16 227 gypsum soil moisture block – Campbell Scientific CR7 Measurement and Control System User Manual

Page 81

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SECTION 7. MEASUREMENT PROGRAMMING EXAMPLES

7-13

02:

P34

Z=X+F

01:

1

X Loc mm RAW

02:

266

F

03:

2

Z Loc [:mm CORECT]

7.16 227 GYPSUM SOIL MOISTURE

BLOCK

Soil moisture is measured with a gypsum block
by relating the change in moisture to the change
in resistance of the block. An AC Half Bridge
(Instruction 5) is used to determine the
resistance of the gypsum block. Rapid reversal
of the excitation voltage inhibits polarization of
the sensor. Polarization creates an error in the
output so the fast integration time is used. The
output of Instruction 5 is the ratio of the mid-
bridge voltage to the excitation voltage, this
output is converted to gypsum block resistance
with Instruction 59, Bridge Transform.

The Campbell Scientific 227 Soil Moisture Block
uses a Delmhorst gypsum block with a 1 kohm
bridge completion resistor. Using data supplied
by Delmhorst, Campbell Scientific has
computed coefficients for a 5th order polynomial
to convert block resistance to water potential in
bars. There are two polynomials, one to
optimize the range from -0.1 to -2 bars and one
to cover the range from -0.1 to -15 bars (the
minus sign is omitted in the output). The -0.1 to
-2 bar polynomial requires a multiplier of 1 in the
Bridge Transform Instruction (result in Kohms)
and the -0.1 to -15 bar polynomial requires a
multiplier of 0.1 (result in 10,000s of ohms).
The multiplier is a scaling factor to maintain the
maximum number of significant digits in the
coefficients of the polynomial.

In this example, we wish to make
measurements on 12 gypsum blocks and output
the final data in bars. The soil where the
moisture measurements are to be made is quite
wet at the time the data logging is initiated, but
is expected to dry beyond the -2 bar limit of the
wet range polynomial. The dry range
polynomial is used, so a multiplier of 0.1 is
entered in the bridge transform instruction.

When the water potential is computed it is
written over the resistance value. The
potentials are stored in Input locations 1-12
where they may be accessed for output to Final
Storage. If it was desired to retain the
resistance values the potential measurements
could be stored in locations 13-24 by changing
parameter 3 in Instruction 55 to 13.

FIGURE 7.16-1. 12 Gypsum Blocks

Connected to the CR7

The first 6 blocks are excited by excitation
channel 1 and the last 6 by channel 2. Thus, 6
is entered for the number of measurements per
excitation channel in Parameter 7 of Instruction
5.

PROGRAM

01:

P5

AC Half Bridge

01:

12

Reps

02:

16

500 mV fast Range

03:

1

IN Card

04:

1

IN Chan

05:

1

EX Card

06:

6

EX Chan

07:

6

Meas/EX

08:

500

mV Excitation

09:

1

Loc [:POTEN #1 ]

10:

1

Mult

11:

0

Offset

02:

P59

BR Transform Rf[X/(1-X)]

01:

12

Reps

02:

1

Loc [:POTEN #1 ]

03:

.1

Multiplier (Rf)

03:

P55

Polynomial

01:

12

Reps

02:

1

X Loc POTEN #1

03:

1

F(X) Loc [:POTEN #1 ]

04:

.15836 C0

05:

6.1445

C1

06:

-8.4139

C2

07:

9.2493

C3

08:

-3.1685

C4

09:

.33392 C5

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