User's Manual

ManualsBrandsPASCO Specialty & Mfg. ManualsStud SensorPASCO Specialty & Mfg. PASPort Soil Moisture Sensor PS-2163

Instruction Manual

012-10646A

PASPORT Soil Moisture Sensor

PS-2163

Included Equipment Part Number

1. PASPORT Soil Moisture Sensor PS-2163

2. Soil Moisture Probe Cable Assembly 514-10696

Accessory Equipment (See the PASCO Catalog for details)

PASPORT Soil Water Potential Probe (not included) PS-2513*

Compatible PASPORT Interfaces (See the PASCO Catalog for details)

Xplorer PS-2000

PowerLink PS-2001

Xplorer GLX PS-2002

SPARK Science Learning System PS-2008

SPARKlink PS-2009

USB Link PS-2100

PS-2513 Soil Water

Potential Probe

(not included)

*See the PASCO catalog or visit the PASCO web site at www.pasco.com

for more information about the PS-2513 Soil Water Potential Probe.

Summary of content (10 pages)

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Instruction Manual 012-10646A PASPORT Soil Moisture Sensor PS-2163 1 2 PS-2513 Soil Water Potential Probe (not included) Included Equipment Part Number 1. PASPORT Soil Moisture Sensor PS-2163 2.
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S o i l M o is t u r e S e n s o r Introduction Introduction The PASCO Model PS-2163 Soil Moisture Sensor works with a PASCO interface to collect soil moisture data. The sensor consists of the Soil Moisture Sensor box and the the Soil Moisture Probe (cable assembly). The sensor measures volumetric water content (VWC) percentage of a soil sample. Volumetric water content is the volume of soil water per unit of total volume. In simple terms, dry soil consists of solid material and air pockets.
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Model No.PS-2163 Setup Horizontal Orientation The probe can be oriented in any direction. However, orienting the flat side perpendicular to the surface of the soil will minimize the effects of downward water movement. The horizontal orientation of the probe makes sure that the soil moisture measurement is made at a particular soil depth. 10 cm Do not bend the cable too severely when putting the probe into the soil.
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Soil Moisture Sensor 3. Click Setup to begin data collection. To view and change the sample rate, click . Note that the best results are usually obtained with the sample rate left at the default setting of 10 Hz (10 measurements per second). Xplorer Setup Turn on the Xplorer and connect the Soil Moisture Sensor. The display will show “%VWC Potting S”. Press to begin data collection.
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Model No.PS-2163 Setup and soil conductivity because it operates at a high frequency. Therefore, its calibrations should apply for all potting soil, mineral soil, and rockwool. Selecting Soil Type In DataStudio, click Setup ( ) to open the Experiment Setup window. In the Experiment Setup window, click the menu button under “Unit of Measure” and select the soil type.
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Soil Moisture Sensor 2. Air dry the soil (spread the soil in a thin layer and use a fan to move air over the soil.) 3. Remove large objects from the soil and break up large clods so the soil can fit through a 5 mm mesh. 4. Pack the soil into the calibration container at approximately the field bulk density. 5. Insert the Soil Moisture Probe fully into the soil. Connect the probe to the sensor and the sensor to the interface and use the sensor to make a measurement in millivolts (mV).
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Model No.PS-2163 Setup Sample Calibration Data Sensor voltage output (mV) Sample Mass of Mass of 3 container + container + volume (cm ) moist soil (g) dry soil (g) Volume of water (cm3) VWC (cm3/cm3) 1 664 15.31 94.836 94.215 0.621 0.0406 2 764 15.31 96.433 95.194 1.239 0.0809 3 902 15.31 96.923 94.785 2.138 0.1396 4 1030 15.31 101.979 98.834 3.145 0.2054 5 1318 15.31 100.402 95.873 4.529 0.2958 6 1374 15.31 101.060 95.886 5.174 0.
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S o i l M o is t u r e S e n s o r PA S C O S o i l W a t e r P o t e n t i a l P r o b e ( P S - 2 5 1 3 ) PASCO Soil Water Potential Probe (PS-2513) Introduction There are two basic parameters that describe the state of water in soil: one is soil water content, or the amount of water per unit of soil, and the other is soil water potential, or the energy state of the water in the soil.
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Model No.PS-2163 Setup Setup Hardware Setup The following three steps can be performed in any order. 1. Connect the mini-DIN plug of the Soil Water Potential Probe cable to the front end of the Soil Moisture Sensor box. 2. Connect the Soil Moisture Sensor to a PASPORT interface. 3. If you will be using a computer, connect the PASPORT interface to the computer’s USB port. The mini-DIN plug on the Soil Water Potential Probe cable fits into the sensor box in only one way.
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Soil Moisture Sensor Specifications (PS-2513) Specifications (PS-2513) Calibration Sensor Range -10 to -50 kPa (pF 2 to pF 3.71) Accuracy ± 5% from -10 to -50 kPa ± 20% of reading from -50 to -500 kPa Resolution 1 kPa from -10 to -100 kPa 4 kPa from -100 to -500 kPa Power 25 mA at 2 to 5 V DC Operating Temperature 0 to + 50 °C Default Sample Rate 10 samples per second The Soil Water Potential Probe does not require any calibration by the user.