CHECKING ACCURACY
.
If you want to verify the accuracy of your instrument, simulate
a tension load on your material by suspending known weights to a sample length of the
same type of fine wire or filament. When you engage the meter this weight value should
display. Thus when a 500 gram weight is freely suspended from the material the tension
will be 500 grams, and your instrument should indicate 500 g.
Custom Calibrations for the TX-Series of Digital Tension Meters
Warning:
The
Custom Calibration
feature is password protected. In order to
perform a
Custom Calibration
a series of key inputs are required. If you enter the
password sequence and the press Enter while an existing calibration in the menu is
selected/highlighted, it will void that current calibration selection.
PERFORMING A 5-POINT LINEARIZATION CALIBRATION
Step 1
:
From the Main Display press
or
arrows until you reach
Setup
.
Press
ENTER
.
Press the
arrow button until you reach
Cal Tension
.
Press
ENTER
. The screen will display:
Setup,
Calibrate Tension, Enter Password
. You may obtain the password by emailing
.
Now the screen will display
Setup, Calibrate Tension
and you will be able
to scroll down the list to select the description that you want to use for the new calibration. When this
new description is highlighted, press
ENTER
.
Step 2
:
Next you will be prompted
ENTER WEIGHT 1
.
Using the
and
arrows select a
minimum tension value (
do not use zero
). Press
ENTER
. Select increasing weight values for
WEIGHT 2 THRU 4
(No. 4 being the maximum weight value). At each weight number select your
weight value using the
and
arrows.
ENTER
each selection.
Next you will calibrate the instrument to
the weight values you just selected. (To simulate tension loads for calibration, take a sample length of your
material and suspend it from above. Next hang weights from your material in the weight values you previously
selected
in “enter weights 1 through 4”.)
Your instrument will now prompt you
PLACE WEIGHT
0.
With
zero tension applied to the instrument press
ENTER
.
Next you will be prompted
PLACE
WEIGHT
1.
Suspend the exact weight value from your material that you previously selected. Engage instrument to
the tensioned material and then press
ENTER
.
Next suspend weight value 2 from your material,
engage the instrument to your tensioned material and press
ENTER
.
Repeat procedure for steps 3 and
4. Once you have entered the value for
WEIGHT
4
you have finished the calibration and will be
returned to the Main Display. Your main display will now indicate the description of the calibration
you’ve just entered. This indicates you have now selected the calibration you just performed. To
change calibration use the
or
arrows until you reach
SELECT MATERIAL
.
Follow procedures
outlined in Section 3.5. To change the description or name of your new calibration, see Section 4, No.
11
Page 10 TX Series Operating Instructions
Sec. 2. CHARGING INSTRUMENT BATTERIES.
1.
Use only a Tensitron power supply to avoid damage to instrument. Connect power
supply cable to instrument.
2. Plug the power supply into a 120V AC outlet. (For input voltages between 100 – 240V, use
P/N: TX-15-PS-240.)
3. Fully charge battery prior to first use (approximately 8 hours).
4. Battery pack assembly cannot be overcharged, however instrument will remain on while
plugged into power supply.
5. Fully charged battery assemblies will operate approx. 9 hours +/- 20% depending upon
usage.
6. Battery charge level is indicated in the upper, right hand corner of display.
Sec. 3. OPERATION:
QUICK START
.
1. TURN UNIT ON
by pressing
ON
button. Main display will indicate:
Tension
(in grams,
Newtons, cN
or lbs),
Material
(
with description of calibration selected), and
Min
and
Max
values.
2. MOVE BETWEEN SCREENS
by pressing either the
UP
or
DOWN
arrows. To make, or enter a
selection, depress the
ENTER
key. To exit a setting, depress the
ESCAPE
key.
3. ZERO THE INSTRUMENT
before taking readings by pressing the key marked
ZERO
.
When
zeroing the unit hold the instrument in the attitude in which it will be used, with no load or
speed applied to the instrument.
4. READING OF TENSION
.
Variations in materials and diameters affect tension readings. It is
essential to select the correct material and size (whether it be AWG wires, Filaments, or
Custom Materials) from the calibration menu before use , or values may be incorrect. For
Textile use, either approximate your material diameter from the
filament
selection or
(preferably) use a custom calibration made directly to your material.
5.
SELECT MATERIAL
.
From the Main Display (first screen seen when unit is turned on) use the
UP
or
DOWN
keys until
SELECT MATERIAL
is displayed. Press
ENTER
. Next select your
material from: Wire, Filaments or Custom. After you’ve entered this selection you can now
select your material size (diameter) in Inches, mm or AWG (for wires). Remember to
ENTER
your selection.
6. SELECTING TENSION UNITS IN LBS, NEWTONS OR GRAMS
.
Depress the
UP
or
DOWN
keys
until
TENSION UNITS
is displayed. Press
ENTER
. Next, select from:
Grams
,
Newtons
,
LBS
,
or
cN
(
for the Models TX-125 only
)
and
ENTER
selection.
7. ENGAGE INSTRUMENT TO TENSIONED MATERIAL.
For best accuracy hold the instrument in
the attitude the measurement will be taken in and depress
ZERO
. Then engage the tensioned
material
by separating the rollers (squeeze the trigger assembly) and inserting onto your
material. Once material is in line with the three rollers slowly release the trigger until it
makes a full stop. Then note your reading.
TX Series Operating Instructions Page 3