conductivity of a
different range).

Figure 13: Conductivity calibration

procedure

14

4.3.2 Procedure for TDS calibration (CyberScan CON 10/200 only)

Two methods are available for TDS calibration. The first method (Method 1) applies to both
CyberScan CON 10 and 200 meters. Method 1 relies on the availability of a table that shows
the TDS values of the TDS calibration buffer solution at various temperatures. The second
method (Method 2) relies on the availability of conductivity-to-TDS conversion factors at
standard temperature such as at 25 °C. Method 2 applies only to CyberScan CON 200 meter.

The advantage of Method 1 is that it is simpler to perform than Method 2. However, one
should note that much of calibration buffer solutions do not reference the TDS values at
temperatures other than 25 °C, and that without the use of proper conductivity-to-TDS
conversion factor, this calibration may not be as accurate over a wider range of measurement.

Also, in some cases, the meter may not accept the TDS value input into it giving an error
message because the calibration value exceeds the allowable slope adjustment limits of the
meter when using a default conductivity-to-TDS conversion factor such as 0.50.

Method 2 overcomes the shortcomings of Method 1 by ensuring the TDS measurement
accuracy over a broader range of TDS measurements around the calibration value. The meter
will virtually accept any TDS calibration input from virtually any commonly used TDS
calibration buffer solution. The only requirement is that the buffer solution indicates the TDS at
a standard temperature such as 25 °C.

NOTE: It is important to have knowledge of the conductivity-to-TDS conversion factor or the
factor can be calculated using the formula below:

Factor =

TDS

Conductivity

@ 25°C

15

TDS calibration: Method 1

1. Select the TDS standard solution with a value that

is closest to the measurements expected in the
sample (in this manual, the KCI standard solution
1413 µS is about 706.5 ppm).

Check this number by multiplying the conductivity
reading by the factor and the result should be the
TDS in equivalent units.

2. First, pour enough of the selected sample into two

separate clean containers so as to allow the
probe to be immersed up to the bleed hole.

3. Rinse the end of the probe into one of the

containers by gently stirring it in the standard
solution. This helps remove contaminants that
offset the calibration and introduce error.

4. Dip the rinsed probe into the other container

containing the unused solution.

5. Allow the probe some time to stabilize to the

solution temperature.

6. Select the TDS mode using the MODE key. Note

the temperature of the calibration solution and
find the corresponding TDS value of the
calibrating solution at that temperature.

For example, the meter displays the temperature
of 27 °C, and a TDS value of 720 ppm (when
normalized to 25 °C) with the uncompensated
value at 27 °C should be 733 ppm.

7. Upon pressing the CAL/MEAS key, the CAL

annunciator on the screen will blink, indicating the
calibration mode is on. The LCD displays the
uncompensated TDS value.

Figure 14: TDS calibration

procedure Method 1

16

8. Use the ! or " key for CyberScan CON 10, or MI/! or MR/" key for CyberScan 200 to

scroll up or down respectively to the value of the standard solution at 25 °C.

9. Press the ENTER/RANGE key to confirm the calibration. The CAL indicator will stop

flashing and remains on the screen for 3 seconds. Then the meter switches back into the
measurement mode and the calibrated value, compensated to the current temperature, is
shown on the display.

The display will now show 706 ppm that is the correct value of the standard solution at 27

°

C. Measurements can be performed now.

10. To exit from this process without confirming the calibration, press the CAL/MEAS key.

For calibration in the other ranges (maximum: 5 ranges for CON 200 only) repeat steps of the
procedure as outlined in Method 1, this time using a solution with a TDS of a different range.

Error upon confirmation

If an ERR error message appears, it probably means that the meter does not allow the slope
adjustment that has been made via the calibration procedure given the value of the
conductivity-to-TDS conversion factor currently in the memory.

If you are using CyberScan CON 200 meter, consider Method 2 of the TDS calibration. Press
the CAL/MEAS key to escape the ERR message and abort the calibration attempt.

Inaccuracies after calibration

If the TDS value is not within 2 digits of the TDS standard solution value at 25 °C or 20 °C
(depending upon which value was selected in the SETUP), an adjustment of either of the
following is required.

•

Temperature coefficient

•

Calibration

•

Conductivity-to-TDS conversion factor (see Method 2)