Spectrum 6110FS User Manual Download Page 8

Connecting to a  

Computer  

The  data  port  on  the  underside  of  the  SC  900  meter 
(shown  above)  can  be  accessed  by  removing  the  plastic 
screw.  It is through this port that the meter is connected to 
either a PC or to a GPS unit. 
 
Connecting to a PC 
The  SC900  software  comes  with  a  gray  PC  interface  ca-
ble.    This  cable  connects  to  the  9-pin  serial  port  of  your 
computer and to the meter’s computer port.   The meter’s 
configuration  can  be  modified  by  clicking  on  the  Meter 
Settings  
button  (see  Meter  Settings,  p.  14).    The  Com 
Port, Meter Type,  Download,
 Clear Memory and Me-
ter  Settings
  buttons  are  explained  in  the  Main  Toolbar 
section (p. 12). 

SC 900 

data port  

  21 

Meter dimensions 

The following are the dimensions of the SC 900 Soil 
Compaction Meter.   

Meter 

7.25” 

19.75” 

8.5” 

12” 

Shaft  
Connection 

Cone Tip 

Summary of Contents for 6110FS

Page 1: ...East Plainfield IL 60585 800 248 8873 or 815 436 4440 FAX 815 436 4460 E Mail info specmeters com www specmeters com Technologies Inc Spectrum Catalog 6110FS User s manual SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter Technologies Inc Spectrum ...

Page 2: ...anagement 20 Meter Dimensions 21 Specifications 22 Appendix 1 Time Zone Corrections 23 Appendix 2 When to Replace the Cone 24 Warranty 26 This manual will familiarize you with the features and operation of your new Field ScoutTM SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter Please read this manual thoroughly before using your instrument For customer support or to place an order call Spectrum Technologies Inc 800 2...

Page 3: ...loss of the package by any shipping company 3 Thank you for purchasing the Field ScoutTM SC 900 Soil Compaction Meter This manual describes the features and operation of the meter Soil compaction prevents moisture penetration reduces fertilizer and chemical uptake and hinders plant root growth In some cases yield losses can run as high as 30 due to compaction This new electronic soil compac tion m...

Page 4: ...ion depths have been determined a much more effective tillage system can be employed The unit works as an efficient diagnostic tool as well as a management unit after the tillage operation has been performed One can determine how deep the soil has actually been worked and if the tillage operation has solved the compaction problems 25 When you are doing comparative analysis of the readings in a fie...

Page 5: ...ld of view ex tends about 30o from the shaft The sensor meas ures distance by emit ting a sound wave and measuring the travel time of the first reflected wave Usually this first reflection will come from the ground just ad jacent to the shaft However if an object with a surface oriented toward the sensor is within the field of view an erroneous depth measurement may be made This can lead to depth ...

Page 6: ...Logger 75 Full No GPS Found Sample meter power up screens with datalogger enabled left screen indicates GPS signal was found 0010 PSI 00 IN Logger OFF If when powered up the screen indicates the data logger is not activated see above screen no data will be stored by the meter The data logger can be activated through the SC 900 software see Meter Settings pg 14 23 Appendix 1 Time zone corrections T...

Page 7: ...ration cont Meter operation cont The START button readies the meter and datalogger to take a profile meas urement It must be pressed before every attempted profile measurement START After measuring a profile pressing the REVIEW button allows the user to see the cone index value at each depth As the button is pressed the display screen will scroll sequen tially through the entire profile REVIEW Imm...

Page 8: ...ce ca ble This cable connects to the 9 pin serial port of your computer and to the meter s computer port The meter s configuration can be modified by clicking on the Meter Settings button see Meter Settings p 14 The Com Port Meter Type Download Clear Memory and Me ter Settings buttons are explained in the Main Toolbar section p 12 SC 900 data port 21 Meter dimensions The following are the dimensio...

Page 9: ...ent 9 T h e c o m p u t e r Communications Port to which the PC 3 5 serial cable is connected can be identified by using a paper clip 1 Disconnect the serial cable from the meter 2 To bring up the Port Selection screen click on the Com Port Button select the com port to be tested and click the Port Test button Click the Test Port Now button If the message Connection OK is displayed another device ...

Page 10: ...al check that it has the following settings Data bits 8 Stop bits 1 Baud rate 4800 bps Parity None Timing 1 second GGA data string Spectrum GPS DGPS Cable SC900 Meter GPS Unit GPS computer interface cable Connecting to a GPS Unit 19 Warning Messages Cont This error message indi cates that the meter missed a depth reading This can be caused by a momentary but rapid insertion of the probe into the s...

Page 11: ... cannot compute the cone index You may see this message more often when taking readings in areas with non compacted zones beneath strongly compacted zones Start Over Insertion too fast 11 Calibration Calibration Calibration Calibration Battery Change Battery Change Battery Change Battery Change Calibration The reading of the meter s load cell can be recalibrated with the following procedure Note D...

Page 12: ...nd evenly so that there is not any side stress on the shaft If an error message is generated see Warning Messages pg 18 start over by removing probe and pushing the Start button 5 Remove probe gently If the profile was success fully measured the following message will be dis played 6 You can review compaction measurements increments by pushing the Review button You can also delete the profile by p...

Page 13: ...en soil surface you may need to use a target to ensure reliable performance see Depth Sensor p 5 It is advisable to smooth the soil surface as much as possible before inserting the probe As the probe is inserted into the soil the 0010 PSI 00 IN N 1 Profile Information Screen 13 Download To download data from the internal data logger turn the meter off and connect the gray serial cable to the RS 23...

Page 14: ...on If a signal is found position data will be stored along with the soil compaction data If no GPS signal is available when the logger is turned on the logger will no longer look for one when measuring and recording soil moisture data If the second box is 15 checked the logger will store the GPS value only if it has been differentially corrected If the differential correction is not found only the...

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