ARAG Mag Meter

All ARAG mag meters we use are from the Orion line. Because they're electromagnetic, they contain no moving parts, making them ideal for chemicals, provided the liquid meets the minimum conductivity requirement. We use three models — Orion X, Orion 2+, and the older Orion 2 (Orion 2+'s predecessor) — which differ in a few important ways covered below (conductivity requirement, connectivity, installation clearance, and indicator light behavior). Orion 2 shares the same basic specs, pinout, and conductivity requirement as Orion 2+, but lacks its electronic self-cleaning function and uses a simpler indicator light.

For the full official manuals, see the ARAG Orion X Manual (PDF), the ARAG Orion 2+ Manual (PDF), and the ARAG Orion 2 Manual (PDF).

Wiring & Specifications

1. Technical & Metric Performance

Orion X:

Measuring Range: 50 – 2500 L/min (approx. 13 – 660 GPM)
Accuracy: +/- 1% of the measured value (within the 250 to 2500 L/min range)
Maximum Pressure: 5 bar (approx. 72 PSI)
Liquid Conductivity: Must be equal to or greater than 300 µS/cm
Operating Temperature: 0°C to +60°C (32°F to +140°F)

Orion 2+:

Measuring Range: Varies significantly by model, from roughly 0.2–20 L/min on the smallest DN size up to 8–800 L/min on the largest — check the flow range printed on your specific meter's label.
Accuracy: 5% of the reading between 1/100 and 1/20 of full scale; 1% of the reading between 1/20 and full scale.
Maximum Pressure: Varies by connection type, from 10 bar (145 PSI) on 2" clamp-style connections up to 40 bar (580 PSI) on threaded/brass connections — check the rating for your specific connection type.
Liquid Conductivity: Must be equal to or greater than 50 µS/cm — notably lower (more permissive) than Orion X.
Operating Temperature: 0°C to +60°C (32°F to +140°F)

Orion 2 (the older, smaller-meter predecessor to Orion 2+) shares the same power supply (10–16 Vdc, 300 mA max), 50 µS/cm minimum conductivity, and operating/storage temperature ranges as Orion 2+ — check your specific meter's label for its exact flow range and pressure rating, since these vary by DN size just like Orion 2+.

2. Hydraulic Installation Logic

To ensure measurement accuracy and prevent turbulence, follow these placement rules:

The Straight-Pipe Rule: Install a straight pipe section both upstream and downstream of the meter, clear of anything that could cause turbulence (valves, bends, bottlenecks). Orion X needs at least 10 times its inner diameter on each side (for the 3"/75mm meter, that's 750mm/29.5" each way). Orion 2+ needs at least 5 times its nominal diameter on each side. Orion 2 uses a simpler fixed rule: keep it at least 20 cm (8 inches) from anything that could cause turbulence.
Air Pocket Prevention: Always mount the meter in a position that favors the drainage of air, and avoid positioning it so the electrodes sit at the bottom of the pipe — that invites both air bubbles and suspended sediment to collect on an electrode, distorting the reading.
Electrode Protection (Orion X): Install at least 3 cm (approx. 1.2 inches) away from metal masses that could alter the measurement.
Magnetic and Physical Interference (Orion 2+): Keep away from sources of strong magnetic fields and from areas with excessive vibration or shock — the meter itself also generates a magnetic field, so reposition it if it interferes with other nearby devices.
Orientation: Either meter can be mounted horizontally or vertically, but always follow the flow-direction arrow printed on the body, and never mount it with the connector facing straight down (Orion X) or straight up (Orion 2+, horizontal mounting).

3. Electrical Connections & Pinouts

Orion X features two connector ports — Frequency and CAN Bus — so it can be wired either way depending on your setup:

Frequency Port (Pulse Output):

Pin 1: GND (Ground)
Pin 2: +12 Vdc (Power)
Pin 3: OUT (Square wave pulse signal)
Pin 4 (VisualFlow display models only): Pump check

CAN Bus Port:

Pin 1: GND
Pin 2: +12 Vdc
Pin 3: CAN Low
Pin 4: CAN High

Orion 2+ is frequency-only — it has no CAN-bus connector option:

Pin 1: GND (Black)
Pin 2: +12 Vdc (Red)
Pin 3: Square wave signal (Green)

Orion 2 uses the identical 3-pin frequency-only pinout as Orion 2+ (GND/Black, +12 Vdc/Red, Signal/Green) — also no CAN-bus option.

Indicator Light

Orion X:

Off: Not powered.
Green (Blinking): Waiting to acquire a CAN-bus address.
Green (Steady): Liquid is present but still (no flow).
Blue (Steady): Measurement active; liquid is flowing.
Violet (Steady): No liquid detected inside the meter.
White (Steady): Electrode cleaning in progress.
Red (Steady): Severe error — contact an ARAG Service Center.
Flashing Blue/Green: Not in ARAG's official documentation, but directly observed in the field on Orion X meters — this indicates a grounding issue. See Check for Ground Loops below.
Red (Blinking): Error — count the blinks: 2 = hardware error (contact Service Center), 3 = corrupted/wrong calibration data (contact Service Center), 4 = supply voltage too high or too low (see Power Check), 5 = unstable reading (check hydraulic installation), 6 = high temperature detected, 7 = corrupted settings restored to default (contact Service Center to verify).

Orion 2+ uses a single two-color (red/green) LED with a very different vocabulary — don't cross-reference these with Orion X's colors:

Off: Not powered.
Red (Steady, High Brightness): Device just started up (only for the first second after power-on).
Red (Steady, Low Brightness): Powered, but not detecting liquid passage — either the liquid is still or the meter is empty.
Red (Blinking, High Brightness): Reading liquid passage — the blink rate is proportional to the flowrate.
Green (Steady): Self-cleaning of the reading electrodes in progress.
Green/Red (Alternating Blink): Self-cleaning is active, but there isn't enough liquid in the pipe to complete it.

Orion 2 has a simpler single-color LED with only three states, since it has no self-cleaning function and no separate startup indication: Off (not powered), steady, low intensity (powered, not detecting liquid passage), and blinking, high intensity (detecting liquid passage, blink rate proportional to flowrate).

Communication issues? Make sure firmware is up to date: Data > Mixmates > menu button (three dots) on the desired Mixmate > Update Firmware.

Maintenance

Post-Mix Flush: Always run clean water through the meter after each treatment session.
Electrode Cleaning: If the reading becomes unstable or shows chemical deposits, clean the pipe with a special detergent (not solvents or fuel), or with a soft wet cloth on the outer case. Do not use metal or abrasive objects, and never use a pressure washer or direct water jet on either meter.
Orion 2+ Self-Cleaning Function: This model has a built-in electronic self-cleaning cycle for the reading sensors — useful when you notice a deviation in measured volume, without needing to open the meter. Press and hold the button on the connector for at least 5 seconds to start it. A standard cycle takes about 15 minutes; a more intensive cycle for heavy chemical residue takes about 90 minutes. The pipe must be full of clean water (not product) with the sensors submerged before starting, and the device takes no measurements while cleaning. Wait 5 minutes with still liquid in the pipe before using it again afterward. Orion 2 does not have this feature — for that model, clean the pipe manually with a special detergent as described above.

Troubleshooting

The diagnostic steps below apply to any Orion mag meter — only the indicator light behavior and the availability of a self-cleaning button differ by model.

Physical inspection: Are the power and signal lights lit on the meter? Ensure all cabling is intact and plugs are seated securely — look for corrosion on the pins.
Configuration check: Confirm the software talks to the correct hardware port. Go to Data > Mixmates > your Mixmate > Configuration, and make sure the flowmeter/mag meter is assigned to the Module it's physically connected to. Tip: consider calling your dealer or Mixmate support for this step, since changing these settings can affect other components.
Coated or dirty sensors: The meter reads liquid using electrodes exposed to the flow. If those electrodes get coated with slime or chemical deposits, they can't send or receive their signal correctly — clean the electrode faces inside the meter bore, or run the Orion 2+'s self-cleaning cycle described above.
Not enough conductivity: A mag meter has to "see" the liquid electrically. Liquids with very low ion counts — like RO water or pure oils — don't conduct well enough for the meter to read them accurately, even when the hardware is working perfectly. Orion 2+'s lower 50 µS/cm minimum makes it more tolerant of weakly-conductive liquids than Orion X's 300 µS/cm minimum.

If the hardware is powered, clean, and correctly assigned but the totals are wrong, it comes down to one of two causes:

Consistently wrong (calibration issue): If the meter is always off by the same percentage, adjust the Calibration Factor — see Calibrating Your Flowmeter below.
Sporadically wrong (grounding issue): If readings jump around or are inconsistent from load to load, this is almost always a ground loop — see Check for Ground Loops below.

Calibrating Your Flowmeter

Mag meters are sensitive to flow dynamics and installation geometry, and must be calibrated after final installation. Each meter ships with a factory flowmeter constant printed on its label — start from that value, not a generic default.

Before you calibrate — the "3-Load Rule": Observe the system over at least 3 loads first. You want to see the same error every time; if readings are erratic or inconsistent, don't calibrate yet — fix the underlying cause first (see Ground Loops below; mag meters can also be thrown off by liquids with low ion counts, like RO water or pure oils).

Step-by-step adjustment (once your volume output is consistent but inaccurate):

Open the Data tab, tap Mixmates.
Tap the middle of your Mixmate Card, then tap Configuration.
Open the Assemblies tab, tap the middle of the assembly the meter belongs to (Carrier, Stack Stand, or Single).
Scroll down to the Calibration field for the mag meter.

Example: Mixmate says you pumped 1000 gallons. The sprayer tank actually contains 950 gallons. Your current calibration is 24. Calculation: (1000 / 950) × 24 = 25.26. New calibration: 25.26.

Enter the new number into the Calibration field and tap Save in the upper right. Then tap the System tab and Save once more to commit the change to the system hardware.

Erratic or "Ghost" Readings? Check for Ground Loops

Ground loops are a common challenge in mobile mixing setups. A ground loop occurs when there are multiple paths for electricity to return to the battery, often creating stray voltage that interferes with sensitive electronics. The most common symptom is a meter appearing to "spin" on the tablet with no actual flow, or readings jumping wildly during a mix.

The "frame" fallacy: Bolting a wire to a trailer frame is not a sufficient ground. All components must have their grounds physically wired together back to a single common point — usually the negative terminal of the main battery. Metal-to-metal contact through a frame is often interrupted by paint, rust, or vibration-isolation mounts.
Check for stray voltage: Ensure wiring harnesses aren't rubbing against the frame, verify pump motors have clean, tight ground connections, and check that the Power Module ground is clean and contacting the main system ground.
The hardware remedy: If you've exhausted efforts to find the stray voltage and your grounding is as solid as possible, Praxidyn offers an isolation device designed to filter out electrical noise and stabilize meter readings.