Apogee Instruments SP-110-SS 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

PYRANOMETER

Models SP-110 and SP-230

(including SS models)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Owner’s Manual ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Certificate of Compliance......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Sensor Models ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Deployment and Installation.................................................................................................................................................... 9

Cable Connectors................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Operation and Measurement ................................................................................................................................................ 11

Maintenace and Recalibration............................................................................................................................................... 16

Troubleshooting and Customer Support................................................................................................................................ 18

Return and Warranty Policy................................................................................................................................................... 19

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: SP-110, SP-230

Type: Pyranometer

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 50581:2012 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 rely on the information provided to us by our material suppliers.

Signed for and on behalf of:

Apogee Instruments, October 2019

Bruce Bugbee

President

Apogee Instruments, Inc.

INTRODUCTION

Solar radiation at Earth’s surface is typically defined as total radiation across a wavelength range of 280 to 4000

nm (shortwave radiation). Total solar radiation, direct beam and diffuse, incident on a horizontal surface is defined

as global shortwave radiation, or shortwave irradiance (incident radiant flux), and is expressed in Watts per square

meter (W m-2, equal to Joules per second per square meter).

Pyranometers are sensors that measure global shortwave radiation. Apogee SP series pyranometers are silicon-cell

pyranometers, and are only sensitive to a portion of the solar spectrum, approximately 350-1100 nm

(approximately 80 % of total shortwave radiation is within this range). However, silicon-cell pyranometers are

calibrated to estimate total shortwave radiation across the entire solar spectrum. Silicon-cell pyranometer

specifications compare favorably to specifications for World Meteorological Organization (WMO) moderate and

good quality classifications and specifications for International Organization of Standardization (ISO) second class

and first class classifications, but because of limited spectral sensitivity, they do not meet the spectral specification

necessary for WMO or ISO certification.

Typical applications of silicon-cell pyranometers include incoming shortwave radiation measurement in

agricultural, ecological, and hydrological weather networks, and solar panel arrays.

Apogee Instruments SP series pyranometers consist of a cast acrylic diffuser (filter), photodiode, and signal

processing circuitry mounted in an anodized aluminum housing, and a cable to connect the sensor to a

measurement device. Sensors are potted solid with no internal air space and are designed for continuous total

shortwave radiation measurement on a planar surface in outdoor environments. SP series sensors output an

analog voltage that is directly proportional to total shortwave radiation from the sun. The voltage signal from the

sensor is directly proportional to radiation incident on a planar surface (does not have to be horizontal), where the

radiation emanates from all angles of a hemisphere.

SP-110

SP-230

SENSOR MODELS

This manual covers the unamplified models SP-110 and SP-230 pyranometer sensors that provide millivolt signals.

Additional models are covered in their respective manuals.

*Pyranometer model SP-230 is similar to model SP-110, but includes internal heaters designed to keep the diffuser

free of precipitation events such as dew or frost.

Model

Signal

SP-110

Self-powered

SP-230*

Self-powered

SP-212

0-2.5 V

SP-214

4-20 mA

SP-215

0-5 V

SP-420

USB

SP-421

SDI-12

SP-422

Modbus

Sensor model number and serial number are

located near the pigtail leads on the sensor cable.

If you need the manufacturing date of your

sensor, please contact Apogee Instruments with

the serial number of your sensor.

SPECIFICATIONS

Calibration Traceability

Apogee Instruments SP series pyranometers are calibrated through side-by-side comparison to the mean of four

Apogee model SP-110 transfer standard pyranometers (shortwave radiation reference) under high intensity

discharge metal halide lamps. The transfer standard pyranometers are calibrated through side-by-side comparison

to the mean of at least two ISO-classified reference pyranometers under sunlight (clear sky conditions) in Logan,

Utah. Each of four ISO-classified reference pyranometers are recalibrated on an alternating year schedule (two

instruments each year) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. NREL reference

standards are calibrated to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR) in Davos, Switzerland.

SP-110-SS

SP-230-SS

ISO 9060:2018

Class C (previously known as second class)

Heater

N/A

780 Ω, 15.4 mA current draw and 185 mW

power requirement at 12 V DC

Sensitivity

0.2 mV per W m-2

Calibration Factor

(Reciprocal of

Sensitivity)

5 W m-2 per mV

Calibration Uncertainty

± 5 % (see Calibration Traceability below)

Calibrated Output

Range

0 to 400 mV

Measurement

Repeatability

Less than 1 %

Long-term Drift

(Non-stability)

Less than 2 % per year

Non-linearity

Less than 1 % (up to 2000 W m-2)

Less than 1 % (up to 1750 W m-2)

Response Time

Less than 1 ms

Field of View

180°

Spectral Range

360 to 1120 nm (wavelengths where response is 10 % of maximum;

see Spectral Response below)

Directional (Cosine)

Response

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

Temperature Response

0.04 ± 0.04 % per C (see Temperature Response below)

Operating Environment

-40 to 70 C; 0 to 100 % relative humidity; can be submerged in water up to 30 m

Dimensions

24 mm diameter, 33 mm height

Mass

90 g (with 5 m of lead wire)

Cable

5 m of two conductor, shielded, twisted-pair wire; TPR jacket (high water resistance,

high UV stability, flexibility in cold conditions); pigtail lead wires; stainless steel (316),

M8 connector located 25 cm from sensor head

Spectral Response

Temperature Response

Mean temperature response of four

Apogee silicon-cell pyranometers.

Temperature response measurements

were made at approximately 10 C

intervals across a temperature range of

approximately -10 to 50 C under

sunlight. Each pyranometer had an

internal thermistor to measure

temperature. At each temperature set

point, a reference blackbody

pyranometer was used to measure solar

intensity.

Spectral response estimate of Apogee

silicon-cell pyranometers. Spectral

response was estimated by multiplying

the spectral response of the

photodiode, diffuser, and adhesive.

Spectral response measurements of

diffuser and adhesive were made with a

spectrometer, and spectral response

data for the photodiode were obtained

from the manufacturer.

Cosine Response

Mean cosine response of eleven Apogee

silicon-cell pyranometers (error bars

represent two standard deviations

above and below mean). Cosine

response measurements were made

during broadband outdoor radiometer

calibrations (BORCAL) performed during

two different years at the National

Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in

Golden, Colorado. Cosine response was

calculated as the relative difference of

pyranometer sensitivity at each solar

zenith angle to sensitivity at 45° solar

zenith angle. The blue symbols are AM

measurements, the red symbols are PM

measurements.

Directional, or cosine, response is

defined as the measurement error at

a specific angle of radiation incidence.

Error for Apogee silicon-cell

pyranometers is approximately ± 2 %

and ± 5 % at solar zenith angles of 45°

and 75°, respectively.

Important: Only use the nylon screw provided when mounting to

insulate the non-anodized threads of the aluminum sensor head

from the base to help prevent galvanic corrosion. For extended

submersion applications, more insulation may be necessary.

Contact Apogee tech support for details.

DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION

Mount the sensor to a solid surface with the nylon mounting screw provided. To accurately measure PPFD incident

on a horizontal surface, the sensor must be level. An Apogee Instruments model AL-100 Leveling Plate is

recommended to level the sensor when used on a flat surface or being mounted to surfaces such as wood. To

facilitate mounting on a mast or pipe, the Apogee Instruments model AL-120 Solar Mounting Bracket with Leveling

Plate is recommended.

Pyranometer model SP-230 comes with a plastic standoff which should be placed between the sensor head and

the leveling plate. The standoff allows for more efficient use of the internal heaters by minimizing possible heating

losses through conduction.

To minimize azimuth error, the sensor should be mounted with the cable pointing toward true north in the

northern hemisphere or true south in the southern hemisphere. Azimuth error is typically less than 1 %, but it is

easy to minimize by proper cable orientation.

In addition to orienting the cable to point toward the nearest pole, the sensor should also be mounted such that

obstructions (e.g., weather station tripod/tower or other instrumentation) do not shade the sensor. Once

mounted, the green cap should be removed from the sensor. The green cap can be used as a protective covering

for the sensor when it is not in use.

Model AL-100

Nylon Screw: 10-32x3/8

Model AL-120

CABLE CONNECTORS

Apogee started offering in-line cable connectors on

some bare-lead sensors in March 2018 to simplify the

process of removing sensors from weather stations for

calibration (the entire cable does not have to be

removed from the station and shipped with the sensor).

The ruggedized M8 connectors are rated IP68, made of

corrosion-resistant marine-grade stainless-steel, and

designed for extended use in harsh environmental

conditions.

Inline cable connectors are installed 30 cm from the

head

Instructions

Pins and Wiring Colors: All Apogee connectors have six

pins, but not all pins are used for every sensor. There

may also be unused wire colors inside the cable. To

simplify datalogger connection, we remove the unused

pigtail lead colors at the datalogger end of the cable.

If you ever need a replacement cable, please contact us

directly to ensure ordering the proper pigtail

configuration.

Alignment: When reconnecting your sensor, arrows on

the connector jacket and an aligning notch ensure

proper orientation.

Disconnection for extended periods: When

disconnecting the sensor for an extended period of time

from a station, protect the remaining half of the

connector still on the station from water and dirt with

electrical tape or other method.

A reference notch inside the connector ensures

proper alignment before tightening.

When sending sensors in for calibration, only send the

short end of the cable and half the connector.

Tightening: Connectors are designed to be firmly

finger-tightened only. There is an o-ring inside the

connector that can be overly compressed if a wrench is

used. Pay attention to thread alignment to avoid cross-

threading. When fully tightened, 1-2 threads may still

be visible.

*NOTE: To avoid damaging the pins inside the

connector, finger-tighten the connector by only turning

the metal nut. Do not tighten by turning the black

cable.

Finger-tighten firmly

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