Gigahertz NFA 400 Operating Manual

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NFA 1000 NFA 400

3D Low Frequency Analyzer

with Data Logger

NFAsoft

Analysis and Configuration

Software

Operating Manual

Version 7.9

About this Manual e only significant difference between the NFA 1000 and the NFA 400 in this manual is the fact that the NFA 1000 allows a three-dimensional potentialfree measurement of the E-field, while the NFA 400 can only be used for one-dimensional potentialfree measurements of the E-field. This distinction is specified in detail in the relevant chapters

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Thank you!

We thank you for the confidence you have shown by buying this product. It allows for a professional analysis of AC electric and AC magnetic fields according to internationally recognized guidelines and the recommendations of the building biology.

In addition to this manual you can watch the tutorial videos on our channel “gigavideos” on youtube.com concerning the use of this meter. However, binding in details and most up-to-date is this manual.

Technical data and specifications are to be found on our website www.gigahertz-solutions.com.

Contents

1 Quick Start Guide 1

2 NFA 1000 Front Cover 2

3 LEDs / Display / Audio Signals 3

4 Switches / Push-Buttons / Connectors 6

5 How to Measure and Data-Log 12

6 Power Supply 15

7 „NFAsoft“ 17

8 Firmware-Update 24

9 What if… (FAQ) 26

Do not leave in the hot car, protect from

humidity (also from condensing air humidity),

do not wipe or touch display foil!

(details on page 29)

This manual is based on the firmware version 84 and NFAsoft version 172.

The firmware and software of the NFA will be continuously improved and made available via download from our homepage.

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1 Quick Start Guide

The instructions below refer to the default settings, which can easily be customized with the help of the supplied software „NFAsoft“.

After switching on, the CPU boots, performs some self tests and then automatically starts measuring. When turning off the device, allow some seconds for shutting down its operating system before switching it back on.

Set all switches to their top position!

(Auto, tRMS, M3D and On)

With these settings you will achieve your first meaningful results without further knowledge about the instrument.

The LCD display will now indicate the 3D magnetic field

strength

. The coloured frequency LEDs above the LCD display

show the comprised frequencies. The dominant axis x, y or z is indicated by a red LED on the right of the LCD display.

NFA 1000:

To measure the E-field with ground-reference simply connect the grounding cable. The NFA detects the attached cable and automatically shows the corresponding electric field strength and frequencies.

The ‘mode’ button toggles between this and the 3D magnetic

field.

To measure the three dimensional potential-free AC electric

field, switch to E

3D and fix the instrument onto a potential-free

rod or onto a support.

The ‘mode’ button toggles between this and the

magnetic Z-axis.

NFA 400:

For an E-field measurement, simply switch to Ey.

 If the grounding cable is plugged in and connected to the

ground potential, you are measuring “against ground”.

 If you attach the meter to a potentialfree rod or place it

onto a support, you are measuring “potential free”.



The ‘mode’ button toggles between this and the 3D magnetic field.

Should the meter not do what you expect, please turn to the chapter on FAQs (frequently asked questions) at the end of this manual (Chapter 9)!

Notes:

For potential-free E-field-measurements the highest accuracy will be reached when used without the yellow silicone holster.

To allow a simplified freehand measurement, the meter is pre-adjusted with a 16 Hz high pass filter for the magnetic field and a 50 Hz high pass filter for the electric field (see page 23 for measurements from 5 Hz onwards).

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2 Front Cover NFA 1000 and

NFA 400

Analogous front cover for NFA 1000 and NFA 400

NFA 400: „Ey“

12-15 V

Power

Signal

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GIGAHERTZ

Mode

NFA 1000

3D-NF-Analyser

5 Hz - 1000 kHz

Freq.

AC/DC

Peak

Rec.

Mode

V/m

Band

tRMS

Auto

XYZ

Off

Log

I/O

Hold

TCO-Band I II

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3 Display / LEDs / Audio

3.1 Display and LEDs

When switched to “On”, the NFA will briefly show the remaining battery life in the log mode. When switched to “Log”, the remaining battery life is shown cyclically with the elapsed log time and name of the log file. After some self tests the measurement starts automatically.

Time indications are set up as follows: „Xd.XX“: X days and XX hours or „XX.XX“: XX hours and XX minutes. „XX.XX“: (with blinking dot): XX minutes und XX seconds.

1 day, 12 hours is the specified minimum logging time. The real capacity can be higher, notably for new batteries.

The unit of the reading shown on the LCD is indicated by the adjacent green LED

A flashing LED indicates the unit of a secondary measurement parameter, which can be selected by depressing the “Mode>” button.

If the LCD range for the standard unit is exceeded, the next higher unit is displayed, that is uT instead of nT and Volt instead of mV. Additionally the color of

the

adjacent LED changes to red and the “x 1000”-LED is also lit

red.

LEDs to indicate the applicable frequency bands:

The frequency-LEDs change their colour (“traffic light principle”).

”16.7 Hz“: In use for railway lines in some European countries. The reading also includes the 2

harmonic.

”50/60 Hz“

: Mains frequency. The bandwidth only covers individual frequencies of 50 Hz and 60 Hz with their respective lock-in ranges.

”100/120 Hz“

: This LED indicates the contribution of the second

through fourth “even” harmonics.

The strongest frequency can be numerically

displayed when using “Freq” mode.

The NFA automatically detects the mains frequency and adjusts the indication of its harmonics. With “Freq.” the actual mains frequency can be determined exactly. The LED’s for 16.7 Hz, mains frequency and its harmonics up to 2 kHz have a suitable lock-in range to cover mains fluctuations.

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”150/180 Hz“1: This LED indicates the contribution of the third through fourth “uneven” harmonics.

The third harmonics will presently be found in many homes and most offices as a significant portion of the total measurement. The frequency of the strongest source can be numerically displayed when using “Freq”.

”R < 2kHz“: Means “Remainder of frequencies below 2 kHz”.

This LED does not show the whole band, but only the sum of all frequencies below 2 kHz

which are not covered by the LEDs on the left.

”> 2kHz“: Comprises frequencies within the upper TCO-band of 2 KHz up to 1 MHz.

Status LED

The “Status” LED indicates the current mode of operation

“Red” means “instrument is being charged”.

“Yellow” means “measurement in progress, NO recording”.

“Green” means “measurement in progress WITH recording”,

Note: with the switch set to “Log.”, the “Status”-LED is switched off after a short while, in order to extend battery life.

“x 1000”-LED

Turns red when the scale increases to the superior unit.

Special LCD Display Messages

“Low Batt“: Please recharge the battery a.s.a.p.

“Err.“: Short for ‘Error’. Indicates an inappropriate configuration. This can occur when a grounding cable or mains adapter is connected AND potential-free E-field measurement is selected.

„----“: Instrument is in the process of determining the measurement, or the value is too small to be measured.

„CHAr“: Instrument is being charged.

(For technical reasons “FULL” will be

shown shortly before this, which is to be ignored)

„FULL“means: battery fully loaded or SD memory card is full.

„nbAt“:The processor cannot recognize the battery

(see chapter 9)

or the 15 V AC adapter should be disconnected (the batteries have

reached their maximum possible capacity. Storage at this capacity level is not advised)

There are two display modes for the frequency- LEDs:

“Simple/Steady“: (= preset)2 The red LED represents the strongest frequency , and the yellow

In order to allow for less fluctuations in this mode an internal high pass filter is switched on. With NFAsoft it can be configurated to 16.7 and 50 Hz. Experience has shown that the best combination for a freehand measurement is a filter set to 16.7 Hz for magnetic fields and to 50 Hz for electric fields. Electric fields of the

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LED the second strongest. The green LEDs indicate the total frequency range in the current setting.

“Full Information/Volatile”: This makes the LEDs rather unsteady/volatile. (To be configured with NFAsoft) The proportion of the respective frequency band in relation to the total signal is being displayed. These proportions are shown as follows

RED = DOMINANT (> 50%) YELLOW = MEDIUM (< 50%) GREEN = SMALL (< 10%)

3.2 Audio Signal

The acoustic signal is always linked to the respective measured value and has a „Geiger Counter” characteristic, i. e. an increasing signal intensity will in turn cause an accelerated rattling sound.

If the “Mode”-switch is set to „ “, press the ‘Mode >’ button to turn the volume up and the ‘Rec. >’ button to turn the volume down (and finally: off), as long as no grounding cable is connected to the instrument.

Please note: For extra-precise measurement requirements turn the acoustic signal volume down or even switch it off completely.

16.7 Hz railway line power frequency (in some European countries) are quite rare indoors and can still be evaluated in the “band” mode. They can still be separately evaluated with NFAsoft.

To make it more ergonomic for the user, frequencies below the nominal display resolution (that is < 0.1 V/m or < 1 nT) are not indicated by an LED-signal but will still be recorded down to the noise level. Hysteresis: 9/12% resp. 45/50%.

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4 Switches / Push-Buttons /

Connectors

4.1 On / Off switch (“Power“)

“On” = Standard Measurement Setting

Allow some seconds for self-testing until measurement starts automatically. LEDs and acoustic signal are activated for full information during manual measurements. They remain activated when you start logging by shortly switching to “Log” until the Status-LED is lit green and then back to “On”.

“Log” = Logging / long term recording

All LEDs and the acoustic signal are deactivated in order to save battery life during data logging.

“Off” = Device is off

When turning off the device allow some seconds for shutting down its operating system before switching it back on.

4.2 Field Selection for 3D Measurement

M3D = Magnetic field measurement (3D)

The isotropic point or magnetic field sensors are below the coordinate system printed on the meter faceplate. The dominating axis is indicated by a red LED next to the display.

XYZ = Axis indication

Here, the NFA 1000 will show either the magnetic or the electric field in its three individual components depending on the field type from which the switch was set to “XYZ”, whereas the NFA 400 will only show the individual components of the magnetic field. Press the ‘Mode >’ button to switch from one axis to the other. Please see chapter 4.9 for details to this or to the automated scrolling.

E3D

(NFA1000)

/ Ey

(NFA400)

= Potential-free E-field meas-

urement

The field sensor pairs for the X-, Y- and Z-axis (directions correspond to the imprint) are situated within the meter close to the housing. For a proper measurement the meter has to be set up

Y X

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more than 12 inches away from any metal objects on an insulated “holder” (accessory PM1) or held with an insulated rod (mounting aid PM5s). Also cables or probes must not be connected during this measurement setting. In the case of an erroneous configuration, the display will indicate “Err.” until the configuration is corrected or the setting is changed to magnetic field measurement. The measuring person should avoid hectic movements and keep a distance of at least 1.5 m to the object of measurement.

For E-field measurements against earth potential, please plug in the grounding cable and

- switch to “M3D” (automatic adjustment) on the NFA 1000

- switch to “Ey” on the NFA 400.

4.3 Sockets for Inputs and Grounding

AC/DC = Combined AC/DC-Input

The moment you connect an external sensor, its signal will automatically be displayed in mV and logged if required.

(“Mode” switch is set to “Auto”.

Protected against overvoltage).

AC: A displayed value of 2000 corresponds to an AC signal of “1V

RMS

”.

DC: It can linearly display and log signals from +/-

0.1 to +/- 1500mV, i.e. with an HF59B connected and set to coarse (adjust to 1V), the values recorded will be between 1µW/m² and approx. 30,000 µW/m². The value will be displayed in mV

For logging high frequencies please make sure to remember the settings of the connected HF-Analyser, as they will not be registered by the NFA. You may use the audio note feature for that.

Available options for the AC/DC Socket

Connecting cable for an HF-Analyser for data logging high-fre-

quency (KAB0053). Potentially falsifying LF- or RF-inductions can reliably be suppressed by means of our suppression kit (EDY).

Electrostatic probe for measuring electrostatic charges of surfaces (ES-NFA).

3D-magnetostatic probe for measuring the Earth’s magnetic field and its distortions (MS3-NFA).

An AC signal being connected to the AC/DC socket will by default be displayed as total RMS signal in CH4. For the analysis and mitigation of dirty power it is useful to have the signal of a current clamp (e.g. the CA MiniFlex MA) to be split into the frequency

For all measurement ranges, even when using an attenuator or amplifier, NFAsoft offers a comfortable conversion tool. The random noise will make it impossible to properly display or record measurement values below 0.1µW/m², though.

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ranges of the NFA (like with the field strengths). Beginning with firmware version 84 this feature can be activated optionally (FA1).

= Input socket for body voltage hand probe

Input for the connection of a hand probe for the measurement of body voltage in mV. The connector is a 4 mm banana jack. For

displaying and recording, set the “Mode”-switch to

and plug

in the grounding cable.

This is the only input which cannot be recognized automatically (being single-pole).

= Socket for the grounding cable

Allows the connection of a grounding cable for an E-field measurement with reference to ground (in compliance with TCO). This will be detected automatically by the instrument and the display will change to E-field with reference to ground correspondingly.

Socket for the TCO-conformed probe at the front end of the meter

This is for the TCO-conformed probe available as an optional accessory from Gigahertz Solutions. No data logging!

4.4 Mode = Selection of Measurement Mode

Selects all measurement and display options of the instrument with the field selector switch and the “Mode >” button. Configuration errors will be detected and indicated by “Err.” on the display until resolved.

When set to

the NFA recognizes probes connected to it, and shows the corresponding values. If there is no external probe connected to the instrument, it will show the selected 3D field type. By pressing the mode button, you can “toggle” between the primary and secondary display measurements. The

secondary measurement field is indicated by a short flashing of the corresponding unit-LED.

Mode

Freq.

Band

Auto

+ 22 hidden pages

Gigahertz NFA 400 Operating Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual