Felix Storch F-940 Instruction Manual

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ......................................................................... 1

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

Specifications ............................................................................... 3

F-940 Specifications ..................................................................... 3

Unpacking the F-940 Store It! ...................................................... 5

Operating Instructions ................................................................. 6

Loading the Battery ................................................................. 6

Basic Operation ........................................................................ 7

Measurement Modes .............................................................. 7

Continuous Mode .................................................................... 9

Trigger Mode ........................................................................... 9

Taking a Measurement .......................................................... 10

Passcode Protection .............................................................. 11

Setup Menu ............................................................................... 12

Setup > Mode ......................................................................... 12

Setup > Set Zero ..................................................................... 13

Setup > Calibration ................................................................ 15

Setup > O2 Calibration in Air ................................................. 15

Setup > Date and Time........................................................... 15

Setup > RH Conversion .......................................................... 16

Setup > GPS ............................................................................ 17

Setup > Language ................................................................... 17

Setup > Factory Setup ............................................................ 17

File Menu ................................................................................... 18

File > Select ............................................................................18

File > Create ...........................................................................19

File > Delete ............................................................................19

File > Review...........................................................................19

Transferring Files ....................................................................20

Wireless SD Memory Card Operation ....................................22

F-940 Store It! Menu Map ..........................................................25

G.A.S. Gas Analysis Software ......................................................26

Firmware Update .......................................................................35

Maintenance of your F-940 Store It! Gas Analyzer ....................37

Replacing the Oxygen (O₂) Sensor..........................................37

Replacing the Potassium Permanganate Filter (KMnO4) .......39

Calibration ..............................................................................40

Applications ................................................................................45

Sampling with a Jar ................................................................45

PolarCept ................................................................................46

F-940 Production Test Check Sheet ...........................................48

Guide for Purchasing Standardized Gases for Calibration .........49

Warranty Information ................................................................52

Warranty Registration Card .......................................................54

F-940 Instruction Manual rev. 3-8-2017

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Introduction

Congratulations on the purchase
of your new F-940 Store It! Gas
Analyzer.

The F-940 Store It! Gas Analyzer
provides rapid and precise
measurements of ethylene, CO2
and O2. The Store It! was
designed for Quality Assurance
staff to increase shelf-life and

prevent spoilage of valuable
produce by monitoring ripening gases throughout the storage
process.

The Store It! features an intuitive user interface, making it
simple to operate right out of the box. Its lightweight, handheld
design enables users to rely on the Store It! at all stages of
storage along the supply chain. A built-in data logger stores
thousands of data points and conveniently transfers data
through USB or Bluetooth onto a PC or tablet for later analysis.
With its rapid response time and lightweight handheld profile,
the F-940 provides a fast, portable verification process for
atmosphere quality control. Easy to use straight out of the box
with little or no training, the F-940 is ideal for verifying CO2 and
O2 levels in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) applications,
laboratories, distribution centers, retail centers, storage
facilities, and shipping containers.

We hope you enjoy using your F-940 Store It! Gas Analyzer.

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Features

• The F-940 features include:

• Measures C2H4, CO2 and O2

• Displays results in under 30 seconds

• Past records stored on the device

• Handheld and lightweight

• Internal data logging and storage

• (WiFi capable SD card)

• Bluetooth data transfer

• Battery lasts for 8+ hours

• Display easily viewed in dimly lit environments

PolarCept!TM water filter for removing non-ethylene
hydrocarbons

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Specifications

F-940 Specifications

Air Sampling Rate

70 mL/min

Measuring Rate

Automated, 1 second intervals to SD
in Continuous Mode

Data Storage

Removable 16 GB SD and Bluetooth

Display

Sunlight visible transflective LCD

Operating environment

0°C - 50°C (15-90% relative humidity,
non-condensing)

Power Source

Removable rechargeable lithium-ion
battery

Dimensions

18cm x 13.5cm x 5.5cm

Weight

0.95kg

Enclosure

Powder coated aluminum

Warm Up Time

<3 minutes

Sensors

Ethylene (C2H4)
SENSOR

Electrochemical

Nominal Range

0-10 ppm

Full Scale Resolution

0.03 ppm

Accuracy Trigger Mode

±5% relative ±0.15 ppm absolute

Accuracy Continuous
Mode

±5% relative ±0.030 ppm absolute

Lower Detection Limit

0.03 ppm

Sampling Time

30 seconds

Zero Interval

Weekly

Calibration Interval

3 months

Lifetime

2 years

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
SENSOR

Infrared sensor, pyroelectric detector

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Nominal Range

0-100%

Full Scale Resolution

0.01%

Accuracy – Trigger
Mode

±.5% absolute and ±3% of measured
value

Accuracy – Continuous
Mode

±.01% absolute and ±3% of measured
value

Lower Detection Limit

0.01%

Sampling Time

10 seconds

Zero Interval

Weekly

Calibration Interval

12 Months

Lifetime

5 years

Oxygen (O₂) Sensor

Electrochemical

Nominal Range

0-100%

Full Scale Resolution

0.1%

Accuracy – Trigger
Mode

±0.3% absolute and ±2% of measured
value

Accuracy – Continuous
Mode

±0.1% absolute and ±2% of measured
value

Lower Detection Limit

0.1%

Sampling Time

10 seconds

Zero Interval

Weekly

Calibration Interval

6 Months

Lifetime

2 Years

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Unpacking the F-940 Store It!

The F-940 arrives with a hard-sided carrying case, two sets of
batteries and a charger, a removable SD card, and several
accessory parts. A sampling port with needle is included for
taking non-destructive samples from packaging. The sampling
port is pictured below, connected to the intake. There is also an
extra Potassium Permanganate Filter (see Maintenance of your
F-940 Store It!: Replacing the Potassium Permanganate Filter)
and a Closed-Loop Probe used for sampling from Jars (see
Applications: Sampling with a Jar).

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Operating Instructions

WARNING: Do not store the F-950 without batteries! Charged

batteries must be present in the instrument to maintain the
accuracy of the sensors, even when the unit is powered off.

If the batteries of the F-940 discharge during storage, replace
with charged batteries and allow the instrument to stabilize 48
hours before use. There is a small internal battery to maintain
the bias voltage for the ethylene electrochemical sensor. This
small internal battery will last for 1 day without the main
batteries before sensor sensitivity is affected by losing its bias
voltage. The calibration parameter data is intact with or without
batteries.

Loading the Battery

WARNING: Spring-loaded battery cartridge

The F-940 uses 18650 Li-ion 3.7V
3100mAh rechargeable batteries. For
longer lifespan, charge the batteries at

0.25A. For a faster charge, charge at
1A. The batteries must be removed
from the F-940 to be charged. If the
batteries of the F-940 discharge during
storage, replace with charged batteries.
The Li-ion batteries have little self­discharge and a lifetime of ~ 3 years.

To remove the batteries, twist the
battery compartment cap, located on the bottom of the case.
The cap can be twisted with fingers or a screw-driver to tighten
or loosen it. Take care when removing batteries, as the cap is

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spring loaded. Both batteries should be inserted into the unit
positive (+) side first (towards intake or top).

Additional button-top 19670 (or protected 18650) batteries can
be purchased from your preferred battery vendor if
replacements are needed.

Basic Operation

To turn the instrument on, press the green power button. The
current version of firmware the unit is running is displayed in
the lower Left hand corner.

For information on the latest firmware version, please visit the
F-940 support webpage: www.felixinstruments.com/support/F-

940

The battery meter is listed on the lower right hand side of the
display.

The main menu displays the following options: Measure, Setup,
and File. If the power button is pressed, the display will prompt
for confirmation before shutting down the F-940.

To scroll between menu
items in the list, use the Up
and Down arrows. To select
an option from the menu
list, use the Right arrow. To
exit, use the Left arrow.

Measurement Modes

Two measurement modes are incorporated into the F-940 Store
It!

Felix Instruments

Measure
Setup
File

F-940 Vx.x.x.x

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 Continuous mode
 Trigger Mode

Continuous mode measures the air entering through the input
of the instrument continuously without stopping. Continuous
mode can be used with or without the sample port attached to
the front of the instrument. Data is saved to a file every one
second on the F-940.

Trigger mode measures the air entering through the input of
the instrument, the pump will run and the sample will enter
until a stable reading has been achieved. The final values will be
displayed on screen and saved to the SD card. The pump will
then turn off until the user initiates a new measurement.
Trigger mode can be used with or without the sample port
attached to the front of the instrument. See the specifications
page for standard sample volume.

To change between modes, Navigate to Setup > Mode from the
main menu.

Measure

From the main menu, press the right arrow when the word
‘Measure’ is highlighted to enter the measurement display
screen. All measurement parameters are saved to the SD card
every 1 second in continuous mode. When the SD card is not
present, the data will not be saved. The unit also comes
equipped with Bluetooth technology, designed for wireless
transfer of data (see Transferring Files).

If sampling very high concentrations followed by very low
concentrations, allow the instrument to purge internal gas for
the most accurate measurements.

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Continuous Mode

When in continuous mode, a graph of the concentration of each
gas can be viewed over time. The default graph shown is the O2
concentration in ppm. To view the C2H4 or CO2 graph, simply
use the up and down arrows to scroll through the graphs. The
current gas being graphed is shown on the top of the screen
with the concentration in large font as shown below.

The x-axis of the graph represents time elapsed. The y-axis of
the graph displays the range of the concentration in % for CO2
and O2, and the dynamic range is labeled at the top. The y-axis
scale is set by the highest value shown in the active display.

The graph begins on the Left side and moves toward the right as
more data accumulates. The total measurement time is
displayed below the graph. The flowrate (mL/m) is displayed at
the bottom.

Trigger Mode

A measurement in trigger mode will initiate a small volume
sample taken over several seconds until the reading is stable. To
begin, press the square start button as prompted to measure.
This will turn on the pump before drawing in sample gas. Trigger

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mode will take longer to stabilize if the concentration is in a
different range from the last sample.

The results will be saved to the SD card. Press the square start
button to begin another measurement. Press the Left arrow to
exit to the main menu.

Taking a Measurement

Assemble the probe and connect the needle probe tubing to the
intake of the F-940. Twist on a hydrophobic filter to the end of
the tubing. The filter will prevent any moisture or debris from
entering the instrument. [NOTE: Failure to use a hydrophobic
filter risks drawing liquids into the instrument, which can
potentially damage the instrument sensors.] Finally, attach a
sterile needle to the filter. Depending on the application,
needles can be re-used.

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From the main screen, select ‘Measure’ and then the right

arrow button. This will initiate a measurement in either mode.
The F-940 will run either continuously (continuous mode) or
until the minimum stable sample volume has been reached
(trigger mode). Press the Left arrow button to return to the
measurement screen.

Passcode Protection

Certain menu systems on the F-940 are protected by a passcode
setting. These menu systems include Parameters, Set Zero,
Calibration, and Factory Setup. The default code for entry is

‘1111’. The passcode only needs to be entered once for each

reboot of the device. If the device is powered off, the passcode
will need to be entered again for entry into the menu systems
described above.

To set the passcode to a four-digit code other than the default
setting, please follow the steps below.

1. Open SD card on PC

2. Click the ‘View’ tab in the taskbar

3. Click ‘Options’ in the far right of the toolbar

4. Open the ‘View’ tab

5. Scroll down and uncheck the box named ‘Hide

protected operating systems (Recommended)’

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6. Check the box named ‘Show hidden files, folders, and

drives’

7. Click ‘Yes’

8. Click ‘Apply’ and then click ‘OK’

9. Open the Config.txt file that should now appear inside

the SD card

10. Alter the ‘1111’ to four-digit numeric passcode desired

11. Save the changes

12. Insert SD card back into Gas Analyzer

Setup Menu

Use the right arrow to enter the Setup Menu from the Main
Menu screen. The following options are available:

Mode
Set Zero
Calibration
O2 Calibration in Air
Date & Time
RH Conversion
GPS
Language
Factory Setup

Setup > Mode

The Mode menu contains two options:

Measure: switches between Continuous and Trigger mode.

Connection: switches between USB Storage (default), Bluetooth

(enabled in future versions), or USB Ctrl (enables
communication to controller software).

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To change, use the Up/Down arrows to cycle through the mode
options. Press the Left arrow to exit to the main menu.

Setup > Set Zero

The set zero process sets a new baseline, or zero, for the
sensors:

C2H4
CO2
O2

Set zero should take place weekly for all sensors. To set zero,
first press the right arrow to select the sensor. Wait for a beep
to verify the set zero process was completed. The set zero
process requires the use of 100% nitrogen gas to set zero for
O2, an internal Potassium Permanganate jar to set zero for
C2H4, and an external conditioning chamber full of Soda Lime to
set zero for CO2. Setting zero is important in establishing a zero
baseline for the sensors.

For the O2 sensor, an alternative calibration, O2 calibration in
air, can be used instead of setting zero with 100% N2 gas. Please

see the ‘O2 Calibration in Air’ section for more details on this

process.

Mode

Measure Trigger

Connection USB Storage

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The following instructions can be followed to set zero for the
CO2 sensor:

The F-940 is shipped with an external conditioning tube and a
jar of Soda Lime. Fill the conditioning tube with the Soda Lime
granules, keeping the ends packed with the cotton ball filters.
Connect the external conditioning tube to the inlet and outlet of
the F-940, seen below. Continue through the standard set zero
process. The F-940 will prompt the user to use “0ppm/N2”. The
Soda Lime external conditioning tube creates a 0 ppm CO2
environment, alternatively, the user can connect N2 gas, which
provides a 0 ppm CO2 environment as well.

*The Soda Lime external conditioning tube is used for the CO2
Set Zero process only.

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Next, verify the set zero calibration for all sensors by measuring
ambient air. Run the set zero calibration again if the verification
is not successful.

Setup > Calibration

The calibration feature allows the user to set zero and set span
without the use of a computer or G.A.S. (Gas Analysis Software).
Unlike Setup > Set Zero in the next section, a zero standard gas
is required as well as standard gases for the set span process.

The F-940 Store It! Will prompt the user to set up a zero gas,
which can be achieved by feeding 100% Nitrogen (N2) gas to the
intake. The unit will countdown to set zero. The following
screen will prompt the user to setup a span gas, which is a
known standard gas used for the span calibration process. For
more information on standard gases used for calibrating the
Store It! Refer to the calibration section in the ‘Maintenance of
your F-940 Store It!’ section.

Setup > O2 Calibration in Air

Alternative to setting zero for the oxygen sensor weekly with
100% N2 gas, a user can use the O2 calibration in air menu
option to calibrate the O2 sensor using ambient air.

Right arrow on this menu option to begin the calibration. The
display will read, ‘Use fresh air (20.9%) Please wait…’. The F-940
will beep upon completion of the O2 calibration in air.

Setup > Date and Time

To adjust the date and time, use the Right and Left arrows to
move between Month/Day/Year and Hour/Minute/Second and
use the Up and Down arrows to change the values. To exit, use