How to Calibrate the Vivosun TDS & EC Meter
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- Опубліковано 27 жов 2020
- Do not believe the false information given by Vivosun. They do not have a clue. (Well they will now after they watch this.)
After nearly 40 emails to Vivosun they still had no idea how to do this and could not provide me with the process. I found out by trial and error and watching videos from Asia of similar units and running language translation. I then used a process of trial and error before eventually stumbling on the process.
At first Vivosun would not support me as I don't live in mainland Northern America.
These meters do need regular calibration and they will not last 1 year between calibrations. Vivosun could not tell anyone what to do even after the randomly selected 1 year.
These meters do not have a built in auto calibration capability as is now claimed by Vivosun. Absolute false claim.
In theory you could calibrate these pens to a known TDS (ppm) solution by calibrating in EC mode to the value exactly double the TDS value. For example; a 342 ppm NaCl solution would be calibrated to 684 uS/cm or a 1000 ppm NaCl solution would be calibrated to 2000 uS/cm. (Note: this is based on the EC to TDS conversion factor of 0.5. Other conversion factors exist and I'm not sure if you could calibrate to other factors.)
It is astonishing that after more than 2 years and nearly 40k views of this video, that the Vivosun website information for this unit still says;
"TDS Meter: Include EC, TDS, and Temp Function, TDS don't need to calibrate."
They are fully aware of this video as I was in contact with them in relation to this issue from the day mine arrived in the mail.
You’re the best my man. Just ordered a few more of these for my setup since I am always misplacing them. The spread across the new ones that come “calibrated” I crazy! 200-300 ppm difference in the same liquid between different meters. So it’s January 1st 2024 and still same xrap from vivosun
Thank you for taking the time to make this information available, you rock! Cheers!
You're welcome. Maybe Vivosun will pick their act up a bit.
Thanks so much for sharing! I was told the same rubbish about auto calibration and needed this! Worked like a charm! You're awesome! Cheers!
Really the only person who really show how to calibrate the meter every single other video says it show how to calibrate this meter when all they showed was its a couple digits off so its good. Really man much love for this video.
Very helpful simple and straight to the point thank you kindly
Thank you for this video. I recently purchased a very similar, if not the same EC/TDS meter and a calibration fluid, so this was very helpful.
You're welcome.
great video! Very useful! Thank you for shating!
You're brilliant, thank you for the video
I have an apparently identical (unbranded) device and it is not able to discriminate among filtered water, tap water, and commercially produced 'purified' water. What's more it sucks up the sample into its internals only to pour our of the battery housing as you try to dry the electrode end. I was in contact with the vendor (on eBay) and it was obvious that they had no more knowledge than I did. It is useless without proper instructions. Well done for persisting with the thing anyway, thanks.
Thanks for sharing! Mine seemed to be off a lot out of the box.
Good on you bro
Hey mate I came across you in another video comment section reviewing this meter and explaining your on going saga with vivosun. Hope those muppets compensated you for doing their job for them. Either way on ya for posting a clear and concise video on how to calibrate this meter. Bloody legend. One question. Do you need a fairly sensitive set of scales to measure out the potassium chloride or can you use 1/4 teaspoon for example or similar unit of measurement? Cheers
Thanks Angus. Firstly, no, Vivosun stopped responding at the mention of money but I decided to publish the calibration method anyway. Second question, I used a small digital scale, accurate in grams to 3 decimal places. These are pretty cheap on Amazon. In my follow up video I show how to use table salt and teaspoon measure to calibrate to a value that is pretty close but not exact. It's what I explained to you in the comments on Jimmy's video channel. It will give you readings that are within a reasonable accuracy range for most purposes. Let me know how you go and feel free to ask any questions.
If I am using food grade KCL to only 2 decimals will that be accurate enough for plant nutrients.?
Say 0.37g to 500ml of RO water?
Thanks.
Hello! Do u know which scale the tds meters is calibrated? I have 2 others from another brand and they'r showing a little bit less.
My water with nutrients saying its 2530ppm at vivosun meter and 2000~ppm in two differents equipment.
sorry for my bad english. thank u!
The Vivosun meter it is using the 0.5 conversion factor scale. So 1000 ppm will read 2000 uS/cm. Regardless of which conversion factor it uses the ppm readings of all 3 of your meters should be quite close if they are all calibrated correctly.
What a ledgend
Danke, funktioniert auch bei einem Produkt auch China.
The manual of my EC meter(same device from appearence) tells, after adjusting the value with the up down buttons press and hold the shift button for 3 seconds. Don't know if this matters since the outcome seems to be the same. Never the less I noticed that calibration seems to shift the value but not stretches the range. Means, if you calibrate it to a 500 µS solution, the value for 1413 µS will be off. The same, the other way around. If you calibrate to 1413 µS, the 500 µS will be off (at least on my device).
I try to find out if there's also an option for adjusting this "stretch of the range".
I'd found a web site where a guy pulled off the display cover and found a set screw underneath, right next to the shift button. He sayed he was able to calibrate the device by this set screw. Seems he didn't knew about the "normal" calibration feature. But, maybe this set screw is worth a try too...
Always recommended to calibrate to a known solution as close as possible to the range you are expecting to measure. If I was measuring drinking water I'd calibrate to a known low ppm solution like mineral water. For aquarium use, a bit higher. For Hydroponics I use the 1413. I saw videos with the little hole under the display cover as well, and people drilling holes in the units etc, but didn't go down that path. It wasn't required once I worked out which buttons to push. Again, Vivosun didn't have a clue. Possibly still don't.
@@gdlivo3353 Yes, "calibrating as close to the range you expect to measure" that seem to be best practice.
Luckily my TDS/EC meter came with a manual describing the calibration process just as you explained it here. This device seems to be sold by many different names and resellers. Apparently they don't all give a proper manual with it, but you figured it out anyway. For that very reason I thought, maybe there are even more calibration features. ;) By the way: All that devices have in common the name "TDS & EC meter (hold)" and appearance of the housing. If you google it, you may also find some more manuals, but I guess you figured that out already.
спасибо мил человек
Hi Trying to work out your sums is it 373g into 500ml of water of the potassium chloride sorry to be so ignorant but i'm new to hydroponics and thank you for the video.
No. It is 0.373 g in 500 ml. 373 micrograms. If you put 375 g in you are 1000 times too strong.
Thanks
Thank you
When I turn on my vivosun TDS meter it shows 1000 as the starting default measurement on both ppm and us/cm options when it is not submerged in water. How can I reset the meter so 0 is the default reading?
I wouldn't have a clue. You probably can't and it doesn't matter anyway. The only thing that matters is that it is calibrated and gives the correct reading when it is in a solution. What is says in air is meaningless.
The problem here is that for me, I did not undertake, how 1412 is 706 ppm while 1412 uS/cm is equal 903 ppm by using 640 conversion unit.
GD livo I have that TDS meter you showed briefly...
The black TDS meter I'm referring to...
How do you calibrate that one...
If you mean the HM Digital one, I think it has an adjustment screw at the top on the back. You just put it into a known solution and use a small jewellers screwdriver to set it. I'll check when I get home.
@@gdlivo3353 Thank you👍🏻
Are there any inexpensive ones that have temp compensation? Without temp compensation they are pretty bad going all over the place in readings.
I don't know. It really depends on your temperature ranges. I've not been too concerned about it.
@@gdlivo3353 I found them and only 4.5 USD each meter in a set so 9 USD. They are exactly like the Vivosun. While they do not show the up and down and cal it works precisely the same way as this (a hidden function). Not even with them do they show how to calibrate the EC meter. Potassium Chloride I really do not wish to purchase something else from Amazon right now so can sodium chloride be used instead? After calibration of the pH meter, with the three packets, I found it to be 0.2-0.3 off and the best was to just use the 6.86 packet to calibrate with. Add the 4.00 to the testing it was off by 0.2 but add the third packet to the testing it swung out even more. I wonder if the EC meter is just as much of a turd too?
@@generalawareness101 yes, you can use sodium chloride. One of my other videos shows it.
@@gdlivo3353 On Monday UPS is coming to pick these up and Amazon will refund me as they are broke. I would purchase a more expensive pH meter but to have to replace it every 18 months, give or take, is just ludicrous. Something to do with the bulb and some have head replacements, but they are almost as expensive as an entirely new meter.
Can i use pottsium chloride fertilizer thanks and God bless
If it is pure KCl , then yes. Or you just use salt. See my other video.
Hi Sir, My fish tank water shows up between 400 to 750 ppm.
Do you think it is okay ? I have tried tap water (that everyone can drink straightaway) and it still show around 300 . I am in London so I believe water quality is good but dont know why it show 300 to 350.
Your fish tank will give a higher ppm reading than tap water because it contains nutrients from the fish waste and other things like plant matter and uneaten fish food. This nutrient is the principle of aquaponics. It is not a problem if the water is balanced and doesn't contain high levels of harmful elements.
@@gdlivo3353 aww okay I got it. thank you so much sir!
i have the same blue tds meter, but when I press cal button it always treat the water as 1000 mS. and up/down feature isn't available. the irony is it was working fine until I accidentally pressed this damn button. so now I ordered another one device.
how do you make solution using measuring spoons
You will never make accurate solutions using measuring spoons. You may get close to required concentrations if you know the amount your spoons hold. The problem is that measuring spoons are not standardised,
I dont know what I did with my meter but now shows a EC but to the right I have a x10 number how do I remove it please !! or how can I reset to factory settings ?
You haven't done anything wrong. That is how the EC meter tells you that it is reading over 1000. So it goes from 0 to 999, then 100 X10 (1000). If it says 102 X10 it is reading 1020 uS / cm etc. If you followed the video instructions to calibrate it, then it is giving you the correct reading and your solution has an Electrical Conductivity of over 1000 uS / cm.
It is not a mobile phone that can be reset to Factory Settings. All you can do is re-calibrate using a known value calibration solution following my instructions as shown in the video.
Mine does same ,it reading ten times ,what it should be ,one min its reading ,700 ,next its got a times 10 next to 7000 ,reading of the same solution
@@chrisk5834 I would suggest that you have a faulty device and you need to proceed to the Warranty procedure through either Vivosun or Amazon. If your meter jumps from high 900's to low 100's X 10 then that is to be expected for solutions close to 1000. What you are describing would appear to be a faulty meter.
Do you have any idea of the approximate concentration of your solution? I know that if my Swimming Pool or Hydroponics Nutrient gave me a reading of 7000 uS/cm, I would be questioning the operation of my meter.
i have my 1413 solution and im stuck at the blinking screen because whenever i try to calibrate it just keeps switching back to the ppm mode, neither of the buttons are allowing me to adjust..
Not sure what's going on. You need to be fairly quick to start calibration once the Cal button causes blinking screen. What reading is the unit giving for the 1413 uS solution? You will notice in the video that I had the same thing happen on the first attempt.
@@gdlivo3353 initially it was 1600, i tried adjusting but it just sent the numbers to a high 800, since then i’ve been trying to put it back up and it has been giving me an issue since.
@@carlorueda9058 Try pressing the down button first once the screen is blinking, to see if you can adjust down and then go up. Otherwise, I'm not sure what the issue is.
I hav the same one and mine don't let me adjust it up or down it jus blinks
Are you following the procedure correctly? Many people have had success with this instruction. If it doesn't work maybe faulty unit.
I noticed that the temperature was @ 26 Celsius, Does that make a difference. Thanks for the video, Big help💯
1413 solution is meant to be 25'C. My solutions started at 25 but moved a little. It won't matter or make much difference with 1 degree either way. If your down to 20 or up to 30 it will make a difference. Temperature correction charts are probably available but it isn't a precision instrument anyway.
@@gdlivo3353 good to know
And thank you for responding so quickly 👍💯
Merci
Hi,in which solution you calibrate ec.thanks you
1413 KCl (potassium chloride) but you can calibrate to any "known" solution. See my other video on using NaCl (Sea salt).
@@gdlivo3353 how much water and potassium need
@@brunoromeo7081 It's in the video at 1 minute 35 seconds.
@@gdlivo3353 sea salt
@@gdlivo3353 or sea water
Why not using pure water as a standard to calibrate against?
That wouldn't really achieve anything. It is always best to calibrate to a solution close to what you intend to be testing. Plus, it is recommended to calibrate this meter to 1413.
What solution did you use for calibrating your vivosun tds meter
Exactly was shown. 1431 Potassium chloride.
You can set it with 1413 solution however I’m calling it out wrong and it is in fact incorrect. I realized this because my other meter is 100% correct. Your suggestion would have doubled my nutrient content and been the incorrect EC. Frankly it does only have to work, so if wrong and your happy, good luck. My opinion this video should be removed. Btw it’s impossible to set properly to 1413 salinity for a reason.
This video was posted to show how to calibrate this meter because the Vivosun company didn't know how to do it and could not provide instructions. It is completely 100% correct and it works. The meter is an EC meter which has a built in conversion to TDS, which is a factor of 2. It must be calibrated to a known EC calibration solution while in the EC mode, and the recommended one for this meter is 1413 micro semens. It works as is shown by all the comments, other than yours. Just throw it away and use the other one.
The newer versions don’t calibrate the same
I havent seen the newer version. Does the new version have calibration instructions? If not, the process would not be too different. There are some similar ones (not vivosun) that use a small calibration screw, and with some you have to remove the front label and drill a small hole to access it. PS. Look at their website. They have description of the pH meter. Useless, but it looks the same to me.
Somehow, on mine I have "X10" show up in the window when trying to calibrate. I'm having problems, no success yet.
@@kenmandu4499 OK. I think the X10 shows up when you are getting a reading that is too high to just read normally. So, in other words, it goes from 9999 to 1000 X10. 1000 X10 being 10000. Are you sure you are entering the calibration mode? Is the readout flashing to indicate you are in calibration mode? What is the value of the calibration solution you are using?
Agree ! Own one and it’s junk
mine goes up an down in increments of 40 that might be the dumbest design idea ever
Lol same what a pos meyers made it
Everyone knows ya go on now and ya think mate is that fink Evan or fenners voice lol
Every electronic from Meyers smokes contact you local rohs center and file appropriate complaints against EVERY company including ac infinity vivosun vevor I got a whole list!
Wayyyyyy
Lmao micro semens
That would be Microsiemens with an "i", but yes, it often gets a chuckle.
Thanks