PASCO PS-2168 General Science MultiMeasure Sensor - Manual (Page 3)

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Model No. PS-2168 Temperature
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Temperature
Use this component of the multi-sensor to measure the temperature of a fluid or object. The measurement can be dis-
played in units of °C, °F, or K. (In DataStudio, click the Setup button to change units.) You can use the included stain-
less steel probe or a different probe, such as the Fast-response Probe (PS-2135) or Skin/Surface Probe (PS-2131).
PASCO physics apparatus containing an embedded 10 k
 thermistor can also be connected to the multi-sensor. The
multi-sensor automatically detects the presence of a temperature probe, and will only collect temperature data if a
probe is connected.
To measure temperature, connect the probe and start data collection. Immerse the tip of the probe in a fluid or place it
in contact with an object. The included probe is suitable for temperatures between
35 °C and 135 °C. It can be used
in both dry conditions and in liquids, such as water and other mild chemicals and solutions.
• Tip: Keep the connector of the probe and the body of the multi-sensor away from liquids. For better chemi-
cal resistance, use a Teflon
® cover (CI-6549).
The temperature measurement can be calibrated; however, for most applications calibration is not necessary. For
instructions on calibrating, see the software Help SYstem. For instructions on calibrating on the Xplorer GLX, refer
to the Xplorer GLX Users’ Guide.
Light
The light component of the multi-sensor measures light intensity, or the power per unit area
of light incident on the light-sensitive element. The element is located behind the black cyl-
inder protruding from the multi-sensor. Though it measures light intensity, the sensor’s out-
put is calibrated to indicate illuminance in units of lux.
Point the sensor in the direction of a light source and start data collection. The light sensor
has three ranges, which you select using the three buttons on the multi-sensor. To select a
range, push one of the buttons: for 0 lux to 100 lux, for 0 lux to 10000 lux, or
for 0
to 150000 lux. Lights on the buttons indicate which range is selected. To determine which
range is appropriate, look at the data (on a Graph display, for instance) while it is being col-
lected; if the measurement appears to be “railed” at the top of the selected range (100 lux or
10000 lux), select the next higher range. You can push a button to change the range without stopping data collection.
• Tip: If you anticipate that the measured value will increase during your experiment, select a higher range.
• Tip: Fluorescent lights flicker at a high rate (100 Hz or 120 Hz), which causes aliasing, or the illusion of a
lower-frequency periodic signal, in data collected at relatively low sampling rates. For this reason, it is rec-
ommended that the General Science MultiMeasure Sensor be used to measure light from incandescent bulbs
and natural light sources. To measure high-frequency light sources, use the PS-2106 Light Sensor, with a
maximum sampling rate of 1000 Hz.
Sound Level
The sound component sensor measures sound level on the dbA weighting scale. This
weighting scale is designed to match the frequency response of the human ear and is
commonly used to measure environmental sound levels. The table (right) shows some
typical sound levels.
Voltage
Use the voltage component of the multi-sensor to measure electric potential difference
between the terminals of a battery or power supply, or two points on a circuit. The volt-
age probe has two connectors: red and black. The sensor measures the voltage of the red
connector in reference to the black connector. Its range is
24 V.
Light indicates
selected range
100 lux
10000 lux
150000 lux
Range
Source Sound
Level
(dBA)
Rustling
leaves 20
Library 40
Normal
conversation 60
Noisy office 80
Subway train 100
Rock concert 120