More accurate in soils with high bulk electrical conductivity
Overview
The CS650 is a multiparameter smart sensor that uses innovative techniques to monitor soil volumetric water content, bulk electrical conductivity, and temperature. It outputs an SDI-12 signal that many of our dataloggers can measure.
This product is supplied with a 3 m cable as standard, other lengths available to order.
Read MoreBenefits and Features
- More accurate water content measurements in soils with bulk EC up to 3 dS m-1 without performing a soil-specific calibration
- Larger sample volume reduces error
- Measurement corrected for effects of soil texture and electrical conductivity
- Estimates soil-water content for a wide range of mineral soils
- Versatile sensor—measures dielectric permittivity, bulk electrical conductivity (EC), and soil temperature
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Technical Description
The CS650 consists of two 30-cm-long stainless steel rods connected to a printed circuit board. The circuit board is encapsulated in epoxy and a shielded cable is attached to the circuit board for datalogger connection.
The CS650 measures propagation time, signal attenuation, and temperature. Dielectric permittivity, volumetric water content, and bulk electrical conductivity are then derived from these raw values.
Measured signal attenuation is used to correct for the loss effect on reflection detection and thus propagation time measurement. This loss-effect correction allows accurate water content measurements in soils with bulk EC ≤3 dS m-1 without performing a soil specific calibration.
Soil bulk electrical conductivity is also calculated from the attenuation measurement. A thermistor in thermal contact with a probe rod near the epoxy surface measures temperature. Horizontal installation of the sensor provides accurate soil temperature measurement at the same depth as the water content. Temperature measurement in other orientations will be that of the region near the rod entrance into the epoxy body.
Specifications
| Measurements Made | Soil electrical conductivity (EC), relative dielectric permittivity, volumetric water content (VWC), soil temperature |
| Required Equipment | Measurement system |
| Soil Suitability | Long rods with large sensing volume (> 6 L) are suitable for soils with low to moderate electrical conductivity. |
| Rods | Not replaceable |
| Sensors | Not interchangeable |
| Sensing Volume | 7800 cm3 (~7.5 cm radius around each probe rod and 4.5 cm beyond the end of the rods) |
| Electromagnetic |
CE compliant Meets EN61326 requirements for protection against electrostatic discharge and surge. |
| Operating Temperature Range | -50° to +70°C |
| Sensor Output | SDI-12; serial RS-232 |
| Warm-up Time | 3 s |
| Measurement Time | 3 ms to measure; 600 ms to complete SDI-12 command |
| Power Supply Requirements | 6 to 18 Vdc (Must be able to supply 45 mA @ 12 Vdc.) |
| Maximum Cable Length | 610 m (2000 ft) combined length for up to 25 sensors connected to the same data logger control port |
| Rod Spacing | 32 mm (1.3 in.) |
| Ingress Protection Rating | IP68 |
| Rod Diameter | 3.2 mm (0.13 in.) |
| Rod Length | 300 mm (11.8 in.) |
| Probe Head Dimensions | 85 x 63 x 18 mm (3.3 x 2.5 x 0.7 in.) |
| Cable Weight | 35 g per m (0.38 oz per ft) |
| Probe Weight | 280 g (9.9 oz) without cable |
Current Drain |
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| Active (3 ms) |
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| Quiescent | 135 µA typical (@ 12 Vdc) |
Electrical Conductivity |
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| Range for Solution EC | 0 to 3 dS/m |
| Range for Bulk EC | 0 to 3 dS/m |
| Accuracy | ±(5% of reading + 0.05 dS/m) |
| Precision | 0.5% of BEC |
Relative Dielectric Permittivity |
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| Range | 1 to 81 |
| Accuracy |
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| Precision | < 0.02 |
Volumetric Water Content |
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| Range | 0 to 100% (with M4 command) |
| Water Content Accuracy |
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| Precision | < 0.05% |
Soil Temperature |
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| Range | -50° to +70°C |
| Resolution | 0.001°C |
| Accuracy |
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| Precision | ±0.02°C |
Compatibility
Please note: The following shows notable compatibility information. It is not a comprehensive list of all compatible products.
Dataloggers
| Product | Compatible | Note |
|---|---|---|
| CR1000 (retired) | ||
| CR1000X | ||
| CR300 | ||
| CR3000 | ||
| CR310 | ||
| CR350 | ||
| CR6 | ||
| CR800 (retired) | ||
| CR850 (retired) |
Additional Compatibility Information
RF Considerations
External RF Sources
External RF sources can affect the probe’s operation. Therefore, the probe should be located away from significant sources of RF such as ac power lines and motors.
Interprobe Interference
Multiple CS650 sensors can be installed within 4 inches of each other when using the standard datalogger SDI-12 “M” command. The SDI-12 “M” command allows only one probe to be enabled at a time.
Installation Tool
The CS650G makes inserting soil-water sensors easier in dense or rocky soils. This tool can be hammered into the soil with force that might damage the sensor if the CS650G were not used. It makes pilot holes into which the rods of the sensors can then be inserted.
Datalogger Considerations
Compatible Contemporary Dataloggers
| CR200(X) Series | CR800/CR850 | CR1000 | CR3000 | CR9000X |
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Compatible Retired Dataloggers
| CR500 | CR510 | CR10 | CR10X | 21X | CR23X | CR9000 | CR5000 | CR7X |
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Resources and Links
Product Brochures
Technical Papers
Case Studies
FAQs for
Number of FAQs related to CS650: 54
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With regard to the CS650 and the CS655, is there a generic calibration equation for artificial soil?
No. The equation used to determine volumetric water content in the firmware for the CS650 and the CS655 is the Topp et al. (1980) equation, which works for a wide range of mineral soils but not necessarily for artificial soils that typically have high organic matter content and high clay content. In this type of soil, the standard equations in the firmware will overestimate water content.
When using a CS650 or a CS655 in artificial soil, it is best to perform a soil-specific calibration. For details on performing a soil-specific calibration, refer to “The Water Content Reflectometer Method for Measuring Volumetric Water Content” section in the CS650/CS655 manual. A linear or quadratic equation that relates period average to volumetric water content will work well.
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The bulk electrical conductivity (EC) measurement is made along the sensor rods, and it is an average reading of EC over that distance at whatever depth the rods are placed.
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Probably not. The principle that makes these sensors work is that liquid water has a dielectric permittivity of close to 80, while soil solid particles have a dielectric permittivity of approximately 3 to 6. Because the permittivity of water is over an order of magnitude higher than that of soil solids, water content has a significant impact on the overall bulk dielectric permittivity of the soil. When the soil becomes very dry, that impact is minimized, and it becomes difficult for the sensor to detect small amounts of water. In air dry soil, there is residual water that does not respond to an electric field in the same way as it does when there is enough water to flow among soil pores. Residual water content can range from approximately 0.03 in coarse soils to approximately 0.25 in clay. In the natural environment, water contents below 0.05 indicate that the soil is as dry as it is likely to get. Very small changes in water content will likely cause a change in the sensor period average and permittivity readings, but, to interpret those changes, a very careful calibration using temperature compensation would need to be performed.
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CS650 and CS655 sensors are read one at a time using SDI-12 commands. Consequently, they are never active at the same time and do not interfere with each other electrically. When installing the sensors close together, a general guideline is to keep them at least 10 cm apart.
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Yes, but the pots would have to be large. The CS650 and CS655 can detect water as far away as 10 cm (4 in.) from the rods. If the pot has a diameter smaller than 20 cm (8 in.), the sensor could potentially detect the air around the pot, which would underestimate the water content. In addition, potting soil is typically high in organic matter and clay, causing the probable need for a soil-specific calibration.
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Campbell Scientific does not recommend using the CS650 or the CS655 to measure water content in compost. A compost pile is a very hostile environment for making dielectric measurements with soil water content sensors. All of the following combine to make it very difficult to determine a calibration function: high temperature, high and varying electrical conductivity, high organic matter content, heterogeneity of the material in the pile, changing particle size, and changing bulk density. The temperature and electrical conductivity values reported by the CS650 or CS655 may give some useful information about processes occurring in the compost pile, but these sensors will not be able to give useful readings for water content.
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Mine tailings are highly corrosive and have high electrical conductivity. Some customers have successfully used water content reflectometers, such as the CS650 or the CS655, to measure water content in mine tailings by coating the sensor rods with heat-shrink tubing. This affects the sensor output, and a soil-specific calibration must be performed. Care must be taken during installation to avoid damaging the heat-shrink tubing and exposing the sensor’s rods. In addition, covering the sensor’s rods invalidates the bulk electrical conductivity reading. Unless the temperature reading provided by the CS650 or the CS655 is necessary, a better option may be to use a CS616 with coated rods.
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Yes. Keeping the sensor rods parallel during installation is especially difficult in gravel, but it can be done. Gravel has large pore spaces that drain quickly, so the water content readings will likely show rapid changes between saturation and very dry. If small changes of water content at the dry end are of interest, a soil-specific calibration may need to be performed to convert period average directly to volumetric water content.
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No. The principle that makes these sensors work is that liquid water has a dielectric permittivity of close to 80, while soil solid particles have a dielectric permittivity of approximately 3 to 6. When liquid water freezes, its dielectric permittivity drops to 3.8, essentially making it look like soil particles to the sensor. A CS650 or CS655 installed in soil that freezes would show a rapid decline in its volumetric water content reading with corresponding temperature readings that are below 0°C. As the soil freezes down below the measurement range of the sensor, the water content values would stop changing and remain steady for as long as the soil remains frozen.
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The permittivity of saturated sediments in a stream bed is expected to read somewhere between 25 and 42, while the permittivity of water is close to 80. A CS650 or CS655 installed in saturated sediments could be used to monitor sediment erosion. If the permittivity continuously increases beyond the initial saturated reading, this is an indication that sediment around the sensor rods has eroded and been replaced with water. A calibration could be performed that relates permittivity to the depth of the rods still in the sediment.
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