STARTER 300C

Portable Conductivity Meter

Instruction Manual

Table of Contents
Introduction ..........................................................................3
1.1
1.2

Installation ............................................................................7
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5

Safety measures .............................................................................. 3

Display and controls ....................................................................... 5
Package contents ............................................................................ 7
Installing the batteries .................................................................... 8
Installing the electrode clip ............................................................ 8
Installing the IP54 cover ................................................................. 8
Integrated stand for table top use ................................................. 9

STARTER 300C operation ................................................. 10

3.1
Calibration...................................................................................... 10
3.1.1 Selecting a standard .................................................................... 10
3.1.2 Performing a calibration .............................................................. 10
3.2
Sample measurement ....................................................................11
3.3
TDS measurement ..........................................................................11
3.4
Using the memory ..........................................................................11
3.4.1 Storing a reading ..........................................................................11
3.4.2 Recalling from memory ................................................................11
3.4.3 Clearing the memory ....................................................................11

Setup ................................................................................... 12
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5

Maintenance ....................................................................... 13
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4

6
7

Set calibration standard ............................................................... 12

Set temperature correction coefficient ....................................... 12
Set reference temperature unit .................................................... 12
Set reference temperature value ................................................. 12
Set TDS factor................................................................................ 12
Error message ............................................................................... 13
Meter maintenance ........................................................................ 13
Self diagnosis ................................................................................ 13
Recover factory settings .............................................................. 13

Specifications .................................................................... 14
Appendix ............................................................................ 15
7.1
7.2
7.3

Conductivity standards ................................................................ 15

Examples of temperature coefficients (-value) ........................ 15
Conductivity to TDS conversion factors .................................... 15

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing this high quality OHAUS meter. Please read the manual completely
before using the STARTER 300C portable conductivity meter to avoid incorrect operation.
The STARTER 300C has an excellent performance/price ratio and is designed with many useful
features. Other accessories such as electrodes, conductivity standard solutions are also available.
You will find much helpful functionality in these meters. A few of the many existing features are:

Ergonomic, multifunctional design for ambidextrous measurements or table top use

Integrated table top stand for counter use and semi permanent installations

Integrated labeling design for quick product identification

IP54 protection against dust and water

Ohaus renowned user friendly software

1.1

Safety measures

Measures for your protection

Never work in an environment subject to explosion hazards! The housing of

the instrument is not gas tight (explosion hazard due to spark formation,
corrosion caused by the ingress of gases)

When using chemicals and solvents, comply with the instructions of the
producer and the general lab safety rules

Measures for operational safety

Do not unscrew the two halves of the housing

Dry off any liquid spills immediately! The instrument is not watertight

Exclude the following environmental influences:

Powerful vibrations
Direct sunlight
Atmospheric humidity greater than 80%
Corrosive gases present
Temperatures below 5 C and above 40 C
Powerful electric or magnetic fields

FCC Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the
interference at his own expense.

1.2

Display and controls

Displays

6
7

1
Endpoint stability icon

; Auto endpoint icon

Measurement icon -

Calibration icon -

Setup icon ; instrument is in the setup mode

Battery status icon shows the condition of the batteries - fully charged, half-charged or fully
discharged
TDS factor in the setup mode
Conductivity / TDS / Cell Constant
Standard / Memory number
/ Error index
Temperature during measurement or reference temperature in setup mode

5
6
7
8
9

; measurement or calibration is running

; calibration in progress

Controls
Button

Press & release

Press & hold

for 3 seconds

- Start or endpoint
measurement
- Confirm setting, store entered
value
- Start calibration

- Turn auto endpoint on / off

- Meter on
- Back to measurement screen

- Meter off

- Store current reading to

memory
- Increase value during setting
- Scroll up through the memory

- Recall stored data

- Switch between conductivity

and TDS measuring modes
- Decrease value during setting
- Scroll down through the
memory

- Enter setup mode

- Start self-diagnosis

,
- Review the latest calibration
data: cell constant

Installation

Carefully unpack the meter.

2.1

Package contents

The model ST300C should have the following items

ST300C

Units

STARTER 300C meter

AAA battery

1413 S/cm standard solution

1 bottle (about 20ml)

12.88 mS/cm standard solution

1 bottle (about 20ml)

Electrode Clip

IP54 electrode caps

1 set

Wrist Strap

STCON3

The best measurement range for STCON3 4-ring(4-pole) cond. electrode is 70 S/cm-200ms/cm.
In this range the measurement accuracy can reach 0.5%.
If you use STCON3 to measure pure water which cond. value is below 70 S/cm, the accuracy
will be larger than 0.5%, is about 1% to 5%.
Does not use STCON3 to measure cond. value less than 1 S/cm, the accuracy is about larger
than 5%.
Accessories:
Model
STCON3

Description
4-ring Cond. electrode ((70 S/cm-200ms/cm)

Standard Conduct 84uS/cm 250ml

Standard Conduct 1413uS/cm 250ml
Standard Conduct12.88mS/cm 250ml

Item NO
83033972
30065087
30065088
30065089
83032962
83032963
83032964
83031635

IP54 Seal kit for portable meters

Wrist strap for portable meters
Clip Electrode for portable meters
Portable Bag for portable meters

2.2

1)
2)
3)

2.3

Installing the batteries

Remove the battery cover screw and remove the battery cover
Insert the batteries in the battery compartment as shown
Replace the battery cover and tighten the battery cover screw

Installing the electrode clip

The electrode clip is an electrode holder that can be placed next to the display on either side of
the housing.
1) Attach the clip by inserting the tabs into the recess.
2) Slide the clip forward to lock in position. Slide the shaft of the conductivity electrode into the
clip from above.

2.4

Installing the IP54 cover

Use the small plastic tool as shown:

2.5

Integrated stand for table top use

One unique design of the STARTER 300C meter is the integrated stand as shown, which can be
pushed out to use the meter at the table. To close the stand please take the mid-edge of the stand.

STARTER 300C operation

3.1

Calibration

3.1.1

Selecting a standard

When using the STARTER 300C conductivity meter, you have to select a standard for calibration.
(see 4.1)
Press and hold the Setup to enter setup mode to set calibration standard. Use up or down
buttons to select and press Read to confirm. Press Exit to leave setup mode.
The three predefined standards are:
84 S/cm

1413 S/cm

12.88 mS/cm

Tables for automatic temperature compensation are programmed in the meter for each standard
(see appendix 7.1).

3.1.2

Performing a calibration

Place the conductivity electrode in the defined calibration standard and press Cal.
The calibration icon
and the measurement icon appear on the display. The measurement
icon is blinking during calibration measurement. The meter endpoints according to the preselected
endpoint mode after the signal has stabilized or after pressing Read.
When the calibration is finished, the standard value is displayed and stored; the measurement
icon blinks 3 times and disappears. Then, the endpoint stability and auto endpoint icons
blink 3 times and freeze on the display. If the calibration was endpointed manually, then only
endpoint stability icon
blinks 3 times and freezes on the display.
To finish the calibration and return to the sample measurement, press Read. The cell constant is
then shown on the display for 3 seconds.
To reject the calibration, press Exit before the meter returns automatically to the measurement
screen.
Note:
To ensure the most accurate conductivity readings, you should verify your cell constant with a
standard solution once a day and recalibrate if necessary. Use always fresh standards.

10

3.2

Sample measurement

Place the conductivity electrode in the sample and press Read to start the measurement. The
measurement icon
appears on the display. The measurement icon is blinking during
measurement and the display shows the conductivity of the sample. The automatic endpoint
is the default setting of the meter. When the signal has stabilized, the sample reading freezes, the
measurement icon blinks 3 times and disappears. Then, the endpoint stability and auto endpoint
icons
blink 3 times and freeze on the display.
By pressing and holding Read, you can switch between the auto and manual endpoint modes. To
manually endpoint a measurement, press Read: the sample reading freezes, the measurement
icon blinks 3 times and disappears. Then, the endpoint stability icon
blinks 3 times and
freezes on the display.
Stability criterion for conductivity measurement: The sensor input signal of the meter may not
change by more than 0.4% from the measured average conductivity of the probe in 6 seconds.

3.3

TDS measurement

To perform a TDS measurement, follow the same procedure as for a conductivity measurement.
Press Mode to switch between conductivity and TDS measurement mode.

3.4

Using the memory

3.4.1

Storing a reading

The STARTER 300C can store up to 30 endpointed results. Press Store when the measurement
has endpointed. M01 indicates that one result has been stored.
If you press Store when M30 is displayed, FUL indicates the memory is full. To store further data
you will have to clear the memory (see below).

3.4.2

Recalling from memory

Press and hold Recall to recall the stored values from memory when the current measurement
has endpointed.
Press up or down buttons to scroll through the stored results. R01 to R30 indicates which result is
being displayed. Press Exit to exit.

3.4.3

Clearing the memory

Continue pressing up or down buttons to scroll through the stored results until MRCL appears.
Then press Read, CLr blinks. Press Read again to confirm the deletion or press Exit to return to
the measurement mode without deleting the data.

11

Setup

4.1

Set calibration standard

Press and hold Setup until the setup icon

appears on the display and the current standard
blinks. Use up or down buttons to select the calibration standards (84 S/cm, 1413 S/cm or
12.88 mS/cm). Press button-Read to confirm your setting. Continue with temperature correction
coefficient setting or press button-Exit to go back to the measurement screen.

4.2

Set temperature correction coefficient

After the calibration standard setup, the meter goes to the temperature correction coefficient
setting. Use up or down buttons to increase or decrease the temperature correction value (0.00 to
10.00 %/C). Press button-Read to confirm your setting. Continue with reference temperature
setting or press button-Exit to go back to the measurement screen.
Note:
If you set the temperature correction coefficient value as 0 %/C , that means NO Temperature
Compensation for the conductivity measurement. The meter displays the real conductivity value
at current temperature.

4.3

Set reference temperature unit

After confirming the temperature correction coefficient, the reference temperature unit appears on
the display. Use up or down buttons to switch between C and F . Press Read to confirm your
selection. Continue with reference temperature setting or press Exit to go back to the
measurement screen.
Note: C = 5/9 (F -32)

4.4

Set reference temperature value

After confirming the temperature unit, the reference temperature value appears on the display.
Use up or down buttons to switch between 25 C and 20 C (77F and 68F). Press Read to
confirm your selection. Continue with TDS factor setting or press Exit to go back to the
measurement screen.

4.5

Set TDS factor

After selecting the reference temperature, the current TDS factor blinks. Use up or down buttons
to increase or decrease the value. Press Read to confirm your setting. The meter will exit
automatically to the measurement screen.

12

Maintenance

5.1

Error message

Error 0
Error 1

Memory access error

Self-diagnosis failed

Error 2

Measured values out of

range
C:
> 199.9 mS/cm
TDS: < 0.1 mg/L or > 199.9
g/L

Error 3

Measured standard
temperature out of range (5
... 35 C)
Measuring temperature out of
range (0 ... 100 C)
The current data set has
already been stored once

Error 4
Error 9

5.2

Reset to factory settings

Repeat the self-diagnosis procedure and make
sure that you finish pressing all five keys within
two minutes.
Check if the electrode is properly connected and
placed in the sample solution.

Keep the standard temperature within the range

for calibration
Check if the electrode is properly connected and
keep the sample temperature within the range.
A measurement can only be stored once. Perform
a new measurement to store a new data set.

Meter maintenance

Never unscrew the two halves of the housing!

The STARTER 300C meter does not require any maintenance other than occasional wipe with a
damp cloth and the replacement of depleted batteries.
The housing is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). This material is attacked by some
organic solvents, such as toluene, xylene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Any spillage should be
immediately wiped off

5.3

Self diagnosis

Press and hold Read and Cal simultaneously until the meter displays the full screen. Each icon
blinks one after the other. This way you may check whether all icons are correctly shown. The
next step is to check that the keys are functioning correctly. This requires user interaction.
When b blinks, five icons are displayed. Press the five keys in any order. Each time you press a
key an icon disappears from the screen, continue to press the other keys until all the icons have
disappeared.
When the self-diagnosis has been completed successfully, PAS appears. If self-diagnosis fails,
error message Err 1 appears .
Note:You have to finish pressing all five keys within two minutes, otherwise Err 1 appears and
you will have to repeat the procedure.

5.4

Recover factory settings

When the meter is off, press and hold button-Read & button-Cal & button-Exit together for 3
seconds, the screen displays RST and blinks, press button-Read to reset factory settings
(MTC, slope and offset, etc.).
Press button-Exit to switch off the meter.

13

Specifications

Measuring range

Resolution
Error limits
Calibration
Memory
Power supply
Size/weight
Display
Input
Temperature-compensation
IP protection
Housing

STARTER 300C
0.0 S/cm199.9 mS/cm
0.1 mg/l199.9 g/l (TDS)
0 C100 C
Automatic range
0.1 C
0.5 % of the measured value
0.3 C
1 point
3 predefined standards
30 measurements
Current calibration
4 x AAA
> 250 operating hours
Approximately 90 W x 150 D x 35 H mm / 0.16 kg (without
batteries)
Liquid crystal
Mini-Din
Linear: 0.00 %/C10.00 %/C
Reference temperature: 20 & 25 C
IP54
ABS

14

Appendix

7.1

Conductivity standards
84 S/cm
53 S/cm
60 S/cm
68 S/cm
76 S/cm
84 S/cm
92 S/cm
101 S/cm

T(C)
5
10
15
20
25
30
35

7.2

1413 S/cm
896 S/cm
1020 S/cm
1147 S/cm
1278 S/cm
1413 S/cm
1552 S/cm
1667 S/cm

12.88 mS/cm
8.22 mS/cm
9.33 mS/cm
10.48 mS/cm
11.67 mS/cm
12.88 mS/cm
14.12 mS/cm
15.39 mS/cm

Examples of temperature coefficients (-value)

Substance at 25 C
HCl
KCl
CH3COOH
NaCl
H2SO4
HF

Temperature coefficient [%/C]

1.56
1.88
1.69
2.14
1.28
7.20

Concentration [%]
10
10
10
10
10
1.5

-coefficients of conductivity standards for a calculation to reference temperature of 25C

Standard
84 S/cm
1413 S/cm
12.88 mS/cm

7.3

Measurement
temp.: 15C
1.95
1.94
1.90

Measurement
temp.: 20C
1.95
1.94
1.89

Measurement
temp.: 30C
1.95
1.94
1.91

Measurement
temp.: 35C
2.01
1.99
1.95

Conductivity to TDS conversion factors

Conductivity
At 25 C
84 S
447 S
1413 S
1500 S
8974 S
12.88 S
15 S
80 mS

TDS KCl
ppm value
40.38
225.6
744.7
757.1
5101
7447
8759
52.168

Factor
0.5048
0.5047
0.527
0.5047
0.5685
0.5782
0.5839
0.6521

15

TDS NaCl
ppm value
38.04
215.5
702.1
737.1
4487
7230
8532
48.384

Factor
0.4755
0.4822
0.4969
0.4914
0.5000
0.5613
0.5688
0.6048

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7 Campus Drive
Suite 310
Parsippany, NJ 07054 USA
Tel: (973) 377-9000
Fax: (973) 944-7177
With offices worldwide.
www.ohaus.com

*83033980*
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