Colorimeter Troubleshooting and FAQs

Colorimeter, order code COL-BTA, $115
Specifications and User Guide

TROUBLESHOOTING
-Primary Test: Connect the Colorimeter to a LabPro, CBL 2, CBL, Serial Box, or ULI. Allow the Colorimeter to warm up for 5 minutes. Place a cuvette, about 3/4 full of distilled water, in the Colorimeter and close the lid. Select a wavelength. Press and hold the CAL button on the Colorimeter. When the red LED begins to flash, release the CAL button. When the red LED stops flashing, the Colorimeter is calibrated. Check the absorbance readings, which should be very nearly zero.
-Secondary test: Prepare a solution with a color (a simple test solution for the 635 nm wavelength setting can be made by adding 2 drops of green food coloring to 100 mL of tap water). After calibrating the Colorimeter, fill a cuvette about 3/4 full with the test solution. Place the cuvette in the Colorimeter and close the lid. The absorbance readings should change. You may dilute the test solution and place a cuvette of the dilute solution in the Colorimeter to check the change in absorbance.
-The normal, most useful absorbance range is 0.05 - 1.0, or 10% - 90% transmittance.

RELATED TIL ENTRIES
-TIL 784: My Colorimeter is not working properly. What should I do?
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-TIL 1665: How do I calibrate my older Colorimeter?
-TIL 1921: Do you sell replacement lids for my cuvettes?
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-TIL 2271: How do I replace the plastic insert that holds the cuvettes in my Colorimeter?
-TIL 2297: Can my Colorimeter report in percent Transmittance using a LabQuest?
-TIL 2539: Why don't the absorbance readings for the Colorimeter or the spectrometers have units?
-TIL 2569: Why don't all of my spectrometers and/or Colorimeters read the same absorbance value for the same sample?
-TIL 2915: How do I calibrate a COL-DIN Colorimeter using a stand alone LabQuest 2?
-TIL 2949: Do you have any experiments written for the LabQuest and the older model Colorimeter?

SPECIFICATIONS
-new order code: COL-BTA
-old order code: COL-DIN
-Range: 0 to 3 (absorbance)
-Useful Range 0.05 to 1.0 (absorbance) and 90% to 10% transmittance (%T)
-Wavelengths: 430 nm, 470 nm, 565 nm, 635 nm
-Resolution (LabPro, ULI II, SBI): 0.035 %T
-Resolution (CBL, CBL 2): 0.14 %T
-Supply voltage: 5VDC +/- 25 mV
-Supply current (typical): 40 mA
-Power up time: 700 ms (maximum)
-Output voltage range: 0 - 4 V
-Transfer function: Vout = 0.035 x (%T) + 0
-Stored calibration values: Slope = 28.571; Intercept = 0

CALIBRATION
-Calibration? Yes, each time before use. After powering up the Colorimeter and waiting for a 5 minute warm up, press the < or > button on the Colorimeter to select a wavelength. Open the lid, insert a cuvette filled about 3/4 full of distilled water, and close the lid. Make sure that one clear side of the cuvette is lined up with the arrow at the top of the cuvette slot. Press the CAL button and hold it until the red LED begins to flash and then release the CAL button. When the LED stops flashing, the calibration is complete.

RELATED VERNIER PRODUCTS
- for extra cuvettes, Plastic Cuvettes (visible range), order code CUV, $15 (pkg. of 100)