Labco SCIENTIFIC PC60-Z Smart Multi Parameter Water Tester User Manual

Labco SCIENTIFIC PC60-Z Smart Multi Parameter Water Tester User Manual

sales@labcoscientific.com.au
labcoscientific.com.au

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.
• The latest PC60-Z Tester comes with an upgraded probe structure equipped with a sensor shield that prevents glass bulb breakage from accidental collisions (see picture below). Users can remove the shield when cleaning the sensor and put it back on after cleaning.

1. INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing Apera Instruments PC60-Z Smart Multi-Parameter Water Tester. This product is designed for accurate measurement of pH, conductivity, TDS, salinity, resistivity, and temperature for general water solution applications such as pools and spas, hydroponics, water treatment, aquarium, environment monitoring, etc.

1.1 Search “zentest smart” in Apple App Store or Google Play App Store to download the latest App for your tester.

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.

2. WHAT’S IN THE KIT

3. KEYPAD FUNCTIONS

4. 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; for conductivity calibration, refer to Section 8.
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.

5. 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.

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

6. pH CALIBRATION

the reading is stabilized ( stays on screen), short press to finish 1st point

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:

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

7. PH MEASUREMENT

7.1 How to Take pH measurements

7.2 Pure Water pH Measurement

When testing pH of pure water such as 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.

8. CONDUCTIVITY CALIBRATION

8.1 How to calibrate

8.2 Conductivity Calibration Notes

The tester can calibrate 84S, 1413 S and 12.88 mS conductivity calibration solution. User can conduct 1 to 3 points calibration. Refer to the table below.

For conductivity calibration solutions, we recommend replacing the solutions after up to 5 times of use to keep the standard solution’s accuracy. Do NOT pour the used calibration solutions back into the solution bottles in case of contamination.

• Once conductivity is calibrated, TDS, salinity, and resistivity will be automatically calibrated.

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

9. CONDUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT

9.1 How to Measure Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, and Resistivity

9.2 Unit Conversion

• a) 1000 S = 1 mS = 1 EC (In conductivity mode, the unit will automatically turn from S to mS if the reading is greater than 1999 S, meaning you will only see 2.XX mS instead of 2XXX S)
• b) 1000 ppm = 1 ppt (In TDS mode, the unit will automatically turn from ppm to ppt if the reading is greater than 999 ppm, meaning you will only see 1.XX ppt instead of 1XXX ppm)
• c) The TDS and Salinity values are converted from the conductivity values via a certain conversion factor. TDS and conductivity is linear related, and its conversion factor is 0.40 to 1.00. Adjust the factor in parameter setting P13 based on the requirements in different industries. The factory default setting is 0.71.
• d) Salinity and conductivity is linear related, and its conversion factor is 0.5.
• e) Conversion Example: if conductivity measurement is 1000S, then the default TDS measurement will be 710 ppm (under the default 0.71 conversion factor), and the salinity be 0.5 ppt. If TDS conversion rate is changed to 0.5, then the TDS measurement will be 500 ppm.

9.3 Temperature compensation factor

The default setting of the temp. compensation factor is 2.0%/ C. User can adjust the factor based on test solution and experimental data in parameter setting P10. The following table is some common examples for setting up the temp. compensation factor.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. PROBE STORAGE

1. For regular storage, just make sure there are a few water droplets inside the probe cap. Then close on the probe cap tightly to maintain the humidity inside so the probe will not dry out.
2. If the probe is dried out by accident or if you find the probe’s response turns much slower than usual, soak the probe in the 3M KCL soaking solution for about 2 hours to recover its sensitivity. NEVER leave the probe in the 3M KCL soaking solution for longer than 24 hours as it may cause damage to the conductivity sensor.
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 keep using. 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 in the 3M KCL soaking solution overnight, then re-calibrate it before using. Pure water is only for rinsing the probe.

13. PARAMETER SETTINGS

13.2 Parameter Settings Examples

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.

5. pH Calibration Reminder (P07) and Conductivity Calibration Reminder (P11) ­ set XX hours (H) Or XX 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) and Conductivity Back to Factory Default (P12) ­ Select “Yes” to set the meter to its default status (erase all calibration record and return all parameter settings to the default value). This function can be used when the meter does not work well in calibration or measurement. Calibrate the meter again after setting the meter to factory default.

14. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

15. ICONS AND FUNCTIONS

16. PROBE REPLACEMENT

To replace a 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 PC60-Z:

• PC60-DE (Default pH/conductivity probe), PH60-DE (Regular pH probe for water solutions),
• PH60S-DE (spear pH probe for food testing), PH60F-DE (flat pH probe for surface testing)
• EC60-DE (conductivity probe) · ORP60-DA (ORP probe).

*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.

17. TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

18. 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 fulfilment, go to support.aperainst.com and click “New Support Ticket” on the upper right corner. Then fill in the form and click Submit. One of our customer care specialists will help you fulfil the warranty within one business day.

19. FCC WARNING STATEMENT

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radiocommunications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Printed technical specifications are subject to change without notification Labco is a registered trademark.
See the full product range online.

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sales@labcoscientific.com.au

References

• Home Page
• Support : Apera Instruments

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