In February 2007 we introduced the latest edition to our line of handheld laser particle counters, the Kanomax 3887. One thing that should catch your attention is the $1,875 price tag – never before has there been a mutli-channel particle counter with internal memory at such a low price! I spent a few weeks using this instrument and here’s what I found:

Big Time Value – The Kanomax 3887 gives you three channels (0.3, 0.5, and 5 microns) of particle, internal memory and comes complete with software, data cable, purge filter, sample tubing and an isokinetic sampling probe. The Kanomax 3887 runs on 4 AA batteries, the kit also includes 4 rechargeable batteries as well as a battery charger. I was impressed with the complete kit that came with the unit. As far as value, this is the best value package I have ever seen.

Excellent Accuracy – I tested the Kanomax 3887 in several settings. I compared the readings with those from my Limited Edition Lighthouse 3016 Black Series ($4,375) and my Met One GT-321 with the readings from the Kanomax 3887. I’ve seen some of the other low cost particle counters and they usually have resolutions problems when you get down to 0.3 microns, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Kanomax 3887 displaying accurate readings. Usually, low cost units are only good for use by home inspectors or air cleaner/ vacuum cleaner salesmen. I would not hesitate to use the Kanomax 3887 in a cleanroom environment.

Seamless Data Transfers – The Kanomax 3887 stores 1000 data records, downloading the data was fast and easy using the included software and data cable. I was able to store the data into a text file which opened perfectly in excel. Overall, this was a simple task and unlike some of the other software packages that is often included with low price particle counters, this preserved table data and gave me what I needed.

I do prefer the LMS Express that I use with my Lighthouse 3016, but for less than half the price, this is a huge added value to an already great bargain. In the first few months offering this product to my customers, I’ve had some great feedback and some high profile customers, including; American Semiconductor, S.E. Missouri State University, Delphi Automotive, American Home Inspections and dozens of others.

All in all, the Kanomax 3887 handheld particle counter is a great value that offers solid performance and I’m proud to offer it to my customers that are looking for a low cost alternative to the full featured Lighthouse particle counters.

BPA is proud to introduce the Black Series 3016 Handheld Laser Particle Counter manufactured exclusively for BPA by Lighthouse.  The remarkable Black Series was modeled after the BPA Sales Manager’s personal road kit.  During his travels to customer locations, he discovered that there wasn’t a handheld laser particle counter kit that included everything he needed on the road.  You had to buy a particle counter and then purchase all the needed accessories separately, which can be very expensive.  The particle counter itself is exactly the same as the Lighthouse 3016, except that it comes as a sharp looking black instrument instead of the standard white color.

He then worked with the development team at Lighthouse to design a kit that was sturdy for travel and included everything you could need for particle monitoring and creating reports on the road.  This comprehensive package can save you hundreds of dollars compared to purchasing components separately.

The Black Series has all the same features of the standard 3016, such as:

• Can view 6 particle sizes simultaneously
• 3.8" touch screen interface
• Meets JIS Standards
• Internal audible alarm
• Large memory for storing data
• 0.1 CFM flow rate
• Removable/rechargeable Li-ion battery
• Temperature/relative humidity probe

Additional features included in the Black Series Kit include:

• Exclusive Black Series 3016 handheld laser particle counter
• Pelican flight case
• Isokinetic sampling probe
• Purge filter assembly
• RS-232 interface cable
• LMS Exchange software
• LMS Express software
• USB to serial port converter
• 2 rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries
• External battery charger with car adapter
• Quick start guide

The Black Series is the perfect kit for IAQ professionals traveling to multiple locations with a laptop.  No more having to go back to your hotel or office to create reports; this comprehensive kit is designed for creating reports on the fly.  The LMS Exchange software allows for downloading to Excel while the LMS Express software lets you download data for reports, charts and graphics.  The Black Series 3016 has a wide range of available size channel configurations, from 0.3 microns to 25.0 +.

This innovative travel kit is secured in a lockable pelican flight case that conveniently holds all accessories.  It even comes with an extra battery for emergency backup.  The Black Series is perfect for a variety of applications, including:

• Cleanrooms
• Aerospace
• Filter testing
• Hard drive disk manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical
• Hospital surgical rooms

If you need to monitor particles and create reports on the fly, check out the all-encompassing Black Series Handheld Laser Particle Counter, available exclusively through BPA Air Quality Solutions.

I’ve decided to start blogging occasionally about some of the unique and interesting projects I get to work on throughout my work-week. The first week of March has been like springtime down here in Charleston, SC. It’s been tempting to forward my calls to my cell phone, grab my wireless laptop and head to Folly Beach! But the fact is, I’ve spent most of my week at my desk working on some interesting new projects…

I received two separate calls from NASA this week. The first call was for a handheld particle counter (I quoted the Lighthouse 3016 .3-10 micron version and plenty of extra batteries). The second call was for personal gas detection equipment (still waiting to hear from the Crowcon UK engineers about operation in micro gravity environments). Those types of calls are pretty common, what surprised me was that these instruments are for the International Space Station.

The next day, I had lunch with a colleague of mine, Dave Kuck, who was working on an industrial air quality job for a diesel pipeline in the arctic tundra of Alaska. The guys up there are welding the pipe and mounting it on braces that raise it high enough so that the caribou can pass under it.

The welders work in small steel buildings that are moved with a crane to the next welding location. They are hundreds of miles from modern civilization, where there are no roads. They melt snow and ice to make ice paths for the heavy equipment to drive on. Dave is quoting a fume extraction system that can be mounted inside of the small steel structure. The fume extractor he recommended has an 10 foot articulating arm with a source capture hood that can be positioned above the welding point and extract the fumes before they get into the breathing zone of the welder.

He asked “have you ever worked on a project in such a remote location?” I said “actually, I quoted a project yesterday… outer space is a bit more remote than Alaska…”

: )

Another project I found interesting this week was for DuPont. They are monitoring their huge ducted air system for filtration efficiency. This will be accomplished by placing Lighthouse 3014P remote particle counters, between their 65% ASHRAE prefilter bank and their 95% Main filter wall to measure upstream particle counts and also downstream of the main filter to determine and monitor efficiency.

We are providing DuPont with some custom remote particle counters that will measure 6 particle sizes (.3, .5, .7, 1, 3 and 10 microns) with isokinetic sampling probes mounted at 45 degrees in the airstream. They are opting to write their own drivers and use the RS-485 port to connect to their fms system. We are providing them with the MODBUS protocol documentation and I’m sure our support staff will be able to help them with any connectivity or communication issues they may have.

There are a couple other projects that I’m excited about (including some smoke eaters for a new oyster bar Pearlz, opening downtown on East Bay St.). My intention was to blog about more projects today, but it’s after 7:30 PM on a Friday and I’m about to call it a week.

Jim Akey from Lighthouse took a couple of days off this week to play some Oregon golf with his buddies. I may go drown some balls this weekend myself. I haven’t played since last year, so I’ll probably just stick to the muni…

There are a few important things to consider when selecting the right handheld particle counter for your needs. Handheld particle counters are commonly use for spot checking cleanrooms, cleanhoods, filter testing, general indoor air quality testing and other applications where portability and a low cost is essential.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Handheld particle counters have .1 CFM flow rate and are not designed for certifying cleanrooms.
Several different handheld particle counters are available that offer ease of portability and battery operation for use “on the road.” Unless you plan on manually loggin your data on a clip board, select a unit that offers internal memory. Many handheld particle counters only count one size particle at a time and must be switched to a different size each time you want to monitor a different size. Some handheld particle counters offer simultaniuos counting of several chanels.

The Lighthouse 3016 ($3,495 at time of writing) offers a graphic touch screen interface, counts 6 particle size chanels at once along with temperature, relative humidity and stores each record in it’s class leading internal memory along with a time and date stamp for each record. The Lighthouse 3016 handheld particle counter also offers an easy method to download the data to your PC and includes free software to transfer the data into an excel spreadsheet.

If you find that you do not have a use for internal memory or counting multiple sizes, lower cost units, such as the MetOne GT-321 can give you accurate particle counts which display on a simple LED screen and a low sticker cost of well under $2000