SIL-400 Series Apogee IR Radiometer User Manual

: June 6, 2024
: METER

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Apogee SIL-400 Series IR Radiometer User Manual
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Apogee SIL-400 Series IR Radiometer User Manual

SI-400 Series

SI-400 Series

SIL-400 Series

SIL-400 Series

INTRODUCTION

The SI and SIL series Infrared (IR) Radiometers from Apogee Instruments, Inc. are designed specifically for high-accuracy, noncontact, surface temperature measurements for environmental applications. The IR radiometers in the SI series have research-grade accuracy with uncertainty of ±0.2 °C over a wide range of temperatures and temperature differences. The SIL series are lower cost with commercial-grade uncertainty of ±0.5 °C over a more restrictive temperature range and are a great choice for many environmental monitoring applications.

Apogee IR radiometers purchased from METER come preconfigured by METER to work seamlessly with METER ZENTRA series data loggers. The information in this document explains how to integrate Apogee IR radiometers into the ZENTRA system. Details of how the ZENTRA system handles the data are also included. Please read this document carefully in its entirety before going out to the field.

For more information on the Apogee IR radiometers, please review the Infrared Radiometer User Manuals on the Apogee Infrared Radiometer product page (apogeeinstruments.com/infraredradiometer).

INSTALLATION

Follow the steps listed in Table 1 to install Apogee sensors in the field.

Table 1 Installation

Table 1 Installation

Table 1 Installation Continued 1

Table 1 Installation Continued 2

SET UP MOUNTING ASSEMBLY

IR radiometers must be mounted such that their FOV encompasses the surface of interest. Each IR radiometer purchased from METER comes with the appropriate mounting bracket that can be mounted to either a horizontal or vertical post, depending on which set of holes is used.

For the SIL series, the connector is already fully attached; skip to step 3. For the SI series, align the cable M8 connector pins with the sensor M8 connector holes and seat connectors fully.
Tighten the cable screw until hand-tight (Figure 1). M8 connectors are easy to overtighten. Do not use pliers or other tools to tighten this connector.
Attach the mounting bracket either to a horizontal arm or vertical post using the included U-bolt.
Attach the sensor to the mounting bracket using the included U-bolt or straight bolt (Figure 2).
Orient the sensor to the proper angle to achieve the desired FOV. Use the Apogee IRR Calculators (apogeeinstruments.com/irr-calculators) to help calculate FOV.

CONNECT TO METER ZENTRA SERIES LOGGER

The Apogee IR radiometers are preconfigured by METER and work seamlessly with METER ZENTRA series data loggers. The sensor comes with a 3.5-mm stereo plug connector (Figure 3) to facilitate easy connection with the data loggers. Apogee sensors come standard with a 5-m cable.

Figure 3 3.5-mm stereo plug connector wiring

Check the METER download webpage for the most recent data logger firmware. Logger configuration may be done using either ZENTRA Utility (desktop and mobile application) or ZENTRA Cloud (web-based application for cell-enabled ZENTRA data loggers).

Plug the stereo plug connector into one of the sensor ports on the logger (Figure 4).
Connect to the data logger via ZENTRA Utility with a laptop and USB cable or ZENTRA Utility Mobile app with a mobile device supporting Bluetooth® communication.
Use ZENTRA Utility to scan the ports and make sure the sensors were properly identified by the logger and are reading properly. METER data loggers should automatically recognize the Apogee sensor.
Use ZENTRA Utility to set the measurement interval.
Use ZENTRA Utility to configure communication settings for data transfer to ZENTRA Cloud.

Sensor data can be downloaded from METER data loggers using either ZENTRA Utility or ZENTRA Cloud. Refer to the logger user manual for more information.

DATA INTERPRETATION

Apogee IR radiometers used with the ZENTRA system report target temperature and internal sensor temperature in units that are configurable by the user. Additionally, the sensor orientation information of the SIL-series commercial- grade IR radiometer is provided in the metadata tab of ZENTRA Cloud and ZENTRA Utility Microsoft® Excel® file downloads. Sensor orientation is reported as the zenith angle in units of degrees, with a zenith angle of 0° indicating a sensor oriented straight up.

TROUBLESHOOTING

This troubleshooting section details possible major problems and their solutions. If the problem is not listed or these solutions do not solve the issue, contact Customer Support.

Table 2 Troubleshooting

Table 2 Troubleshooting

It is recommended that Apogee IR radiometer sensors are returned for recalibration every 2 years. Visit Apogee repairs (apogeeinstruments.com/recalibration-and-repairs) or contact Apogee Technical Support (techsupport@apogeeinstruments.com) for details.