Advantages of Terra Universal's Smart Nitro-Watch for Desiccator Cabinets and Glove Boxes

Inert nitrogen gas is commonly used in laboratories to control the atmosphere for highly sensitive equipment and procedures. The best way to maintain the environment in a desiccator cabinet, glove box, or similar enclosure, is to automatically purge the environment with nitrogen or argon gas. Because these processes happen automatically based on humidity set-points, smart controllers and sensors allow for more trackable, traceable, and efficient results.

The Smart® IsoDry® Nitro-Watch™ System allows precise climate control and environmental monitoring when paired with Terra's nitrogen purged gloveboxes or desiccator cabinets. The system provides ultra-low humidity control down to 0% RH, making it well suited for pharmaceutical, biomedical, research, medical device, and micro-electronics or micro-optic applications.

UL-listed components, precision instrumentation, and application expertise are among reasons why laboratories choose Terra Universal products. UL-listed products ensure that Terra Universal products maintain meticulous standards for electrical safety, component integrity, and manufacturing quality. Terra's manufacturing facilities meet rigorous standards for testing, surveillance, and monitoring, which guarantees consistency in each unit built. Because Terra products are engineered and manufactured in house, we're able to provide a deep pool of expertise, niche application support, and many cross-compatible accessories.

Smart® IsoDry® Nitro-Watch™ System

The Smart® Nitro-Watch™ includes an improved sensor and controller design that supports built-in data logging, temperature sensing, plus USB plug and play. The improved Smart® Nitro-Watch sensor allows for more repeatable conditions at a threshold of ± 1.5% RH, a 25% improvement over the standard Nitro Watch models.

For automatic humidity control, the unit must be connected to Terra's IsoDry® Dual Purge System. The fast-response capacitive probe measures humidity over the entire humidity range, from 0 to 100% RH, with an accuracy of ± 1.5% RH at a temperature of 68 degrees F. The standard NitroWatch™ does not include temperature sensing or data logging.

Related: What’s so different about the Dual Purge?

Smart® NitroWatch™ Controller with Data Logger

The Smart® NitroWatch™ Controller can log months of data depending on the logging interval selected, all of which can be downloaded to a USB flash drive

The Smart® NitroWatch™ Controller features a built-in data logger to record %RH, temperature, door open/close, purge on/off, and sensor removal/attachment. The max data file size is roughly 4 MB or 113,000 readings. This is approximately 32 hours of data when logging at 1-second intervals, 2 weeks at 10-second intervals, 6 weeks at 30-second intervals, or 12 weeks at 1-minute intervals. When the system reaches the 4MB limit, data begins to wrap, overwriting the oldest data with new.

The data is available to download as a .CSV file by simply connecting a USB flash drive with available storage capacity. No other software is required. The .CSV file is compatible with most spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Smart® Nitro-Watch™ Sensor

The Smart® NitroWatch™ Sensor is mounted inside the enclosure and sends RH% and temperature data to the Smart® NitroWatch™ Controller

The Smart® IsoDry® NitroWatch™ Sensor mounts inside of a desiccator or glovebox.

The sensor sends the RH% and temperature readings to the Smart® Nitro-Watch™ controller which logs the data and displays current RH%, RH alarm (RH high or RH low alarm), door alarm, and RH% set point. The controller then regulates the solenoid valve by sending ON/OFF signals to the IsoDry® Dual Purge based on the door sensors and user-specified RH setpoint.

Can I Upgrade a Previous Generation Nitro-Watch System with Smart Features?

Yes, it is possible and straightforward for a customer with an existing desiccator cabinet + Isodry Dualpurge & NitroWatch, to upgrade their system to Smart NitroWatch and Smart sensor. The cable from the desiccator cabinet to the NitroWatch would need to be changed to a phone jack connector on both ends, instead of the current cable with a phone jack and DIN connector.

Product Manuals & Resources

Smart® IsoDry® Nitro-Watch™ controllers and sensors are available for either desiccator or glovebox configurations.

For technical data and specifications, the Smart® IsoDry® Nitro-Watch™ product manual includes further information on the following configurations:

Smart Humidity Controllers for Desiccator Cabinets and Glove Boxes

• 9500-06A Smart® IsoDry® Nitro-Watch™ Controller
• 9500-02B Smart® IsoDry® Nitro-Watch™ Sensor

Configure Your Desiccator Cabinet or Glove Box System Online

The Terra Universal website provides online pricing and product configuration for hundreds of glove box systems and desiccator storage cabinets. Terra's customers appreciate transparent pricing and application-specific accessories when they know what they need. For those who require assistance, factory-direct expertise and application support is available for every Terra Universal product. On-shore manufacturing from Terra's Fullerton, California manufacturing facility means you get products delivered faster with instock, ready-to-ship desiccators, glove boxes, and accessories. Contact us for questions about installation and application support.