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SFM1 Sap Flow Meter 

Quick Start Guide

Version 4.0 

29

/

10

/2014 

ICT International

Enabling better global research outcomes in soil,

plant & environmental monitoring.

Summary of Contents for SFM1

Page 1: ...SFM1 Sap Flow Meter Quick Start Guide Version 4 0 29 10 2014 ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring...

Page 2: ...B Driver 13 Turn the Instrument On 13 Connect to the Instrument via USB Cable 14 6 1 1 Connect via USB Cable 15 6 1 2 USB Connection Software Procedure Step 1 16 6 1 3 USB Connection Software Procedur...

Page 3: ...e Sensor 32 12 1 Measure Bark Depth 32 12 2 Determine Sapwood Thickness 33 12 3 Attach Installation Guide 35 12 4 Begin Drilling 36 12 5 Check the Holes are Parallel 36 12 6 Use Spacers 37 12 7 Greasi...

Page 4: ...ation These videos are located on the ICT YouTube site http www youtube com user ictintl WARNING The measurement needles of the SFM1 are made of hollow 1 3 mm stainless steel tubing They can easily be...

Page 5: ...eos http www youtube com user ictintl If you are unsure about anything regarding your Sap Flow Meter contact ICT International before use email sales ictinternational com au phone 61 2 6772 6770 ICT I...

Page 6: ...a Mac computer 2 3 Screen Resolution The ICT Instrument software is written to a fixed screen resolution of 857 x 660 dpi it does not Auto Resize and works best on current model laptops that have a sc...

Page 7: ...re that the power bus plugs do not separate from the instrument when removed from the power bus during wiring preparation and connection of external power ICT International Enabling better global rese...

Page 8: ...Power Supply to the Instrument 3 1 1 Individual Power Supply Connections ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring see pages 9 12 Remove both I...

Page 9: ...9 3 1 3 Connecting Power Directly via Solar Panel SFM1 ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring Solar Panel...

Page 10: ...l Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring SFM1 SFM1 12V Battery alone does not guarantee continuous operation or charging of the SFM1 CH24 Power Supply is a 24V...

Page 11: ...Connecting Power via External 12V Battery and Solar Panel Solar Panel Solar Regulator External 12V Battery ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monito...

Page 12: ...and Solar Panel via Daisy Chaining Note The External 12V Battery is polarized Solar Panel Solar Regulator External 12V Battery SFM1 SFM1 SFM1 ICT International Enabling better global research outcome...

Page 13: ...n the instrument is turned on the green light visible through the light tube adjacent to the communication port will flash rapidly for a few seconds during start up Once the SFM1 has started the green...

Page 14: ...etected by the computer automatically and the driver will also install automatically Double click the SFM1 software icon on the desktop to open the software ICT International Enabling better global re...

Page 15: ...15 6 1 1 Connect via USB Cable ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring USB Cable SFM1...

Page 16: ...Select Connect to SFM then select Find Devices to search for the target instrument Select the target instrument from the Available Devices within the Device Selection Window Click the icon Connect to...

Page 17: ...re Procedure Step 2 You must first choose the connection type USB then Click Find Devices to search for the instrument via USB cable ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil...

Page 18: ...lick Select Device You must click on the device that matches the serial number of the target SFM1 Double click on the device to connect Alternatively highlight then click select device to connect ICT...

Page 19: ...rdware via a USB Cable Connect the MCC1 to a computer via a USB Cable Double click the SFM Software icon on the Desktop to open the software and click the icon Connect to SFM USB Cable MCC1 19 ICT Int...

Page 20: ...MCC RF Connection Software Procedure Step 1 Change the Connection Type from USB to RF and click Find Devices When ICT Compatible RF Modem appears double click on it to bring up the RF Device Chooser...

Page 21: ...outine and search for instruments within range A set amount of time is used to find devices If they have not all appeared wait for 1 minute and perform a merged rescan to fill the list ICT Internation...

Page 22: ...MCC RF Connection Software Procedure Step 2 Click on Device After you highlight the device click Connect 22 ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monit...

Page 23: ...riginal text needs to be erased select the X next to the field you need to clear 2 Type in the desired description make sure to keep it short or abbreviated to a naming scheme 3 Select Update Sensor I...

Page 24: ...to scroll to the required values This is the same for both hours and minutes Alternatively you can type the value directly into each cell Then click update and the new date time will be saved to the...

Page 25: ...point would need to be used For reference The Inner measurement point is at 7 5mm from the tip of the neede and the Outer measurement point is at 22 5mm from the tip 9 2 Calculated Results The SFM1 c...

Page 26: ...below right is the recommended configuration for most sap flow applications It is logging raw heat pulse velocity on both Inner Outer measurement points of the needles All processing of data will be c...

Page 27: ...l stem temperatures at two points radially across the sap wood and the data can be post processed in Sap Flow Tool Software The advantage of this feature is that correction parameters can be collected...

Page 28: ...utes is adequate to achieve this and as such is the minimum recommended logging interval Shorter logging intervals are possible for academic research purposes Other typical logging intervals such as 1...

Page 29: ...downstream and upstream from the heater ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring A manual measurement option is also available which is conveni...

Page 30: ...1 taken from Marshall 1952 or specific values can be calculated based on the fresh weight fresh volume and dry weight calculations from a sample of the sapwood of the tree being measured Note If enter...

Page 31: ...l research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring The area of water conducting xylem or sapwood in which the water moves through the tree must be determined to calculate volumetric sap flow T...

Page 32: ...e horizontal plane in the vertical plane the screwdriver will merely split the fibres and Not provide measurement of where the bark phloem and cambium stop and the sapwood commence Hammer the screw dr...

Page 33: ...r boring the coring tool into the stem at least half way through the tree to ensure you pass through the sap wood into heartwood twist the handle in the opposite direction to break the core attachment...

Page 34: ...dyes may be required As an example Methyl Orange works well with many Eucalyptus species as it turns the sapwood yellow and the heartwood a deep red colour Now use a ruler or callipers to precisely me...

Page 35: ...ameter it may be necessary to pack the back of the installation guide with a stick to ensure a stable mounting of the guide on the stem This should then be held in place with clear adhesive or sticky...

Page 36: ...rill will fill with fibre and require cleaning Choosing to continue to drill with the flute full of fibre causes friction this generates heat As the drill bits are of very thin diameter heating of the...

Page 37: ...depth measurements and sapwood cores done initially If the bark thickness is greater than 10 mm thick it is recommended to remove some bark to allow the outer measurement point to sit 2 5 mm below th...

Page 38: ...ightly improve the thermal coupling of the needle to the stem and also minimise the cementing action of sap and gums produced by the tree in response to wounding around the invasive holes drilled into...

Page 39: ...cable of the measurement needles is created to take the strain off the cables Then fit the mounting bracket in place just below where you wish to drill the measurement point holes The bracket provides...

Page 40: ...40 12 9 Insulating Needles for Small Diameter Stems ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environmental monitoring...

Page 41: ...y Place your left hand index knuckle against the stem to brace as a pivot point and your right hand as a guide on the cable The right hand will not and should not apply any pulling force as this could...

Page 42: ...file exists on the MicroSD Card then a MS Windows Explorer window automatically loads providing a choice of directories to save the data file to The Default location is C Program Files ICT ICT SFM Th...

Page 43: ...ng numbers e g 001 002 003 each numerical increment designates the chronological downloading of the instrument and these files can be reloaded into SFT and stitched together to recover the lost data A...

Page 44: ...cured by a spring locking mechanism press on the edge of the card to release the spring then remove the card A pair of forceps or tweezers are very convenient to remove and insert the card into the sl...

Page 45: ...Card will not cause any problems for the SFM1 If an MicroSD Card is inserted into an instrument and a data file does not exist the next time a reading is logged the instrument will automatically crea...

Page 46: ...Processed results can be exported to a CSV file to import into your preferred spreadsheet or statistics software SFT Sap Flow Tool Software can facilitate direct comparison of measured sap flow data w...

Page 47: ...1 8905 0 9990 0 21 1 8909 0 0022 0 0003 1 0000 1 9572 0 9989 0 22 1 9554 0 0025 0 0004 1 0000 2 0267 0 9988 0 23 2 0226 0 0029 0 0004 1 0000 2 0991 0 9987 0 24 2 0685 0 0031 0 0005 1 0000 2 1482 0 998...

Page 48: ...onal com sales ictinternational com au Phone 61 2 6772 6770 Fax 61 2 6772 7616 PO Box 503 Armidale NSW Australia 2350 ICT International Enabling better global research outcomes in soil plant environme...

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