Dakota Ultrasonics DFX-8 Operating Manual
OPERATION MANUAL
DAKOTA ULTRASONICS
DDFFXX--88 SSeerriieess
Material & Coating Thickness Gauges
(Manual 1 of 2)
P/N P-250-0003 Rev 1.2, June 2014
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1
CHAPTER TWO QUICK STARTUP GUIDE ....................................................... 2
CHAPTER THREE KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE ....... 25
CHAPTER FOUR PRINCIPALS OF ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT ............ 40
CHAPTER FIVE SELECTING THE MEASUREMENT MODE .......................... 45
CHAPTER SIX MAKING MEASUREMENTS .................................................... 48
CHAPTER SEVEN USING THE DISPLAY OPTIONS ...................................... 63
CHAPTER EIGHT THRU PAINT MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE ................... 94
CHAPTER NINE PULSE-ECHO COATING & COATING TECHNIQUES ........ 97
CHAPTER TEN ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THE DFX-8 ........................... 112
CHAPTER ELEVEN DATA STORAGE – SETUP, EDIT, & VIEW FILES ....... 134
CHAPTER TWELVE SETUPS – CREATE, STORE, EDIT, & RECALL ......... 158
CHAPTER THIRTEEN SOFTWARE, FILE TRANSFER, & UPGRADES ....... 168
APPENDIX A - VELOCITY TABLE ................................................................. 174
APPENDIX B - SETUP LIBRARY ................................................................... 176
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The Dakota Ultrasonics model DFX-8 is both, an ultrasonic thickness gauge, as well
as a flaw detector. Since the DFX-8 is basically two gauges in a single package, we
split the manual into two manuals, one for each gauge type. This manual will focus
only on the thickness gauge portion of the gauge. The DFX-8 has the ability to
simultaneously measure coatings and material thicknesses while maintaining the
ability to locate pits, flaws and defects in the material. Based on the same operating
principles as SONAR, the DFX-8 is capable of measuring the thickness of various
materials with accuracy as high as 0.001 inches, or 0.01 millimeters. The
principle advantage of ultrasonic measurement over traditional methods is that
ultrasonic measurements can be performed with access to only one side
material being measured.
Dakota Ultrasonics maintains a customer support resource in order to assist users
with questions or difficulties not covered in this manual. Customer support may be
reached at any of the following:
of the
Dakota Ultrasonics Corporation
1500 Green Hills Road, #107
Scotts Valley, CA 95066 USA
Telephone: (831) 431-9722
Facsimile: (831) 431-9723
www.dakotaultrasonics.com
1.1 General Disclaimer
The manual should be read and understood prior to using the DFX-8. This operating
manual provides the user with all the general information necessary to use and adjust
the designed features. However, this manual is not a certified NDT training course,
nor is it intended to be one. Training, according to company requirements, is
recommended.
Inherent in ultrasonic thickness measurement is the possibility that the instrument will
use the second rather than the first echo from the back surface of the material being
measured. This may result in a thickness reading that is TWICE what it should be.
Responsibility for proper use of the instrument and recognition of this phenomenon
rest solely with the user of the instrument. Other errors may occur from measuring
coated materials where the coating is insufficiently bonded to the material surface.
Irregular and inaccurate readings may result. Again, the user is responsible for
proper use and interpretation of the measurements acquired.
CHAPTER TWO
QUICK STARTUP GUIDE
Turn the DFX-8 on and off using the switch located on the bottom right corner of the
keypad. When DFX-8 is initially turned on, a flash logo and blinking lights will be
displayed, followed by attempting to identify the transducer (probe) currently plugged
into the gauge. The DFX-8 is equipped with an “Auto Probe Recognition” feature that
attempts to identify special transducers with this built in feature. If the DFX-8 doesn’t
find a transducer equipped with this feature, the user will be advanced to a list of
transducers requiring the user to select a specific transducer type. The following
sections outline each scenario. Note: This section is primarily written as a basic
startup guide only.
2.1 DFX-8 Overview
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
In order to understand how to operate the DFX-8, it’s best to start off with an
understanding of what it is we’re looking at exactly. The DFX-8 has a lot of great
features and tools that will prove to be a huge benefit for the variety of applications
you’re constantly facing on a continual basis. Let’s have a brief look at the screens
you’ll be looking at most often:
A. Repeatability/Stability Indicator – This indicator should be commonly used
in conjunction with the digital thickness values displayed. When all the vertical
bars are fully illuminated and the last digit on the digital thickness value is
stable, the DFX-8 is reliably measuring the same value 3 to 200 times per
second, depending on which measurement mode and features are enabled.
B. Battery Icon – Indicates the amount of battery life the DFX-8 has remaining.
C. Velocity – The material velocity value the DFX-8 is currently using or
calibrated for. Displayed in both English or Metric units, depending on the
what units the gauge is set for.
D. Feature Status Bar – Indicates the features currently enabled and in use in
the following order:
Measurement Mode
Differential Mode
High Speed Scan Mode
Alarm Mode
Gain Setting
E. Digital Material Thickness Values – Depending on the measurement mode
selected, the base material and coating thicknesses are displayed. If the scan
feature is enabled, the minimum and maximum thickness value of the base
material is displayed and updated simultaneously during the scan .
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F. Scan Bar – Another view of material thickness in a deflection style horizontal
bar. This is a visual tool that would enable the user the ability to see thickness
changes during high speed scans from flaws and pits.
G. Units – The current measurement units being used (English, Metric).
H. Hot Menu items – We call this menu section our “hot menu”, as these items
are the most commonly adjusted features, requiring quick access from the
user. They can be displayed and scrolled by pressing the MEAS key at any
time. The MEAS key advances forward and the ESC key backwards to the
next hot menu item. Alternatively, the UP,DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT arrow
keys on the left button wheel can be used to either scroll through the sub
menu items, or advance to the next HOT MENU items list. There are 8 HOT
MENU lists, that contain the most commonly adjusted items from the tabbed
menus, and in the same order as the tabbed menus. Note: Some of the lists
contain multiple tabbed menus in order to condense the number of HOT
MENU lists.
I. B-Scan Display – Cross section view of the material. Provides the user with
graphical view of the opposite/blind surface (i.e. inside pipe wall surface), to
give the user some idea of the condition, or integrity of the material being
tested.
J. Gain & Step Size – The gain and increment step size can be continuously
used and adjusted at any time using the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the
right button wheel to scroll the value, and the GAIN key to activate the Digit
Edit screen to adjust the step size.
K. Rectified A-Scan Display – The actual sound wave reflection that is returned
from the detection of the opposite surface of the material being measured. In
this view, only half of the sine wave is being displayed (positive or negative).
This view is commonly referred and used as a “flaw detection” mode.
L. Reference Note – When a full screen sound wave is being displayed, the
material thickness value is displayed here.
M. Reference Note – In a split screen mode the material velocity is displayed
here.
N. Split Screen Display – This display option ‘splits’ the screen in half,
displaying the waveform/B-Scan and the thickness values concurrently.
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
2.2 Gauge Type
Power up the DFX-8, by pressing the on/off key located in the bottom right corner of
the keypad. During initial boot up, a flash screen and lights will be displayed,
followed by a GAUGE TYPE selection screen. Since this manual will focus on the
thickness gauge portion of the DFX-8, use the UP/DOWN arrow keys to select
“thickness gauge”, followed by pressing the OK key start the DFX-8 in thickness
mode.
2.3 Top & Submenu Reference
The following table is a quick menu reference guide. The DFX-8 has 15 top level
menu titles, and multiple submenu items as illustrated below. The DFX-8 also has 8
‘hot menu’ subsets of the same menu structure. These are the most commonly
adjusted submenu items from each of the top level menus. They can be quickly
accessed from the main measurement screen by pressing the LEFT and RIGHT
arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel, and pressing the UP and
DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to select the appropriate submenu item.
Refer to Chapter Three for additional definitions and information on the keypad and
menu items.
1st Main Hot Menu
Additional Hot Menus
Note: “Log” is also listed in the 1st main Hot Menu, and is used to access data storage if no log file is
currently open, or display log or grid file if open.
Start >>
PRB CAL DISP TUNE GT1 GT2 GT3 SETUP
ZERO PROBE MAT VIEW MEASURE
MODE
ZERO MATL 1PT DELAY POLARITY GATE1 WIDTH HOLDOFF 2 HOLDOFF 3 SAVE
START GATE2 WIDTH GATE3 WIDTH OPEN
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COATING
TYPE MATL 2PT RANGE PULSE THRESHOLD 1 THRESHOLD 2 THRESHOLD 3 DELETE
VELOCITY B-SCAN
SPEED
COATING 1PT UNITS DAMPING
COATING 2PT BRIGHTNESS GAIN LANGUAGE
COATING VEL COLORS AGC
DIM
RECT WAVE
DETECT MARK
PULSER
VOLTAGE
DEFAULT
SETUP
6
>> End
DATA UTILS XFER
NEW AUTO FIND BACKUP
SETUPS
EDIT SCAN MODE COPY DATA
OPEN ALARM COPY
SCREENS
CLOSE ALARM HIGH UPGRADE
GAUGE
DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
DELETE ONE
FILE
DELETE ALL
DATA
GAUGE ABOUT
ALARM LOW CAPTURE TO
FILE
DIFFERENTIAL STORAGE
2.4 Auto Probe Recognition
When the DFX-8 is initially powered up, the gauge will automatically check to see if
the transducer plugged into the gauge can be recognized. The steps that follow
assume the DFX-8 recognized the probe type:
Probe Automatically Recognized
1) Press the OK key once to use the identified probe, or ESC to display a list of
optional transducers. Note: if the DFX-8 recognizes a specific transducer,
the user should always select OK to use the identified probe. The only time
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an alternative probe should be selected from a list is if the user switched
probes following initial power up and recognition.
2) Assuming the DFX-8 recognized the probe and the OK key was pressed,
the DFX-8 will advance to a Zero Probe menu. If the transducer was
identified as a special transducer capable of measuring coating thickness, a
menu will be displayed allowing the user the ability to toggle the coating
thickness display on/off as follows:
3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to toggle
the coating option on/off.
4) Wipe all couplant from the transducer face and advance to the Probe Zero
& Calibration section outlined below.
2.5 Selecting the Transducer Type
If the DFX-8 does not identify a specific transducer type on initial power up, the user
will be required to select a type from a predefined list of types by diameter and
frequency. By selecting a transducer type from a predefined list, the DFX-8 can
recall specific properties about the transducer. Note: Once the transducer has been
selected, the DFX-8 will store and recall this transducer type every time the DFX-8 is
powered on/off. The type will only change if the user physically selects another
transducer type from the list, or selects a previously saved setup. However, the DFX-
8 will continue to take you through these steps each time the gauge is powered up.
You’ll notice that the probe type previously selected will be highlighted every time the
probe type screen is displayed. Use the following steps to select your transducer
type:
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
Selecting the Transducer Type
1) Press the OK or ESC keys to display the factory list of transducer types (by
diameter and frequency).
2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the transducer list until the appropriate type is highlighted.
3) Press the ENTER key to select the transducer type and display overwrite
existing probe screen.
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4) Press the OK key to overwrite the existing probe type with the newly
selected probe type. The zero probe screen will be displayed. Proceed to
the zero probe section that follows.
2.6 Probe Zero & Calibration
The next steps are to perform a probe zero and calibrate the DFX-8 to the material
and transducer being used. If the sound velocity is unknown, the DFX-8 can be
calibrated to a known thickness sample. This demo will briefly explain both of these
techniques.
The DFX-8 is equipped with two zero options:
1) Off Block Zero (Automatic Probe Zero) – When this feature is enabled the
DFX-8 will do an electronic zero automatically, eliminating the need for a zero
disk or block.
2) On Block Zero (Manual Probe Zero) – When this feature is enabled the
transducer must be placed on the probe zero disk (battery cover located on the
top of the unit.
Note: Transducers of the same type will have very slight mechanical and electrical
variations. If it’s discovered that the linearity is off following an initial auto probe zero
and extreme accuracy is required, a manual zero should be performed followed by an
auto zero. This will adjust and eliminate any error. This is only required if it’s
discovered the transducer is non-linear following an initial auto probe zero.
The procedures are outlined as follows:
Performing an Auto Probe Zero (Off Block)
Coating Probe Identified Coating Probe Not Identified
1) Be sure all couplant has been removed from the face of the transducer.
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
2) Press the OK key to perform the automatic probe zero, or ESC key to
cancel the zero operation.
3) The screens illustrated above will be briefly displayed followed by the main
measurement screen. The DFX-8 is ready to be calibrated.
Performing a Manual Probe Zero (On Block)
Note: When the zero probe option is set to manual, the probe zero disk
(battery cap) located on the top of the gauge, will be used as a zero standard
and the warning screen illustrated above will be displayed.
1) Press the OK or ESC keys to enter the main measurement screen and
begin the manual zero process.
2) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in
steady contact with the probe zero disk, and obtain a steady reading.
3) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU
key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until
the PRB menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
Alternatively, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times
using the left button wheel to scroll the tabbed menus.
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4) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until ZERO PROBE is highlighted.
Coating Probe Identified Coating Probe Not Identified
5) Press the ENTER key to display the confirmation screen.
6) If a coating transducer was identified use the UP and DOWN arrow
keys on the left button wheel to toggle coating on/off.
7) Press the OK key to complete the probe zero function, or ESC key to cancel
the probe zero function.
8) Remove the transducer from the probe zero disk, and proceed to the
calibration section.
Note: The value that is displayed will change depending on the current velocity
setting in the DFX-8. Disregard the number that is displayed. It is not
important. What is important is accurately performing the steps outlined above
to insure reliability of the probe zero calculation.
One Point Material Calibration
For the purposes of this quick start section, we’ll only be covering the most common
one point calibration option to determine the sound velocity of the test material. It
would be very handy to carry a set of mechanical calipers to use in conjunction with
the DFX-8 for calibration in the field:
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
Using a Known Thickness
Note: Be sure that the probe zero procedure has been performed prior to
performing this calibration procedure.
1) Physically measure an exact sample of the material or a location directly on
the material to be measured using a set of calipers or a digital micrometer.
2) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in
steady contact with the sample or actual test material. Be sure that the
reading is stable and the repeatability indicator, in the top left corner of the
display, is fully lit and stable. Press the MENU key once to activate the
menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the
ESC key multiple times to tab left until the CAL menu is highlighted and
displaying the submenu items. Alternatively, press the LEFT and
RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel.
3) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until MATL 1PT is highlighted.
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4) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
the highlighted value.
6) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
the digit locations.
7) Repeat steps 5 & 6 until the known thickness value is correctly displayed.
8) Press the OK key to calculate the velocity and return to the menu screen, or
ESC to cancel the one point calibration.
9) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen and begin
taking readings.
Note: CHECK YOUR CALIBRATION! Place the transducer back on the
calibration point. The thickness reading should now match the known
thickness. If the thickness is not correct, repeat the steps above.
2.7 Zero Coating
In order to account for very slight electronic differences in transducers of the same
type, frequency, and diameter, the DFX-8 has been equipped with a “zero coating”
feature. This enables the DFX-8 to obtain very accurate readings on coatings,
eliminating potential errors incurred from slight differences in the manufacturing
processes. The procedure is outlined below:
Performing a Coating Zero
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
1) Press the MULTI MODE key once to activate the measurement mode
options.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until Coating Only (CT) mode is highlighted.
3) Press the MEAS key to select the measurement mode and return to the
measurement screen.
4) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in
steady contact with one of the probe zero disks (emergency battery covers)
and obtain a steady reading.
Note: The coating measurement displayed will potentially be a value greater or
less than 0.
5) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU
key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until
the PRB menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
Alternatively, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times
using the left button wheel.
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6) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until ZERO COATING is highlighted.
7) Press the ENTER key to display the confirmation screen.
8) Press the OK key to zero the coating and return to the PRB menu, or ESC
to cancel the coating zero process.
9) Press the MULTI MODE key once to activate the measurement mode
options.
10) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until Coating On (PECT) is highlighted.
11) Press the ENTER key to select the measurement mode and return to the
measurement screen, and begin taking readings.
2.8 Coating Calibration
The DFX-8 has been preset to a default coating velocity of 0.0850 in/µsec (2159
m/sec). This will be very close to the most common coating material velocities used
in the field. If the velocity of the coating is known, and different than the above
default setting, the user can simply enter the coating velocity into the DFX-8.
However, if the velocity is unknown, the DFX-8 can also be calibrated to a specific
coating sample/type using the 1pt calibration option in PECT (pulse-echo coating)
mode, or a two point calibration is CT (coating only) mode. For the purpose of this
quick start section only the 1pt option PECT (pulse-echo coating) mode will be
covered. Refer to the calibration section of the manual for a complete explanation on
the coating calibration options. The following steps below outline the necessary
steps to either set the velocity of the coating, or perform a one point calibration to
calculate the coating velocity:
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
Known Coating Velocity
If the coating velocity is known, the user may wish to simply enter the velocity
number into the DFX-8, rather than have the DFX-8 calculate the velocity value using
a known thickness on a coating sample. The steps for entering the velocity are
outlined below:
Using a Known Coating Velocity
1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU
key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until
the CAL menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until COATING VEL is highlighted.
3) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
4) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll the highlighted value.
5) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys on the left button wheel to
scroll the digit locations.
6) Repeat steps 4 & 5 until the velocity number is correctly displayed.
7) Press the OK key to set the coating velocity and return to the menu screen,
or ESC to cancel entering the coating velocity.
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8) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen and
begin taking readings.
Known Coating Thickness
When the exact velocity of a coating is unknown, the user has the option of
performing a one point calibration on a sample of the coating with a known thickness
to determine the sound velocity. It would be very handy to carry a set of mechanical
calipers to use in conjunction with the DFX-8 for calibration in the field:
Using a Coating Sample to Calibrate
1) Physically measure a location on a coating sample using a set of calipers or
a digital micrometer.
Important Note: In PECT (pulse-echo coating) mode, the coating sample must
be coupled to metal in order to calibrate successfully. Simply place a drop of
couplant on a piece of metal, lay the coating sample over the couplant on the
metal and proceed to step 2.
2) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in
steady contact with the coating (on metal) sample or actual test material. Be
sure that the reading is stable and the repeatability indicator, in the top left
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
corner of the display, is fully lit and stable. Press the MENU key once to
activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right
and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the CAL menu is highlighted
and displaying the submenu items. Alternatively, press the LEFT and
RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel.
3) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until COATING 1PT is highlighted.
4) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
the highlighted value.
6) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
the digit locations.
7) Repeat steps 5 & 6 until the known thickness value is correctly displayed.
8) Press the OK key to calculate the coating velocity and return to the menu
screen, or ESC to cancel the one point calibration.
9) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen and begin
taking readings.
Note: CHECK YOUR CALIBRATION! Place the transducer back on the
calibration point. The coating thickness reading should now match the known
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coating thickness sample. If the thickness is not correct, repeat the steps
above.
2.9 Measure
The DFX-8 is now ready to measure. There are four different measurement view
options, each with a specific purpose – Digits, RF, RECT, & B-Scan. The steps
below outline how to toggle between the different view mode options:
Selecting the Measurement View Option
1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU
key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until
the DISP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
Alternatively, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times
using the left button wheel.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll the
sub menu items until VIEW is highlighted.
3) Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys on the right button wheel to scroll
the view options.
4) Once the view is displayed, press the MEAS key to return to measurement
mode.
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
DIGITS: Displays the digital thickness value using a large font size. This view is
useful when the DFX-8 is being used as a basic thickness gauge.
RF: Displays the actual waveform signal, much like an oscilloscope, from the
reflection of the opposite surface, pit, flaw, crack or void. This view shows both the
positive and negative peaks, and is often used to fine tune the scope settings, prior to
inspection.
RECT: Displays a half waveform signal, either positive or negative, from the
reflection of the opposite surface, pit, flaw, crack or void. The user can select the
polarity or “phase” displayed. This is typically determined by first using RF view to
select the most optimal polarity “phase”, to fine tune the scopes settings. The RECT
view is commonly used as the primary “flaw detection” view.
BSCAN: The Time Based B-Scan provides the user with a cross sectional view of
the material being tested. This mode is useful when there is concern regarding the
profile of the blind surface. This can also be a useful view when scanning for pits and
flaws.
Once the view has been selected according to the application requirements, the
Delay and Range of the screen will potentially need to be adjusted, if the view has
been set to RF or RECT. Alternatively, if BSCAN was selected, the B-Start and B-
Depth settings will need to be adjusted. These settings serve the same purpose,
with only differences in terminology. The Delay the same as B-Start, and the Range
is the same as B-Depth. Therefore, these items will be grouped together for the
duration of this manual, as follows: Delay (B-Start) and Range (B-Depth). Use the
following steps to adjust these settings directly from the measurement screen as
follows:
Note: The Delay (B-Start) and Range (B-Depth) are also used to adjust the
parameters of Scan Bar.
Adjusting Delay (B-Start) & Range (B-DEPTH)
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1) Press the MEAS key once to activate the measure menu items. Press the
MEAS key multiple times to move right and the ESC key multiple times to
move left, until the either the DELAY (START) or RANGE (DEPTH) cell is
highlighted. Alternatively, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left
button wheel.
2) Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys on the right button wheel to scroll
the DELAY (START) and RANGE (DEPTH) values.
3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 until the range is correctly being displayed.
Alternatively, the DELAY (START) and RANGE (DEPTH) values can be
changed using the Digit Edit Box as follows:
4) Press the MEAS key once to activate measure menu items. Press the
MEAS key multiple times to move right and the ESC key multiple times to
move left, until the either the DELAY (START) or RANGE (DEPTH) cell is
highlighted. Alternatively, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left
button wheel.
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DFX-8 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
1) Press the ENTER key to display the digits edit box.
2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll the highlighted value.
3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
the digit locations.
4) Repeat steps 2 & 3 until the DELAY (START) or RANGE (DEPTH) value is
correctly displayed.
5) Press the OK key to set the DELAY (START) and WIDTH (DEPTH) value
and return to the measure screen, or ESC to cancel entering the DELAY
(START) or WIDTH (DEPTH) value.
6) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen and begin
taking readings.
Note: The DELAY (START) & WIDTH (DEPTH) can also be adjusted from the
tabbed menu item DISP. However, using the hot menu keys is the easiest
method.
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RF View Rectified (RECT) View
In the upper left corner of each of the display photos above, is the repeatability
indicator. The repeatability indicator is represented by six vertical bars and
represents how repeatable the measurements are. In regular measurement mode,
the DFX-8 makes 8 measurements a second. In scan mode, the DFX-8 makes 200
measurements a second. If the coating mode option is activated, the DFX-8 makes 3
measurements a second in regular measurement mode and 65 measurements a
second in scan mode. When the DFX-8 is idle, only the left vertical bar will be
displayed. However, when the DFX-8 is making a measurement, four or five of the
bars should be displayed on the repeatability indicator. If fewer than four bars are
showing, the DFX-8 is having difficulty achieving a stable measurement and the
thickness value displayed is potentially unstable.
Digits View B-Scan View
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CHAPTER THREE
KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE
3.1 Menu Key (Operation & Sub Menus)
The Menu key activates the primary menu structure containing 10 menu tab groups.
These tab groups then contain sub menu items, or functions. The sub menu items
have been organized in tab groups according to how closely they are related to the
individual tab group names. Let’s first get familiar with how to move around in these
tabs before continuing on to the sub menu functions. This procedure is outlined
below:
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Activating and Getting Around in the Menu Items
1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU
key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left
until the desired tab group is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
Alternatively, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times
using the left button wheel. The tab groups are illustrated above (A).
Now that you’re familiar with activating and moving amongst the tab groups, let’s
have a look at how to move around in the sub menu items as follows:
Getting Around in the Sub Menu Items
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll
through the sub menu items until the desired function is highlighted. The
sub menu items are illustrated in the diagram above (B).
2) Depending on which function is highlighted, use the LEFT and RIGHT
arrow keys on the right button wheel to scroll the options, or the ENTER key
to activate the Digit Edit and List Box options.
The sections to follow will provide the user with an explanation of the sub menu
functions:
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