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OPERATION AND MEASUREMENT 

MQ series quantum meters are designed with a user-friendly interface allowing quick and easy measurements. 

 To power the meter, slide the included battery (CR2320) into the battery holder, after removing the battery door 

from the meter’s back panel. The positive side (designated by a “+” sign) should be facing out from the meter circuit board. 

 

Press the power button to activate the LCD display. After two minutes of non-activity the meter will revert to sleep 

mode and the display will shut off to conserve battery life. 

 Press the mode button to access the main menu, where the appropriate calibration (sunlight or electric light) and 

manual or automatic logging are selected, and where the meter can be reset. 

 Press the sample button to log a reading while taking manual measurements. 

 Press the up button to make selections in the main menu. This button is also used to view and scroll through the 

logged measurements on the LCD display. 

 Press the down button to make selections in the main menu. This button is also used to view and scroll through the 

logged measurements on the LCD display. 

 

Calibration:

 To choose between sunlight and electric light calibration, push the mode button once and use the up/down 

buttons to make the appropriate selection (SUN or ELEC). Once the desired mode is blinking, press the mode button three 

more times to exit the menu. 

Logging: 

To choose between manual or automatic logging, push the mode button twice and use the up/down buttons to 

make the appropriate selection (SMPL or LOG). Once the desired mode is blinking, press the mode button two more times to 

exit the menu. When in SMPL mode press the sample button to record up to 99 manual measurements (a counter in the 

upper right hand corner of the LCD display indicates the total number of saved measurements). When in LOG mode the 

meter will power on/off to make a measurement every 30 seconds. Every 30 minutes the meter will average the sixty 30 

second measurements and record the averaged value to memory. The meter can store up to 99 averages and will start to 

The LCD display consists of the total number of logged 
measurements in the upper right hand corner, the real-time PPFD 
value in the center, and the selected menu options along the 
bottom. 

Summary of Contents for MQ-100

Page 1: ...ENTS INC 721 WEST 1800 NORTH LOGAN UTAH 84321 USA TEL 435 792 4700 FAX 435 787 8268 WEB APOGEEINSTRUMENTS COM Copyright 2016 Apogee Instruments Inc OWNER S MANUAL QUANTUM METER Models MQ 100 MQ 200 and MQ 300 Series ...

Page 2: ... Certificate of Compliance 3 Introduction 4 Sensor Models 5 Specifications 6 Deployment and Installation 9 Operation and Measurement 10 Maintenance and Recalibration 14 Troubleshooting and Customer Support 15 Return and Warranty Policy 17 ...

Page 3: ...nt 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 in...

Page 4: ...ized 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 incoming PPFD measurement over plant canopies in outdoor environments or in greenhouses and growth chambers and reflected or un...

Page 5: ...easurements All sensors along the length of the line are connected in parallel and as a result Apogee line quantum meters display PPFD values that are averaged from the location of the individual sensors Sensor model number and serial number are located on a label on the backside of the handheld meter MQ 100 Meter w integral sensor MQ 200 Meter w separate sensor MQ 300 Series Meter w separate line...

Page 6: ...eatability Less than 1 Long term Drift Non stability Less than 2 per year Non linearity Less than 1 up to 3000 µmol m 2 s 1 Response Time Less than 1 ms Field of View 180º Spectral Range 410 to 655 nm wavelengths where response is greater than 50 of maximum see Spectral Response below Directional Cosine Response 5 at 75º zenith angle see Cosine Response below Temperature Response 0 06 0 06 per C s...

Page 7: ...sors 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 of six SQ series quantum sensors error bars represent two standard deviations above and below mean compared to PPFD weighting function Spectral response measurements were made at 10 nm increments acro...

Page 8: ...our reference thermopile pyranometers with solar zenith angle dependent factors applied to convert total shortwave radiation to PPFD Blue points represent the AM response and red points represent the PM response Directional or cosine response is defined as the measurement error at a specific angle of radiation incidence Error for Apogee SQ series quantum sensors is approximately 2 and 5 at solar z...

Page 9: ... with a different option for mounting the sensor to a horizontal plane MQ 300 series line quantum sensors are leveled using the built in bubble level located in the handle of the sensor In addition to leveling all sensors should also be mounted such that obstructions e g weather station tripod tower or other instrumentation do not shade the sensor The AL 210 leveling plate is recommended for use w...

Page 10: ...on is also used to view and scroll through the logged measurements on the LCD display Calibration To choose between sunlight and electric light calibration push the mode button once and use the up down buttons to make the appropriate selection SUN or ELEC Once the desired mode is blinking press the mode button three more times to exit the menu Logging To choose between manual or automatic logging ...

Page 11: ... T5 cool white fluorescent lamps will read approximately 12 low in sunlight In addition to PPFD measurements Apogee MQ series quantum meters can also be used to measure yield photon flux density YPF photon flux weighted according to the plant photosynthetic action spectrum McCree 1972 and summed YPFD is also expressed in units of µmol m 2 s 1 and is similar to PPFD but is typically more closely co...

Page 12: ...al Halide 6 0 6 4 High Pressure Sodium 0 8 7 2 Blue LED 448 nm peak 20 nm full width half maximum 12 7 8 0 Green LED 524 nm peak 30 nm full width half maximum 8 0 26 2 Red LED 635 nm peak 20 nm full width half maximum 4 8 6 2 Red Blue LED Mixture 85 Red 15 Blue 2 4 4 4 Red Green Blue LED Mixture 72 Red 16 Green 12 Blue 3 4 0 2 Cool White Fluorescent LED 4 6 0 6 Neutral White Fluorescent LED 6 7 5 ...

Page 13: ...or this effect underwater measurements are only relative which makes it difficult to compare light in different environments The original quantum sensors covered in this manual have an immersion effect correction factor of 1 08 If you wish to use your meter to make measurements underwater simply multiply the measured number by the immersion effect 1 08 When making underwater measurements only the ...

Page 14: ... the sky must be completely clear as reflected radiation from clouds causes incoming radiation to increase above the value predicted by the clear sky calculator Measured values of PPFD can exceed values predicted by the Clear Sky Calculator due to reflection from the sides and edges of clouds This reflection increases the incoming radiation The influence of high clouds typically shows up as spikes...

Page 15: ...icator please double check that the voltage of your new batter is above 2 8 V this is the threshold for the indicator to turn on Master Reset If a meter ever becomes non responsive or experiences anomalies such as a low battery indicator even after replacing the old battery a master reset can be performed that may correct the problem Note that a master reset will erase all logged measurements from...

Page 16: ...ertain applications It is possible to convert the PPFD value from a quantum sensor to other units but it requires spectral output of the radiation source of interest Conversion factors for common radiation sources can be found on the Unit Conversions page in the Support Center on the Apogee website http www apogeeinstruments com unit conversions A spreadsheet to convert PPFD to energy flux density...

Page 17: ...Improper installation or abuse 2 Operation of the instrument outside of its specified operating range 3 Natural occurrences such as lightning fire etc 4 Unauthorized modification 5 Improper or unauthorized repair Please note that nominal accuracy drift is normal over time Routine recalibration of sensors meters is considered part of proper maintenance and is not covered under warranty Who is Cover...

Page 18: ...nsible for any direct indirect incidental or consequential damages including but not limited to loss of income loss of revenue loss of profit loss of wages loss of time loss of sales accruement of debts or expenses injury to personal property or injury to any person or any other type of damage or loss This limited warranty and any disputes arising out of or in connection with this limited warranty...

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