General Technologies TD101 User Manual

User’s Handbook

TA100/TD101

SmarTach Plus / SmarTach Plus Diesel

INDEX

CAUTION: Read this First Page 1

OVERVIEW Page 2

SHORT INSTRUCTIONS Page 4

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS Page 6
Battery and Auto Power Off Page 6

TACHOMETER FUNCTION Page 7
Display sequence overview Page 7
Setting Number of Cylinders Page 7
Setting Number of Cycles Page 8
Special Considerations Page 10
Taking Tach Readings Page 11

ANALYZER FUNCTION Page 13
Safety Note Page 13
Taking IP Readings Page 13
Diagnostic Using IP Readings Page 15
Special Considerations Page 17

SPECIAL CASES Page 19
Shielded Spark-Plug Wires Page 19
Inboard Marine Engines Page 19
Motorcycles, Ski-doos and Jet-Skis Page 20
DIESEL (Model with Diesel adapter) Page 21
Short Instructions Page 21
Detailed Instructions Page 22

Caution: Read this first !

THE SMARTACH PLUS IS DESIGNED TO TEST VEHICLES
WHILE THE MOTOR IS OPERATING, SO IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT ALL SAFETY PRECAUT IONS ARE CAREFULLY
OBSERVED, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: BEFORE
STARTING THE MOTOR, ENSURE THAT TRANSMISSION IS
IN PARK OR NEUTRAL, EMERGENCY BRAKE IS SET AND
VEHICLE EXHAUST IS VENTED OUTSIDE THE SERVICE
BAY. AVOID CONTACT WITH MOVING PARTS (COOLING
FAN AND DRIVE BELTS) AND HOT COMPONENTS (EXHAUST
SYSTEM). WHEN CHECKING THE SPARK SYSTEM, USE A
CLEAN RUBBER GLOVE TO HOLD THE SMARTACH PLUS
BY ITS PLASTIC BOX. AVOID TOUCHING THE SMARTACH
PLUS ANTENNA WHILE IT IS CONNECTED TO A SPARK
WIRE OR WHILE PROBING ANY PART OF THE SECONDARY
IGNITION SYSTEM.

CARE OF YOUR SMARTACH + Page 26

Page 1

TACHOMETER AND SPARK ANALYZER

OVERVIEW

The SmarTach+ is a professional pocket sized instrument
which combines a tachometer function with the ability to pro­vide information on the voltages found in the spark-plug wires
of spark ignition motors.

Unlike any other tachometer, the SmarTach+ does not need
contact with any part of the motor or a clear view of rotating
parts, to display the rotational speed of the motor in revo­lutions per minute (RPM). The SmarTach+ works by sensing
radio transmissions from the motor’s ignition system and ana­lyzing these signals with a powerful microprocessor to display
the motor’s RPMs digitally on its Liquid Crystal Display screen.

To display motor RPMs just raise the vehicle’s hood and oper­ate the SmarTach+ while holding it above the ignition wires.
Depending on the position of the ignition wires, it may be pos­sible to lay down the SmarTach+ on some convenient place
near the motor, for example on top of the air-filter.

To check the voltages in the spark-plug wires, just “hook” each
spark-plug wire in turn using the sensor hook on the end of the
SmarTach’s antenna. Read the approximate kilovolts in each
wire on the digital display screen and look for any unusual volt­ages.

The “no wires, no clips, no connections” feature of the SmarT­ach+ allows the technician to obtain RPM readings immediate­ly, without the need to study where to connect the instrument.

This is a great time saver when dealing with the often con-

gested and inaccessible situations found under the hoods of
newer models.

When checking the performance of the secondary ignition
system with the SmarTach+ it is usually easy to find and hook
spark-plug wires to locate any malfunctioning wires or spark­plugs. The alternative of removing all spark- plugs and wires
for visual inspection could be very time consuming.

Technical Characteristics:

• Display: 4-1/2 Digits, w/Low Battery indicator

• Tachometer Range: 200 to 19,999 RPM ± 0.5%

• Cylinders Range: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12.

• Cycles (Strokes) Range: 2 and 4.

• Ignition Peak Voltage Range: 0 to 39.9 Kvolt

• Power supply: 9 Volt alkaline battery,

• Battery life (approx.): 200 hours of continuous operation.

• Power saving: Auto Power Off.

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SHORT INSTRUCTIONS

Spark Analyzer Function/Short Instructions

You are encouraged to read ALL of this instruction book be­fore starting to use your SmarTach+. However, for those who
don’t wish to do this, abbreviated instructions are as follows:

Open battery drawer at back of unit. Factory supplied bat­tery is stored in reversed disconnected position. Remove, turn
around and connect the battery.

Tachometer Function/Short instructions.

1. Hold instrument by its box and extend the antenna.

2. Do not touch antenna during tests.

3. Press TACH button repeatedly to select correct number of
cylinders.

4. Pause.

5. When rotating “cycles” symbol appears, press TACH again
if necessary to choose 2 or 4 cycle systems. (Use 2 cycle
setting for DIS distributorless ignition systems).

6. After setting cycles, wait for 0000 display to appear.

7. Hold antenna about one foot above the ignition system.
Read motor speed in revolutions per minute (RPM).
Instrument switches off automatically after use.

1. Be safe. Use rubber gloves for this test.

2. Hold instrument by its box and extend the antenna.

3. Do not touch antenna during tests.

4. Hook antenna sensor over a spark-plug wire, near to
the plug.

5. Read approximate voltage of ignition pulse peak in
kilovolts (KV).

6. Repeat for all spark-plug wires and compare results to
locate and identify problems.

7. Instrument will switch off automatically after use.

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DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

BATTERY

The SmarTach+ is powered by an alkaline 9 volt battery. A
battery is supplied (reversed) in the battery compartment. Just
turn it around and connect it. The battery is good for hundreds
of tests but will eventually need to be replaced when the ‘LO
BAT ‘ sign starts flashing in the top left corner of the display.

To replace the battery, slide open the drawer at the back of the
instrument and replace the battery with a 9 volt alkaline battery
from a quality manufacturer such as Duracell (Part # MN1604)
or equivalent.

AUTO POWER OFF

The SmarTach+ incorporates an Automatic Battery Shut-Off
system. This means the unit will switch off its own power
about ONE MINUTE after the last button has been pressed,
or about ONE MINUTE after the last signal has been received
(RPM or Ignition Peak Voltage). Because of this, no OFF
switch is necessary, and none is provided.

TACHOMETER FUNCTION

Overview of the set up display sequence

1. Press the button marked TACH and observe the display
as it moves through the complete display sequence. The
first display will show a number followed by the letters
CYL for “cylinders”. Example: “4 CYL” or “8 CYL”.

2. After two seconds the display will change to show a
rotating symbol with the number 2 or the number 4. This
refers to 2 cycle or 4 cycle motor systems. After two more
seconds, the display will change again to show “0000”.
This “0000” display will be held until an ignition signal is
received.

3. If no reading is performed within one minute, the unit will
shut-off automatically, and the display will go blank. To
repeat the display sequence just press the TACH
button again.

Setting the number of cylinders:

The first press of the TACH button powers up the tester and
displays the setting for the number of cylinders of the last mo­tor tested. If the number of cylinders displayed is correct for
your next test, no action is required.

If the number of cylinders displayed is not correct for the en­gine you are going to test, the setting must be changed.

To change the setting, quickly press the TACH button again.
The cylinder display will change. Keep pressing TACH

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repeatedly or hold down the TACH button until the correct
display is obtained. Repeated quick button pressing is faster
than holding down the button. Your choice of cylinders is:

1CYL, 2CYL, 3CYL, 4CYL, 5CYL, 6CYL, 8CYL, 10CYL
and 12CYL.

This list of available cylinder settings will repeat if you continue
to press TACH after 12CYL.

In order to be speedy in normal (experienced) use, the time
available to make a selection of cylinders is arranged to be
short. You must be quick in pressing the TACH button when
changing the cylinder settings.

If you hesitate too long in making your choice of cylinders, the
display will switch to the next setting selection which is the
choice of 2 or 4 cycle type ignition systems. If this happens be­fore you have finished setting the correct number of cylinders,
just wait until the display switches to the “0000” reading. As
soon as you see the “0000” display, press the TACH button
again to resume your cylinder selection.

Setting the numbers of cycles (strokes):

After you have set the correct number of cylinders, stop press­ing TACH and wait. After two seconds the display will switch
to the next function, which is the selection of ignition system
types. You will see a rotating symbol signifying “cycles”, fol­lowed by the numbers 2 or 4. These numbers refer to two
or four cycle ignition systems (sometimes referred to as “two
stroke” or “four stroke” systems).

It is necessary to set the correct ignition cycle on the display by
pressing the TACH button to switch between 2 and 4.

If you hesitate too long in making a change of cycles, the dis­play will switch to the “0000” reading. If this happens while an
incorrect cycle number is displayed, just press TACH once and
wait while the display switches back to the setting you made
for cylinders and then switches to the cycle selection again. At
this point one quick press of the TACH button will change to
the correct cycle number.

After setting cycles, the display will switch to “0000”. This
means that the SmarTach+ is now ready and listening to
receive signals from the engine’s ignition system. If no signals
are received within one minute, the SmarTach+ power supply
will automatically switch off and the display will go blank. If
this happens, your settings of cylinders and cycles are not lost
because they are preserved in the SmarTach+ memory.

The settings memory means that when you switch on again
(by pressing TACH once quickly), it will not be necessary to set
the instrument again, unless you are going to test a different
type of engine.

The settings memory feature is useful when a technician is
mostly working on one type of engine, because his usual set­tings (the last ones set when the instrument switched off) are
memorized and will come up again when the instrument is
switch on.

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