EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 Soil Moisture Sensors User’s Manual Version 10
Decagon Devices, Inc. 2365 NE Hopkins Court Pullman WA 99163 USA Trademarks: “ECH2O” is a registered trademark of Decagon, Devices, Inc All rights reserved.. ©2001-2010 Decagon Devices, Inc. All rights reserved.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Table of Contents Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Seller’s Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. About the EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 . .4 The EC-10 and EC-20 . . . . . . . . . .
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Table of Contents Sensor Calibration Values . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . 21 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 1. Introduction 1. Introduction Welcome Welcome to the EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 sensors for measuring soil water content. These innovative sensors will enable you to monitor soil moisture accurately and affordably. Specifications Measurement Time: 10ms (milliseconds) Accuracy: EC-10 and EC-20: ± .04 m3/m3 (±4%) < 0.5 dS/m With soil-specific calibration: ±.02 m3/m3 (±2%) EC-5: at least 0.03 m3/m3 all soils, up to 8 dS/m With soil-specific calibration: ±.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 1. Introduction Operating Environment: EC-10 and EC-20: 0 to 50°C EC-5: -40 to +60 °C Range of Measurement: EC-10 and EC-20: 0 to 40% VWC EC-5: 0 to saturation Sensor dimensions: EC-20: 25.4cm x 3.17cm x .15cm EC-10: 14.5cm x 3.17cm x .15cm EC-5: 8.9cm x 1.8cm x 0.7cm Cable length: 5m standard, custom lengths or extension cables are available Connector types: 3.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 1. Introduction Warranty Information The EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and a one-year warranty.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 2. About the EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 2. About the EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 The EC-10 and EC-20 The EC-10 and EC-20 measure the dielectric constant of the soil in order to find its volumetric water content. Since the dielectric constant of water is much higher than that of air or soil minerals, the dielectric constant of the soil is a sensitive measure of water content. The EC10 and EC-20 have a very low power requirement and high resolution.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 2. About the EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 Sensor Features Circuitry Sensor Fig.1: EC-20 diagram Fig. 2: EC-5 diagram Wiring Diagrams 3.5mm Plug Wiring The EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 come with a 3.5mm “stereo plug” connector.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 2. About the EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 ECH2O Check. Below is a diagram showing the wiring configuration for this connector. Analog out Ground Excitation Fig. 2: 3.5mm “Stereo Plug” wiring configuration Wiring to Non-Decagon Dataloggers Models with stripped and tinned leads are pre-configured for connecting to non-Decagon dataloggers. Simply wire the lead into the datalogger as described in “Connecting to a Datalogger” in Chapter 4. If your model uses the standard 3.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 2. About the EC-20, EC-10, EC-5 (shown in Fig. 3); the white wire is excitation, red is output, and the bare wire is ground. Analog out (Red) Ground (Bare) Sensor cable Excitation (White) Fig. 3: 3-wire cable wiring configuration Extended cable lengths Decagon supplies 50-foot (15.25m) and 10-foot (3m) extension cables for use with the EC-20, EC-10 and EC5 with the 3.5 mm connector . You can safely connect up to 4 of the 50-foot cables without signal attenuation.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 3. Installing the Sensors 3. Installing the Sensors When selecting a site for installation, it is important to remember that the soil adjacent to the sensor surface has the strongest influence on the sensor reading and that the sensor measures the volumetric water content. Therefore any air gaps or excessive soil compaction around the sensor can profoundly influence the readings.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 3. Installing the Sensors use an augur to reach the desired depth, then use the Installation Kit with extension rods to install the sensor. 2. Use a thin implement like a trenching shovel, gardening spade, or flat bar to make a pilot hole in the soil. Then insert the sensor into the hole, making sure the entire length of the sensor is covered.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 3. Installing the Sensors The sensor may be difficult to insert into extremely compact or dry soil. If you have difficulty inserting the sensor, try loosening the soil somewhat or wetting the soil. Never pound it in! 2. Carefully backfill the hole to match the bulk density of the surrounding soil. Be careful not to bend the black overmolding connecting the sensor to the cable. Orientation The sensor can be oriented in any direction.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data 4. Collecting Data Datalogger Requirements The EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 sensors are designed to work most efficiently with Decagon’s 5-channel Em5b, Em50, ProCheck or ECH2O Check handheld readout. All Decagon readout devices use either a 3.0V or 5V excitation. The sensors however, may be adapted for use with other dataloggers, such as those from Campbell Scientific, Inc., for example.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data only wastes battery power, but may, under certain circumstances, cause the sensor to exceed government specified limits on electromagnetic emissions. Connecting to a Datalogger Connect the wires to the datalogger as shown, with the supply wire connected to the excitation, the analog out wire to an analog input, and the bare ground wire to ground: Supply Exc. Analog out Ground L H G Analog In Datalogger Fig.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data ; White: Excitation Channel 1 ; Red: Input Single Ended Channel 1 ; Black: Ground *Table 1 Program 01: 1 Execution Interval (seconds) ; Factory calibration equations for ECH2O ; probes convert mV output of ECH2O to ; volumetric water content (VWC, m3/m3) ; EC-20: VWC = 0.00069 * mV - 0.29 ; EC-10: VWC = 0.00093 * mV - 0.376 ; EC-5: VWC = 0.00119 * mV - 0.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data SCWin (Short Cut) Directions Following are instructions for using our SCWin (Short Cut) program to read EC-5, EC-10 and EC-20 soil moisture sensors. 1. Download EchoCSI.zip from http://www.decagon.com/appnotes/EchoCSIappnote.pdf. 2. Unzip the folder EchoCSI.zip. 3. Locate the file containing SCWin.exe. It should be in C:\Program Files\Campbellsci\SCWin. Place the following files from the unzipped EchoCSI.zip folder into the folder with SCWin.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data 5. Select “New” to start a new program to read the EC20, EC-10 and EC-5. a. Select the datalogger you will be using to read the sensors. b. Select the measurement interval (a shorter measurement interval, i.e. 1 sec., is sometimes desirable when testing the sensor). 6. Click on Sensors (this should open a new page with a file tree on it). 7. Under the “Sensors” file tree, double-click on “Meteorological” and then select “Soil Moisture.” 8.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data sensors connected to a non-Decagon datalogger you will need to use the 2500 mV calibration. If you use any Decagon software (DataTrac, ECH2O Utility, etc.) or the user calibration menu in the ECH2O Check, you will need to use the RAW calibration. The difference between the two is the slope constant. To increase the resolution of the sensor output, Decagon uses all available increments of the 12-bit number (value of 4096) where the measurement is stored.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data to 8 dS/m. Its calibration equations are shown below for mineral soil, potting soil, and rockwool growing media: Dielectric Permittivity Dielectric permittivity can be used to determine volumetric water content using external published equations such as the Topp equation. Dielectric permittivity is given by = 1/(1.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data ø = 11.9 * 10-4 * mV - 0.401 (2) where mV is the output of the sensor when excited at 2500 mV. Please note that the equation will reach a maximum at ~60% volumetric water content (VWC) in pure water.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data ø = 6.28 * 10-7 * Raw2 + 1.37 x 10-4 * Raw - 0.183(5) for a Decagon datalogger or ø = 2.63 * 10-6 * mV2 + 5.07 x 10-4 * mV - 0.0394(6) for a datalogger with 2500 mV excitation.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual 4. Collecting Data Troubleshooting If you encounter problems with the EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5, they most likely will manifest themselves in the form of incorrect or erroneous readings. Before contacting Decagon about the sensor, do the following: •Check to make sure the connections to the datalogger are both correct and secure. •Ensure that your datalogger’s batteries are not dead or weakened.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Declaration of Conformity Declaration of Conformity Application of Council Directive:89/336/EE6 Standards to which conformityEN61326 : 1998 is declared:EN51022 : 1998 Manufacturer’s Name: Decagon Devices, Inc.
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Declaration of Conformity 22
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Index Index A Accuracy 1 C Calibration for EC-10 16 for EC-20 16 for EC-5 16 for mineral soil 17 for potting soil 18 for rockwool 18 Contact information 2 D Datalogger 2 connecting to 12 requirements 11 sample program 12 Declaration of conformity 21 Dielectric Permittivity 17 E EC-10 4 EC-20 4 EC-5 4 calibration 16 E-mail address 2 Extension cables 7 23
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Index I Installation 8 procedure 8 tips 8 M Measurement range 2 Mineral soil calibration 17 O Orientation of sensor 10 P Plug wiring configuration 5 Potting soil 18 Power requirements 1 Program 12 R Range 2 Removing the sensor 10 Rockwool 18 S Seller’s liability 3 Sensor calibration 15 installation instructions 8 24
EC-20, EC-10 and EC-5 User’s Manual Index orientation 10 specifications 1 Sensor orientation 10 Short Cut directions 14 Specifications 1 T Troubleshooting 20 W Warranty 3 Wiring diagram 5 Wiring diagrams 5 25
