Spectrum 2105 Operation Manuals

Field Scout®

SoilStik

™ pH Meter

Operation Manual

Catalog #2105

Spectrum

Technologies, Inc.

®

2

Contents

General Overview .....................................3

LCD Display................................................4

LCD Display Messages ............................5

Meter Components ...................................6

Calibration .................................................7

Changing the Temperature Units.............8

Taking Liquid/Soil Measurements ...........9

Storing/Recalling Measurements...........10

Sensor Replacement...............................11

Battery Replacement...............................12

Meter Handling/Troubleshooting ..........13

Specifications .........................................14

Warranty ...................................................15

This manual will familiarize you with the features and
operation of your new meter. Please read this manual
thoroughly before using your meter. For customer support
or to place an order, contact Spectrum Technologies, Inc
between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CST.

Phone: [phone] or [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Website: www.specmeters.com

3

General Overview

Congratulations on the purchase of your Field Scout™
SoilStik™ Pro Meter. This manual describes how to
use your pH meter and keep it working accurately.
Read the manual thoroughly in order to make effective
use of your meter.

The SoilStik delivers high quality answers, with an
accuracy of +/- 0.01 pH units. This self-contained digital
meter allows you to test the pH levels in water, soil, and
other liquids. The replaceable sensor makes the
measurement of small samples much more convenient.
The sensor provides a visual indication of when
replacement is due.

The meter has a two-point, automatic calibration (pH 4
and 7), with a range of pH 2.0-12.0. The display will
show your results to a resolution of 0.01 pH units.

Getting Started

• New meters are shipped with a battery insulating

strip. Remove this strip before attempting to power
up the meter. The battery compartment is ac­cessed by removing the cap at the top of the meter.

• Remove the cap from the bottom of the SoilStik to

expose the electrode glass surface and reference
junction.

• Before first use, or after extended storage, soak the

electrode (with its cap removed) in pH 4 solution for
about 10 minutes.

4

LCD Display

1. Bar graph reading

2. Measurement reading

3. BAT (low battery) and
HOLD (data hold) indicators

4. Temperature display

5. Bar graph scale designations

6. Units of measure

7. Calibration indicators

8. RENEW and CAL indicators

5

LCD Display

Messages

In addition to displaying the pH and temperature read­ings, the LCD of the SoilStik can also display:

- CAL reminder
If the SoilStik is powered up in pH mode 15 times with­out being calibrated, the CAL reminder symbol appears
on the LCD indicating that the SoilStik may require cali­bration. Some applications may require recalibration of
the electrode more frequently than others. The CAL
display is simply a reminder and will turn off when the
pH electrode is recalibrated.

- RENEW reminder
The RENEW symbol appears when the output of the
pH electrode fails an internal diagnostic test. A flashing
RENEW warning indicates that the probe may
ing the end of its useful life. Try to clean and recalibrate
the meter. If the RENEW symbol remains flashing, Re­move the battery holder, remove and replace the bat­teries and re-insert the battery holder (see p. 12). If this
does not cause the RENEW symbol to disappear, re­place the electrode.

- HOLD
While in measurement mode, pressing the MODE but­ton causes the meter to hold the value on the LCD.
The reading is also stored in short-term memory (see p.

10)

- BAT
Indicates that battery power is low. To preserve battery
life, the meter automatically powers off after 10 minutes
of inactivity.

be near-

6

Meter Components

1. Battery compartment cap

2. LCD Display

3. MODE/HOLD button

4. CAL/RECALL button

5. ON/OFF button

6. Electrode collar

7. pH electrode
(Electrode cap is not shown)

7

Calibration

The SoilStik automatically recognizes buffer solution
pH’s of 4, 7, and 10. Buffer solutions of pH 4 and 7 are
included with the meter. Although it is possible to cali­brate to all 3 values, a two-point calibration with a
buffer of 7 plus 4 or 10 (whichever is nearest to the ex­pected sample value) is always recommended. A one­point calibration (with a value closest to the expected
sample value) is also valid. For best accuracy, always
calibrate at the sample temperature.

Calibration Procedure

1. Put a small amount of buffer solution in a small plas­tic cup (provided). For multi-point calibrations, pH 7
should be calibrated first, followed by 4 and/or 10.
Place the electrode into the buffer solution and momen­tarily press the CAL/RECALL button.

2. The SoilStik will automatically recognize the calibra­tion solution. After the CAL/RECALL button is re­leased, the LCD will display CAL/RECALL. The pH
calibration value will then flash on the LCD.

3. When calibration is complete, the SoilStik automati­cally displays the END symbol and returns to normal
operation mode. Note: If the calibration solution is more
than 1 pH unit different from pH 4, 7, or 10, the SoilStik
will assume an error has been made, abort the calibra­tion and return to normal operation mode without
changing any internal calibration constants.

4. The appropriate circled indicator (,, or ) will ap­pear on the LCD when a calibration has been com­pleted with a given calibration buffer solution. The cali­bration constants are stored until a new calibration is
performed.

5. For a two- or three point-calibration, repeat steps 1
to 4. As additional calibrations are performed, addi­tional circled indicators will appear on the LCD.

8

When the meter is powered off, the calibration con­stants are retained. Therefore, the circled indicators for
all completed calibrations will remain illuminated. How­ever, when a new calibration is done, only the circled
indicator for that pH level will be displayed. If a multiple­point calibration is desired, the calibration must be per­formed for the other pH levels as well.

Notes:

1. If the batteries are removed or go dead, any user­created calibration data will be lost and the meter
will return to the factory defaults.

2. Always turn the meter off and then on before cali­brating to allow sufficient time to complete the cali­brations during one power cycle, especially for
multi-point calibrations. If the meter powers off
automatically during a calibration, any completed
calibrations will be saved. But, after the meter is
powered up again, any new multi-point calibration
will have to be done in entirety.

Changing the

Temperature Units

Press and hold the CAL/RECALL button for approxi­mately 3 seconds. The
first and the numerical temperature value will change
after the button is released. If the meter accidentally
transitions into CAL mode, the CAL symbol will appear
on the LCD. Simply turn the SoilStik off and start again.

o

C or oF symbol will change

9

Taking Liquid and

Soil Measurements

Liquids Readings

When the electrode is placed in a solution, the main
display and bar graph indicate the pH reading while the
lower display reads temperature (readings flash until
they have stabilized).

The curved bar graph is centered at pH 7. At a pH of 7,
no bars will be visible on the bar graph. When the pH >
7, the bars will extend to the right. When the pH < 7,
the bars will extend to the to the left.

Soil Slurry Readings

1. Add 1 part soil to 1 part distilled water.

2. Mix for 30 seconds.

3. Allow 1 to 2 minutes for soil slurry to come into equi-

librium

4. Submerge the sensor into the soil slurry and record

the result.

5. Wash the sensor with distilled water.

Direct Soil Readings
The SoilStik can also be used to take measurements
on soil cores. Moisten the surface of the core with dis­tilled water and press the electrode onto the moist soil.
Be sure that the clear sensor and reference electrode
are both in contact with the soil. Rinse and clean the
sensor well before taking additional readings.

10

Storing and

Recalling

Measurements

Storing readings in short-term memory
While in measurement mode, pressing the MODE/

HOLD button will freeze the value on the LCD and

store the number in memory. The LCD will briefly dis­play the memory location number and then the value
stored. The HOLD symbol will appear above the tem­perature reading. Momentarily press MODE/HOLD
again to return to normal operation.

The short-term memory can hold 15 readings. After 15
readings have been saved, the SoilStik will return to
memory location 1 and start overwriting existing data
with newly stored data.

Recalling stored readings

Check that the HOLD symbol is not displayed. If it is,
exit the HOLD function by momentarily pressing the
MODE/HOLD button.

To view stored readings, momentarily press the CAL/
RECALL button and then press the MODE/HOLD but­ton while the CAL symbol is displayed. The storage
location number (1 through 15) will flash. If the meter
accidentally transitions into CAL mode (causing the
display to flash), press the CAL/RECALL button again
to exit and start over.

11

The last reading stored will be displayed first. To ad­vance through the stored readings, momentarily press
the MODE/HOLD button. The location number is dis­played first, followed by the reading stored in that loca­tion. To exit recall mode, momentarily press the CAL/
RECALL button and the SoilStik will return to normal
operation.

Note: If the batteries are removed or go dead, any
stored readings will be lost.

Sensor

Replacement

The SoilStik is shipped with an electrode attached.
Electrode life is limited and is dependent on (among
other factors) frequency of use and care. If the elec­trode needs to be replaced, follow these steps for re­moving and connecting electrodes.

1. To remove an electrode, unscrew and completely

remove the electrode retaining collar.

2. Gently rock the electrode from side to side, pulling it

away from the meter, until it disconnects.

3. To attach an electrode, carefully plug the electrode

into the meter socket (note that the electrode connector
is keyed, ensuring proper connection).

4. Secure the electrode in place by tightly turning the

collar in place. (a rubber gasket seals the electrode
with the meter).

12

Battery

Replacement

The batteries need to be replaced when the LCD
shows BAT symbol while the power is turned on or if
the LCD shows nothing when you press the ON/OFF
button.

Battery Replacement Procedure:

1. Twist off the battery compartment cap.

2. Slide the black battery holder out of the meter
chassis.

3. Replace the four (4) CR-2032 batteries. Take care
that the positive side is facing up.

4. Return the battery holder. Be sure to align the 2
metal strips.

5. Replace the battery compartment cap.

13

Meter Handling/

Troubleshooting

Be sure the sponge inside the electrode cap is hy-

•

drated at all times with pH buffer buffer solutions.

• White KCl crystals may be present in the cap. These

crystals will dissolve while the sensor is soaked or they
can be simply rinsed off with tap water

• If the unit appears to be locked (display frozen) it is

possible that the meter is in Hold mode (see p. 12)
Simply press the MODE/HOLD button again or turn the
meter off and restart if the display appears frozen. If
this fails to revive the, meter, remove the batteries,
push the ON button for 3 seconds and then reinsert the
batteries.

• If the meter has difficulty calibrating or maintaining a

stable reading, the sensor may need to be replaced.

• Accuracy will be improved if the standard solution is

at the same temperature as that of sample being
measured.

14

Specifications

Calibration: Two-point, pH 4 and 7
Display: Digital LCD with bar graph.
Range: pH 0.00 - pH 12.00
Accuracy: +/- 0.01 pH
Resolution: +/- 0.01 pH

Operating 32 to 122oF (0 to 50oC) / < 80% RH
Temperature:

Temperature 23 to 194
Range:

Temperature 0.1
Resolution:

Temperature ± 1.8
Accuracy: ( -5 to 50

± 5.4
(50 to 90

Short-term 15 tagged (numbered) readings
memory:

Battery: Four (4)CR2032 button batteries
Auto Power-off: After 10 minutes of inactivity
Dimensions: 35.6 x 172.7 x 40.6 mm

(1.4 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches)
Weight: 110g (3.85oz)

o

F (-5 to 90oC)

o

up to 99.9 then 1o thereafter

o

F / 1oC [from 23 to 122oF

o

C)]

o

F / 3oC [from 122 to 194oF

o

C)]

War r anty

15

This product has been brought to you having passed severe
quality control and inspections. Should any trouble occur
during the course of normal use, the meter shall be repaired or
replaced free of charge in accordance with the stipulations laid
down herein. The term of this warranty shall be for one year
from date of purchase. This warranty excludes batteries,
sensor and accessories.

Warranty Stipulations:

1. The product shall be repaired or replaced free of charge
should any trouble occur during the course of normal use if
returned within the warranty period (one year from date of
purchase). In which event, contact the dealer of purchase.
Return the meter with proof of date of purchase.

2. Expenses shall be incurred in the following instances within
the warranty period. (Costs such as postage shall be born by
the customer)
a) When the date of purchase and store name is not written

on the warranty.

b) When trouble or damage has been incurred due to misuse,

abuse, and/or improper handling.

c) When the meter has been repaired, modified and

dismantled by persons other than the designated agent or
service shop.

d) In the event of changes in external appearance such as

scratches or dirt caused during use or battery fluid leakage.

e) In the event of unsuitable movement, dropping or accidents

such as fire, earthquakes, floods or a burglary.
f) When replacing consumables and accessories.
g) When cause of trouble lies not in the meter itself.
h) When this warranty is not shown and when necessary

particulars have not been written in the warranty.
Our obligation under this warranty is to repair or replace the

meter free of charge in accordance with the conditions laid
down herein. Accordingly, this warranty doesn’t limit your
specific legal rights.

16

Product Return

If for any reason you are not satisfied, or the meter has

failed and you need to return the product for service,

you need to contact Spectrum Technologies, Inc.

Before returning a failed unit, you must obtain a

Returned Goods Authorization (RGA) number from

Spectrum Technologies. You must ship the product(s),

properly packaged against further damage, back to

Spectrum Technologies (at your expense) with the

RGA number marked clearly on the outside of the

package. Spectrum Technologies is not responsible for

any package that is returned without a valid RGA

number, or for the loss of the package by any shipping

company.

Service and Support

For technical service and support call your distributor or

Spectrum Technologies, Inc.

When calling for technical support, have a detailed

explanation of the problem that you are experiencing.

The more information you can provide, the faster and

easier a technical support person will be able to assist

you.

Spectrum Technologies, Inc.

12360 S Industrial Dr East

Plainfield, IL 60585

[phone] or [phone]

Fax [phone]

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Website: www.specmeters.com

R - 12/08