Labco SCIENTIFIC PH60-Z Smart pH Tester Kit User Manual

User Manual ZenTest® PH60-Z SMART pH
TESTER KIT (pH/Temp./ORP)

PH60-Z Smart pH Tester Kit

ATTENTION

• Water droplets are added during production to maintain the moisture of the probe. This is normal practice and should not be attributed to used product.
• Never use the product when it’s freezing cold. Let it warm to room temperature before using.
• There is a sensor shield on top of the pH sensor, protecting the glass bulb sensor from accidental damage. You can detach the sensor shield when rinsing and cleaning the sensor as shown in the graph below. Put back the sensor shield after cleaning.

INTRODUCTION

Dear Customer, thank you for choosing Apera Instruments PH60-Z Smart pH Tester. Please carefully read this manual in order to properly use and maintain the product.
1.1 Search “zentest smart” in Apple App Store or Google Play App Store to download the latest App for your tester.
Turn on the Bluetooth of your phone, go to ZenTest App, tap on the upper right corner, then select your tester to connect. 1.2 For video tutorials on how to get the most out of ZenTest® , please go to support.aperainst.com.
1.3 This product is designed with a two-way control on both the tester and ZenTest App. Please refer to the functions available on each platform in the following table. This manual shows you how to operate the tester without connecting to a smartphone.
Table 1: Functions on 60-Z Tester and ZenTest® Mobile App

Swipe to switch between various modes
2. Dial Mode: digital display + dial display
3. Graph Mode: digital display + graph display
4. Table Mode: digital display + real time measurement and history display
Operate on smartphone following graphic guides
SELF- DIAGNOSIS| Er1 – Er6 icons| Detailed problem analysis and solutions
PARAMETER SETUP| Press buttons to setup (except for P7 and P11)| All parameters can be setup in Settings
ALARM| The screen turns red when alarm is triggered; cannot be setup| Alarm display and alarm values can be pre-set for each parameter
DATALOGGER| N/A| Manual or Auto. Datalogger; notes can be added to saved data
DATA OUTPUT| N/A| Share data via Email

WHAT’S IN THE KIT

KEYPAD FUNCTIONS

Short Press: < 2 seconds Long Press: > 2 seconds

| 1. When turned off, short press to turn on the tester; long press to enter parameter setting.
2. In calibration mode or parameter setting, short press to return to measurement mode.
3. In measurement mode, long press to turn off the tester, short press to turn on/off backlight.
---|---
| 1. In measurement mode, long press to turn on/off Bluetooth® receiver.
2. When turned on, will be flashing; when connected to smartphone, will stay on.
3. In parameter setting, short press to change parameter (Uni-directional).
| 1. Long press to enter calibration mode.
2. In calibration mode, short press to confirm calibration.
3. In measurement mode, when automatic lock is turned off, short press to manually lock or unlock readings.

BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Please install batteries according to the following steps. *Please note the correct direction of battery installation:
The Positive Side (“+”) OF EVERY SINGLE Battery MUST FACE UP.
(WRONG INSTALLATION OF BATTERIES WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE TESTER& BATTERY LEAK!)

1. Loosen the battery cap lock
2. Pull off the battery cap
3. Slide and unlock battery compartment
4. Open the battery compartment
5. Insert the batteries (all POSITIVE sides FACE UP)
6. Press down the battery compartment
7. Slide and lock the battery compartment
8. Close on the battery cap

PREPARATION BEFORE USE

5.1 Pull out the battery insulation slip and take off the probe cap.
5.2 Rinse off the probe in pure water (preferably distilled or deionized water. RO water or tap water is the alternative) , then shake off excess water.

5.3 Perform calibration. For pH calibration tutorial, refer to Section 6.
5.4 If the tester hasn’t been used for a long time (over 1 month), please soak the probe in the 3M KCL soaking solution for 15 minutes, then calibrate it before test.

pH CALIBRATION

6.1 Short press to turn on the meter; rinse the probe in pure water. Shake off excess water.
6.2 Pour buffer solutions into the corresponding calibration vials (to about half volume of the vials).
6.3 Long press to enter calibration mode (screen turns green);
6.4 Insert the probe into pH 7.00 buffer solution, make a quick stir, and hold still. When the reading is stabilized ( stays on screen), short press to finish 1st point calibration. Then the tester returns to measurement mode, icon will appear at the bottom left, indicating a successful 1st point pH calibration.
6.5 To calibrate 2nd point, use 4.00 pH buffer and repeat Step 6.3 to 6.4 (Do NOT turn off the tester after you finish pH 7 calibration). will display next to , indicating a successful 2-point pH calibration (low and middle points). 6.6 If necessary, calibrate 3rd point using 10.01 standard pH buffer and repeat Step 6.3 to 6.4, will show up next to and , indicating a successful 3-point calibration (high, low, and middle points).
6.7 Notes about Calibration

1. The 1st point calibration must be 7.00 pH. Perform the 2nd and 3rd point calibrations (4.00, 10.01, 1.68, or 12.45) immediately after the 1st point calibration is finished. Do NOT turn off the meter before you calibrate 2nd or 3rd point. Otherwise, you will need to restart the calibration process with 7.00 pH first.
2. The pH 4.00 and 7.00 buffer solutions poured into the calibration vials can be used for up to 10 times as long as they are not contaminated and the bottles are capped when not in use. pH 10.01 can only be used for up to 5 times as it will lose its accuracy much faster. After that, replace the buffer solutions in the calibration vials with new ones to keep the accuracy. Keeping the freshness and cleanliness of calibration buffers is essential for accurate pH measurement.
3. The tester can perform 1 to 3 points of automatic calibration and can recognize 5 types of pH standard solutions. For details, please refer to the following table:

CALIBRATION| USA SERIES| NIST SERIES| INDICATION ICON| RECOMMENDED
---|---|---|---|---
1- POINT| 7.00 pH| 6.86 pH| | Accuracy ≥ 0.1 pH
2- POINT| Option A| 1st pt: 7.00 pH 2nd pt: 4.00 pH or 1.68 pH| Option A| 1st pt: 6.86 pH 2nd pt: 4.01 pH or 1.68 pH| | Range < 7.00 pH
Option B| 1st pt: 7.00 pH 2nd pt: 10.01 pH or 12.45 pH| Option B| 1st pt: 6.86 pH 2nd pt: 9.18 pH or 12.45 pH| | Range < 7.00 pH
3- POINT| 1st pt: 7.00 pH 2nd pt: 4.00 or 1.68 pH 3rd pt: 10.01 or 12.45 pH| 1st pt: 6.86 pH 2nd pt: 4.01 or 1.68 pH 3rd pt: 9.18 or 12.45 pH| | Range: 0 to 14.00 pH

6.8 For the self-diagnosis information, please refer to the table below:

Symbol| Self-Diagnosis information| Potential problems and how to fix
---|---|---
| The pH calibration solution cannot be recognized by the meter.| 1. Make sure the probe is fully immersed in the calibration solution.
2. Check if calibration solution is expired or polluted.
3. 1st point of pH calibration must be pH 7.00 or 6.86. See 6.6.
4. Please check whether pH probe is damaged or broken. If so, please replace with a new one.
5. The glass bulb or junction is severely contaminated. Please use a soft brush with soap water to clean it thoroughly. Then soak it in 3M KCL 3-5 hours before performing calibration again.
| is pressed before measurement is fully stabilized.| Wait for to stay on screen before pressing
| During calibration, readings being unstable for over 3 minutes.| 1. Please check whether pH probe is damaged or broken. If so, please replace with a new one.
2. The glass bulb or junction is severely contaminated. Please use a soft brush with soap water to clean it thoroughly. Then soak it in 3M KCL ovemight before performing calibration again.
3. The probe is aged (used for over a year and has a much slower response). A replacement is needed.
| pH probe zero electric potential out of range
(<-60mV or >60mV)| 1. Check whether pH buffer solutions comply with the USA or NIST standard.
2. Check whether pH buffers are expired or contaminated.
3. Please check whether pH probe is damaged or broken. If so, please replace with a new one.
4. The probe is aged (used for over a year and has a much slower response). A replacement is needed.
5. The probe is invalidated (Er4/Er5 repetitively appears, and problems 1, 2, 3 are excluded). Probe replacement is needed.
| pH probe slope out of range (<85% or >110%)
| The calibration reminder is triggered. Its time to perform a new pH calibration.| Perform pH calibration or cancel calibration reminder in ZenTest App settings.

PH MEASUREMENT

7.1 How to take pH measurements
Short press to turn on the tester. Rinse the probe in pure water, shake off excess water.
Insert the probe in your sample solution, make a quick stir and hold still. Record the reading when it is stabilized ( comes up and stays on screen).

7.2 Pure Water pH Measurement
When testing pure water like tap water, drinking water, RO water and distilled water, it will take longer for the readings to get fully stabilized (typically 1-5 minutes). Please be patient.
If still not working, add Apera 3M KCL (AI1107) to your pure water at the ratio of 1:1000 (e.g. 1 ml KCL to 1000 ml water) to accelerate stabilization while minimizing pH change. If the accuracy is not meeting your requirement, please contact us at info@aperainst.com to find the specialized meter designed for pure water pH test.

ORP MEASUREMENT

1. ORP stands for Oxidation-Reduction Potential, measured in mV. It’s also called redox. ORP is a measure of the cleanliness of water & its ability to break down contaminants. A separate ORP probe (ORP60-DA) needs to be installed to be able to measure ORP.
2. Power on the PC60-Z tester, unscrew the original probe, and install the ORP60-DA probe, then the tester will automatically switch to ORP measurement mode (Refer to Section 16 for how to replace a probe).
3. Rinse the probe in pure water and shake off excess water. Dip the probe in sample solution, make a quick stir and hold still. Record the ORP reading after it’s fully stabilized stays on screen.

PROBE CLEANING

1. The tester is only as accurate as the probe is clean. Always thoroughly rinse off the probe before and after each measurement with pure water in a container or with a wash bottle.
2. For tough contaminants, detach the sensor shield, soak the probe in Apera probe cleaning solution (AI1166) or detergent water for 30 minutes. Then use a soft brush to remove the contaminants. Afterwards, soak the probe in 3M KCL soaking solution for at least 1 hour. Rinse it off, then re- calibrate the tester before using again.

PROBE STORAGE

1. Under regular usage (daily or weekly use), make sure the probe cap is wet, and tightly close the cap with the O-ring.
2. For long-term storage (you are not going to use the product for a while), add 3M KCL soaking solution to the Fill line in the probe cap and store the probe in it. Close on the probe cap tightly with the O-ring.
3. If you find white crystals inside or outside the probe cap, it is perfectly normal. It is the 3M KCL soaking solution that crystalizes over time by its nature. Just rinse them off and add in new soaking solution. This chemical is not poisonous nor dangerous, and the probe’s performance will not be affected at all.
4. NEVER store the probe in pure water like tap, RO, distilled, or deionized water as they could damage the pH probe.
   If this happens, immediately soak the pH probe Apera 3M KCL soaking solution overnight, then re-calibrate it before using. Pure water is only for rinsing the probe.

PARAMETER SETTINGS

11.1 Table of Settings

SYMBOL| PARAMETER SETTING CONTENTS| CONTENT| FACTORY DEFAULT
---|---|---|---
P1| Temperature Unit| ˚C – ˚F| ˚F
P2| Set Automatic Lock| 5 – 20 seconds – Off| Off
P3| Automatic Backlight Off| 1 – 8 minutes – Off| 1
P4| Automatic Power Off| 10 – 20 minutes – Off| 10
P5| pH Buffer Series Selection| USA – NIST| USA
P6| pH Resolution| 0.1 – 0.01| 0.01
P7| pH Calibration Reminder| H – Hours D-Days (Setup in ZenTest App)| /
P8| pH Back to Factory Default| No – Yes| No

11.2 Parameter Settings

1. When the meter is turned off, long press to enter parameter setting → short press to switch P01-P02… →P14.
   Short Press , parameter flashes → short press to adjust parameter → Short press to confirm → short press  to exit parameter setting and go back to measurement mode.

2. Auto-Hold (P02) – You can set the auto-hold time from 5 to 20 seconds. For example, if 10 seconds is set, when the reading is stable for more than 10 seconds, the reading will be automatically locked, and the HOLD icon will be displayed.
   Short press again to cancel the lock. When the setting is “Off” , the auto- hold function is turned off, the reading can only be manually locked. Short press to lock or unlock readings while measuring.

3. Auto. Backlight (P03) – You can set the automatic backlight time for 1 to 8 minutes. For example, if 3 minutes is set, the backlight will turn off automatically after 3 minutes; when the “Off” is set, the auto. backlight function will be turned off, and short press to manually turn the backlight on or off.

4. Auto. Power off (P04) – The auto. power off time can be set to 10 to 20 minutes. For example, if 15 minutes is set, the meter will automatically shut down after 15 minutes if no operation; when “Off” is set, the auto. power off function will be turned off. Long press to manually shut down the meter.

5. pH Calibration Reminder (P07) – set X hours (H) Or X days (D) in ZenTest mobile app – settings – Parameter – pH – Calibration Reminder. On the meter, you can only check the values that’s been set up on ZenTest App. For example, if 3 days is set up, the Er6 icon (see Figure-4) will appear in the lower right corner of the LCD screen in 3 days to remind you to perform calibration, also in the ZenTest App there will be a pop-up reminder. After calibration is finished or the reminder setting is cancelled in the ZenTest App, the Er6 icon will disappear.

6. pH Back to Factory Default (P08) – Select “Yes” to recover instrument calibration to theoretical value. This function can be used when instrument does not work well in calibration or measurement. Calibrate and measure again after setting the instrument back to factory default.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ICONS AND FUNCTIONS

CALIBRATED POINTS| | SELF- DIAGNOSIS| Er1, Er2, Er3, Er4, Er5, Er6
---|---|---|---
STABLE READING INDICATOR| | WATERPROOF RATING| IP67, floats on water
READING LOCK| HOLD| POWER| DC3V, AAA Batteries x4
BLUETOOTH SIGNAL| | BATTERY LIFE| > 200 Hours
LOW POWER REMINDER| | BACKLIGHT| White: Measurement
Green: Calibration Red: Alarm
AUTO. POWER OFF| Automatically power off if no operation for 10 minutes
DIMENSION/WEIGHT| Instrument: 40x40x178mm/133g; Case: 255x210x50mm/680g

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

before pressing
Incorrect standard solution| Reboot tester, calibrate pH 7 first, then pH 4. For details refer to Section 5.2 (a)
Poor quality standard solutions| Replace with fresh and clean standard calibration solutions made by legitimate scientific instrument manufacturers.
Contaminated probe| Use a soft brush to clean the probe with Apera probe cleaning solution or detergent water.
Aged probe| Replace the probe
Dried-out probe| Soak the probe in the 3M KCL soaking solution for at least 30 minutes
Probe is not fully submerged in the solution| Make sure the probe is fully immersed in the solution at least 1 inch deep.
Air bubbles around the sensor| Make a quick stir in the solution to remove air bubbles.
READING IS ALWAYS SOWLY CHANGING, WON’T STABILISE| Contaminated probe| Use a soft brush to clean the probe with Apera probe cleaning solution or detergent water.
Clogged junction| Use a soft brush to clean the probe with Apera probe cleaning solution or detergent water, then soak it in Apera 3M KCL soaking solution overnight.
Aged probe| Replace the probe
Testing pH of low iconic strength solutions like tap water, drinking water, RO water| Be patient, wait for 1-5 minutes to reach a fully stabilized reading. If still not stabilizing, add 1ml of Apera 3M KCL solution to 1000ml of test solution (or 1 teaspoon to 1 gallon).
DISPLAY SIMILAR READINGS IN ANY SOLUTIONS OR ALWAYS DISPLAY 7.0 PH| Broken probe| If you don’t find any visible damage of the probe, contact us for warranty fulfilment; If there is visible damage, replace the probe
Instrument probe| Contact us for warranty fulfilment
READING KEEPS JUMPING| Probe is not fully submerged in the solution| Make sure the probe is fully immersed in the solution at least 1 inch deep.
Air bubbles around the sensor| Make a quick stir in the solution to remove air bubbles.
| Probe is not properly connected or the pin connector is broken| Check the probe’s connector, make sure it’s not broken and is correctly connected. Align the probe and instrument correctly before plugging in. Never force it. Ensure that the probe connector is not exposed in the air too long.
---|---|---
CALIBRATION IS SUCCESSFUL, BUT READING IS NOT ACCURATE| Aged probe| Replace the probe
Air bubbles around the sensor| Make a quick stir in the solution to remove air bubbles.
Clogged junction| Clean the probe with cleaning solution, then soak it in 3M KCL soaking solution overnight
Comparison with other testers, test strips or drop tests| To compare with other testers, make sure to perform a 2-point calibration for all testers in the same standards, then test a 3rd point. Whichever gives more accurate reading in the 3rd point standard is the more accurate one. Test strips or drop tests’ accuracy is not comparable to pH meters’.
Poor quality standard solutions| Replace with fresh and clean standard calibration solutions made by legitimate scientific instrument manufacturers.
The probe is not suitable for your application.| Contact us to find the most appropriate product for your specific application.

PROBE REPLACEMENT

pH probes don’t last forever. Every probe will eventually age and fail even if you don’t use it that often. The typical service life of Apera probes is 12-24 months depending on the frequency of usage and how well you keep it clean and properly stored. We recommend replacing your probe every 1 to 2 years to ensure the best performance.

To replace the probe: 1) take off the probe cap; 2) screw off the probe ring 3) unplug the probe; 4) plug in the new replacement probe (pay attention to the probe’s position); 5) screw on the probe ring tightly. Soak the probe in 3M KCL for 5-15 minutes. Then perform calibration before testing.

The replacement probes that are compatible with PH60-Z:

• PH60-DE (Regular pH glass bulb probe), PH60S-DE (Spear pH probe for solids/semi-solids pH testing), PH60F-DE (Flat pH probe for surface pH testing), ORP60-DA (ORP Probe).

WARRANTY

We warrant this instrument to be free from defects in material and workmanship and agree to repair or replace free of charge, at option of APERA INSTRUMENTS, LLC, any malfunctioned or damaged product attributable to responsibility of APERA INSTRUMENTS, LLC for a period of TWO YEARS (SIX MONTHS for the probe) from the delivery.

This limited warranty does NOT cover any damages due to:
Accidental damage, transportation, storage, improper use, failure to follow the product instructions or to perform any preventive maintenance, unauthorized repair or modifications, normal wear and tear, or other external causes or actions beyond our reasonable control.

To get the fastest warranty fulfillment, go to support.aperainst.com and click “New Support Ticket” on the upper right corner. Type your email in the requester field, “Warranty” in the Subject field, and then input the following information in the description field:

• Your full name
• Product model that needs warranty fulfilment
• Serial number of the product (can be found on the back sticker of the tester body)
• What problem or issue you had experienced with the product
• Attach a photo of your proof of purchase
• Attach a photo of the problematic product

Then click Submit. One of our customer care specialists will help you fulfil the warranty within one business day.

Printed technical specificartions are subject to change without notification
Labco® is a registered trademark.
See the full product range online.
1800 052 226
soles@labcoscientific.com.au
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References

• Home Page
• Support : Apera Instruments

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