ROTRONIC HC2-AW-USB User Manual
E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
Document code Unit
Rotronic AG
Bassersdorf, Switzerland
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB: User Guide
Document title
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB
User Guide
Instruction Manual
Document Type
Page
1 of 18
© 2011-2012; Rotronic AG E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
Document code Unit
Rotronic AG
Bassersdorf, Switzerland
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB: User Guide
Document title
Instruction Manual
Page
2 of 18
Document Type
Table of contents
1
Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 3
2 Dimensional drawing ............................................................................................................................. 3
3 General description ............................................................................................................................... 4
3.1 Power supply........................................................................................................................................ 4
3.2 Measured parameters .......................................................................................................................... 4
3.3 Digital interface .................................................................................................................................... 4
3.4 Cable and connector ............................................................................................................................ 4
3.5 Sensor protection (dust filter) ............................................................................................................... 4
4 Required accessories ............................................................................................................................ 5
5 Operation ................................................................................................................................................ 6
5.1 Initial steps ........................................................................................................................................... 6
5.2 Preparation of the product samples ..................................................................................................... 7
5.3 Water activity measurement with HW4 ................................................................................................ 8
6 Maintenance ......................................................................................................................................... 16
6.1 Cleaning or replacing the dust filter .................................................................................................... 16
6.2 Periodic calibration check .................................................................................................................. 16
6.3 Validation of the output signals transmission ..................................................................................... 16
7 Firmware updates ................................................................................................................................ 16
8 Specifications ...................................................................................................................................... 17
9 Supporting documents ....................................................................................................................... 18
10 Document releases .............................................................................................................................. 18
© 2011-2012; Rotronic AG E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
Power Indicator (red LED)
Power ON/OFF (push button)
Dimensions in mm
Document code Unit
Rotronic AG
Bassersdorf, Switzerland
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB: User Guide
Document title
Instruction Manual
Page
3 of 18
Document Type
Applicability:
This manual applies to the HC2-AW-USB probe with firmware version 1.x (RoPCB firmware), where 1.x can
be 1.8, 1.9, etc. Changes to the last digit of the version number reflect minor firmware changes that do not
affect the manner in which the probe should be operated.
Note: this manual has been updated to reflect changes made with the introduction of version 3.2.0 of the
ROTRONIC HW4 software. Software screenshots appearing in this manual may not apply to previous
versions of HW4.
1 Overview
The HC2-AW-USB is a digital humidity-temperature probe based on the AirChip 3000 technology. .
The HC2-AW-USB probe plugs directly to the USB port of a PC running the HW4 software (Professional
Edition with AwQuick, version 3.0.1 or higher) and is designed strictly for PC-based water activity
measurement of liquids, pastes, powders and prod uct in chu nks.
The ability for the user to easily update the AirChip 3000 firmware means that the HC2-AW-USB probe can be
kept up-to-date regarding any future fun ctio nal ity improv eme nt.
2 Dimensional drawing
© 2011-2012; Rotronic AG E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
Document code Unit
Rotronic AG
Bassersdorf, Switzerland
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB: User Guide
Document title
Instruction Manual
Page
4 of 18
Document Type
3 General description
3.1 Power supply
The HC2-AW-USB probe is directly powered from the USB port of a PC (see below). When connected to a
USB port, the probe can be powered or unpowered by pressing on the red button ON / OFF located on top of
the probe. The red LED located next to the ON / OFF button is lit when the probe is powered.
.
Nominal values of a USB port: 5 VDC, 100 mA
3.2 Measured parameters
The HC2-AW-USB probe measures water activity with a ROTRONIC Hygromer® capacitive sensor and
temperature with a Pt100 RTD.
3.3 Digital interface
The HC2 probe features a USB interface that allows two-way communication between a PC and the probe.
3.4 Cable and connector
The HC2-AW-USB is equipped with a hard wired cable (length: 3 m / 9.8 ft”) ended with a standard USB
connector.
3.5 Sensor protection (dust filter)
The sensors of the HC2-AW-USB probe are protected with a wire
mesh dust filter held in place by a snap-ring
© 2011-2012; Rotronic AG E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
Document code Unit
Rotronic AG
Bassersdorf, Switzerland
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB: User Guide
Document title
Instruction Manual
Page
5 of 18
Document Type
4 Required accessories
Use of the HC2-AW-USB probe requires the following:
1) PC or Laptop
The following are the minimum values required of the PC or laptop. It is highly recommended to exceed these
values.
o Processor: 1 GHz
o RAM: 512 MB
o Available hard disk space: 50 MB
o Monitor: SVGA, 1280 x 960, 65535 colors
o One free USB port
Operating system: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Vista, Windows 7 with the Microsoft .NET framework
(version 2.0 or higher) installed.
2) HW4 Software Professional Edition with AwQuick
HW4 Professional with AwQuick is a special version of HW4 Professional designed to facilitate measurement
of the water activity (Aw) of foods, pharmaceuticals, etc. This version includes all the features of the regular
HW4 Professional Edition. Two modes are available for measuring water activity: AwE and AwQuick. Both
modes can be used with any of our instruments. In the AwE mode, HW4 monitors the natural equilibration of
the product being measured and automatically stops the measurement process when equilibrium is reached.
With most products, natural equilibrium requires from 45 to 90 minutes. The AwQuick mode redu ces the tim e
required to measure water activity to a few minutes, usually with almost the same accuracy as the AwE mode.
3) ROTRONIC USB driver
Communication between the HC2-AW-USB probe and the HW4 PC requires the ROTRONIC USB driver to be
installed on the PC. The driver is included in the HW4 CD-ROM
4) Sample holder and disposable sample cups
WP-40S sample holder with removable depth reduction insert.
The PS-14 cups (shallow) are suitable for calibrating the probe with the Rotronic certified
humidity standards or with saturated salt solutions. In general, use the shallow cups for a
liquid, a paste or a powder. Use the PS-40 (deep) sample cups for products in bulk (large
chunks).
© 2011-2012; Rotronic AG E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
Document code Unit
Rotronic AG
Bassersdorf, Switzerland
Water Activity and Temperature Probe
HC2-AW-USB: User Guide
Document title
Instruction Manual
Page
6 of 18
Document Type
5 Operation
5.1 Initial steps
Note: The HC2-AW-UBS probe is designed for use with a PC or laptop running the HW4 software
Professional Edition with AwQuick (version 3.1 or higher). For detailed instructions regarding installing and
using the HW4 software see the following documents:
• E-M-HW4v3-Main
• E-M-HW4v3-F2-020
1. On your PC, use Control Panel to verify that the Microsoft .Net Framework is installed:
- Windows XP: use Control Panel and Add or Remove Programs
- Vista or Windows 7: Control Panel > Programs and Features.
If the framework is not already installed, install it from the HW4 CD. Note that you will need to restart
your PC after installing the framework.
2. Install the HW4 software
3. Make sure that HW4 is not running. Connect the HC2-AW-USB probe to a USB port of your PC.
Check that the red LED on top of the probe is lit. This indicates that the probe is being powered. If
necessary, power the probe by pressing once on the red button located on top of the probe. When
the red LED is not lit, the probe is not powered and the PC is not receiving a signal from the probe.
When asked by Windows point to the ROTRONIC USB driver (located in the HW4 installation folder,
subfolder USB_driver)
© 2011-2012; Rotronic AG E-M-HC2-AW-USB-V1_11
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