Black Carbon Module maintenance

What to know about maintaining your Black Carbon Module for reliable long-term performance.

The Black Carbon Module is designed for low-maintenance operation. It allows for long-term continuous sampling of higher concentrations for up to a year, depending on the sampling environment conditions and instrument settings.

Filter Tape Cartridge Replacement

The Clarity Black Carbon Module was designed for low-maintenance operation in the field. The only regular maintenance the customer will need to schedule is replacing the filter tape cartridge every several months. 

The filter tape cartridges have PTFE filter material for collecting a 3 mm sample spot, and are advanced every couple of days more or less, depending on black carbon concentrations. MAFT-L85 cartridges each contain 85 sampling locations, so a typical tape will last for 3-6 months. The Clarity Dashboard provides an alarm near the end-of-tape (at 75% consumption) so that you can prepare for a timely replacement.

Tape Replacement Overview

For the uninitiated, very detailed instructions are provided in the following sections. However if you’re familiar with the instrument, here’s a quick checklist of the process:

1. Unscrew the tape lid using a wide Phillips screwdriver or coin.
2. Make sure the Module is powered on through the Node-S.
3. Navigate the menu using the left and right buttons to Release Tape and select using the middle buttons.
4. If this tape will be used again, note down the current tape position in order to provide the correct tape position when reinstalling this tape.
5. Pull out the tape and place the new tape inside.
6. Navigate the menu (one to the right) to Clamp Tape and select. If the tape is new, select the center button. If the tape is old, select the left button and enter the tape position of this tape. 
7. Tighten the tape lid lightly. 

Remove Old Filter Tape Cartridge

The on-board user interface on the screen inside of the enclosure is used to remove and install the filter tape cartridge. 

1. Make sure that the module is not sampling.  If it is sampling, use the on-board interface to stop sampling and measurements by pressing the center button. 
2. Unscrew the large flat head slotted screw(s) in the filter tape cartridge door of the case. When the screw is completely free of its mating threaded hole, use the flat head slotted screw(s) to pull the filter tape cartridge door from the case.  The filter tape cartridge will now be exposed or if a filter tape cartridge is not currently installed, the cartridge holder area will be empty.
3. Use the left and right buttons of the on-board user interface to scroll through the top level menu options to select ‘Release Tape’.  
4. Press the center button to select the ‘Release Tape’ option. '-Releasing Tape' and 'Tape Position @ ' will be displayed on the screen, which is the current tape position value. IMPORTANT: It is recommended to record the displayed current tape position value so that this can be tracked and entered when the tape cartridge is installed again. The optical head of the instrument will move to its open position and stop in about 6 seconds.  
5. Once the optical head stops moving, use the pull tab in the center of the filter tape cartridge to remove the cartridge straight out of the instrument. The process of filter tape cartridge removal is shown in the pictures below. The optical head is circled in red.

Install New Filter Tape Cartridge

1. When inserting a cartridge into the instrument, make sure the optical head is open and in the released location so that the filter can be installed. Use the release tape menu to open the optical head if not already opened. 
2. Insert a filter tape cartridge straight into the instrument, aligning the left and right holes in the cartridge with the two white capstans in the instrument. 
3. Make sure that the filter tape cartridge is fully inserted and sits flat in the instrument. 
4. Scroll through menu options to ‘Clamp Tape’.
   • OLD: If installing an Old tape cartridge that has been partially used before, press the left button that is under the on-screen ‘Old’ option. 
     • ‘- Position : ’ and ‘<<-’, ‘Done’, and ‘+>’ options will be displayed on screen where is the current tape position value of the tape cartridge being installed.
     • Use the left button under the on-screen ‘<<-’ option and the right button under the on-screen ‘+>’ option to decrease or increase the current tape position value that is displayed on-screen. 
     • When the correct tape position value is displayed on-screen, press the center button under the ‘DONE’ option. 
     • ‘-Clamping Tape’ and ‘Tape Position @ ’ will be displayed on the screen where the current tape position is. The optical head will move to its clamped position and stop in about 6 seconds. 
   • NEW: If installing a New tape cartridge that has never been used before, press the center button that is under the on-screen ‘New’ option. 
     • ‘-Clamping Tape’ and ‘Tape Position @ 0’ will be displayed on-screen since the tape cartridge is new and has never been used before. The optical head of the instrument will move to its clamped position and stop in about 6 seconds.
   • NONE: If reinstalling the same tape cartridge that was previously installed (no change to the tape cartridge was made - the tape cartridge was not removed after the tape clamp was released), press the right button that is under the on-screen ‘None’ option
     • If ‘None’ was selected by pressing the right button, ‘-Clamping Tape’ and ‘Tape Position @ ’ where is the tape position value of the previously installed tape cartridge will be displayed on-screen since no change to the tape cartridge was made (the tape cartridge was not removed after the tape clamp was released). The optical head of the instrument will move to its clamped position and stop in about 6 seconds.Press the center button to select the ‘Clamp Tape’ option and enter the sub menu. ‘-Installed Tape Is:’ and ‘Old’, ‘New’, ‘None’ options will be displayed on the screen 
5. Confirm that the filter tape cartridge is clamped by the optical head. 
6. If the filter tape cartridge is correctly installed, replace the filter tape cartridge door to its closed position and completely screw the flat head slotted screw(s) in place. Once the door is in its closed and locked position, the instrument is ready for further use. Reset the Node at this point by either plugging the cable out of the module and back in or by removing the Node’s power cable and plugging it back in after a few seconds.

Preventive Maintenance and Recalibration

Clarity recommends a regular 24-month standard maintenance service schedule to keep the instrument clean and to ensure proper operation and calibration. 

To start this process, or to get expert help resolving questions about or problems with this instrument, please contact us at support@clarity.io.