Premium Series Pocket pH/Conductivity/TDS/Salinity Tester Kit

What the PC60 Is

The Apera PC60 (SKU: AI316) is a Premium Series multiparameter pocket tester that consolidates pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity (ppt), and temperature measurement into a single handheld instrument. It is rated IP67 — fully waterproof and dustproof — and floats if dropped into a reservoir, which matters in a working grow environment.

The meter is manufactured in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. It carries CE and RoHS certifications. The pH sensor uses Apera's proprietary lithium glass membrane for fast stabilization. The conductivity side uses a platinum black sensor, which delivers ±1% F.S. accuracy across the full EC range with minimal maintenance between cleanings.

One conductivity calibration covers EC, TDS, and salinity simultaneously. pH calibration supports 1-, 2-, or 3-point auto-cal and automatically recognizes standard USA and NIST buffer series (pH 1.68, 4.00, 6.86, 7.00, 9.18, 10.01, 12.45). Auto Temperature Compensation (ATC) runs 0–50 °C continuously.

Who It's For

Licensed cannabis and hemp cultivation facilities — indoor, greenhouse, or hybrid — that run recirculating hydroponics, coco, or any fertigation program where nutrient solution EC and pH are critical control points. This is the instrument growers, cultivation managers, and lead technicians keep on the floor for daily reservoir checks, feed validation, and runoff sampling.

The PC60 is also appropriate for quality-control checks at multiple canopy levels or grow rooms where you need a portable, repeatable reading you can trust without sending samples to a lab. Its dual-display shows temperature alongside the active parameter at all times, so you're always reading at known conditions — relevant when dialing in temperature-sensitive nutrient programs.

At the operator level, the replaceable-probe design means the instrument body is a long-term asset. When the PC60-E probe ages out, you swap the probe — not the meter. The PC60 body is also compatible with other Apera specialty probes for expanded applications.

Key Features & Performance

Accuracy is ±0.01 pH, ±1% F.S. on conductivity, and ±0.5 °C on temperature. The pH range spans −2.00 to 16.00, and EC range is 0 to 20.00 mS/cm. Auto-hold detects measurement stability and locks the reading on screen — the display shows a confirmation icon when the value is stable and ready to log, removing guesswork on whether the probe has equilibrated.

The backlit LCD uses three color modes to indicate operating state — reading vs. calibration vs. alert — and simultaneously displays temperature with the active measurement parameter. The TDS conversion factor is user-configurable (default 0.71), and the temperature compensation factor (default 2.0%/°C) can be adjusted to match your specific nutrient solution. Auto power-off triggers after 8 minutes of inactivity; battery life is rated up to 1,000 hours of continuous use (without backlight) on standard AAA cells, with a low-power warning before cutoff.

The complete kit ships in a hard carrying case and includes premixed pH 4.00 and 7.00 calibration solutions, 3M KCl soaking solution, calibration bottles, AAA batteries, and a lanyard. Everything needed for field-ready calibration is in the case — no separate accessory order required on day one.

How It Fits a Commercial Cultivation Build

For most licensed grow operations, nutrient solution management is daily work. The PC60 fits that workflow: reservoir check at lights-on, runoff EC spot-check mid-day, and pH confirmation before any adjustment. Having one instrument that covers all five parameters means less gear to maintain, less calibration overhead, and a consistent measurement baseline across shifts and technicians.

The IP67 rating and floating body make it appropriate for wet rooms, propagation spaces, and any environment where the meter is likely to take splash or get set on a wet bench. The auto-hold function is practical for operators wearing gloves — you dip the probe and wait for the confirmation icon rather than trying to read a fluctuating number.

For multi-site operations, the replaceable PC60-E probe (with its own separate 6-month warranty) means you can standardize on the PC60 body across facilities and manage probe inventory independently. The meter carries a 2-year manufacturer warranty on the body.