Quick Balance Tension Meter User Instructions AWT 35-500545 Issue AA April 2010
© Avery Weigh-Tronix, LLC 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the copyright owner, or as permitted by law or under license. Full acknowledgment of the source must be given. Avery Weigh-Tronix is a registered trade mark of the Avery Weigh-Tronix, LLC.
Table of Contents page Chapter 1 General information and warnings ......................................................................................... 5 About this manual .............................................................................................................. 5 Text conventions ......................................................................................................... 5 Special messages .................................................................................
Quick Balance User Instructions
1 General information and warnings 1.1 About this manual This manual is divided into chapters by the chapter number and the large text at the top of a page. Subsections are labeled as shown by the 1 and 1.1 headings shown above. The names of the chapter and the next subsection level appear at the top of alternating pages of the manual to remind you of where you are in the manual. The manual name and page numbers appear at the bottom of the pages. 1.1.
1.2 Installation DANGER: RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS. REFER TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL FOR SERVICE. 1.2.1 Safe handling of equipment with batteries CAUTION: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
1.4 Cleaning the machine Table 1.1 Cleaning DOs and DON’Ts DO DO NOT Wipe down the outside of standard products Attempt to clean the inside of the machine with a clean cloth, moistened with water and Use harsh abrasives, solvents, scouring cleaners or a small amount of mild detergent alkaline cleaning solutions Spray the cloth when using a proprietary cleaning fluid 1.
2 Introduction This manual covers the setup and operation of the Quick Balance Tension Meter from Dillon. The Quick Balance is a simple, accurate strand dynamometer. It can be clamped onto a cable, accurately determine the wire tension and be removed in seconds. The Quick Balance can handle multiple wire diameters, it can display live tension, dual live/peak tension, average tension captured from several tests, dual tension/ temperature display and a check-tensioning graphical display.
The front panel of the Quick Balance is shown in Figure 2.2. Figure 2.2 Quick Balance front panel Following are descriptions of the keys and their functions: ON/OFF key. Press this key to power up and turn off the Quick Balance. ESC key. Press this key to escape an area of the menu or to clear the field when in data entry mode. WIRE key. Press this key to change the wire diameter you are testing with the Quick Balance.
2.3 Important features Quick to use Direct tension readings Portable & rugged Attaches and removes from tensioned line in seconds. Quick readout for ultra fast line tensioning. No more complicated lookup charts! Save time and improve accuracy. Designed for outdoor use. Employs Weigh Bar® technology used for precise weighing. Multiple wire size storage Stores up to 15 different calibrations.
3 Operation Typical operation of the Quick Balance is covered below, followed by explanations of the various display modes, how to change wire size, how to change the unit of measure, etc. 3.1 Typical Operation Take readings at three different places along the cable, moving the tension meter at least four inches for each reading. Take the average of the readings. The built-in average function is ideal for this task.
4. Release the lever arm and you are ready to perform another measurement. Figure 3.2 Quick Balance attached to cable 3.2 Measurement Practices For best measurement, install the Quick Balance at least 2 feet (0.6 m) from terminations, clamps or other hardware. Do not install over the top of wire wrappings. Take readings at three different places along the cable, moving the tension meter at least four inches for each reading. Take the average of the readings.
Insure sheaves installed agree with sheaves noted in the Wire calibration. Exception: Sheaves match the wire diameter of the cable to be measured and alternate calibration is selected as per section Calibration to Specific Wire Type on page 22. The Quick Balance has an internal temperature sensor inside the electronics cavity. Dramatic temperature changes (such as moving from a warm vehicle to cooler outdoors) requires time for the sensor to reach the same temperature.
Temperature Mode: This mode shows the live tension in the top display and the current temperature in the bottom display. Also shown is whether the reading is in Fahrenheit or Centigrade and if the temp is one that was Entrd (entered) manually. You can enter the temperature in one of two ways; let the Quick Balance determine the ambient temperature automatically or key in a temperature manually. Instructions for entering the temperature are under the Temp softkey description.
Units Press this key to set the Quick Balance for displaying: l l l Temp Force in lbf, kgf or N Size of wire in inches or millimeters Temperature in Fahrenheit or Centigrade Press this softkey to choose the source of the temperature reading, the Quick Balance itself (Meter), outside input (Input) or None. If you choose Input, you are prompted to enter the temperature. When finished, press the Enter softkey to accept this value.
About Press this softkey to see the following information: Misc Device - Press this softkey to show a list of information about the Quick Balance, such as -- serial number, capacity rating, hardware and software revision levels. Press any key to return to the previous softkey set. Calib - Press this softkey to show Calibration Points and the calibration information for the current wire size. Follow the on-screen prompts. O.
Config This is a password protected menu. See Configuration Mode on page 18. Press the ESC key to return to the normal operating mode. If you made changes to the configuration of the unit, you are prompted to save them or abort the changes. Do so and the unit returns to normal operation mode.
4 Configuration Mode 4.1 Accessing the Configuration Mode You need to access the Configuration mode to perform certain tasks. Access to some of these tasks may be restricted by a supervisor password. The Num keys increment and decrement the displayed numbers. The Adv key moves the cursor to the next digit position. Default Configuration password is 0. If a new password is lost or forgotten, contact your Dillon distributor. To access Configuration mode: 1.
4. The unit is now in the Configuration mode. To see the rest of the softkeys available in this mode, press the Right Arrow key. All the Config softkeys are shown below. The softkeys in the Configuration mode are Wire, Setup, Reso, Mode, Units, Power, ChPwd, and Reset. These are described below: Wire Press this softkey and the wire selection screen is displayed. Choose an existing wire to change its defining characteristics.
Units Press this softkey to set the following: l Unit of measure on power up. Choices are Last*, C2, C1, N, kgf, and lbf. Use the Sel keys to display your choice and press Enter to accept it. C2 and C1 are custom units. If you choose to have custom units, you are prompted to enter the number of pounds in each custom unit. The Quick Balance will then automatically calculate correct display for the applied force. Custom units of measure are handy when working with multi-part lines.
5 Changing Sheaves Do not use the Quick Balance with cable larger than indicated on the sheaves. Overload and damage to the instrument may result. Do not mix sheave sizes. This will result in inaccurate measurement and possible overload. As you use the Quick Balance on different diameter cables you must change to the correct sheave size. To change sheaves, remove the hex head screws pointed out in Figure 5.1 below. Replace the sheaves with the correct letter sheave and reinsert the screws and tighten.
6 Achieving Best Accuracy 6.1 Accuracy The Quick Balance is an instrument designed to give accuracy that typically exceeds normal requirements for wire tensioning. You should have an understanding of what factors affect tension measurement accuracy. 6.2 Calibration to Specific Wire Type While it is best to have the instrument calibrated to the specific wire size(s) and type(s) used, the Quick Balance can often work adequately in other situations.
6.3 Loading Error A tensiometer works by deflecting the cable, which makes the cable path longer than when a tensiometer is not installed. When the tensiometer is removed, the wire tension decreases as the cable length is restored. This effect is known as loading error. The Quick Balance design elongates the cable by a mere 0.08 inch (2 mm), making loading errors extremely small. 6.4 Non-repeatability The Quick Balance’s sheave with bearing design provides the best mechanical performance.
7 Troubleshooting Problem Possible Cause Solution Powers on momentarily and turns off Low battery Replace with high quality alkaline batteries Does not power on Low battery Replace with high quality alkaline batteries Batteries installed backwards or no spring contact Insure that positive terminals of both batteries (nub) face inward – towards the black cap. Check that spring is attached to the battery cap. Software reset Remove battery cap & reinstall after one minute.
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTORS Ask the experts. Dillon distributors offer complete service capabilities from application assistance to sales and product support. Their experienced representatives are the most knowledgeable experts that you will find in the force measurement industry. We recommend that you consult these capable specialists for all of your measuring needs. Overload Protection and Overhead Weighing Equipment Fairmont, Minnesota U.S.A.
