GxT Ferret 950 User Manual

Introduction

The Ferret 950 adapts virtually any dual channel labscope or graphing multimeter to display Kilovolts on both DIS and Conventional ignition systems. The ignition waveform will be displayed in a parade pattern. Labscopes that do not have a Cylinder #1 Trigger will need to use the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger in conjunction with the Ferret 950 to properly synchronize the parade pattern.

The quality of the ignition waveform depends on the performance of the labscope.

General Instructions

You must be familiar with the operation of the labscope being used with the Ferret 950. Please refer to the operator’s manual for the labscope if necessary. All instructions contained in this manual are written for the Ferret 950’s use on a dual output (two cylinders per coil) distributorless ignition system. On a typical Double Output DIS system, you will have half of the connectors plugged into the Red side of the Ferret 950, and the other half plugged into the Blue side.

The Ferret 950 uses a 9-volt battery for power. When you turn the Ferret 950 on, the battery indicator LED will illuminate. Be sure to turn the unit off when finished with testing.

Single Trace LabScopes

Some single trace labscopes are able to display ignition waveforms. You must connect both the Cylinder #1 Trigger (Ferret 951), and the Ferret 950 to the input channel by stacking the banana jacks. Since the Trigger is on the same channel as the Ferret 950, Cylinder #1 will have a very high spike. Set the trigger to pickup just the top portion of the spike. This will synchronize the display to #1 Cylinder. To analyze Cylinder #1, move the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger to another cylinder.

Distributor Ignitions

All instructions remain the same, except you connect only one KV Clip to the Coil wire. Do not connect KV Clips to each individual spark plug wire. Simply plug the single KV Lead into either a Blue or Red connector. For Distributor ignitions where the coil is in the cap, you will need the appropriate KV Pickup Plate found in the Available Accessories Section.

Coil per Plug Ignitions

All instructions remain the same, except you will use only the Blue or Red connectors on the front panel of the Ferret 950. For engines with more than 4 cylinders, you will need an X02043 Adapter. One adapter for every 2 additional cylinders. With a standard Ferret 950 you can check a 4 cylinder Coil per Plug ignition without the need for adapters. You will need 1, X020-43 for a 6 cylinder engine, and 2, X020-43’s for an 8 cylinder engine.

Available Accessories

Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger X020-43 10 Cylinder Adapter Kit/Coil Per Plug Adapter Kit X020-44 KV Pickup Plate for GM HEI Internal Coil Ignitions X020-45 KV Pickup Plate for Toyota Internal Coil Ignitions X020-46 KV Pickup Plate for Nipondenso Internal Coil Ignitions. X015-05 KV Pickup Plate for BMW Coil per Plug Ignitions

Technical Support & Service

Questions or inquiries about service can be answered by contacting Ferret at: (231) 627-5664, Fax: (231) 627-2727, Toll Free (800) 627-5655. When sending an item to the factory address it to:

Ferret Instruments, Inc., 1310 Higgins Dr., Cheboygan, MI 49721-1061 Include a note describing the problem.

Warranty

FERRET BRAND LIMITED PRODUCT WARRANTY

FERRET INSTRUMENTS, INC. of Cheboygan Michigan, warrants to the original purchaser that FERRET brand products are free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three years from date of purchase. Our sole obligation for a product within the above warranties will be to repair or replace, at our option, any defective parts and return the product to the sender within the U.S.A., shipping prepaid, if it is sent to our Repair Department shipping prepaid and accompanied by proof of purchase.

The above warranty is extended for the flashtubes in timing lights which are within five years of the date of manufacture.

EXTENDED SERVICE POLICY

A FERRET brand product less than five years old according to the date of manufacture, and which is returned with transportation charges prepaid to: Ferret Instruments, Inc., Repair Department, 1310 Higgins Drive, Cheboygan, MI 49721, will be repaired or replaced, at factory option, for a service charge not to exceed 40% of the latest factory suggested user price; plus return transportation charges and insurance. If the product has been discontinued, the nearest equivalent product may be substituted.

This Warranty and Extended Service Policy do not apply to products which have been altered outside the factory; or repaired by anyone other than the factory or its authorized service centers; or which have been damaged from accidents, negligence, or abuse; or have been used differently than described in the printed instructions. Please note that wear and tear on leads and replacement of consumable items, such as NOX and O2 Sensors, is not covered by warranty.

Ferret Instruments, Inc.'s sole liability and buyer's exclusive remedy is limited to repair or replacement of the product as stated in the Limited Product Warranty and the Extended Service Policy. THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PA RTICULAR PURPOSE AND FERRET INSTRUMENTS, INC. SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE SALE OR USE OF THE PRODUCT.

Some states do not allow limitations on the length of implied warranties nor exclusion or limitations of incidental or consequential damages, so that the above limitations and/or exclusion may not apply to you.

Adapter

Banana

Battery

BNC to

BNC Cable

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which may vary from state to state.

E950-01

OPERATOR’S MANUAL

Compartment

become very hot from electric current.

• Remove finger rings and metal wrist bands. They can short terminals and

• Do not let test leads wind up in a moving fan or pulley. Route leads away.

the hazard of igniting gasoline vapor.

• Keep spark producing devices at least 0.5m (18”) above the floor to reduce

Lead

Groun

can be more damaging than the shock. touching the coil TACH terminal. A person’s reaction near a live engine

•Avoid electrical shocks caused by getting close to live ignition wires or

the same as the vehicle tailpipe. Both give off deadly exhaust fumes. contains deadly poisons. Treat Gas Detector exhaust and drain hoses

• Keep your work area well ventilated and free of exhaust. Engine exhaust

of automatic parking brake releases.

• Before working on a vehicle set the brakes and block the wheels. Beware

Indicator Switch &

d. Do not make sparks or allow flames near batteries.

Power

c. Keep the space around a battery well ventilated.

even weld tools into a battery short circuit. body metal and the hot terminal can cause sparks to ignite gas or grounded one has been disconnected. Contact between the vehicle

Clips

b. Never use a wrench on the ungrounded battery terminal until the

dry. equipment and place in a warm 50°C (120°F) oven until thoroughly inside equipment must be removed by generous rinsing. Dry Treat clothing, vehicle parts, and equipment similarly. Any acid traces

950

Adapter Labscope KV

baking soda and then more water. generous amounts of water. Follow up with a neutralizing solution of

a. If a battery explodes flush the acid away from persons skin with

• Battery gas is highly explosive.

batteries and moving parts. Do not lay tools on a battery.

• Always wear eye protection when testing vehicles. Be extra careful near

—Read All Instructions Before Using The Meter—

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Dual Trace LabScope

The Ferret 950 will work with any dual trace labscope. The instructions below will give you the steps necessary to get a basic ignition waveform on the screen. Use of other features specific to your labscope may enhance the display of the pattern.

1. Connect the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger to Channel 1, and Cylinder #1.

2. Set Channel 1 to the following parameters: DC Coupled, 0 to 5 volt range, time base of about 20ms.

3. Set Channel 1 to be the trigger with a positive slope. The trigger level should be about 4 volts.

4. Connect the Ferret 950 to Channel 2.

5. Set Channel 2 to the following parameters: DC Coupled, 0 to 1 volt range, time base same as Channel 1.

6. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS spark plug wires only. Do not plug the KV Leads into the Ferret 950.

7. Start the engine. Plug a KV Lead into the Ferret 950. If the labscope display shows an inverted firing peak, plug the KV Lead into the other color connector. Continue until all KV leads are plugged in.

At this point, you may use the features of the scope to display and analyze the ignition waveform. Some scopes will allow you to turn off Channel 1 but still trigger on Channel 1.

Fluke 97, 97/Auto

1. Connect the Ferret 950 to Channel A of the 97, 97/Auto. Set Channel A to DC Coupling, 2 Volt Range, 20 ms/Div.

2. Connect the Ferret 951 or Fluke RPM80 to Input 2 of the 97, 97/ Auto, and Cylinder #1. You can also plug into the external trigger port on the 97, 97/Auto as well. Set Channel B to DC Coupling, 50 Volt Range.

3. Set the trigger level at about 8 volts with a positive slope.

4. Connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wires only. Do not plug the KV Leads into the Ferret 950. Connect the Ground lead on the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground.

5. Start the engine. Plug a KV Lead into the Ferret 950. If the labscope display shows an inverted firing peak, plug the KV Lead into the other color connector. Continue until all KV Leads are plugged in.

The screens show what a 6 cylinder DIS engine looks like on the Fluke 97. At this point, you may use the features of the scope to display and analyze the ignition waveform. The screens to the left show what the ignition waveform looks like when Channel B is turned off and the Min/Max feature is activated for Channel A.

Fluke 98, 98-2

1. Connect the Ferret 950 to Input 1 on the 98 / 98-2.

2. Connect the Fluke RPM90 to the trigger input on the Fluke 98 / 98-2, and to Cylinder #1.

3. Use the Vehicle Data function on the Fluke 98 / 98-2 to select the proper number of cylinders. Regardless of the ignition type, select Conventional Ignition.

4. Connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wires only. Do not plug the KV Leads into the Ferret 950. Connect the Ground lead on the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground.

5. Start the engine, and select the RPM function on the Fluke 98/ 98-2. Make sure the RPM reading is stable. Do not be concerned with the actual RPM reading. If the RPM reading is not stable, move the RPM90 up and down the sparkplug wire, or flip the pickup over.

6. Once the RPM reading is stable, select the Ignition Secondary function.

7. Plug a KV Lead into the Ferret 950. If the labscope display shows an inverted firing peak, plug the KV Lead into the other color connector. Continue until all KV leads are plugged in.

The screen above shows what a 6 cylinder DIS engine looks like on the Fluke 98-2. At this point, you may take advantage of all of the features of the Fluke 98 / 98-2 to display and analyze the ignition waveform.

KalScope 565A, TekMeter

1. Connect the scope’s Cylinder #1 trigger to Channel 1 input and then to Cylinder #1 spark plug wire.

2. Connect the Ferret 950 to Channel 2 of the scope using the BNC to Banana Adapter.

3. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wires only. Do not plug the KV Leads into the Ferret 950. Start the Engine.

4. Turn the scope on and configure Channel 1 to the following parameters: 5 volt range, DC Coupled, Spike Detect on, Trigger set to Channel 1 with a positive slope. Set the trigger level so it resembles the screen above. Turn Channel 1 off.

5. Tu rn on Channel 2 and set to the following parameters: 200mv range, DC Coupled, Spike Detect on, and a 20 millisecond time base.

6. Plug a KV Lead into the Ferret 950. If the labscope display shows an inverted firing peak, plug the KV Lead into the other color connector. Continue until all KV Leads are connected.

The screen below shows what a 6 cylinder DIS engine looks like on the KalScope 565A or TekMeter. At this point, you may use all of the features of the scope to display and analyze the ignition waveform.

KalScope 575, Mac Tools 2020, 2020-2

If you have any problems viewing an ignition pattern, set up the Ferret 950 and the labscope using the instructions found on the previous page to aid in trouble shooting.

1. From the menu, select IGNITION>SECONDARY>DI PARADE. Follow the instructions on the screen. Consider the Ferret 950 to be the capacitive pickup. No matter what type of ignition system you are testing, leave the

scope configured for a 4 stroke engine.

2. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wires.

3. Plug the KV Leads to the Ferret 950 in pairs, one coil at a time. Plug one KV Lead to a Blue connector, and the other KV Lead to a Red connector. Continue until all KV Leads have been plugged into the Ferret 950.

4. Start the engine, and adjust the scale of the display until a clear pattern is displayed. If the spikes appear upside down on any pair of the cylinders, swap the KV Clips at the ignition coils, or the KV Leads at the Ferret 950.

Snap-On Vantage

1. Connect the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger (Required) to Channel 1 using the BNC to Banana adapter.

2. Connect the Ferret 950 to Channel 1 using the BNC to Banana Adapter. You will need to piggyback or stack both Channel 1 and the Common jack.

3. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wires only. Do not plug the KV Leads into the Ferret 950.

4. Turn the Vantage on and select the Waveform Viewer. Select the Ground Controlled Injector option.

5. Configure the display to the following parameters: 1 Volt Max Range,

-1 Volt Min. Range, + Slope, 200 ms.

6. Start the Engine. Plug a KV Lead into the Ferret 950. If the labscope display shows an inverted firing peak, plug the KV Lead into the other color connector. Continue until all KV leads are plugged in. A typical Double Output DIS system, you will have half of the connectors plugged into the Red side of the Ferret 950, and the other half plugged into the Blue side.

7. Since the Trigger is on the same channel as the Ferret 950, Cylinder #1 will have a very high spike. Set the trigger to pickup just the top portion of the spike. This will synchronize the display to #1 Cylinder. To analyze Cylinder #1, move the Ferret 951 to another cylinder.

Sun LS/2000, UEI ADL 7100

1. The Sun LS/2000 and UEI ADL 7100 require the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger to operate properly.

2. Connect the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger to Channel 1 using the BNC to Banana adapter, then to Cylinder #1.

3. Connect the Ferret 950 to Channel 2 using the BNC to Banana Adapter. You will need to piggyback or stack the Common jack.

4. Turn the Scope on and Set Channel 1 to the 10 volt range, DC Coupling with the trigger level at about 8 volts with a positive slope. Use the position controls to move channel one up to the top half of the display.

5. Turn on Channel 2 and set to the .5 volt range, DC Coupling. The Time base should be at 20 milliseconds.

6. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wires only. Do not plug the KV Leads into the Ferret 950.

5. Start the engine. Plug a KV Lead into the Ferret 950. If the labscope display shows an inverted firing peak, plug the KV Lead into the other color connector. Continue until all KV leads are plugged in.

OTC Vision, Matco Insight, Interro PDA

1. The Ferret 950 works with the Labscope DMM module. Some configurations of these units have a Cylinder #1 Trigger, others do not. The following directions assume the use of a Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger.

2. Connect the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger to the Red channel, and then to #1 Sparkplug wire.

3. Connect the Ferret 950 to the Green channel.

4. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wire only. Do not plug the KV Leads to the Ferret 950.

5. Turn the Scope on and set the Red and Green channels to the following parameters: ±0.5 volts with a time base of 50ms.

6. Start the engine and adjust the trigger point until it is placed on leading edge of the Red Channel signal. Select a positive slope for the trigger.

OTC Perception

1. This Labscope requires the use of the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger.

2. Connect the Ferret 951 Cylinder #1 Trigger to Channel 1 using the BNC to Banana Jack Adapter. Then connect the 951 to #1 Sparkplug wire.

3. Connect the Ferret 950 to Channel #2 using the BNC to Banana Jack Adapter. You will need to stack the common jack on top of the Ferret 951 Common Jack.

4. Connect the Ground lead of the Ferret 950 to a good engine ground, and connect the KV Clips to each of the DIS sparkplug wire only. Do not plug the KV Leads to the Ferret 950.

5. Turn the Scope on and select the Single Display Mode.

6. Select Channel 2 to be displayed, and make sure the display is triggered. Please note that tthis Labscope always triggers on Channel 1. The purpose of this setup is to trigger on Channel 1 while displaying Channel 2.

GxT Ferret 950 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual