FieldScout SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter
Contents
1. Start Over I Depth Error DATA MANAGEMENT DATA MANAGEMENT CONT af H eusian ale bo kie m ee fs ame ia fe 3 Com Port The gray software cable connects the meter to the computer data port Select the Com Port that is connected to the computer data port Download To download data from the internal datalogger turn the meter off and connect the gray serial cable to the RS 232 port on the underside of the meter Click the Download button on the main software screen In the Save Data As screen give the file a descriptive name and select the location where it will be saved Clear Memory Data is not automatically removed from the logger memory after a download The Clear Memory button clears all data from the logger memory Meter Settings Click this button to configure the datalogger Refer to Meter Set tings p 6 for more details 1 1S dpan H ir 1 E 4 i e E Piso a JF Sample data showing results of data collected with and without GPS activated Note GPS signal not found when recording first four sam ple numbers The data is stored in comma delimited text files These files can be opened with text editing software e g Microsoft Word or spread sheet software e g Excel The first two lines of the data file give the logger s name and serial number The third line indicates that latitude and longitude are refer enced to the 1984 World Geologic Survey datum The fo2. METER SETTINGS The Meter Settings screen in the Field Scout Soil Compaction Meter software is used to configure the meter and datalogger for your spe cific application This screen can be accessed by clicking on the Log ging Properties button on the main software screen see pg 3 The fields are described below Meter Name The name given the meter will be the title on the first line of the downloaded text file METER SETTINGS Logger Settings The datalogger is enabled and disabled by checking the first box If the datalogger is enabled it will search for a GPS sig nal when the meter is turned on Ifa signal 1s found position data will be stored along with the soil moisture data If no GPS signal is avail able when the logger is turned on the logger will no longer look for one when measuring and recording soil moisture data If the second box is checked the logger will store the GPS value only if it has been differentially corrected If the differential correction is not found only the soil moisture value will be stored in the data file A time zone correction should be entered in the third box Appendix 1 pg 23 lists time zone corrections for several cities Measurement Units The meter can be configured to display and re cord data in English units Cone Index in PSI and depth in inches or SI units Cone Index in kPa and depth in centimeters Mele Soitimme Meter Indo Bene of SU Mode Ff SL SU Met
3. is advis able to smooth the soil surface as much as possible before insert ing the probe As the probe is inserted into the soil the depth measurement on the display will increase in 1 inch increments The cone index will change in response to soil compaction differ ences Push probe into ground slowly and evenly so that there is not any side stress on the shaft If an error message is generated see Warning Messages pg 8 start over by removing probe and pushing the Start button MEASUREMENT PROCEDURE 5 Remove probe gently If the profile was successfully measured the following message will be displayed Reading Complete Review Mode 6 You can review compaction measurements increments by pushing the Review button You can also delete the profile by pushing the Delete button See Meter Operation pg 3 for details 7 Press Start to ready the probe for the next measurement Geo Referencing Compaction Measurements To Geo Reference you will need to connect a GPS DGPS unit to SC 900 and proceed as described above The GPS format should be NMEA 0183 See Connecting to a GPS Unit pg 5 for further de tails WARNING MESSAGES If the meter 1s unable to successfully measure a soil compaction pro file t will display one of the following warning messages and no data will be sent to the datalogger In these instances it is necessary to withdraw the probe from the soil if necessary and
4. recommended that the cone be replaced when the shoulder is not easily recognizable as a shoulder anymore Figure 3 New 0 505 Replace the cone as follows 1 Lay meter on its side 2 Unscrew worn cone by hand or with a pair of pliers 3 Attach new cone into meter shaft 4 Tighten to a snug fit with hands or pliers Be careful not to imprint the cone with pliers Replacement cones can be ordered from Spectrum Technologies or an authorized Spectrum Dealer SPECIFICATIONS APPENDIX 1 TIME ZONE CORRECTIONS Measurement Cone Index PSI or kPa Units Time Zone City Correction Resolution 1 2 5 cm 5 PSI 35 kPa 0 Dublin Lisbon London Accuracy 0 5 1 25 em 15 PSI 103 kPa 3 Rio de Janeiro Montevideo 4 Asuncion Range 0 18 0 45 cm 5 Atlanta Indianapolis New York Ottawa Bogota 0 LOOOPSI 0 7000 kPa Montreal Toronto Maram 72 in min 182 cm min 6 Guatemala City Houston New Orleans Chicago Mexico City Winnipeg Insertion Speed Phoenix Denver Edmonton Maximum 210 lbs 8 San Francisco Los Angeles Vancouver 3 Applied Load Anchorage Power 2 AA alkaline batteries Approximately 12 month life 10 Honolulu 11 Wellington Logger Capacity 772 profiles without GPS 579 profiles with GPS DGPS 13 Adelaide Melbourne Sydney 14 Vladivostok Brisbane 15 Seoul Tokyo 16 Beijing Hong Kong Manila Singapore Taipei Display 16 character 2 line LCD Weight 2 75 lbs 1 25 kg 17 H
5. USER S MANUAL CATALOG 6110FS FIELDSC SE 900 Soil Compaction Meter Spectrum Technologies Inc CONTENTS General Overview Meter Dimensions Taking Compaction Measurements Meter Operation Connecting to a Computer Connecting to a GPS Unit Depth Sensor Calibration Meter Settings Measurement Procedure Warning Messages 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 8 9 Data Management Determining When to Replace Cone Specifications Appendix 1 Time Zone Corrections Warranty This manual will familiarize you with the features and operation of your new Field Scout SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter Please read this manual thoroughly before using your instrument For customer support or to place an order call Spectrum Technologies Inc 800 248 8873 or 815 436 4440 between 7 30 am and 5 30 p m CST FAX 815 436 4460 E Mail info specmeters com www specmeters com Spectrum Technologies Inc at 23839 W Andrew Rd GENERAL OVERVIEW Thank you for purchasing the Field Scout SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter This manual describes the features and operation of the meter Soil compaction prevents moisture penetration reduces fertilizer and chemical uptake and hinders plant root growth In some cases yield losses can run as high as 30 due to compaction This new electronic soil compaction meter is the most versatile compaction meter on the market Soil depth readings are determined by a sonic depth se
6. anoi Jakarta Vientiane 18 Calcutta New Delhi 19 Kabul Islamabad 20 Tehran Abu Dhabi Dubai 21 Moscow Nairobi Kampala Riyadh 22 Ankara Athens Helsinki Istanbul Cairo Johannesburg Harare 23 Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Geneva Paris Prague Rome Brussels Madrid Stockholm Warsaw Lagos 11 WARRANTY The Field Scout SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 1 year from the date of original purchase During the warranty period Spectrum will at its option either repair or replace products that prove to be defective This warranty is void if the product has been damaged by customer error or negligence or if there has been an unauthorized modification Returning Products to Spectrum Before returning a failed unit you must obtain a Returned Goods Authorization RGA number from Spectrum You must ship the product s properly packaged against further damage back to Spectrum at your expense with the RGA number marked clearly on the outside of the package Spectrum is not responsible for any package that is returned without a valid RGA number or for the loss of the package by any shipping company Spectrum Technologies Inc 23839 W Andrew Rd Plainfield IL 60544 800 248 8873 or 815 436 4440 FAX 815 436 4460 E Mail info specmeters com www specmeters com
7. er Mone Specinun Max Lereglh 32 Chai acters Fenai Vaia 1 0 L j Stra Enable Meter s Logging Function Must Bt Checked to Log Daal fe Sel Mele lo econ On GPS Aeadesg eth Diberi Cisie 5 Enit Tiie Jana Ganache Aine S het SA Larina T eres 27 tt besaurrean Lira RE PSlArnch s DEP Aem Lancel MEASUREMENT PROCEDURE Recording the best quality data requires some practice Your objective is to uniformly push the probe into the ground using an even motion The programmed rate specified in the ASAE standards is approximately 2 seconds per 2 inches If this rate 1s exceeded the meter will show an Error display see Warning Messages pg 8 To take a profile measurement l Push and release Start button 2 Wait for LCD to display the profile information screen The top line shows the current cone index and the depth At the surface the depth will be zero The second line indicates how many pro files have been taken This resets to 1 every time the meter is turned on 0010 PSI 00 IN N 1 Profile Information Screen Stand with your feet at least 4 to 6 inches from the probe tip This ensures the sonic depth sensor will measure accurately Tall nearby objects or walls will also inhibit the ability of the depth sensor to see the ground surface If you are working in turf or an especially uneven soil surface you may need to use a target to ensure reliable performance see Depth Sensor p 7 It
8. hit the START button to continue using the meter see Measurement Procedure pg 7 Warning Messages Start Over The meter cannot begin taking Depth gt zero readings until the probe senses the tip is at the soil surface The meter can sense a false non zero depth if the user s feet are too close to the shaft if an object such as a tree or large plant is near the measurement area or if debris such as roots soil or leaf matter 1s clinging to the shaft If the meter is inserted faster than the speed allowed by the ASAE standard 2 inches per 2 seconds the meter cannot compute the cone index You may see this message more often when taking readings in areas with non compacted zones beneath strongly compacted zones Start Over Insertion too fast WARNING MESSAGES CONT Start Over The maximum load the load Excessive Force cell can withstand is 250 Ibs 113 kg Exceeding this limit can cause perma nent damage to the meter The Excessive Force warning message appears when 210 Ibs 95 kg or more 1s applied to the load cell This error message indi cates that the meter missed a depth reading This can be caused by a momentary but rapid insertion of the probe into the soil or by an object such as a foot or a knee suddenly coming into the field of view of the sonic depth sensor Indicates the batteries need Low Batter to be changed The battery compartment is located be neath the face of the meter
9. n Data Management pg 9 Spock cifro Ire Fide Lop Hh TTE ELSA oo CONNECTING TO A GPS UNIT Cable Connections A GPS DGPS cable item 2950C 1s required to connect the SC900 meter to a GPS unit This cable has a 9 pin male connection and a stereo pin that connects to the meter s data port You will also need a cable that allows the GPS unit to connect to a 9 pin male serial port If this cable doesn t come standard with your GPS unit it should be available from the manufacturer This cable is generally used to up load information from a computer to the GPS unit These components should be connected as shown in figure X GPS Setting Your GPS unit must be set for NMEA 0183 input output messages If the meter has trouble receiving the GPS signal check that it has the following settings Data bits 8 Stop bits 1 Baud rate 4800 bps Parity None Timing 1 second GGA data string GPS Unit Spectrum GPS com puter GPS DGPS interface cable Cable Connecting the SC900 meter to a GPS unit DEPTH SENSOR An ultrasonic sensor located at the base of the meter is used to meas ure the depth of penetration The field of view extends about 30 from the shaft The sensor meas ures distance by emitting a sound wave and measuring the travel time of the first reflected wave Usually this first reflection will come from the ground just adja cent to the shaft However if an object with a surface orien
10. nsor Cone index values are measured by a load cell sensor and can be dis played in PSI or kPa The Field Scout s shaft mounted probe allows the user to easily and rapidly take many measurements The shaft can be dissembled into 2 pieces for easy storage and transport The meter s built in datalogger can record data from several sites and eliminates the need to record data manually Through the software the user can download the data change the logger settings and configure the meter METER DIMENSIONS The following are the dimensions of the SC 900 Soil Compaction Me ter z Meter To pd y A 8 5 I Shaft Connection 19 75 y lt Cone Tip TAKING COMPACTION MEASUREMENTS The SC 900 is a state of the art electronic cone penetrometer for use in soil density trafficability and compaction studies This soil com paction instrument measures cone index data logs the data and allows the user to review the data to make soil management decisions It 1s recommended that compaction measurements be taken after a rain or in the spring when the soils have good moisture content Measuring soil compaction in dry soil conditions will not yield mean ingful results The SC 900 compaction meter should be used before tillage to deter mine where the compacted areas of a field plot are Once the com pacted areas along with compaction depths have been de
11. ted to ward the sensor 1s within the field j of view an erroneous depth meas urement may be made This can lead to depth error messages see j Warning Messages p 15 If possible try to remove the object and or smooth the surface Repo sitioning your feet and knees may j also eliminate these errors If the ag pe la gt perenne o Reimer ee gt Depth Sensor problem persists use a flat target surface with a hole slightly large than the diameter of the cone to test the depth sensor and if necessary to take measurements This target should be about 1 foot wide and can be made out of cardboard or something sturdier 1f more durability is required To test the sensor lay the target on the ground and place the shaft in the hole Have another person slowly raise the target while you verify the meter is incrementing the depth CALIBRATION The reading of the meter s load cell can be recalibrated with the fol lowing procedure Note During the calibration procedure care must be taken to ensure that the only force on the load cell is the weight of the me ter itself 1 Balance the meter in an upright position on a hard surface 2 Press and hold the READ button 3 With the READ button depressed press and release the ON but ton The LCD will count down from 5 to 1 4 The meter should now read between 5 and 10 P S I 35 70 Kpa This reflects the weight of the meter itself
12. termined a much more effective tillage system can be employed The unit works as an efficient diagnostic tool as well as a management unit after the tillage operation has been performed One can determine how deep the soil has actually been worked and if the tillage operation has solved the compaction problems METER OPERATION The ON switch turns the meter datalogger on and off When the meter is turned on it will dis play the battery status for 3 seconds For the next 3 seconds it will display how much logger memory has been used and if the logger was en abled in the software whether the GPS signal was found If a GPS signal is found latitude and longitude data will be included in the data file Logger 75 Full Logger 75 Full GPS Yes DGPS No No GPS Found Sample meter power up screens with datalogger enabled left screen indicates GPS signal was found The meter will then be ready to take readings see Measurement Pro cedure pg 7 Note If you are using GPS but the meter doesn t find the GPS signal when powering up the meter will not search for the GPS signal when taking readings Turn the meter off and on so it can look for the GPS signal Once the signal is found GPS information will be included in the data file until the signal is lost or the GPS unit is disconnected from the meter 0010 PSI 00 IN Logger OFF If when powered up the screen indicates the data logger is not acti vated see abo
13. urth line shows the cone index unit system The fifth line shows the column headings for the rest of the data file Each row of data represents a measurement profile Logging sessions are started and completed by turning the meter on and off The start of a logging session is indicated by the data line Logger Started Ifa GPS signal was found at the start of a logger session a time stamp is included on the Logger Started line DETERMINING WHEN TO REPLACE CONE Repeated soil sampling will wear down the metal cone Periodically measure the diameter of the cone using a dial caliper or micrometer that allows you 0 001 inch measurements Place the caliper micrometer on the shoulder of the cone Figure 1 shows the proper placement and Figure 2 the layout of the shoulder Figure 2 Shoulder The determination as to when to replace the cone will depend on how the user 1s applying the meter If you are using the meter to get absolute compaction readings replace the cone when there is a wear factor of 3 Three percent wear affects the cone index measurements by 5 A new cone has a diameter of 0 505 see Figure 3 When the cone diameter reaches 0 490 3 wear replace the cone 10 DETERMINING WHEN TO REPLACE CONE When you are doing comparative analysis of the readings in a field or a plot the measurements will be consecutive The amount of wear of the cone will not be a factor In this case it is
14. ve screen no data will be stored by the meter The data logger can be activated through the SC 900 software see Meter Settings pg 12 METER OPERATION CONT Immediately after the meter has successfully taken a full profile measurement but before measuring another profile the DELETE button will delete the profile before that has just been sent to the datalogger The screen will then dis DELETE play the following message Reading Deleted After measuring a profile pressing the RE VIEW button allows the user to see the cone index value at each depth As the button is pressed the display screen will scroll se quentially through the entire profile The START button readies the meter and data logger to take a profile measurement It must be pressed before every attempted profile measure ment CONNECTING TO A COMPUTER SC 900 data port The data port on the underside of the SC 900 meter shown above can be accessed by removing the plastic screw It is through this port that the meter is connected to either a PC or to a GPS unit Connecting to a PC The SC900 software comes with a gray PC interface cable This cable connects to the 9 pin serial port of your computer and to the meter s computer port The meter s configuration can be modified by click ing on the Logging Properties button see Meter Settings pg 12 The Com Port Download and Clear Memory buttons are explained i
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