TrolMaster AMP-2 Sensor Board | pH + EC/Temp Probe Interface for Aqua-X NFS-1

What the TrolMaster AMP-2 Sensor Board Connects

The AMP-2 is the sensor interface for the first generation Aqua-X, the NFS-1, and fits that controller only. It carries three terminals on its face. A BNC on the left takes a pH probe and a Mini DIN on the right takes an EC and temperature probe. A Mini DIN in the middle, marked SYSTEM, goes to the controller. The probes TrolMaster pairs with it are the PPH-1 and PPH-2 for pH and the PCT-1 and PCT-2 for EC and temperature. A 2.5 m male-to-male signal cable comes in the box. It runs from the SYSTEM terminal to the SENSOR BOARD port on the underside of the Aqua-X. Once it is plugged in, pH, EC and water temperature show on the controller's LCD and in the app. The Aqua-X lets the grower set a minimum and a maximum for each value. The controller sends an alert day or night when a reading leaves that window. That is the real job of the board: it makes the reservoir a monitored thing rather than a checked thing. The board mounts on a DIN-type bracket, screwed to a wall near the tank with two screws so the probe cables stay short. It is rated for an environment of 32 to 122 °F at humidity of 90 percent or less. An alternate part number is TRCAMP2, it is CE and ETL registered, and TrolMaster carries a three year warranty on it. The retail box is 6.3 by 3.4 by 3.4 in and the shipping weight is about half a pound. The probes are not in the box.

Wiring an Aqua-X pH and EC Interface So the Numbers Stay Clean

An Aqua-X pH and EC interface is a signal device, and signal devices are fussy about where they live and what runs next to them. Mount the board close to the reservoir and high enough to stay dry. Route the probe cables straight to it without coiling the spare length around a pump cord. A pH signal is a tiny voltage, and a coil of cable lying on a motor picks up noise that shows as a jittery reading. Push the pH probe's BNC on and turn it until it locks. Seat the EC probe's Mini DIN until it stops, and do the same with the signal cable at both ends. A half-seated Mini DIN is the usual cause of a reading that drops out and comes back. Run the signal cable to the SENSOR BOARD port on the bottom of the controller and nowhere else. The other Mini DIN ports on the Aqua-X are for other modules. Set the limits on the controller the same day. A board that reports and never alarms has done half its work. Pick a pH window a few tenths either side of target and an EC window that matches the feed stage. Tighten them once the system has run a week. Calibrate the probes through the controller menu before trusting the first alert. Keep the board itself dry and dusted with a dry cloth. The electronics sit in an open-fronted housing, and a splash from a tank top-up finds the terminals first. Label the two probe ports, because a pH plug and an EC plug both fit the same style of hand in the dark.

Key Features

• Three terminals: BNC for pH, Mini DIN for EC and temperature, Mini DIN SYSTEM to the controller.
• Aqua-X NFS-1: The sensor board for the first generation controller.
• Pairs with PPH and PCT probes: PPH-1 and PPH-2 for pH, PCT-1 and PCT-2 for EC and temperature.
• 2.5 m signal cable included: Male-to-male Mini DIN, board to controller.
• Live readings and alerts: pH, EC and water temperature on the LCD and in the app, with min and max limits.
• DIN-type bracket: Two screws to a wall near the tank.
• 32 to 122 °F: Humidity of 90 percent or less.
• CE and ETL registered: Three year warranty from TrolMaster.

Technical Specifications