LX-8809A Data-logging Light Meter Manual

Introduction

This digital light meter is a precision instrument used to measure luminance by lux or footcandle. It meets the CIE photopic spectral response and is very compact , durable and easy to use. The light sensor used with this meter is a very hardwear ing sensor, with a long-life sil icon photo diode and spectral response filter.

Fea tures

> Measur ing levels for Lux range f rom: OLux ~ 400Lux, 400Lux ~ 4KLux, 4KLux ~ 40KLux, 40KLux ~ 400KLux.

> Measur ing levels for Footcandle range f rom: 4 0 F C ~ 400FC, 400FC - 4KFC, 4KFC -4 0 K F C .

> High accuracy and rapid response. > Data hold funct ion to f reeze the current

reading. > Easy to interrupt LCD screen, wi th symbols ,

units etc. > Automat ic zero ing, to ensure you a lways

obtain the best results. > Short rise and fall t imes. > Peak-hold funct ion which will tell you the

highest measurement detected. > Selectable units in Lux scale or FC scale.

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> Selectable auto-power off after 15 minutes or manua l power on/off.

> M a x i m u m and min imum ho ld . > Relat ive readings. > USB output for connect ing the meter to a

computer . > Space for 99 records that can be stored and

v iewed on the meter. > More than 16,000 readings can be recorded

using the data logger funct ion.

Speci f ica t ions

> A 3 to 4 digit display wi th a high speed 40 segment bar graph.

> Measur ing levels for Lux range f rom: OLux ~ 400Lux, 400Lux - 4KLux, 4KLux ~ 40KLux, 40KLux ~ 400KLux.

> Measur ing levels for Footcand le range f rom: 40FC - 400FC, 400FC ~ 4 K F C , 4KFC -4 0 K F C .

> If w rong range is selected 'OL ' will show on the L C D screen.

> CIE spect ra l response > Accuracy : ± 3 % rdg ±0 .5% f.s. (<10,000Lux)

± 4 % rdg ±10d . (>10,000Lux) > Sampl ing rate of 1.5 t imes per second

(selectable rate for data logging) .

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> Opera t ing temperature and humidity: 0°C ~ 40 °C and 0%rh ~ 8 0 % r h .

> Storage condit ions: -10°C - 50°C and 0%rh ~ 7 0 % r h .

> Power Source: 1 9V battery. > Lead length on light sensor : 150cm. > Light sensor d imens ions: 115L x 80W x 20H

( m m ) . > D imens ions of the meter : 170L x 80W x 4 0 H

(mm) . > We igh t of unit: 390g > Accessor ies include: carry case, instruct ion

manua l and battery.

1. Name and F u n c t i o n s

(1) P o w e r on/off button.

(2) L C D Display: Large and clear d isp lay that will show you the read ings detected by the light sensor , a bar g raph and other useful information

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Units Button: This a l lows you to change the units f rom Lux to footcandle, or vice versa when taking measurements wi th the meter. 1 F C = 10.76Lux Backl ight and Load Button: To work the back l ight press the button once for a second and a blue light will i l luminate the display. Th is can be turned off by pressing the button aga in . For memory , hold down the load button for about 4/5secs and MEM01 wil l appear in the right hand corner, indicating that there is no data in the memory. R E C a n d Setup Button: To record a reading press the record button once and MEM will appear again in the right hand corner with a number next to it, i.e. 37. Th is number indicates how many readings are stored in the meter and will change every t ime the record button is pressed. Setup wil l al low you to enter the setup mode to change the date, t ime, and sampl ing rate and enable or disable auto power off. Peak Hold Button: This button shows you the h ighest and lowest peak detected in the readings. Hold Button: By pressing this button you can f reeze the current reading on the display for manua l recording.

(8) R a n g e Button: A l lows you to change the range to suit your appl icat ion.

(9) Max/Min Button: Th is button will a l low you to v iew the max imum and min imum reading detected since the meter was turned on . It is not stored in the memory , so it will automatical ly refresh every t ime the mete r is tu rned on.

(10) R E L Button: A l lows you to view relat ive readings.

2. Operat ing Inst ruct ions

(1) To turn the meter on use the yel low 0 power button on the bot tom of the unit. If au to power off is d isab led, press the but ton aga in when recording has f inished to turn the meter off.

(2) Select the appropr iate unit for your measurements to be taken in, by using the uni ts ' button.

(3) It is very important that the black plastic cover, protect ing the whi te d iode is removed before use. Otherwise, the meter will cont inuously show '0 ' until the sensor is exposed to the l ight source being measured .

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(4) To d isable or enable auto power off. Hold down R E C / S e t u p button a n d R a n g e / A P O

Q) button until this symbol , appears or d isappears . If this symbo l is present on the bo t tom, left hand side of the L C D display, then auto power off has be enabled and the meter wil l turn off after approx. 15mins. If this symbo l is no longer vis ible, the meter can only be turned off manual ly.

(5) Before using the meter it is best to set the t ime, date and sampl ing rate for recording and stor ing your measurements . To enter this setup mode , hold down the R E C / S e t u p button and the UNITS button s imul taneous ly for a few seconds, until the word 'T ime' and the hour digit/s are f lash ing. You are now in the setup mode and the f irst th ing you will set is the t ime. The hour digit is a l ready f lashing, so this will be the first digit you wil l change, using the MAX/MIN or H O L D button. To change the minutes press R E L and change the digit using MAX or H O L D . Repeat this procedure to change the seconds , the sampl ing rate, the day, month and year. Y o u can scroll back through to check the in format ion. To save this data, press R E C / S e t u p and UNITS s imul taneous ly for one second.

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If 'OL' appears in the middle of the L C D display, the inst rument is detect ing readings out of the se lected range. When this appears keeping pressing the range button unti l 'OL' is replaced by digi ts. If this does not disappear, this cou ld be due to one of two reasons. One, the light source you are trying to detect a reading f rom is higher then the meters capaci ty, or two, the light sensor is broken. The range and unit that your meter is in can always be seen in the bot tom right hand corner.

To freeze any reading at any t ime, press the hold button and the meter will cease operat ion and noth ing will change on the display until hold is pressed again to release the meter back into measurement mode .

To see peak resul ts press the peak button once for Manu P M A X to appear at the bot tom of the LCD screen . This means you are currently v iewing the max imum peak in the readings, s ince the meter was turned on . When the button is pressed again, P M I N will appear and this will show the smal lest peak in the measurements . To exit peak mode completely, press the button aga in .

(9) F rom when the meter is swi tched on, it wil l automat ical ly store a max imum and m in imum read ing, which change every t ime the meter detects any readings that exceed the current m a x i m u m and m in imum. To view these va lues, press MAX/MIN button, once for MAX to appear and the max imum result wil l be shown in place of the current reading. T h e meter is still in opera t ion , whilst in this mode , so it will change when the max imum is exceeded . Press the but ton again to v iew the minimum value and again to exit this mode .

(10) To v iew a relative read ing, press the R E L but ton once and Manu will appear at the bot tom of the screen. The measurement shown in the middle of the display is the relat ive reading. Wha t this mode does for you is work out the di f ference between the first reading and second reading detected by the light sensor on the meter. For example, if the f irst reading was 60 and the second w a s 4 0 , the relative reading shown on the meter wou ld be 20 . So with every two readings that the meter takes the inst rument will automatical ly work out the relative reading. To exit the relat ive mode, press the R E L button.

Suppl ied wi th this unit is a U S B cab le , for connect ing your meter to the computer , to download any logged data in the meter and view the memory results, which are manual ly saved into the memory by pressing the L O A D button. On the left hand side of the unit, you

will see this symbo l , < J ^ ° . Above this symbol is the where the U S B cab le will connect into the meter. This symbo l will also display on the L C D s c r e e n when the meter has been connected to the computer .

The back light button is usefully in d imly lit areas where v iewing the display may be difficult. W h e n this button is pressed the L C D is brightly lit w i th a blue light.

When you have f inished using the meter, please ensure that the protective cap for the light sensor, is p laced back over the diode and the meter is correctly stored in the carrying case prov ided.

This meter does have a memory funct ion and a data logger funct ion. The memory is for manual ly recording the current reading by pressing the R E C / S e t u p button. T h e advantage wi th this is you can actual ly scroll through the saved data in the memory on your meter, wi thout hav ing to plug your meter into

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a pc. By holding d o w n the L O A D but ton for 5 seconds, you can access the memory and the meter will cease opera t ion , al lowing you to v iew the saved data by using MAX/MIN or H O L D . To return the instrument to normal operat ion, hold down L O A D for 5 seconds .

Once you have set your sampl ing rate on the meter, you have to manual ly tell the meter to start recording by hold ing MEM/Setup for 5 seconds. The wo rd MEM will cont inuously f lash in the top right hand corner, indicat ing that the meter is now in data logger mode and wil l cont inue f lashing until the meter is taken out of this mode by pressing MEM/Setup for 5 seconds. When the memory for data logging is full the letters ' O L ' wil l appear. Return the meter to normal operat ion by holding d o w n MEM/Setup, and then clear the data by holding down L O A D and MEM/Setup simul taneously.

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Battery C h e c k and Maintenance

This instrument is powered by a 9V battery and when this battery is running low a battery

symbol ~ wil l appear on the L C D screen indicating that the battery will need changing. To change the battery, ensure that the meter is switch off a n d remove the battery cover. Disconnect the battery f rom the instrument, replace wi th new battery and replace the battery cover.

To keep the meter working correct ly, regular maintenance is required. With a d a m p cloth, clean the whi te d iode on the light sensor, to remove any dirt or dust that may have settled upon it whi ls t in use. Do not store this instrument in any areas where the temperature or humidi ty is excessively h igh, as any melt ing of parts, or moisture in the componen ts could cause severe damage to the e lectronics of the unit. Cal ibrat ion of this instrument will vary, due to operat ing condit ions and regulat ions and it is usually recommended that the meter is calibration annual ly.

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Recommended Illumination

LOCATIONS Lux FC OFFICE Conference, Reception

room 200-750 18-70 OFFICE

Clerical work 700-1,500 65-140

OFFICE

Typing draftinq 1,000-2,000 93-186 FACTORY Visual work at production

line 300-750 28-70 FACTORY

Inspection work 750-1,500 70-140

FACTORY

Electronic parts assembly line

1,500-3,000 140-279

FACTORY

Packing work, Entrance passage

150-300 14-28

HOTEL Public room, Cloakroom 100-200 9-18 HOTEL Reception 200-500 18-47

HOTEL

Cashier 750-1,000 70-93 STORE Indoors Stairs Corridor 150-200 14-18 STORE

Show window, Packing table

750-1,500 70-140 STORE

Forefront of show window 1,500-3,000 140-279 HOSPITAL Sickroom, Warehouse 100-200 9-18 HOSPITAL

Medical Examination Room

300-750 28-70 HOSPITAL

Operating room, emergency treatment

750-1,500 70-140

SCHOOL Auditorium, Indoor Gymnasium

100-300 9-28 SCHOOL

Class room 200-750 18-70

SCHOOL

Laboratory, Library, Drafting, room

500-1,500 47-140

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5. Instal l ing the Software

(1) Start W i n d o w s

(2) Insert the C D into the CD dr ive.

(3) If instal l ing wizard does not appear automatical ly, al lowing you to install the sof tware. Go to S T A R T at the bot tom of the desktop then Run . . . then browse for L ight Meter (D:) wh ich is the name of the sof tware you wish to instal l .

(4) By cl icking on Light Meter (D:) it will open up the fi les s tored within the CD . O p e n the S E T U P file and fol low the instructions to install the software.

Once this is comple te you will see th is icon,

Light meter appear on your desktop. This means that

installation w a s successful , but before you can use the software you need to install the hardware. Do not remove the CD .

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T h e following inst ruct ions for install ing the hardware do not have to be done if y o u h a v e any of the following p r o d u c t s : SL-8851, S L - 8 8 5 2 or LX-1309. A s , all of these products are m a d e by the s a m e company and all work using the s a m e hardware .

6. Installing the Hardware

(1) Wi th the C D for the software still in the C D drive, turn the meter on and plug the meter into the computer using the U S B cable suppl ied wi th the meter.

(2) A t the bottom of the desktop, on the r ight hand s ide a message wil l show that the computer has detected new hardware in the USB port. Double c l ick on this message .

(3) By double cl icking on this message a w indow should appear ask ing you to install the hardware. On this window cl ick 'No, not this t ime', as you do not need to connect to the w indows update. Fol low the instruct ions to install the hardware, but before you press F IN ISH check that it reads CP2101 U S B C o m p o s i t e Device' in the w indow

this is the first hardware driver.

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(4) Once you have cl icked F INISH you will notice that the s a m e box asking you to install the hardware will appear again, this is to install the second driver. Install in the same way as you did for the previous driver. In the last w indow it should show CP2101 U S B to U A R T Br idge Controller' . Cl ick FINISH and both hardware dr ivers should now be instal led.

If you wish to un-install the dr ivers in the add or remove p rograms you will not f ind two separate drivers with the names 'CP2101 U S B Composi te Device' and CP2101 U S B to U A R T Bridge Controller ' . You' l l f ind one dr iver cal led 'CP210x U S B to U A R T Br idge Controller' this is because both drivers are saved together, so by un-instal l ing this you are in fact un-instal l ing both the dr ivers.

7. U s i n g the Software

(2)

Open the software and connect the meter to the computer wi th the U S B cable.

)FFLIN

Turn the meter on and hold down R E C / S e t u p button a n d R a n g e / A P O button until this

C) symbo l , ^ - ^ d isappears. If this symbo l is in the bot tom left hand corner, of

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the LCD screen , the software will not detect the meter. A s the auto power off wil l affect any down loads made on the sof tware and stop the connect ion when the unit powers off.

(3) On the sof tware you will see an image of your light meter that displays ' O F F L I N E ' on the screen. To create a connect ion go to C o m Port (C) and on the drop down menu select C o m 3 (M). T h e light meter image on the software should now be displaying the same information as your light meter. In some cases this com port wil l not work and C o m 4 (4) will have to be used instead, but this will work exactly the s a m e as it would wi th C o m 3 (M) selected.

Viewing Stored Data

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(1) Th is sof tware can be used to view stored data in the meter and to log da ta whilst the meter is connected to the computer . To view the data recorded by the meter using the data logger funct ion, go to DataLogger(D) on the menu bar at the top of the screen and a loading w indow saying ' L o g g i n g . . . ' will appear.

(2) W h e n the software has f in ished loading your data , a 'Light Datalogger G r a p h ' w indow will appear . In this window you will see a blank g raph , with a list of all your recorded data on the left hand side. Doub le cl ick on the data that you wish to view and a red line will appear on the graph.

(3) To z o o m in on certain ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ areas of the graph, put the cursor of the mouse on the graph and hold down the left hand cl ick, to draw a square over the area you w ish to zoom in o n . T o zoom in further, do the same thing aga in . To undo zoom go to Undozoom at the top of the screen.

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(4) At the top of the window you wil l see a tool cal led 'Y Ax is ' . If you click on this function a w indow called 'Y O F F S E T ( D I V ) ' will appear. Th is screen will a l low you to change the divisions on the g raph using the drop down menus.

(5) Once you have f inished with the data logger window, you can save your data and print it using the tool bar at the top of the screen.

(6) On your meter you can also save data in the memory of the instrument manual ly , by pressing R E C / S e t u p . To view this data you can either scrol l through the resul ts on the meter (see Operat ing Instruct ions, part 14). Or you can access them through the software, by clicking on the Mem(M) on the top of the software w indow. When this has been pressed a 'L ight Data List ' w indow, with a list of the results manual ly record wil l appear. You cannot v iew this data as a graph, but you can save and print the results.

YOrrSI I A n d Y t i A I N S Y Of FS6T(BV) Y GAMS/ON 1

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Record ing us ing the Software

(1) Using the software to record results is very s imple. Plug the meter in, as normal and go to this symbo l

B Set the sample rate and press ok. As

soon as you have done this, a red l ine wil l begin moving on the graph, recording the results direct f rom the light meter.

(2) W h e n you have f in ished recording press the

• . i . K M * .. i M

Sample M . ir Setup

Sample Rale [ i Sec

2 0

(3) With the g raph you can z o o m in on certain areas, like the data logger w indow, to see more deta i led results. To undo zoom use this

symbol , ® and the graph wil l return back to its or iginal state.

(4) Another similarity with the da ta logger w indow is you can set the divisions for the 'y' axis. However , recording using the software has an advantage . This advantage is you can see, very clear ly what the sample rate, t ime and date w a s of the recorded data and you can see a m a x i m u m and m in imum result and the t ime and date they were also recorded. An average result is also g iven.

(5) The resul ts can be printed and saved when recording is f in ished.

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