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pH sensor

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2004-02-13 17:04 in General Discussion
I am looking for a pH sensor to use with a BS basic stamp. Anyone know of a
good one?


Thanks,
Kevin

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-02 17:24
    Sorry, I have a BS2 chipset.

    On Monday 02 June 2003 11:01 am, Kevin A. Nesmith wrote:
    > I am looking for a pH sensor to use with a BS basic stamp. Anyone know of
    > a good one?
    >
    >
    > Thanks,
    > Kevin
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    > Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-02 18:22
    Hi Kevin,

    It depends hugely on where you are going to use the pH sensor. Lab?
    Aquarium? Industry? Field site? And other instrumentation present
    in the same environment, in relation to instrumentation ground loops,
    and accuracy and longevity requirements. One good source for
    industrial quality is
    http://www.sensorex.com
    for hobby or school use, check out,
    http://www.vernier.com/probes/index.html

    -- best regards
    Thomas Tracy Allen PhD
    electronically monitored ecosystems
    http://www.emesystems.com
    mailto:tracy@e...


    >Sorry, I have a BS2 chipset.
    >
    >On Monday 02 June 2003 11:01 am, Kevin A. Nesmith wrote:
    >> I am looking for a pH sensor to use with a BS basic stamp. Anyone know of
    >> a good one?
    >>
    >>
    >> Thanks,
    > > Kevin
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-02 20:28
    It is for a hobby of growing tomato plants. So the sensor would be in the
    soil. If you have any advise on the best one for a hobby, please let me
    know. I am very open to suggestions.

    Thanks,
    Kevin

    On Monday 02 June 2003 12:22 pm, Tracy Allen wrote:
    > Hi Kevin,
    >
    > It depends hugely on where you are going to use the pH sensor. Lab?
    > Aquarium? Industry? Field site? And other instrumentation present
    > in the same environment, in relation to instrumentation ground loops,
    > and accuracy and longevity requirements. One good source for
    > industrial quality is
    > http://www.sensorex.com
    > for hobby or school use, check out,
    > http://www.vernier.com/probes/index.html
    >
    > -- best regards
    > Thomas Tracy Allen PhD
    > electronically monitored ecosystems
    > http://www.emesystems.com
    > mailto:tracy@e...
    >
    > >Sorry, I have a BS2 chipset.
    > >
    > >On Monday 02 June 2003 11:01 am, Kevin A. Nesmith wrote:
    > >> I am looking for a pH sensor to use with a BS basic stamp. Anyone know
    > >> of a good one?
    > >>
    > >>
    > >> Thanks,
    > >>
    > > > Kevin
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    > Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-03 00:16
    Kevin,

    Are these hydroponic tomatoes? If so, maybe you can drip some of the
    irrigation water into a free-standing cup and measure the pH of that.

    The usual way to measure pH of soil is to take a sample of the soil
    in a cup, mix it with an equal amount of distilled H2O, wait a few
    minutes, and then stick in a piece of Hydrion paper (color change) or
    a pH electrode. If you are using an electrode, you then wash it and
    put it back into the storage solution, until next time.

    Electrodes in continuous contact with the medium require careful
    maintenance. Industrial electrodes for process monitoring often are
    constructed with a flat sensing surface so that they can be easily
    cleaned. You can see some of those at the sensorex.com site.

    There is another issue of instrumentation that can make pH monitoring
    very tricky. If the electrode is in intimate contact with a large
    body of water or an extensive system of pipes, or the soil out of
    doors, it is in effect connected to a huge antenna for 60hz pickup
    and all kinds of galvanic currents. In those cases, the pH signal can
    be overwhelmed by noise, unless it is equipped with a so-called
    isolation amplifier.

    It is not a problem if your electrode is a simple handheld instrument
    contacting the system at one point. And, it is not a problem if you
    take a sample of liquid out of the system and hold it in a separate,
    electrically isolated cup. That is why I was wondering if you could
    drip irrigation water into a separate cup?

    The experimenters pH electrode from Vernier includes a built-in
    amplifier (not isolated!), offset to read 1.75 volts at pH 7, so you
    could apply that directly to the input of an analog to digital
    converter, to the BASIC Stamp. Read up on pH instrumentation in the
    manual for the Vernier electrode, and also at the
    http://www.omega.com site, and others through a web search. You
    cannot apply the signal from a pH electrode directly to an analog to
    digital converter, because of the high output resistance of the
    electrodes' glass membrane.

    -- best regards
    Tracy Allen
    electronically monitored ecosystems
    http://www.emesystems.com
    mailto:tracy@e...




    >It is for a hobby of growing tomato plants. So the sensor would be in the
    >soil. If you have any advise on the best one for a hobby, please let me
    >know. I am very open to suggestions.
    >
    >Thanks,
    >Kevin
    >
    >On Monday 02 June 2003 12:22 pm, Tracy Allen wrote:
    >> Hi Kevin,
    >>
    >> It depends hugely on where you are going to use the pH sensor. Lab?
    >> Aquarium? Industry? Field site? And other instrumentation present
    >> in the same environment, in relation to instrumentation ground loops,
    >> and accuracy and longevity requirements. One good source for
    >> industrial quality is
    >> http://www.sensorex.com
    >> for hobby or school use, check out,
    >> http://www.vernier.com/probes/index.html
    >>
    >> -- best regards
    >> Thomas Tracy Allen PhD
    >> electronically monitored ecosystems
    >> http://www.emesystems.com
    >> mailto:tracy@e...
    >>
    >> >Sorry, I have a BS2 chipset.
    >> >
    >> >On Monday 02 June 2003 11:01 am, Kevin A. Nesmith wrote:
    >> >> I am looking for a pH sensor to use with a BS basic stamp. Anyone know
    >> >> of a good one?
    >> >>
    >> >>
    >> >> Thanks,
    >> >>
    >> > > Kevin
    >>
    >> To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    >> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    >> from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    >> Body of the message will be ignored.
    >>
    >>
    >> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    >Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-03 00:27
    This is great stuff. You sound like the expert on this. Thank you very much.

    On Monday 02 June 2003 06:16 pm, Tracy Allen wrote:
    > Kevin,
    >
    > Are these hydroponic tomatoes? If so, maybe you can drip some of the
    > irrigation water into a free-standing cup and measure the pH of that.
    >
    > The usual way to measure pH of soil is to take a sample of the soil
    > in a cup, mix it with an equal amount of distilled H2O, wait a few
    > minutes, and then stick in a piece of Hydrion paper (color change) or
    > a pH electrode. If you are using an electrode, you then wash it and
    > put it back into the storage solution, until next time.
    >
    > Electrodes in continuous contact with the medium require careful
    > maintenance. Industrial electrodes for process monitoring often are
    > constructed with a flat sensing surface so that they can be easily
    > cleaned. You can see some of those at the sensorex.com site.
    >
    > There is another issue of instrumentation that can make pH monitoring
    > very tricky. If the electrode is in intimate contact with a large
    > body of water or an extensive system of pipes, or the soil out of
    > doors, it is in effect connected to a huge antenna for 60hz pickup
    > and all kinds of galvanic currents. In those cases, the pH signal can
    > be overwhelmed by noise, unless it is equipped with a so-called
    > isolation amplifier.
    >
    > It is not a problem if your electrode is a simple handheld instrument
    > contacting the system at one point. And, it is not a problem if you
    > take a sample of liquid out of the system and hold it in a separate,
    > electrically isolated cup. That is why I was wondering if you could
    > drip irrigation water into a separate cup?
    >
    > The experimenters pH electrode from Vernier includes a built-in
    > amplifier (not isolated!), offset to read 1.75 volts at pH 7, so you
    > could apply that directly to the input of an analog to digital
    > converter, to the BASIC Stamp. Read up on pH instrumentation in the
    > manual for the Vernier electrode, and also at the
    > http://www.omega.com site, and others through a web search. You
    > cannot apply the signal from a pH electrode directly to an analog to
    > digital converter, because of the high output resistance of the
    > electrodes' glass membrane.
    >
    > -- best regards
    > Tracy Allen
    > electronically monitored ecosystems
    > http://www.emesystems.com
    > mailto:tracy@e...
    >
    > >It is for a hobby of growing tomato plants. So the sensor would be in the
    > >soil. If you have any advise on the best one for a hobby, please let me
    > >know. I am very open to suggestions.
    > >
    > >Thanks,
    > >Kevin
    > >
    > >On Monday 02 June 2003 12:22 pm, Tracy Allen wrote:
    > >> Hi Kevin,
    > >>
    > >> It depends hugely on where you are going to use the pH sensor. Lab?
    > >> Aquarium? Industry? Field site? And other instrumentation present
    > >> in the same environment, in relation to instrumentation ground loops,
    > >> and accuracy and longevity requirements. One good source for
    > >> industrial quality is
    > >> http://www.sensorex.com
    > >> for hobby or school use, check out,
    > >> http://www.vernier.com/probes/index.html
    > >>
    > >> -- best regards
    > >> Thomas Tracy Allen PhD
    > >> electronically monitored ecosystems
    > >> http://www.emesystems.com
    > >> mailto:tracy@e...
    > >>
    > >> >Sorry, I have a BS2 chipset.
    > >> >
    > >> >On Monday 02 June 2003 11:01 am, Kevin A. Nesmith wrote:
    > >> >> I am looking for a pH sensor to use with a BS basic stamp. Anyone
    > >> >> know of a good one?
    > >> >>
    > >> >>
    > >> >> Thanks,
    > >> >>
    > >> > > Kevin
    > >>
    > >> To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > >> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > >> from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject
    > >> and Body of the message will be ignored.
    > >>
    > >>
    > >> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    > >> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    > >
    > >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    > >Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    > >
    > >
    > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    > Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-02-12 23:06
    Can anyone recommend a pH sensor and interface circuit (if required) that
    works well with a BS2?

    Thanks,

    S.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-02-13 15:24
    Any commercial pH sensor will give approximately 70mV output per pH
    unit referenced to pH7. So pH7 gives 0mV, pH6 = -70mV and pH8= +70mV.

    Most sensors have very high impedance outputs so you would require a
    preamp before measuring the voltage with an AD converter. However
    there is a really good sensor that has the preamp built in. It is
    called an AmpHel sensor and is manufactured by Hanna Instruments.

    You can buy them from www.labsales.com

    All you need then is the right AD converter for the resolution that
    you require.

    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah" <nursesarah1996@y...>
    wrote:
    > Can anyone recommend a pH sensor and interface circuit (if
    required) that
    > works well with a BS2?
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > S.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-02-13 17:04
    >Can anyone recommend a pH sensor and interface circuit (if required) that
    >works well with a BS2?
    >Thanks,
    >S.


    Hi Sarah,

    Ph probes require a very high impedance pre-amplifier, and since the
    voltage output is usually positive in acids (pH<7) and negative in
    bases (pH>7), there may also be a need to shift the level so that it
    can be read by positive voltage ADC.

    If it is for a school project, take a look at
    http://www.vernier.com/probes/index.html
    I think their pH probe has the interface circuit built in.

    Another source of pH probes is
    http://www.omega.com
    or
    http://www.sensorex.com/

    The probe itself will be either a laboratory probe optimized for
    accuracy and speed of response, but delicate, or "process" or
    "environmental" probes optimized for ruggedness and anti-fouling.

    If the probe will be used in contact with a large scale system (as
    opposed to a beaker or sampler hooked up to a hand-held meter), it
    may well need an isolation amplifier or transmitter.

    I have a little written on a stamp interface to a pH probe at
    http://www.emesystems.com/OL2ph.htm
    For a quick & dirty Stamp interface, this circuit might work with RCtime:
    http://www.emesystems.com/BS2rct.htm#SmallV
    If the op-amp in the first circuit there is a mos input op-amp.

    -- Tracy
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