Acclima SDI-12 User manual
USER MANUAL
Sensor Reader User Guide | Dec. 27, 2022 © 2023 Acclima, Inc. https://acclima.com
SDI-12 Sensor Reader
User Guide
Introducing Waveform Capture
USER MANUAL
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Table of Contents
Connecting a Sensor .................................................................2
Powering the Reader On or Off .................................................2
GPS and Time Settings .............................................................2
General Setup............................................................................5
Reading the Sensor ...................................................................6
Water Thresholds ......................................................................9
Data Options............................................................................13
Retrieving Your Data ...............................................................15
Upgrading the Reader's Firmware ...........................................16
Icon Tray Legend.....................................................................16
Charging the Reader Battery ...................................................16
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Connecting a Sensor
Plug the keyed male M-12 connector on the end of the sensor cable into
the M-12 port on the Acclima Sensor Reader.
Tighten the lock nut by turning it clockwise until it is finger-tight.
Powering the Reader On or Off
You can turn the Reader on or off at any time by pressing the red power
button.
Note: Whenever you press any button, do so firmly, then release.
GPS and Time Settings
To turn on the GPS radio, if you are on the 'Home' screen you will see a
menu of selections above the blue and white-striped membrane buttons.
Press (and release) the soft button under 'Radio'.
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Another screen will appear with one menu option 'GPS On'. Press the
same button to turn the GPS on.
Subsequently, you will see a stop-watch counter run as the Reader
synchronizes with GPS satellites overhead. (The time on your reader will
be updated by the satellites, but you may need go to the 'Home' screen,
choose 'Settings', then choose 'Set time' to change your time zone). It
usually takes 10 to 15 seconds to sync up and acquire the signal.
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This may vary depending on your geographic location and other factors
such as dense cloud cover and/or tall obstructions such as buildings and
trees with dense foliage. Try to have a direct line-of-sight to the sky from
horizon to horizon when turning on the GPS Radio. If a clear line-of-sight
from horizon to horizon isn't available try to find an area with a lot of
viewable sky.
Once the Reader has synced up with the GPS satellite system, you will
see the GPS coordinates and an estimated accuracy (given in meters).
It's also here on this screen that you are able to turn off the GPS Radio by
pressing the menu button under 'GPS Off'. When the GPS contacts the
satellite system the time on the Reader will also sync.
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To return to the 'Home' screen at any time you simply need to press the
blue 'Home' button as shown below and the screen on the left will appear .
General Setup
To ensure that your sensor is properly connected to the Reader, press the
'Sensor' button on the 'Home' screen.
Then press the 'Detect' button on the subsequent 'Sensor Setup' screen.
An address, model, and serial number should be detected and show on
the screen. The length of the sensor waveguide rods, the hardware and
firmware versions will also be displayed.
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When you press the 'Settings' button on the 'Home' screen, the following
screen will appear.
You can configure the sleep or power down time settings by toggling the
'Sleep' button through eight different options. One of the options is to
disable sleep mode. Toggle the '12/24 Hr' button for one of those two
preferences. For setting the time, refer back to GPS and Time Settings.
Reading the Sensor
Any time you want to take a sensor reading, press the green 'Read
Sensor' button.
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A screen like the following will appear.
When you are on the 'Sensor Reading' screen, you can generate a
waveform of the latest reading by pressing the button on the right, 'Show
Waveform'. A waveform will be presented within about five seconds. To
return to the 'Reading' view, just press the 'Show Reading' button.
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Only Acclima sensors with WAVEFORM CAPTURE labeling
will be able to provide waveform data.
To look at the statistics, press the 'Stats' button.
To show the last reading, press 'Show Reading' from the menu. If you
select the 'Stats' button notice that it will display the number of readings
from which the averages, maximums and minimums are taken.
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To disregard previous readings and begin a new set you will need to press
the 'Clear' button.
If you are on any four of the 'Sensor Reading', 'Waveform',
'Reading Statistics', or 'Reading Analysis' screens,
pressing the 'Read Sensor' button will refresh that
particular screen with the newest data taken into account.
Water Thresholds
The 'Sensor Reading' screen presents the volumetric water content as a
percentage, soil temperature in Celsius (will only be accurate if sensor is
in subsurface soil for several hours or longer), permittivity, and bulk
electrical conductivity in μS per centimeter.
If you press the 'Analysis' button you will be presented with the 'Reading
Analysis' screen which can be useful for indicating the fill level of the soil's
field capacity (FC).
To be accurate you must push the 'Thresholds' button and select the
proper settings for the soil you are reading.
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