Par Meter Problem
- Thread starter xabo
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MJ in Boise
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Surface agitation or particles in the water column. Completely normal.
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xabo
Valuable Member
Yes it's under water
Yes power heads are on. It does the same with the sensor out of the also. Just started doing this .......well I just noticed.
Agreed - this is normal. It is a hobby-grade instrument. The light waves are not constant, especially when you are holding it. If you put it under a more static light and brace it against something, like on a table, then it will be pretty consistent. I usually just take a reading in the middle of the range.
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xabo
Valuable Member
Reached out to Apogee and was asked to take the meter out into the sun light to see if the numbers fluctuated. They did. Since the meter is still under warranty I was asked to send it in to be checked.
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xabo
Valuable Member
Sent the meter in to have it checked and received the following response:
"We received your MQ-510 and the evaluation process did show some very unstable PAR readings. We are sorry that you experienced these issues and we have repaired your meter under warranty. The potentiometer that is located on the internal PCB of the meter was not soldered on all three sides. Our boards are manufactured outside of Apogee and even though we try and catch all defects, occasionally one will slip past. I have replaced and inspected the faulty component and recalibrated the sensor. It should be working great now. Thank you for the documentation of your issue. It really helps with troubleshooting to see what the user is experiencing."
"We received your MQ-510 and the evaluation process did show some very unstable PAR readings. We are sorry that you experienced these issues and we have repaired your meter under warranty. The potentiometer that is located on the internal PCB of the meter was not soldered on all three sides. Our boards are manufactured outside of Apogee and even though we try and catch all defects, occasionally one will slip past. I have replaced and inspected the faulty component and recalibrated the sensor. It should be working great now. Thank you for the documentation of your issue. It really helps with troubleshooting to see what the user is experiencing."
