Who's got the best price on a par meter?

markl · Jul 30, 2010

Feel free to pm me if you dont want to post. Also sponsers if you have any hook ups pm me your price as well. What model should I look to buy?

markl · Jul 30, 2010

http://www.horticulturesource.com/product_info.php?products_id=2383">http://www.horticulturesource.com/product_info.php?products_id=2383</a>

Any good?

jennm · Jul 30, 2010

That's a Lux meter, not a Par meter.

Not sure what the difference is - but there is one... I'm sure somebody more versed in that will chime in.

Apogee is the most common brand of Par meter I've heard of. They run about $360 give or take.

Jenn

Jenn

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3225">http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3225</a>

$335, but I would check with sponsor stores to see if they can at least match it. Keep the money local and probably save on shipping. :thumbs:

[IMG]http://javascript:popupWindow('http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=3225')">[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/images/apogee-053_Sm.jpg alt="" /></a>

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

Below is a link to Dana Riddle's review of two of the most popular brands of PAR meter, including the Apogee above. Happy reading!

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

Very generous Andy, and a deal that can't be beat!

drnecropolis · Jul 30, 2010

Andy, if you want to come by and run it under my lights one day this weekend and kick back some brew, your more than welcome.. Would give me a chance to talk about possible configurations for this RKE also..

jaustin · Jul 30, 2010

Just buy the sensor and a multi meter. The sensor puts out 0-5v, if you set the multimeter for 0-5v you can get your par reading. There is a thread on RC about how to do this. Saves you almost half the costs.

the fish store · Jul 30, 2010

I can match that deal on the Par Meter. We have one in stock in Chamblee.

drnecropolis · Jul 30, 2010

JAustin;544091 wrote: Just buy the sensor and a multi meter. The sensor puts out 0-5v, if you set the multimeter for 0-5v you can get your par reading. There is a thread on RC about how to do this. Saves you almost half the costs.

Got a link for it?

jaustin · Jul 30, 2010

you buy the sensor from apogee. $189.99

http://webtrolley.org/mivastore/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=apogee&Product_Code=SQ-225&Category_Code=QSO">http://webtrolley.org/mivastore/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=apogee&Product_Code=SQ-225&Category_Code=QSO</a>

and a multimeter, X the reading by 5 and you have your par measurement. It will also work if you have a Profilux Controller

drnecropolis · Jul 30, 2010

LoL. Awesome!! I meant the RC link though..

jaustin · Jul 30, 2010

not on my pc, if you search for it you'll find it. Try par meter and 0-5v or par meter and multimeter. I'd look for ya, but i'm doing like 6 things on my computer now.

jennm · Jul 30, 2010

ichthyoid;544047 wrote: http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3225">http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3225</a>

$335, but I would check with sponsor stores to see if they can at least match it. Keep the money local and probably save on shipping. :thumbs:

[IMG]http://javascript:popupWindow('http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=3225')">[IMG]http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/images/apogee-053_Sm.jpg alt="" /></a>

Just FYI, Aquarium Specialty IS a sponsor....

Jenn

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

:doh:

Sowee folks.

Thanks (again) Jenn

jennm · Jul 30, 2010

No worries - the "keep it local" sentiment is appreciated

Just so happens that Aquarium Specialty is also a sponsor, so in this instance, "it's OK" (LOL!)

Not many sources for that item - they aren't a hot mover. I was pondering buying one and AS has the best retail pricing I've found. (They also wholesale some product lines).

Jenn

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

The following is from Apogee's instructions (I think the BEST source for this)-

All Apogee quantum sensor models have a standard calibration of exactly:
5.00 μmol m-2 s-1 per mV
Use this conversion factor to convert the mV signal from the sensor to photosynthetic photon flux. Multiply the mV output by the conversion factor to get μmol m-2 s-1.
Full Sunlight(2000 μmol m-2 s-1)
Sensor Output
(400 mV)
sensor output * conversion factor = PPF
400 mV * 5.00 μmol m-2 s-1 per mV = 2,000 μmol m-2 s-1
4

Also, it is recommended to purchase the sensor calibrated for electric sources (not sunlight) as the response curve calibration is more accurate for our electric lamps.

Calibrated for electric light; SQ-120 (correct model to use, according to Apogee)

So in short, hook the red & black leads to a multimeter and the reading will be 5 micromoles per millivolt.

Red lead should go to red and the black lead to black. For 'Autoranging Multimeters' you don't need to worry about getting the leads correct, as this will just cause the polarity (+/-) to be reversed if it's not. The irradiance (quantity) will still be correct.
(we are converting light to a voltage here, and measuring that)

Complete manual link below

http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/manuals/SQ100_300_400.pdf">http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/manuals/SQ100_300_400.pdf</a>

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

Quantum Sensor - Electric Calibration

alt="" /> Quantity in Basket: none
Code: SQ-120
Price: $139.00

jaustin · Jul 30, 2010

careful on what sensor you buy...it MUST be the 0-5v one, i believe the cheaper one you posted is 0-2.5v and it won't work with multimeters.

ichthyoid · Jul 30, 2010

JAustin;544225 wrote: careful on what sensor you buy...it MUST be the 0-5v one, i believe the cheaper one you posted is 0-2.5v and it won't work with multimeters.

Please refer to my earlier post (#20) which has a link to Apogee's instructions.

The one I refe3rence has an output that is millivolts DC, depending on the amount of light.

Any Volt Meter that has a millivolt DC range, can read the output of this sensor. I believe that the instructions are explicit on that.

If anyone is not clear on this, feel free to PM me and I will be happy to explain.

You can certainly spend more for the amplified versions (and be prepared to power it as well), and it will work also.

FWIW- I use a Fluke True RMS model which is a professional grade DVM. You don't need one this good, but do need one with the millivolt DC range for reading this model sensor. Otherwise you will need to power the more expensive amplified versions of these sensors.

So, 1) cheap meter + more expensive sensor + power supply,or
2) a little better meter + less expensive sensor

These days it's not hard to find an inexpensive DVM with a millivolt DC range.

Also- these sensors work on the 'Photoelectric Effect' first described by Einstein. The sensor produces a voltage in proportion to the number of light photons striking the metal sensor element. This model is just unamplified, so the voltage output is millivolts (0.001 volts, or thousandths).

Who's got the best price on a par meter?

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