Re: [APD] odd Pinpoint controller -- or - Pinpoint out of control

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

0.2 units doesn't seem that far off for a kit, to me. But
that's another story, perhaps.

My pinpoint with waffle back and forth like you describe if
a piece of anything gets into the recess area around the
bulb. A gentle cleaning with a long fiber toothbrush
removes the debris and solves the problem. I think almost
anything in that area on the bulb will goof the readings.

If you wnat to find out if electrical interference is the
problem, temporarily shut everything down and see if the
Pinpoint then behaves properly. If not, then you've
eliminated one possible cause.

If that does solve the problem, then sometimes rerouting
the probe wire away from other electrical devices and cords
can sometimes help. Also, if you are running the controller
off of an ac adapter, try running it off batteries.

Last things are bad probe or bad circuit in the controller.
If you know someone else who uses such a device, you might
be able to borrow the probe and compare behavior. As for
testing the circuits, American Marine is probably the best
choice. How's the warranty?

Scott H.
--- Cavan <millsman7 at yahoo_com> wrote:
> Hi all.  
> 
> I seem to be having a few problems with my Pinpoint pH
> controller.  It seemed to be working fine for the
> first two months or so, but...  
> 
> When I look at the display, the reading will jump
> suddenly from say, 6.65 to 6.70 instantly (bigger
> jumps than the first two months).  And back down.  It
> switches the solenoid on and off a bit too much.  I
> came back from vacation to an algae farm.  The pH is
> supposed to range from 6.6 to 6.7.  Looking at the
> tank, it sure doesn't look like there's really enough
> co2 in there, even though the controller says there
> is.  I suspect that the tank didn't get very good care
> during my absence, but that's another story...    
> 
> When I tested the pH with my Lamotte low range kit
> (6-7.4), it looked more like 6.9 (KH is 4) and not the
> 6.7 on the LCD.  The controller is off by .2?  Later
> on I got the same 6.9 reading with the kit when it
> said 6.6.      
> 
> Here's the weird part.  I just calibrated it last week
> after about two months and it was right on the money. 
> I used to have a monitor only that wouldn't work when
> the lights were on (PC and T8).  The reading would
> jump all over the place.  I put in a grounding probe
> and it worked fine.  For a while.  Then it started
> acting funny too and just kind of seemed a bit "off" (
> I think the probe died prematurely).    
> 
> The PC is grounded and a believe the T8 is as well
> (maybe not, but I can just turn that fixture off and
> get the same results).  
> 
> Though the monitor did not work at all without the
> probe, it doesn't seem to make any difference with the
> controller (I will probably use it for a reef in the
> future) for some reason.  Touching the grounding probe
> to the PC reflector doesn't produce any change.  I
> can't see how electrical interference could be a
> problem.  Then again, I'm not an electrician.  Am I
> missing something?  I recently put the heater back in,
> but the controller had been acting funny before that. 
> No other electrical equipment in the tank!  
> 
> The American Marine guy said that bubbles collecting
> on the little bulb part of the pH probe can throw
> things off a bit, but there was just as much pearling
> when I put in in as now (if not more).  I'm assuming
> that's where the bubbles come from.  
> 
> Even if that's the case, how can the controller and
> the kit be so different?  I'm thinking of just taking
> the thing out and saving it for the reef (I don't care
> for kalk) if it's really any good.      



=====
S. Hieber

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/
_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/aquatic-plants