Biogas Operating Manual
BMUK0001 / Issue 1
Geotechnical Instruments (UK) Ltd
Page 5
3. General Operational Features
3.1 Switching the Instrument On And Off
When switching the instrument on a long beep will be emitted followed by the Geotechnical
Instruments (UK) Ltd logo being displayed along with the product name. A power-on self-test will then
commence. Assuming there are no warnings to display the instrument will continue to the main gas
reading screen.
When switching the analyser off, the on/off button must be held down for approximately 1.5 seconds,
at which point a clean air purge will be carried out. If for any reason the analyser ‘locks-up’ and will not
switch off in this manner, press and hold the on/off button for 15 seconds; this will force the instrument
to switch off.
3.2 Keypad
lock
The keypad can be locked by pressing and holding the ‘backlight’ key for 2 seconds. This will avoid
accidental key presses when carrying the analyser between sample points. Press and hold again to
unlock the keypad.
3.3 Warm-up Self Test
When switched on the instrument will perform a pre-determined self-test sequence taking
approximately 30-40 seconds. During this time many of the analyser’s functions are tested, including:
•
General operation
•
Pump function
•
Gas flow measurement
•
Calibration
•
Backlight function
•
Solenoid function
During the self-test the following information is also displayed:
•
Manufacturer’s service
due date
•
The last gas check date
•
Software version
•
Date format
•
Serial number
•
Operating language
•
Baud rate
3.4 Warning and Error Display
During the self-test, if any operational parameters are out of specification or the pre-programmed
recommended calibration/service date has passed, various errors or warnings may be displayed. Only
three warnings/errors can be displayed at any time, use the
cursor
keys to scroll through the list.
Warnings Displayed
All warnings displayed will be prefixed by the word ‘WARNING‘ followed by a relevant description.
There are two types of warning that may be displayed, firstly the general warnings that may not affect
the instrument’s function and those where the self-test has detected a function that is outside the usual
programmed operating criteria, e.g. battery charge low, memory nearly full. The second being
operational parameters that could affect the performance of the analyser: CH
4
out of calibration, CO
2
out of calibration.
