High Tide Aquatics

Old BAR PAR meter sensor

Do you want it?

  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .
rygh

rygh

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One of our PAR meters died.
I opened it up, and we talked to Apogee, but it simply is not worth fixing.

However, the sensor still works.
You can connect it to a Voltage Meter, read voltage in mV, and convert to PAR.
So it might be useful if someone wants it.

IMPORTANT:
That "Multiplier factor" is unknown. You would need to borrow the regular PAR meters
and play around with different light sources to determine a calibration number.
It is NOT 5. There are some web sites saying you can just multiply mV by 5, but they are wrong. It tried it, and it is way off.
In my garage, it was 800 mV.

If anyone is interested, add yourself to the poll.
On Monday next week, one of the BOD, who is not on the list, will randomly pick a name.
Like a raffle. Not first person to vote.

Pick up in Union City, near 880/Dumbarton.
Free.
Supporting members only!
Please do not pick this up just to resell on ebay.
 
So what will be required of whoever gets the meter:

- Cut the cable going from the sensor near the display box.
- Strip and connect the 2 wires to banana plugs or similar.
- Have or get a multimeter, connect plugs, when you take readings they will be in mV.
- Calibrate vs one of the new PAR meters in your tank to get a correction factor to multiply with going forward.

Similar to this setup:
http://www.neptuneaquatics.com/supply/apogee-par-reading-kit-multimeter

But as Mark said the multiplier WILL NOT be 5 as with that meter, you will have to figure it out for yourself.

Nice easy DIY project for someone, with result of having a PAR meter for yourself :)
 
Cable has already been cut.
You will get this.
IMG_0483.jpg
 
Here's the conversion list for the apogee black body sensors. I suspect that sensor is either the sq-110 or sq-120. None of these conversion factors seems to match up with a 800mv reading in your garage, unless you have very bright lights, so I suspect the sensor is also damaged.
Screenshot_20201207-132154_Chrome.jpg
 
It is 1.2V in full sun, 0.9V in shaded sun, 0.8V in my garage, 0V when my hand is over it.
I have a fancy Fluke multimeter.
From apogee MQ-200

Perhaps sensor is bad...
 
The unit is our MQ-200, not sure which sensor that corresponds to for the above table. I doubt the sensor is broken since it was working fine up until the box with the display and electronics broke. It’s worth testing in a tank with known PAR, rather than comparing to values we have no idea about. That will be part of the fun for the lucky winner lol.
 
And by the way when I said you would have to test it yourself to come up with a multiplier as opposed to assuming it is the same as some other meter, that was because the head technical rep at Apogee told me that when I asked.
 
JVU said:
And by the way when I said you would have to test it yourself to come up with a multiplier as opposed to assuming it is the same as some other meter, that was because the head technical rep at Apogee told me that when I asked.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I would have figured they use the same sensors as they sell as a stand alone sensor
 
Meshmez said:
Interesting. I would have figured they use the same sensors as they sell as a stand alone sensor
Click to expand...
I don’t totally understand, but he did say they calibrate each individual sensor in-house as needed for different uses. Since this sensor was never intended to be used stand-alone, it likely would have a calibration different from those that are.
 
I'm happy to make an embedded control box with a 1" OLED display that displays PAR values. (will use one of our other PAR meters to calibrate this one)
That way, we can keep it in the group :)

Similar to my homemade temperature and AQI monitor, but with a monochrome display:

39B4804B-7997-476F-BF69-843D9C96381F.jpeg
 
Last edited:
thesassyindian said:
I'm happy to make an embedded control box with a 1" OLED display that displays PAR values. (will use one of our other PAR meters to calibrate this one)
That way, we can keep it in the group :)

Similar to my homemade temperature and AQI monitor, but with a monochrome display:
Click to expand...

GREAT OFFER.

So a bit more background.
In the BOD meeting last weekend, we talked about retiring the meter.
One option was that I would buy a voltmeter, find a calibration number, and then we could keep the meter going in the group.
But:
We already have 3 PAR meters.
Those PAR meters are newer, with a slightly better sensor.
Someone on the meeting call said they may have another apogee to donate to the club.
Given the voltages, there are concerns about the sensor being good.
So we decided to retire it, and raffle it out for a fun project.

Your offer changes things of course because it is FAR better than a cheap voltmeter.
But it does not change all the other notes.
And I am reluctant to pull the plug on the raffle after others have already signed up for the poll.
Plus, while I am sure you will do your best, there are no guarantees.
Tough decision.....

Maybe other BOD or members have opinions.
 
rygh said:
GREAT OFFER.

So a bit more background.
In the BOD meeting last weekend, we talked about retiring the meter.
One option was that I would buy a voltmeter, find a calibration number, and then we could keep the meter going in the group.
But:
We already have 3 PAR meters.
Those PAR meters are newer, with a slightly better sensor.
Someone on the meeting call said they may have another apogee to donate to the club.
Given the voltages, there are concerns about the sensor being good.
So we decided to retire it, and raffle it out for a fun project.

Your offer changes things of course because it is FAR better than a cheap voltmeter.
But it does not change all the other notes.
And I am reluctant to pull the plug on the raffle after others have already signed up for the poll.
Plus, while I am sure you will do your best, there are no guarantees.
Tough decision.....

Maybe other BOD or members have opinions.
Click to expand...
Haha thanks! I don’t mean to take away from someone else’s raffle. I am fine with whatever the BODs decide :)

I will still offer help (if they need) to whoever wins the raffle:)
 
I get the reluctance to pulling the raffle, but if TSI (sorry, it's easier to type that) can make a decent enough box/setup for relatively cheap then might be worth wild to keep a 4th "I really don't care about extreme accuracy" PAR meter around.

Note to others, the cost to repair through Apogee would have cost pretty darn close to a new meter (the older kind) due to the corrosion that was on the mainboard & plugs and we'd have to reuse our sensor. So a repair path option didn't seem financially feasible at the time.
 
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