PPM Technology is committed to providing the best after sales service possible to it's customers. We have a friendly team of engineers and chemists who are only too happy to help with any problems you have with our instruments. This is backed-up by a close team in both servicing and R&D departments.

NOTICE:
All quotations and prices are in Pounds Sterling and do not include taxes or shipping unless clearly stated and marked as such. Full, written quotations are available on request from our Sales Desk .

 

Service and Repairs

 

 

Importance of Calibration

The importance of calibration with using electro-chemical cells for measuring toxic gas is that their working life is determined by the activity of the electrodes used to detect the gas. This activity is gradually reduced over time by contaminant gases and poisons such that the sensor sensitivity is the amount of current generated per ppm of target gas - drifts gradually downwards. If the instrument into which the sensor is built is calibrated regularly as recommended, this downward drift can be compensated for by gain adjustment and any low output sensors replaced immediately. Therefore it is important that the instruments are calibrated regularly to confirm that the cell is functioning properly and correctly.

If the instrument is left without calibrating and the sensor reaches the end of its working life the cells output may be insufficient to generate an alarm condition. A situation could therefore arise that toxic level of gas is present, but the gas detection equipment is incapable of warning users.

Returning Instruments

If you are having problems with your instrument then we would be happy to service or repair it for you. However - you may be able to fix the problem yourself. Check the PPM Service FAQ and How To Guides first.

If you are still having trouble then get in touch with us using the contact us page, we will try to help you as much as we can via email or the phone.

Finally we may have to ask for the instrument to be returned to us for servicing and repair in which case it will need to be accompanied with a Returns Cover Sheet. This will let us quickly deal with your instrument. Instruments returned without a completed Cover Sheet can't be processed and will be delayed.

Also note the terms and conditions (DDP) for returning instruments to us. Cover Sheets are available here, please choose one of the formats below and confirm that you agree to the terms by clicking 'OK'. Our returns procedure has changed as of May 2010 to comply with H.M. Revenue & Customs SIPR guidelines - be sure to read the new terms carefully before returning any goods to us...
	Returns Cover Sheet	Print out and fill by hand before placing in the box with your instrument.

What's Included?

When an instrument is returned to us we check the overall performance of the instrument and check any problems reported. We will then compare these results with the records for that instrument.

In particular we check for sensor degradation and calibration drifts. If all is well we then clean, re-calibrate and re-test the instrument to the original specification before replacing the battery and returning to the customer. We also issue a new calibration certificate and update our own records.

In the case of a problem we will contact the customer and explain any action required to fix it and quote any charges incurred. It's for this reason that it's important to fill in the Cover Sheet properly.

 

Lion Formaldemeters and Glutaraldemeters

Our general service and calibration facility is not just limited to PPM Formaldemeters, we are also able to service and calibrate Lion Formaldemeters and Glutaraldemeters which you may have. Unfortunately we are not able to provide a repair service for Lion products due to us not having the specific parts available.

 

Firmware and Software

 

Latest versions

Below is a list of various firmware and software with the latest version numbers. If you have an older version then you may be able to upgrade. See below on how to check your current version number.

As of May, 2014:

FIRMWARE

INSTRUMENT	VERSION	BUILD DATE
Formaldemeter (400 + htv + htv-m Up to Serial Number F8129)	1.68	February 2015
Formaldemeter (htv + htv-m From Serial Number F8130 onwards)	2.33	February 2015
Glutaraldemeter (Mk III)	2.33	February 2015
AMS-2	2.14	09 Oct 2007

Other Instrument Firmware is obsolete

SOFTWARE

TITLE	VERSION
Htv-m Downloader	1.0 r28
AMS-2 Downloader (for AMS-2 v2+ only - previous versions unsupported)	3.2 r9
SPC-1	1.09r6
SPC-2	TBC
PPMonitor	2.2.0.8 (BETA)

 

Finding your version number:

Hand-held instruments

On hand-held instruments other than Formaldemters, Formaldemters II, Glutaraldemters and Glutaraldemter II proceed as follows:

Base Unit or AMS-2

The older Base Unit shows the firmware version on the screen briefly when it's first turned on. On the newer AMS-2 units you need to hold down the 'Enter' key while turning the power on to see the firmware version.

Software Packages

On the majority of software titles the version information can be found by selecting the 'About' item from the 'Help' menu.

Latest Available Upgrades

New testers required: If you would like to help PPM Technology with it's latest product development then please add your e-mail details to our testers list here and we might give you a call. A new project is currently approaching the public beta stage so we will soon be sending out invitations!

SPC-1 Released: The first release candidate from this project is now being offered - thank you to all those involved in the testing of this software. If you are still using your beta version please get in touch for more details on upgrading your system.

AMS-2 Downloader v3: This project has now moved from the beta phase with the release of v3.2 r8 . If you are still using previous beta versions thank you for your help in spotting mistakes and bugs - please get in touch with the developer to arrange for an upgrade to the full version. If, after the upgrade, you continue to find bugs or errors please continue to submit them.

AMS-2 Downloader v2: Some users have had problems with installing this application on Windows 2000 and NT machines. An upgrade is available which should overcome this issue - get in touch with our sales desk with your details in order to claim your free upgrade. Don't forget that v2 also replaces v1 of the application.

 

Table of Known and Tested Interferants

 

 

The Formaldemeter is known to experience some cross-sensitivity by other volatile Aldehydes and Alcohols.

• Interference factors may differ between fuel cell sensor to fuel cell sensor.
• Never calibrate the Formaldemeter using interference gases.

 

Gas	Concentration required to give a 1 ppm reading	Response	Removal of interfering gas using a phenol filter
Acetaldehyde	12	Linear	60%
Ethanol	24	Linear	45%
Formic Acid	26	Linear	100%
Formaldehyde	1	Linear	15%
Glutaraldehyde	7	Linear	70%
Methanol	60	Linear	30%
Phenol	7	Linear	100%
Resorcinol	250	Linear	100%

 

• Phenol filters are extremely efficient at removing Phenol along with other Alcohols and Aldehydes from the air.
• Phenol Filters can be fitted over the sampling nozzle of the Formaldemeter prior to taking a sample. PPM Technology recommends that phenol filters be changed around every 10 samples since they can become saturated which will give high readings. Phenol filters can be ordered through your distributor.
• Users should be aware that phenol filters reduce the concentration of Formaldehyde by around 15% so should only be used in conditions where there are suspected interferences.
• Please be aware that Ozone causes Formaldehyde to be broken down into Carbon Dioxide, Water and Oxygen therefore in Ozone-rich environments Formaldehyde levels can be reduced.

Research carried out under controlled conditions in an incubator set at 25oC. A wide range of suspected interfering gases have been tested including (NH3, CO, CO2, NO2, Acetone, Isobutylene) table shows only those which caused interference below LEL levels.

 

Bespoke System Service

 

 

If you find that our products don't quite 'fit the bill' or would like to use our products as part of a larger system or project then get in touch. Our experienced design team can help you to realise a solution based on our technology at a competitive rate.

If required we can provide support to your own technical team; carry out the design work or even deliver the entire project ourselves. We can also provide on-site expertise in installation, trouble-shooting and some user training.

We have expertise in Chemistry, Electronics, Software & Firmware Installation and can also access experts in many other fields so feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or requests.