Apogee Instruments MQ-501 User manual

APOGEE INSTRUMENTS, INC. | 721 WEST 1800 NORTH, LOGAN, UTAH 84321, USA

TEL: (435) 792-4700 | FAX: (435) 787-8268 | WEB: APOGEEINSTRUMENTS.COM

OWNER’S MANUAL

QUANTUM METER

Models MQ-501

Rev: 30-Aug-2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Owner’s Manual ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1 
Certificates of Compliance ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 5 
Sensor Models ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6 
Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7 
Deployment and Installation.................................................................................................................................................. 10 
Battery Installation and Replacement.................................................................................................................................... 11 
Operation and Measurement ................................................................................................................................................ 12 
Apogee AMS Software ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 
Maintenance and Recalibration............................................................................................................................................. 19 
Troubleshooting and Customer Support................................................................................................................................ 21 
Return and Warranty Policy................................................................................................................................................... 23 

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

EU Declaration of Conformity

This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer:

Apogee Instruments, Inc.

721 W 1800 N

Logan, Utah 84321

USA

for the following product(s):

Models: MQ-501

Type: Quantum Meter

The object of the declaration described above is in conformity with the relevant Union harmonization legislation:

2014/30/EU Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive

2011/65/EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS 2) Directive

2015/863/EU Amending Annex II to Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS 3)

Standards referenced during compliance assessment:

EN 61326-1:2013 Electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use –EMC requirements

EN 63000:2018 Technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic products with

respect to the restriction of hazardous substances

Please be advised that based on the information available to us from our raw material suppliers, the products

manufactured by us do not contain, as intentional additives, any of the restricted materials including lead (see

note below), mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated

diphenyls (PBDE), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and

diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). However, please note that articles containing greater than 0.1 % lead concentration

are RoHS 3 compliant using exemption 6c.

Further note that Apogee Instruments does not specifically run any analysis on our raw materials or end products

for the presence of these substances, but we rely on the information provided to us by our material suppliers.

Signed for and on behalf of:

Apogee Instruments, August 2022

Bruce Bugbee

President

Apogee Instruments, Inc.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE

UK Declaration of Conformity

This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer:

Apogee Instruments, Inc.

721 W 1800 N

Logan, Utah 84321

USA

for the following product(s):

Models: MQ-501

Type: Quantum Meter

The object of the declaration described above is in conformity with the relevant UK Statutory Instruments and

their amendments:

2016 No. 1091 The Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016

2012 No. 3032 The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic

Equipment Regulations 2012

Standards referenced during compliance assessment:

BS EN 61326-1:2013 Electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use –EMC requirements

BS EN 63000:2018 Technical documentation for the assessment of electrical and electronic products with

respect to the restriction of hazardous substances

Please be advised that based on the information available to us from our raw material suppliers, the products

manufactured by us do not contain, as intentional additives, any of the restricted materials including lead (see

note below), mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated

diphenyls (PBDE), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and

diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). However, please note that articles containing greater than 0.1 % lead concentration

are RoHS 3 compliant using exemption 6c.

Further note that Apogee Instruments does not specifically run any analysis on our raw materials or end products

for the presence of these substances, but we rely on the information provided to us by our material suppliers.

Signed for and on behalf of:

Apogee Instruments, August 2022

Bruce Bugbee

President

Apogee Instruments, Inc.

INTRODUCTION

Radiation that drives photosynthesis is called photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and is typically defined as

total radiation across a range of 400 to 700 nm. PAR is almost universally quantified as photosynthetic photon flux

density (PPFD), the sum of photons from 400 to 700 nm in units of micromoles per square meter per second (µmol

m-2 s-1, equal to microEinsteins m-2 s-1). While microEinsteins and micromoles are equal (one Einstein = one mole of

photons), the Einstein is not an SI unit, so expressing PPFD as µmol m-2 s-1 is preferred. Daily total PPFD is typically

reported in units of moles of photons per square meter per day (mol m-2 d-1) and is often called daily light integral

(DLI).

The acronym PPF is also used and refers to the photosynthetic photon flux. The acronyms PPF and PPFD refer to

the same variable. Both terms are used because there is not a universal definition of the term flux. Flux is

sometimes defined as per unit area per unit time and sometimes defined as per unit time only. PPFD is used in this

manual.

Sensors that measure PPFD are often called quantum sensors due to the quantized nature of radiation. A quantum

refers to the minimum quantity of radiation, one photon, involved in physical interactions (e.g., absorption by

photosynthetic pigments). In other words, one photon is a single quantum of radiation.

Typical applications of quantum sensors include measurement of incident PPFD on plant canopies in outdoor

environments or in greenhouses and growth chambers and reflected or under-canopy (transmitted) PPFD

measurement in the same environments.

Apogee Instruments MQ-501 quantum meters consist of a handheld meter, dedicated quantum sensor that is

connected by cable to an anodized aluminum housing, and AM-001 Meter Mounting Bracket. Sensors consist of a

cast acrylic diffuser (filter), photodiode, and are potted solid with no internal air space. MQ series quantum meters

provide a real-time PPFD reading on the LCD display, that determine the radiation incident on a planar surface

(does not have to be horizontal), where the radiation emanates from all angles of a hemisphere. MQ series

quantum meters include manual and automatic data logging features for making spot-check measurements.

SENSOR MODELS

Apogee MQ series quantum meters covered in this manual are self-contained and come complete with handheld

meter, sensor, and AM-001 Meter Mounting Bracket.

A sensor’s model number and serial number are

located on a label on the backside of the handheld

meter.

SPECIFICATIONS

Calibration Traceability

Apogee MQ series quantum meters are calibrated through side-by-side comparison to the mean of four transfer

standard quantum sensors under a reference lamp. The reference quantum sensors are recalibrated with a 200 W

quartz halogen lamp traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

MQ-501

Calibration Uncertainty

± 5 % (see calibration Traceability below)

Measurement Range

0 to 4000 µmol m-2 s-1

Measurement

Repeatability

Less than 0.5 %

Long-term Drift

(Non-stability)

Less than 2 % per year

Non-linearity

Less than 1 % (up to 4000 µmol m-2 s-1)

Response Time

Less than 1 ms

Field of View

180º

Spectral Range

389 to 692 nm ± 5 nm (wavelengths where response is greater than 50 %)

Spectral Selectivity

Less than 10 % from 412 to 682 nm ± 5 nm (see Spectral Response below)

Directional (Cosine)

Response

± 5 % at 75º zenith angle (see Cosine Response below)

Azimuth Error

Less than 0.5 %

Tilt Error

Less than 0.5 %

Temperature Response

-0.11 ± 0.04 % C-1 (see Temperature Response below)

Uncertainty in Daily Total

Less than 5 %

Detector

Blue-enhanced silicon photodidode

Housing

Anodized aluminum body with acrylic diffuser

IP Rating

IP68

Operating Environment

0 to 50 C; less than 90 % non-condensing relative humidity up to 30 C; less than 70 % non-

condensing relativity humidity from 30 to 50 C; separate sensors can be submerged in water up

to depth of 30 m

Meter Dimension

126 mm length, 70 mm width, 24 mm height

Sensor Dimensions

24 mm diameter; 37 mm height

Mass

180 g

Cable

Approximately 0.17 m of two conductor, shielded, twisted-pair wire; additional cable available;

TPR jacket

Spectral Response

Temperature Response

Mean temperature response of ten MQ-500

series quantum sensors (errors bars represent

two standard deviations above and below

mean). Temperature response measurements

were made at 10 C intervals across a

temperature range of approximately -10 to 40

C in a temperature-controlled chamber under a

fixed, broad spectrum, electric lamp. At each

temperature set point, a spectroradiometer

was used to measure light intensity from the

lamp and all quantum sensors were compared

to the spectroradiometer. The

spectroradiometer was mounted external to

the temperature control chamber and

remained at room temperature during the

experiment.

Mean spectral response measurements of six

replicate Apogee SQ-100X (original X) and

MQ-500 (full-spectrum) series quantum

sensors. Spectral response measurements

were made at 10 nm increments across a

wavelength range of 300 to 800 nm with a

monochromator and an attached electric

light source. Measured spectral data from

each quantum sensor were normalized by

the measured spectral response of the

monochromator/electric light combination,

which was measured with a

spectroradiometer.

Cosine Response

Directional (cosine) response is defined as

the measurement error at a specific angle of

radiation incidence. Error for Apogee MQ-

500 series quantum sensors is approximately

± 2 % and ± 5 % at solar zenith angles of 45°

and 75°, respectively.

Mean directional (cosine) response

of seven apogee MQ-500 series

quantum sensors. Directional

response measurements were made

on the rooftop of the Apogee

building in Logan, Utah. Directional

response was calculated as the

relative difference of MQ-500

quantum sensors from the mean of

replicate reference quantum sensors

(LI-COR models LI-190 and LI-190R,

Kipp & Zonen model PQS 1). Data

were also collected in the laboratory

using a reference lamp and

positioning the sensor at varying

angles.

DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION

The MQ-501 (blue sensor head pictured) is designed for spot-check measurements. To accurately measure PFFD

incident on a horizontal surface, the sensor must be level. For this purpose, the meter comes with the AM-001

meter mounting bracket to mount the sensor on a horizontal plane to the meter for simple spot-check

measurements.

NOTE: The handheld meter portion of the instrument is not waterproof. Do not get the meter wet or leave the

meter in high humidity environments for prolonged periods of time. Doing so can lead to corrosion that could void

the warranty.

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