Apogee MP Series Owner's Manual

Solar radiation meter

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OWNER'S MANUAL

SOLAR RADIATION METER
Models MP-100 and MP-200
Rev: 1-Jun-2021
APOGEE INSTRUMENTS, INC. | 721 WEST 1800 NORTH, LOGAN, UTAH 84321, USA
TEL: (435) 792-4700 | FAX: (435) 787-8268 | WEB: APOGEEINSTRUMENTS.COM
Copyright © 2021 Apogee Instruments, Inc.

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Summary of Contents for Apogee MP Series

  • Page 1: Owner's Manual

    OWNER’S MANUAL SOLAR RADIATION METER Models MP-100 and MP-200 Rev: 1-Jun-2021 APOGEE INSTRUMENTS, INC. | 721 WEST 1800 NORTH, LOGAN, UTAH 84321, USA TEL: (435) 792-4700 | FAX: (435) 787-8268 | WEB: APOGEEINSTRUMENTS.COM Copyright © 2021 Apogee Instruments, Inc.
  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Specifications ................................... 6 Deployment and Installation ..............................9 Battery Installation and Replacement ............................ 10 Operation and Measurement ..............................11 Apogee AMS Software ................................15 Maintenance and Recalibration ............................. 17 Troubleshooting and Customer Support ..........................19 Return and Warranty Policy ..............................21...
  • Page 3: Certificate Of Compliance

    RoHS 3 compliant using exemption 6c. Further note that Apogee Instruments does not specifically run any analysis on our raw materials or end products for the presence of these substances, but rely on the information provided to us by our material suppliers.
  • Page 4: Introduction

    (MP-200). Integrated and separate sensors consist of a cast acrylic diffuser (filter), photodiode, and are potted solid with no internal air space. MP series meters provide a real-time irradiance reading on the LCD display that determines the radiation incident on a planar surface (does not have to be horizontal), where the radiation emanates from all angles of a hemisphere.
  • Page 5: Sensor Models

    SENSOR MODELS Apogee MP series solar radiation meters covered in this manual are self-contained and come complete with handheld meter and sensor. MP-100 MP-200 Sensor model number and serial number are located on a label on the backside of the handheld...
  • Page 6: Specifications

    UV stability, flexibility in cold conditions) Calibration Traceability Apogee Instruments MP series solar radiation meters are calibrated through side-by-side comparison to the mean of four Apogee model SP-110 transfer standard pyranometers (shortwave radiation reference) under high intensity discharge metal halide lamps. The transfer standard pyranometers are calibrated through side-by-side comparison to the mean of at least two ISO-classified reference pyranometers under sunlight (clear sky conditions) in Logan, Utah.
  • Page 7 Spectral Response Spectral response estimate of Apogee silicon-cell pyranometers. Spectral response was estimated by multiplying the spectral response of the photodiode, diffuser, and adhesive. Spectral response measurements of diffuser and adhesive were made with a spectrometer, and spectral response data for the photodiode were obtained from the manufacturer.
  • Page 8 Directional, or cosine, response is defined as the measurement error at a specific angle of radiation incidence. Error for Apogee silicon-cell pyranometers is approximately ± 2 % and ± 5 % at solar zenith angles of 45° and 75°, respectively.
  • Page 9: Deployment And Installation

    DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION Apogee MP series solar radiation meters are designed for spot-check measurements, and calculation of daily insolation (total solar radiation incident on a planar surface over the course of a day) through the built-in logging feature. To accurately measure global shortwave radiation incident on a horizontal surface, the sensor must be level.
  • Page 10: Battery Installation And Replacement

    BATTERY INSTALLATION AND REPLACEMENT Use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the screw from the battery cover. Remove the battery cover by slightly lifting and sliding the outer edge of the cover away from the meter. To power the meter, slide the included battery (CR2320) into the battery holder, after removing the battery door from the meter’s back panel.
  • Page 11: Operation And Measurement

    OPERATION AND MEASUREMENT MP series solar radiation meters are designed with a user-friendly interface allowing quick and easy measurements. 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.
  • Page 12 Downloading the stored measurements will require the AC-100 communication cable and software (sold separately). The meter outputs data using the UART protocol and requires the AC-100 to convert from UART to USB, so standard USB cables will not work. Set up instructions and software can be downloaded from the Apogee website (http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/ac-100-communcation-cable/).
  • Page 13 Spectral Errors for Measurements with Silicon-cell Pyranometers Apogee MP series solar radiation meters are calibrated under electric lamps in a calibration laboratory. The calibration procedure simulates calibration under clear sky conditions at a solar zenith angle of approximately 45°. However, due to the limited spectral sensitivity of silicon-cell pyranometers compared to the solar radiation spectrum (see graph below), spectral errors occur when measurements are made in conditions that differ from conditions the sensor was calibrated under (e.g., the solar spectrum differs in clear sky and cloudy conditions, thus...
  • Page 14 1.5. Spectral Errors for Shortwave Radiation Measurements with Apogee SP Series Pyranometers Radiation Source (Error Calculated Relative to Sun, Clear Sky) Error [%] Sun (Clear Sky)
  • Page 15: Apogee Ams Software

    APOGEE AMS SOFTWARE Downloading data to a computer requires the AC-100 communication cable and the free ApogeeAMS software. The meter outputs data using the UART protocol and requires the AC-100 to convert from UART to USB, so standard USB cables will not work.
  • Page 16 “Daily Totals” shows all of the saved Daily Light Integral (DLI) totals per day. Click “30 Min Avg” to see the meter’s 99, 30-minute averages. To analyze the data, click on “File” and “Save As” to save the data as a .csv file. Or, you can highlight the numbers, copy, and paste them into a blank Excel spreadsheet.
  • Page 17: Maintenance And Recalibration

    Although Apogee sensors are very stable, nominal accuracy drift is normal for all research-grade sensors. To ensure maximum accuracy, we generally recommend sensors are sent in for recalibration every two years, although you can often wait longer according to your particular tolerances.
  • Page 18 Homepage of the Clear Sky Calculator. Two calculators are available: One for pyranometers (total shortwave radiation) and one for quantum sensors (photosynthetic photon flux). Clear Sky Calculator for pyranometers. Site data are input in blue cells in middle of page and an estimate of total shortwave radiation is returned on right-hand side of page.
  • Page 19: Troubleshooting And Customer Support

    TROUBLESHOOTING AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT Verify Functionality Pressing the power button should activate the LCD and provide a real-time irradiance reading. Direct the sensor head toward a light source and verify the irradiance reading responds. Increase and decrease the distance from the sensor to the light source to verify that the reading changes proportionally (decreasing irradiance with increasing distance and increasing irradiance with decreasing distance).
  • Page 20 See Apogee webpage for further details on how to extend sensor cable length: (http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/how-to-make-a-weatherproof-cable-splice/).
  • Page 21: Return And Warranty Policy

    RETURN AND WARRANTY POLICY RETURN POLICY Apogee Instruments will accept returns within 30 days of purchase as long as the product is in new condition (to be determined by Apogee). Returns are subject to a 10 % restocking fee. WARRANTY POLICY...
  • Page 22 84321, USA 5. Upon receipt, Apogee Instruments will determine the cause of failure. If the product is found to be defective in terms of operation to the published specifications due to a failure of product materials or craftsmanship, Apogee Instruments will repair or replace the items free of charge.

This manual is also suitable for:

Mp-100Mp-200

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