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Advanced Force Gauge User’s Manual

5

Powering the AFG for the First Time

Introduction

Before Use

Operation
Overview

Thank you for choosing the Quantrol Advanced Force
Gauge (AFG) instrument. With correct use and
regular re-calibration it will give many years of
accurate and reliable service.

The AFG uses the latest integrated circuit technology.
It can measure tensile and compressive forces
accurately, while being simple to use by the operator.

Quantrol offers a full range of force measurement
products to complement your force gauge, including
manual and motorized test stands and a large
assortment of grips and attachments. Ask your
Quantrol distributor for additional information.

Upon receiving the unit please check that no physical
damage has occurred to the packaging material,
plastic case or the instrument itself. If any damage is
evident please notify Quantrol immediately.

The most commonly used features (such as display-
ing force, peak hold, zero and changing of displayed
units) can all be done by pressing a single dedicated
key identified on the front panel with grey text – see
the 

Basic Functions

 section. For less frequently used

features, a number of menu “hot keys” are provided
so you can press and hold a menu key to access the
gauge configuration – see the 

Optional Settings

section.

To configure the advanced features of the gauge a full
menu-driven system is available by using the keys
identified on the front panel with red text – see the

Advanced Menu Options

 section.

The AFG is supplied with a set of 5 Nickel Metal
Hydride AAA rechargeable batteries. For safety
reasons during transportation the batteries are
shipped discharged. To obtain maximum battery life
we recommend that you charge them with the
charger/adaptor supplied for at least 14 -16 hours
when you first receive the AFG.

Important!

Charge the AFG for 14-
16 hours before use.

Summary of Contents for Quantrol AFG 10

Page 1: ...Advanced Force Gauge AFG AFTI User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...lified service personnel Weigh Tronix reserves the right to change specifications at any time CAUTION EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WARNING This is a Class A product In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in which the user may be required to take adequate measures 07 22 04 AFG2003_U P65 PN 29814 0013D e2 Printed in USA ...

Page 3: ...ting Accessories 6 Mounting to a Test Stand 7 Powering up 7 Basic Functions 8 Optional Settings 12 Additional Force Torque Sensors 13 Advanced Menu Options 14 ALARM 15 PLC Programmable Limit Controller 20 STAND 21 FREEZE 23 DROP 23 AVERAGE TIME 25 RATE 26 FOOTSWITCH 1 26 FOOTSWITCH 2 27 COMMS 27 INFORMATION 28 CALIBRATION 28 x CONSTANT 29 CONTRAST 29 AFG Specifications 30 Appendix Menu Flowcharts ...

Page 4: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 4 ...

Page 5: ...any damage is evident please notify Quantrol immediately The most commonly used features such as display ing force peak hold zero and changing of displayed units can all be done by pressing a single dedicated key identified on the front panel with grey text see the Basic Functions section For less frequently used features a number of menu hot keys are provided so you can press and hold a menu key ...

Page 6: ...o be powered directly from the AC adapter charger You can use the adapter without the batteries present Connect the AC adapter charger to your power supply If rechargeable batteries are installed a trickle charge will be applied to the batteries The AFG can also be powered by five AAA 1 5V alkaline batteries not supplied Warning When alkaline batteries are installed the AC adaptor charger must NEV...

Page 7: ... to a Quantrol test stand Each Quantrol test stand is supplied with a dedicated dovetailed mounting bracket and screws for this purpose If you wish to mount to another type of stand ensure that the screws used are threaded into the gauge to a maximum depth of 0 21 inch The final thread is peaned but if screws are fitted beyond this depth damage to the internal PCB may occur As shown in Figure 1 th...

Page 8: ... seconds Forces greater than 150 of full scale will produce an audible beep until load is released and an OL symbol will appear permanently on the display Consult your supplier to arrange repair To power down the gauge press the red key Tensile forces are displayed on the AFG and recog nized by the symbol Compressive forces are displayed on the AFG and recognised by the symbol Figure 2 Tension and...

Page 9: ... press and release the UNITS key Each successive key press will select the next available units until the gauge returns to its original setting The AFG automatically converts readings as new units of measure are selected The gauge detects and stores maximum peak force in both compressive and tensile directions Press the MAX key The display will show the word MAX together with the highest tensile f...

Page 10: ...nsor and maintain a live display Press the RESET key to clear both maximum regis ters and prepare for detecting the next maximum readings See also COMMS section of Advanced Menu Options A calibrated analog output is available from the top D type connector See Specifications for details It is possible to transmit the displayed reading to peripheral devices e g PC printer by pressing and releasing t...

Page 11: ... 1 start bit 1 stop bit and no parity See Advanced Menu Options for setup details A full range of data cables are available to connect your gauge to peripheral devices contact your supplier Data is output at approximately 12 Hz Only prints large displayed number in dual display mode Computer Control of Force Gauge Key ASCII code Character TXD 1 Ctrl A UNITS 2 Ctrl B MAX 3 Ctrl C RESET 4 Ctrl D ZER...

Page 12: ...e the last key press Press and hold ZERO while powering up the AFG with the key The symbol Ao will appear in the display to indicate Auto off is active This feature is remem bered after power down The display may be inverted or reversed so that the operator can read it more comfortably Press and hold the MAX key while powering up the AFG with the key to invert the display This feature is remembere...

Page 13: ... ALC To unlock the ALC rotate the boss anti clockwise with the Allen key through approximately 30º to release the spring loaded locking cam While still holding the Allen key in position slide the ALC away from the AFG console to the left See Figure 5 Figure 5 Removing ALC To fit the new ALC first insert the Allen key into its boss and rotate the locking cam as above Slide the ALC into the AFG cons...

Page 14: ...cator bar present even under zero load See Calibration section of Advanced Menu Options to check load cell status All the features and advanced menu options of the AFG are also applicable while using the Smart range of peripheral devices The AFG Advanced Menus are accessed using the red text on the keys Press and hold the MENU key for approximately 2 seconds to access page 1 of the main menu To mo...

Page 15: ... arrow cursor to SET and press ENTER The display will now show the two limits LIMIT 1 lower limit and LIMIT 2 upper limit plus the value they are set to and whether they are in tension TENS N or compression COMP N A diamond cursor will indicate which value is selected Use UP and DOWN keys to change the value press and hold to scroll values When the correct value is reached press ENTER to set LIMIT...

Page 16: ...T BAND Any value falling outside the set limits LIMIT 1 and LIMIT 2 IN BAND Any value falling between the set limits LIMIT 1 and LIMIT 2 Use UP and DOWN to move the cursor and press ENTER to select the desired feature The display shows PASS and FAIL This menu sets the OUT BAND and IN BAND mode PASS Values which fall either OUT BAND or IN BAND if selected are a PASS FAIL Values which fall either OU...

Page 17: ...hen the DROP feature is used in conjunction with the ALARM function The AFG looks for a percentage of full scale drop from peak load value set in the DROP menu The alarm can be used to indicate if the break point falls inside or outside the limits LIMIT 1 and LIMIT 2 set in the alarm menu see Examples 1 to 5 ...

Page 18: ...t to FAIL DROP is 10 of fullscale e g AFG 100N must register drop of 10N Main display is set to 1st peak tension screen Example 2 Settings BOTH LED and audio alarms are active Alarm triggers on OUT BAND Alarm is set to FAIL DROP is 10 of fullscale e g AFG 100N must register drop of 10N Main display is set to 1st peak tension screen ...

Page 19: ... to FAIL DROP is 10 of full scale e g AFG 100N must register drop of 10N Main display is set to 1st peak tension screen Example 4 Settings BOTH LED and audio alarms are active Alarm triggers on OUT BAND Alarm is set to FAIL DROP is 10 of full scale e g AFG 100N must register drop of 10N Main display is set to 1st peak tension screen ...

Page 20: ...etails of the signal To configure the signal output from the AFG press and hold the MENU key until page 1 of the main menu appears Press DOWN to move the arrow cursor to PLC and press the ENTER key The cursor arrow now points to PLC OFF The display will show PLC OFF Indicates PLC function status RESET When the load limit is reached the output signal triggers the relay and the RESET key must be pre...

Page 21: ...ENTER key The display will show STAND OFF Stand control function not enabled REVERSE Reverses the stand direction of travel at sample break BREAK or load limit value LIMIT The test stand will reverse back to the start position as defined by the physical limit switch STOP Stops the stand at sample break BREAK or load limit value LIMIT The test stand does not return to the start position until physi...

Page 22: ...nfirm selection and return to stand submenu 1 LIMIT Sets the load limit value to trigger the stand reverse function Press ENTER to select SET load limit using UP and DOWN keys UNITS key changes the units of measurement for load limit value Press ENTER to confirm selection and return to stand sub menu Select BREAK or LIMIT as per Reverse sub menu 2 above and SET the appropriate value at which you r...

Page 23: ...ress the ENTER key Select the desired LO or HI function using UP or DOWN arrow keys and press ENTER to select When set the submenu will display FREEZE ON To disable the FREEZE function press ENTER FREEZE OFF will now be displayed Press ESC to return to main menu page 1 A signal must be provided to the AFG through pins 7 and 10 See specifications 1st Peak facility this is used to detect the force a...

Page 24: ...e break occurring To set the required drop use UP and DOWN keys to adjust the value and press ENTER to confirm the selection The drop value selected also acts as a threshold below which the drop function will not be active AFG 100N has drop of 20 20N If the peak load before sample break is 50N the load must drop to 30N in order for the AFG to detect a 1st peak of 50N If load continues to be applie...

Page 25: ...e cursor key to AV TIME Press the ENTER key The display will show AVERAGE TIME OFF and SET Press ENTER to change AVERAGE TIME OFF to AVERAGE TIME ON Press DOWN to move the arrow cursor to SET and press ENTER Define a value of full scale as the threshold value in the SET menu Any load reading above this threshold will be averaged over time with all the previous readings occurring since the threshol...

Page 26: ...ct the relevant level HI MED or LO and press the ENTER key Press ESC to return to page 1 of the main menu Figure 12 Main menu page 2 From page 1 of main menu press MENU to scroll to page 2 of the main menu See Figure 12 The AFG has two footswitch input pins on the 15 pin D connector This allows a footswitch to be assigned to perform any of the five main key functions MAX UNITS TXD ZERO and RESET T...

Page 27: ... PORT Communicates with peripheral device Transmission of the displayed load reading can be set to include unit of measurement UNITS ON or OFF and BAUD rate can also be set STORE MEM Stores the present load reading to the internal memory whether live or peak Up to 100 readings may be stored in the memory As each reading is stored a REC symbol appears on the main display to indicate a reading has b...

Page 28: ...now erases all the data stored in the memory The memory counter is now reset to zero After clearing the memory you will now return to page 2 of the main menu Displays calibration information T Tension span C Compression span Z Current zero G Gravitational constant This is for information only and may be required for diagnostic purposes by your distributor Calibration menu displays a password menu ...

Page 29: ...o page 2 of main menu A constant of multiplication can be applied to the load values in the main display This is useful for applica tions where you wish to convert the load reading into a non standard unit of measurement e g for co efficient of friction tests Press ENTER to select xCONSTANT Press UP or DOWN to adjust the constant of multiplication Press ENTER to confirm The contrast of the display...

Page 30: ... 1000 1 000 x 0 2 1 x 0 0002 100 x 0 02 3 500 x 1 220 x 0 05 ACCURACY 0 1 of full scale Calibration temperature 20 C 2 C Operating temperature 10 C 35 C Temperature shift at zero load 0 01 of full scale C OUTPUT RS232 C 8 data bits 1 Start bit 1 Stop bit no parity Digimatic Mitutoyo format BCD output Analogue 0 to 4V full scale for tension or clockwise 0 to 4V full scale for compression or counter...

Page 31: ...ntrolled via a TTL signal from the AFG and is in a closed position when a logic 1 input is applied Output characteristics Peak relay ac voltage 350 volts Continuous relay load current or peak ac voltage 120 mA Maximum relay peak load current 300 mA Typical relay contact resistance at 100 mA 17 ohms Isolation voltage between AFG and relay output 1500 volts AC ...

Page 32: ...7 FREEZE Reading Input 8 Stand Reverse UP 9 Footswitch 2 Input SMART ve out 10 Ground 11 Mitutoyo Request Input 12 Mitutoyo DATA Output 13 Footswitch 1 input 14 PLC Output 15 Stand reverse DOWN Shown with dovetail mounting bracket supplied with Dillon Test Stand Allocation for the pins on the Male 15 pin D type communication connector Uses ground pin 10 to complete circuit ...

Page 33: ... Gauge User s Manual 33 Appendix Menu Flowcharts Alarm PLC On the following pages are flowcharts to help you navigate the menus found in the AFG They appear in the order they appear on the two pages of the main menu ...

Page 34: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 34 Stand ...

Page 35: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 35 Freeze Drop Average Time Rate ...

Page 36: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 36 Footswitch1 Footswitch2 Comms Constant ...

Page 37: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 37 Information Calibration Contrast ...

Page 38: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 38 ...

Page 39: ...Advanced Force Gauge User s Manual 39 ...

Page 40: ...A division of Weigh Tronix Inc 1000 Armstrong Dr Fairmont MN 56031 USA Telephone 507 238 4461 Facsimile 507 238 8258 e mail dillon weigh tronix com www quantrol com Precision Force Measurement Testing Systems ...

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