Elsec 765 – Light, Humidity & Temperature Monitor

The Elsec 765 Series provides accurate indoor environmental monitoring and is a valuable tool in the conservation of museum objects, valuable documents, artwork and buildings.

The 765 measures and displays visible light (Lux or Foot-candles), UV light (mW/M² or µW/lumen), temperature (°C or °F), and humidity (%RH). This is the world standard instrument for museums, art galleries conservators or any application requiring a controlled environment.

The 765C (with logging) is the same as 765 with data logging capacity for over 70,000 readings of all 4 parameters. No special software is required, logged information is stored on an internal USB Flash disc and the data can be downloaded onto a PC and viewed with any spreadsheet (Excel etc). A free application (RView) is also available for download that displays the data as a zoomable graph that can be saved as an image for inclusion in documents and/or printed.

Parameters

Visible Light

The amount of visible light is important, not only to check illumination in work areas, galleries etc but also to control damage to light-sensitive objects that is also caused by normal light. Measurements can be displayed as Lux or F cot-candles.

Ultraviolet (UV)

For many years it has been recognised that one of the major causes of damage to museum objects and other sensitive objects, soft furnishings etc is the fading and rotting effect of light on the object. The most damaging part of the illumination is its ultraviolet content. Since 1976 Littlemore Scientific (ELSEC) has been providing instruments that enable the conservator to measure the UV content of light and thereby protect valuable exhibits. Using the 765, measurements can be taken of the proportion of UV present (µW/lumen), the total amount of UV (mW/M2)

Easy to use

Much trouble has been taken to make the 765 as easy to use as possible. Anyone can take measurements straight out of the box with little, if any, reference to the instruction manual. The appropriate button is pushed depending on the measurement required and the reading is taken. The unit automatically turns off 20 seconds after the last reading unless a button is held down for over 3 seconds, this causes continuous measurements to be taken until another button is pressed. The large OLED display enables an easy to use menu system to select the more advanced functions, change units etc.

Units of measurement for UV

Traditionally UV has been measured in museums as the proportion of ultraviolet present. This result is useful for checking a particular lamp or window because the proportion of UV does not change with the distance from the light source. Using a simple rule, the amount of UV on an object can be limited (it is usual to arrange that the proportion of UV should not exceed 75µW/lumen in museums).

The damage is done by the total amount of UV falling on the object, so it is useful to be able to measure this directly, especially if non-standard amounts of illumination are required. The amount of UV should be as little as possible but in general, should not exceed 20mW/M2.