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Without a beam fraction sensor, Connecting the sunscan probe – Delta Electronics SS1-UM-1.05 User Manual

Page 21

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SunScan User Manual v 1.05

SunScan Tutorial

••••

21

Now Set the Display to

PAR

(

Menu,

Settings, Display, Enter

)

The procedure for taking, displaying and
storing a reading stays the same, but the
reading display and the data stored
change to reflect the new setting:

This screen is the same if you change the

Display

to

All

, but the stored data also

includes readings from all 64 individual photodiodes.

Note: if you’re using a portable computer to control the SunScan, then the

All

setting will actually display the 64 (emulated) photodiode readings.

Without a Beam Fraction Sensor

Change the

SunScan probe

,

Ext sensor

to

none

. (

Menu, Settings, SunScan

probe, Enter

)

The reading procedure is still the same
two-step process (read, store, read,
store...) without a Beam Fraction Sensor
- as long as you have the

Display

set to

PAR

or

All

. However, the screen displays

only the average PAR reading from the
SunScan probe and the spread of the
photodiode readings.

Things get more complicated if you want to take Leaf Area Index readings without a
Beam Fraction sensor. SunData still needs measurements of the Incident PAR and
the Beam Fraction, so you have to make them using the SunScan probe itself. We’ll
go into the details of this procedure later on, once you have got the SunScan probe
connected.

Connecting the SunScan probe

By now you should have a reasonable familiarity with using the Workabout, and
how the SunData menus work, so it is time to try taking some readings with the
SunScan probe connected.

Plug the coiled serial cable from the probe into the

RS232

connector at the top

right of the Workabout.

Use

Menu

,

Settings

,

Display, Enter

, and set the display to

PAR

.

Use

Menu

,

Settings

,

SunScan probe, Enter

, to set the

Data from:

to

SunScan

probe

.

For the moment, even if you have a BFS, set the

Ext sensor:

to

none

. Press

Enter

to accept these settings.

SunData should display a version number at the top of the opening screen. If you see

Communications failed

, you will need to recheck the connections.

If you don't get this far but get messages saying the serial port is in use, you must set
the Remote link to off. Exit from the SunData program if necessary (

+X

). From the

Psion System screen, press

Menu, Spec, Remote link, Enter

, and select

Off

. Then

restart SunData.

Press

Enter

in the

Next Reading

screen.