Thermocouple type K, exposed tip, fiberglass insulated, 2 m

The Pico SE030 Type K Exposed-Tip Thermocouple, Fiberglass Insulated, 2 m is designed for engineers, laboratories, research teams and general-purpose temperature-monitoring applications that require a responsive thermocouple with additional cable reach.

Pico Technology identifies the SE030 as an exposed-junction Type K thermocouple with fiberglass-insulated 0.3 mm twisted-pair conductor.

Key manufacturer specifications include:

• Order Code: SE030
• Thermocouple Type: Type K
• Junction Type: Exposed
• Tip Diameter: 1.5 mm
• Tip Temperature Range: −60 °C to +350 °C
• Conductor Diameter: 0.3 mm
• Conductor Configuration: Twisted pair
• Insulation: Fiberglass / glass fiber
• Cable Length: 2 m
• Plug Type: Molded flat-pin mini-plug
• Tolerance Standards: IEC 60584-2:1993 / BS EN 60584-1:2013

Exposed-Junction Temperature Measurement

The SE030 uses an exposed thermocouple junction, which places the sensing junction directly in contact with the measurement environment.

Compared with a sheathed probe, an exposed junction has less material surrounding the sensing point. This helps the thermocouple react quickly to changing temperatures.

Pico describes exposed-tip thermocouples as offering a very fast response and being particularly suitable for gas-temperature measurements.

Typical applications include:

• Air-temperature monitoring
• Gas-temperature measurement
• Laboratory experiments
• Thermal chamber testing
• Equipment monitoring
• Electronics thermal testing
• Product development
• Heating and cooling studies
• Research and development
• Multi-channel temperature logging

−60 °C to +350 °C Tip Temperature Range

Pico specifies the SE030 sensing tip for:

• Minimum temperature: −60 °C
• Maximum temperature: +350 °C

This is the correct manufacturer-published operating range for the physical SE030 thermocouple.

Although Type K thermocouple technology can support higher temperatures in other probe constructions, the SE030 itself should be specified only to +350 °C.

For measurements requiring substantially higher temperatures, Pico provides a separate high-temperature range including SE059, SE060, SE061 and SE062.

1.5 mm Exposed Tip

The SE030 has a:

• 1.5 mm tip diameter

The small exposed sensing junction provides direct contact with the surrounding environment and supports responsive temperature measurement.

This can be useful where:

• Air temperature changes quickly
• Gas temperature must be monitored
• Low sensing-junction thermal mass is desirable
• Compact measurement points are required

0.3 mm Twisted-Pair Conductor

Pico specifies the SE030 with a:

• 0.3 mm twisted-pair conductor

The two thermocouple alloy conductors form the Type K sensing circuit between the exposed junction and the thermocouple connector.

The twisted-pair construction is part of Pico's published specification for this standard fiberglass-insulated thermocouple family.

Fiberglass-Insulated Construction

The SE030 conductor uses:

• Fiberglass / glass-fiber insulation

This provides electrical insulation around the thermocouple conductors while maintaining the flexible wire-style construction of the sensor.

The product should be described as fiberglass insulated, not as having a metal sheath.

Pico does not publish a separate continuous insulation-temperature rating specifically for SE030 on the current product page, so an unsupported cable-temperature value should not be added.

2 m Cable Length

The SE030 provides:

• Cable length: 2 m
• Approximately 6 ft

The longer cable provides additional separation between the measurement point and thermocouple data logger compared with the 1 m SE001 version.

This can be useful for:

• Environmental chambers
• Equipment test setups
• Laboratory benches
• Product-development rigs
• Temperature measurement points located away from the logger

Molded Flat-Pin Mini-Plug

Pico specifies the SE030 connector as a:

• Molded flat-pin mini-plug

The plug allows connection to compatible thermocouple measurement instruments, including the Pico USB TC-08.

Type K Thermocouple Technology

The SE030 uses a Type K thermocouple, one of the most common thermocouple types used in engineering and industrial temperature measurement.

Type K thermocouples are widely used for:

• Laboratory measurements
• Engineering testing
• Environmental monitoring
• Equipment testing
• Product development
• Industrial temperature measurements

For SE030, the physical probe construction limits the tip temperature to −60 °C to +350 °C.

Industry Thermocouple Tolerances

Pico states that its thermocouples are manufactured to strict industry tolerances defined by:

• IEC 60584-2:1993
• BS EN 60584-1:2013

Pico's current SE030 product page does not publish a separate model-specific accuracy figure such as ±1.1 °C or ±0.4%.

For technical accuracy, the product page should therefore use the published thermocouple tolerance-standard information rather than adding unsupported accuracy values.

Fast Response for Air and Gas Measurements

Pico states that exposed-tip thermocouples provide very fast response and are ideal for gas-temperature measurements.

The SE030 can therefore be useful for:

• Heated-air monitoring
• Gas-temperature experiments
• Environmental testing
• Cooling-system evaluation
• Equipment airflow studies
• Laboratory thermal testing

Pico does not publish a numerical response time specifically for SE030, so a response time in seconds should not be added.

Limitation for Corrosive or Oxidizing Liquids

The thermocouple alloys are directly exposed at the sensing junction.

Pico states that exposed-tip thermocouples are not suitable for corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

For applications involving chemically aggressive liquids, use an appropriately protected or sheathed thermocouple instead.

Recommended for Pico USB TC-08

Pico Technology lists the SE030 as a recommended accessory for the USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

The TC-08 provides:

• 8 thermocouple input channels
• Type K thermocouple support
• Built-in cold-junction compensation
• Multi-channel temperature logging
• PicoLog software
• Long-duration temperature recording

Multiple SE030 thermocouples can therefore be connected to available TC-08 channels for multi-point temperature monitoring.

Multi-Point Temperature Logging

Using several SE030 thermocouples with a multi-channel logger allows engineers to monitor temperature simultaneously at different positions.

Applications include:

• Heating profiles
• Cooling profiles
• Thermal gradients
• Environmental chamber mapping
• Equipment temperature distribution
• Product testing
• Research experiments

Standard 2 m Type K Thermocouple

The SE030 is part of Pico's standard fiberglass-insulated Type K exposed-tip family:

• SE001: 1 m
• SE030: 2 m
• SE031: 5 m

These models use the same general exposed-tip fiberglass construction but provide different cable lengths for different installation requirements.

Standard vs High-Temperature 2 m Model

The SE030 should not be confused with SE060, Pico's high-temperature 2 m Type K thermocouple.

The SE030 is intended for general-purpose temperature measurement up to +350 °C, while SE060 uses heavier high-temperature construction for substantially higher temperatures.

Typical Applications

The Pico SE030 is suitable for:

• Air-temperature measurement
• Gas-temperature measurement
• Laboratory temperature logging
• Environmental chamber testing
• Equipment monitoring
• Electronics thermal testing
• Product-development testing
• Heating and cooling studies
• Engineering experiments
• Research and development
• Multi-channel USB TC-08 temperature logging