SCiO is a sensitive NIR (Near InfraRed) Spectrometer. In practical terms, that means you need to hold SCiO close to, and sometimes in direct contact with, the material (sample) you wish to scan to get an accurate and useful result. Click here for more scanning details.

Hold your SCiO with your dominant hand (for stability while scanning) a distance no less than .5cm (.2 inches) and no more than 1cm (.4 inches) away from the sample (imagine a blueberry as the ideal distance between your SCiO and the sample to get the best scans).
Make sure your smartphone and SCiO are no further than 2 meters (6 feet) away from one another during scanning.


how_to_hold_scan

Which part of SCiO takes the scan?

The optical head, so make sure the optical head of your SCiO is not covered by your fingers, dirt or any other barrier when scanning. Also, make sure you are pointing it in the right direction (towards the sample).

SCiO Sensor is the world’s first handheld molecular sensor! Your SCiO Sensor was purpose built to be both easy and intuitive. Because your SCiO Sensor is so small and light, a large number of features are packed into a very small device. Make sure you familiarize yourself with all of the features and functions before you start scanning to avoid low quality results. The diagram below details each functional part of your new SCiO Sensor and accessories:

  1. Molecular Sensor (takes the scan)
  2. Illumination (illuminates the sample area during scan)
  3. Function Button (On/Off/Scan/Calibrate)
  4. Illumination Ring (SCiO Status Indicator)
  5. USB Charging Port
  6. Charging LED (Charge/Power Status)
  7. Calibration Module (refer to Calibrate SCiO for more information)

Your SCiO Sensor shipped with a number of accessories. Additional accessories such as a liquid scanning accessory are currently in design and testing.

SCiO Optical Shade:

A special add-on device to eliminate environmental noise, excess ambient light and interference. Place the Shade over the SCiO Molecular Sensor when scanning and remove and store on the back of device (magnets will hold the device in place) when not in use.

Optical Shade

SCiO Solid Sample Holder:

In cases where your sample material is too small to fill the illumination area of the sensor, and it is a fully dry solid, the sample holder enables you to get an accurate and consistent scan of your materials. It is critically important not to put any liquids into the sample holder and to cover the holder when not in use.

Solid Sample Holder

For more information about how to scan with the Solid Sample Holder, click here.

Scanning small samples

The Solid Sample Holder is a scanning accessory to use when your sample is too small to fill the entire illumination field (such as with a pill or a capsule).

pill-accessory
Solid Sample Holder

 

To use the Solid Sample Holder correctly:
  1. Place SCiO in the cover, with the optical head facing out.
  2. Place the solid, dry sample into the sample holder and center it into the scan field.
    pill_in_middle
  3. Place the SCiO on top of the sample holder with the optical head facing the scan field. Magnets within the sample holder and SCiO will hold it in place.
    stacked
  4. Release your hand from holding SCiO on the sample holder (it will stay with the magnets) and tap scan on your phone.
  5. Once you see the scan is finished, remove SCiO from on top of the sample holder and repeat for your next scan.
Important note: The Solid Sample Holder cannot be used for liquids or semi-solids of any type. Only samples small enough to fit easily and that are completely dry should be placed in the holder. Scratching the internal coating of the holder, or getting it wet,  will both void your warranty and destroy the holder.

How should I hold SCiO?

SCiO is a sensitive NIR (Near InfraRed) Spectrometer. In practical terms, that means you need to hold SCiO close to, and sometimes in direct contact with, the material (sample) you wish to scan to get an accurate and useful result. Click here for more scanning details.

Hold your SCiO with your dominant hand (for stability while scanning) a distance no less than .5cm (.2 inches) and no more than 1cm (.4 inches) away from the sample (imagine a blueberry as the ideal distance between your SCiO and the sample to get the best scans).
Make sure your smartphone and SCiO are no further than 2 meters (6 feet) away from one another during scanning.


how_to_hold_scan

Which part of SCiO takes the scan?

The optical head, so make sure the optical head of your SCiO is not covered by your fingers, dirt or any other barrier when scanning. Also, make sure you are pointing it in the right direction (towards the sample).

What is the best way to scan?

Your SCiO sensor is a sensitive handheld molecular device. To get the best results, follow these simple steps:

  1. Download and Install SCiO Lab Mobile to your smartphone.
  2. Login using your universal SCiO user/password credentials.
  3. Make sure SCiO is already synced with SCiO Lab Mobile on your phone.
  4. Calibrate SCiO using the SCiO Cover.
  5. Place your sample on a steady surface within 5-10mm or 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of SCiO, or place SCiO within that distance of the matter you wish to scan.
  6. Make sure the material you want to scan is equal or larger to the size of the ENTIRE illumination field during the scan. If not, your results will be ineffective. If the sample is too small, but is a totally dry sample, place it within the solid sample holder for an accurate scan.
  7. Hold SCiO steady and tap scan on your phone or press the button within the illumination ring on SCiO.

Calibration is required to achieve the best results possible with each scan.

SCiO notifies you when it requires calibration. Look for the screen indication shown below on your SCiO Lab Mobile application to know when to calibrate.

Note:When SCiO requires calibration, it will not perform any additional scans until it has been calibrated.

Calibration Required Notice

Calibration Required Notice

 

To calibrate:

  1. Place your SCiO Sensor with the optical head facing down into the SCiO Cover until you feel it click into place, as shown below.
  2. Tap the Calibrate button within SCiO Lab Mobile. Your SCiO Sensor will calibrate itself and be ready for scanning again in just a few seconds.
Correct positioning for calibration

 Let’s Get in Sync!

Your SCiO sensor needs to be synced to your smartphone (iOS/Android) to enable scanning.

SCiO sensor requires installation of the SCiO Lab Mobile application on your smartphone to send scan data to the SCiO Cloud and retrieve the analysis so that you can access it.

Steps:

  1. Using the Apple App Store or Google Play download SCiO Lab Mobile to your smartphone.
  2. Open SCiO Lab Mobile and log in using the password we sent you previously when we created your Consumer Physics account.

    main mobile

    To reset your account, select Forgot Password to reset it. If you no longer have access to the email account you used for Kickstarter or to pre-order, email us to recreate your account:support@consumerphysics.com.
  3. Power on SCiO by pressing the button within the illumination ring for at least one second or until the ring flashes blue.
  4. Place your powered on SCiO sensor within arm’s reach of your smartphone.
  5. Select the red (x) Sync icon in the upper right hand side of the screen and then select the SCiO unit to connect with your phone from the list.

    Data Collections Page - Not Connected


    IMG_0078
    (Note: Your SCiO will initially be named MySCiO -a setting you can change using the Rename SCiO option in the Settings Menu).

    Rename SCiO2

  6. SCiO sensor and your phone are now synced. Re-sync them as needed, such as after SCiO Lab Mobile updates etc.

Can I have more than one SCiO Sensor synced to my phone?
Absolutely. You can sync as many SCiOs as you have to your phone. However each SCiO sensor can only be synced to one phone at a time.

Your SCiO Sensor Needs Power!

Your SCiO sensor ships without a charged battery.

Make sure to charge your SCiO sensor using the provided USB charging cable for at least 2 hours, or until the charging LED (next to SCiO’s power inlet) displays the full charge status, green.

The charging LED will show orange while charging (and not yet full) and is off when the device is unplugged.

After a full charge and under standard conditions, SCiO will be capable of approximately 400 scans before it needs to be recharged.

Follow these simple steps to get your SCiO up and running.

Ready to get started?

Follow these simple steps to get started scanning with your new SCiO Sensor.

  1. Charge your SCiO Sensor completely until the back charging LED turns green.
  2. Download and install SCiO Lab on your smartphone from the App Store/Google Play.
  3. Log in to SCiO Lab Mobile using your Consumer Physics account. Your password was sent to you previously by email. If you can’t find your password email, simply select Forgot Password to reset it.
    NOTE: Your SCiO Lab account was created by Consumer Physics based on the email you provided during you pre-order. If you no longer have access to that email account, contact us at support@consumerphysics.com to reset your account.
  4. Once fully charged, turn on your SCiO Sensor by holding the illumination ring for at least 1 second, until it flashes blue.
  5. Place your SCiO Sensor within arm’s reach of your smartphone, select the red (x) icon on the top right hand side of the screen and select your SCiO from the list. The SCiO illumination ring will turn blue, indicating that SCiO and your phone are now synced.
  6. Before you make your first scan, SCiO will require calibration. Place your SCiO with the optical head down into SCiO cover and follow the on screen instructions within SCiO Lab Mobile for first calibration.
  7. To create your first scan, tap on one of the default collections (Hard Cheese or Start Here) and then tap the New Sample button on the bottom right hand side of the screen. Your first scan will be added into that data collection.
  8. To add a new Data Collection, access SCiO Lab using a web browser from your laptop or desktop: sciolab.consumerphysics.com
  9. Once you have added your own data collection, you’ll be ready to start scanning into your new collection using your SCiO.

    Happy Scanning!