PCE Instruments PCE-CT 21BT Users guide

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PCE-CT 2X BT Series Coating Thickness Gauge

User Manual

User manuals in various languages (français,

italiano, español, português, nederlands, türk, polski,

русский, 中文) can be found by using our

product search on: www.pce-instruments.com

Last change: 9 February 2022

v1.0

English

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Contents

1 Safety notes ........................................................................................... 1

2 Technical specifications ...................................................................... 2

3 Delivery scope ....................................................................................... 2

4 Display description ............................................................................... 3

4.1 Key description................................................................................................................. 3

5 Power supply ......................................................................................... 4

6 On / off .................................................................................................... 4

7 Measurement ......................................................................................... 4

7.1 Continuous measurement ................................................................................................ 4

8 Menu ....................................................................................................... 4

8.1 Menu structure ................................................................................................ ................. 5

9 Calibration ............................................................................................. 5

9.1 Zero point calibration ........................................................................................................ 6

9.2 One-point calibration ........................................................................................................ 6

9.3 Five-point calibration ........................................................................................................ 6

10 Data group ............................................................................................. 7

11 Limit value alarm ................................................................................... 7

12 Convert unit ........................................................................................... 7

13 Backlight ................................................................................................ 7

14 Software ................................................................................................. 7

14.1 PC transfer ....................................................................................................................... 8

15 App transfer ........................................................................................... 9

16 Troubleshooting .................................................................................. 11

17 Contact ............................................................................................... 12

18 Disposal ............................................................................................... 12

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1 Safety notes

Please read this manual carefully and completely before you use the device for the first time. The device may only be used by qualified personnel and repaired by PCE Instruments personnel. Damage or injuries caused by non-observance of the manual are excluded from our liability and not covered by our warranty.

• The device must only be used as described in this instruction manual. If used otherwise, this can cause dangerous situations for the user and damage to the meter.

• The instrument may only be used if the environmental conditions (temperature, relative

humidity, …) are within the ranges stated in the technical specifications. Do not expose

the device to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, extreme humidity or moisture.

• Do not expose the device to shocks or strong vibrations.

• The case should only be opened by qualified PCE Instruments personnel.

• Never use the instrument when your hands are wet.

• You must not make any technical changes to the device.

• The appliance should only be cleaned with a damp cloth. Use only pH-neutral cleaner,

no abrasives or solvents.

• The device must only be used with accessories from PCE Instruments or equivalent.

• Before each use, inspect the case for visible damage. If any damage is visible, do not

use the device.

• Do not use the instrument in explosive atmospheres.

• The measurement range as stated in the specifications must not be exceeded under

any circumstances.

• Non-observance of the safety notes can cause damage to the device and injuries to the user.

We do not assume liability for printing errors or any other mistakes in this manual. We expressly point to our general guarantee terms which can be found in our general terms of

business. If you have any questions please contact PCE Instruments. The contact details can be found at

the end of this manual.

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2 Technical specifications

3 Delivery scope

1 x coating thickness gauge PCE-CT 2x BT series 5 x calibration foil reference 1 x Fe zero standard 1 x NFe zero standard (only for PCE-CT 22BT and PCE-CT 23BT) 1 x transport loop 2 x 1.5 V AA batteries 1 x carrying case 1 x user manual

Model

PCE-CT 21BT

PCE-CT 22BT

PCE-CT 23BT

Measurable substrates

Fe, NFe

Probe

external

internal

external

Measurement range

0 ... 1500 µm

Resolution

0.1 µm (within meas. range 0 ... 99.9 µm) 1 µm (within meas. range 100 ... 1500 µm)

Accuracy

±(1 µm + 2 % of the coating thickness)

Units

µm, mil

Min. curvature

convex 5 mm, concave 5 mm

Min. measuring area

10 x 10 mm

Min. thickness of substrate

0.4 mm

Interface

Bluetooth, micro USB

Memory space

10 groups of 60 measured values each

Power supply

2 x 1.5 V AA battery, 5 V USB interface

Environmental conditions

-10 ... 50 °C, 10 ... 85 % RH

Dimensions

126 x 69 x 35 mm (without sensor)

Weight

approx. 97 g (without batteries)

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4 Display description

Symbol

Designation

Description

99.7

Measured value

Display of the current measured value

Battery indicator

Batteries charged or the meter is operated via the

USB interface.

Batteries are 2/3 charged

Batteries are 1/3 charged

Batteries are discharged. Please replace the

batteries.

Fe NFe

Substrate

Fe: magnetic material NFe: non-magnetic material

µm

Unit

Adjustable units µm and mil

^ / v

Limit value

Is displayed when the set limit value is exceeded or fallen below.

Number of measurements

Number of measured values

4.1 Key description

Symbol

Designation

Description

On and off switch

Press and hold this key for more than one second to switch the meter on and off

Menu key, enter key

Open the menu, apply changes to the settings.

Calibration key, back

Press this key to enter the calibration menu. Press this key to go back one step and exit the menu.

Arrow keys

Change parameters and select the desired function in the menu.

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5 Power supply

To start using the meter, first insert 2 x 1.5 V AA batteries into the battery compartment on the back. Make sure the polarity is correct when inserting them. The meter can also be supplied with power via the micro USB port. Thus, the coating thickness gauge can be operated via the USB port of a computer, for example.

6 On / off

To switch the meter on/off, press and hold the key for more than 1 second. When the meter is not in use, it will automatically turn off within 3 minutes.

7 Measurement

To make a measurement, place the tip of the sensor on the surface to be measured. A measured value will be displayed directly. Make sure that you place the sensor on the sample vertically and quickly. The meter will detect automatically whether the base material is magnetic (Fe) or nonmagnetic (nFe). During a measurement, the sensor must not be moved, otherwise incorrect measurements may occur. To carry out further measurements, place the sensor on the next measuring spot.

Important:

In order to obtain the best results, it is important to take measurements on a smooth and non-slip surface. Do not impact the sensor head too forcefully on the test object, otherwise you could damage the probe.

7.1 Continuous measurement

To perform a continuous measurement, place the sensor on the object to be measured. A measured value will be displayed. Now keep the sensor on the current measuring spot for three seconds. The continuous measurement starts automatically. To stop the continuous measurement, lift the sensor.

Important:

Do not make continuous measurements on sensitive surfaces to create sequences, otherwise you could damage the surface. Do not carry out continuous measurements on rough surfaces as this could damage the sensor.

8 Menu

To open the menu, press the key. The upper part of the display shows you the menu level currently open. The lower part of the display shows the currently selected function at the menu level. You can use the arrow keys to select between the functions and also change parameter

values. Press the key to open the corresponding function. Press the back key to go back one level.

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8.1 Menu structure

Calibration

(Calib)

Zero point calibration

(Zero Calib)

Factory calibration

(Factory calib)

1-point calibration

(1 point calib)

5-point calibration

(5-point calib)

Data groups

(Data Group)

History

Selected group

(Select Grp XXX)

Delete last value

(Remove latest)

Delete group

(Erase group)

Clear memory completely

(Erase all)

Limit value alarm

(Limit Alarm)

Activate alarm

(alarm on)

Upper limit value

(Up limit)

Lower limit value

(Low limit)

Unit

µm, mil

Device information

(About)

Sensor type

(Type)

Serial number

(Serial)

Hardware version

(Hardware)

Software version

(Software)

9 Calibration

To perform a calibration, the meter has various functions.

- Factory calibration

- Zero point calibration

- One-point calibration

- Five-point calibration

In order to obtain the most accurate measurement result over the entire measuring range, a fivepoint calibration is recommended. A calibration of magnetic (Fe) and non-magnetic substrates (nFe) is independent on each other. After each calibration, check the measured values again with the references. If the measured values are still not within the accuracies, repeat the calibration if necessary.

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9.1 Zero point calibration

To perform a zero point calibration, press the key. Now place the sensor on the corresponding zero reference. When "Lift probe up" appears on the display, remove the sensor

from the reference. You will then be asked if you want to accept the calibration. Press the key to save the change. To discard the setting, press the key.

9.2 One-point calibration

To perform a 1-point calibration, first go to the calibration menu and select "1-point calib". Now place the sensor on the corresponding zero reference. When "Lift probe up" appears on the display, remove the sensor from the zero reference. Now place a foil reference on the zero reference. Now carry out a measurement of the reference by positioning the probe on the foil. When "Lift probe up" appears on the display, remove the sensor from the reference. The display will now show the measured value. With the arrow keys, you can now set this value to the

calibration reference. Confirm the set value with the key. You are then asked whether you want to accept the calibration. Press the key to save the change. To discard the setting, press the key.

9.3 Five-point calibration

To perform a five-point calibration, first go to the calibration menu and select "5-point calib". Now place the sensor on the corresponding zero reference. When "Lift probe up" appears on the display, remove the sensor from the zero reference. Now place a foil reference on the zero reference. Now carry out a measurement of the reference by positioning the probe on the film. When "Lift probe up" appears on the display, remove the sensor from the reference. The display will now show the measured value. With the arrow keys, you can now set this value to the value

of the calibration reference. Confirm the set value with the key. The second calibration point will follow now. Now use another calibration reference and repeat the calibration procedure until you reach the last calibration point. Then you are asked whether you want to accept the

calibration. Press the key to save the change. To discard the setting, press the key. Important: When instructed to lift the probe, lift the probe quickly and place it 30 cm away from the reference before changing the reference film.

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10 Data group

With this coating thickness gauge, the measured values are saved automatically. Various data groups are available for this purpose. To make settings to the data memory, go to the menu under the item "Data Group". Here, you can make the following settings:

Course (History)

Here you can view the last measured values belonging to the set measuring group.

Selected group (Select Grp XXX)

Here you set the current measuring group. If you make settings in the menu item "Data group", these always refer to the data group selected here. The measured values are also saved in the data group selected here.

Delete last value (Remove latest)

With this function, you can delete the last measured value.

Delete group (Erase group)

The entire measuring group is deleted here.

Erase memory completely (Erase all)

Here, you can clear the entire memory.

11 Limit value alarm

To set limit values, first go to the "limit alarm" menu. Under the item "Alarm on", you can activate the limit alarm function. You can set the limits as follows:

Upper limit value (Up limit)

Here, you can set the upper limit value.

Lower limit value (Low limit)

Here, you can set the lower limit value.

If the measured value is within the limit range, the LED indicator briefly flashes in green. If the measured value is outside the limit values, the LED indicator briefly flashes in red. The display shows whether the current measured value is too high or too low.

12 Convert unit

To change the unit, go to the menu. Under the item "Unit", you can choose between the units µm and millimetre.

13 Backlight

The backlight switches on and off automatically. It is not possible to adjust this.

14 Software

The data from the coating thickness gauge can also be exported. For this purpose, there is the possibility of Bluetooth transfer to an Android or iOS device. It is also possible to transfer the data to a PC via the micro USB interface.

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14.1 PC transfer

First connect the meter to the PC using a micro USB cable. Note: You can also find the software on the download page on https://www.pce-instruments.com. Then open the "Coatingmaster" software. Under "Port" select "Silicon Laps CP210x USB to UART

Bridge". If this is not available, the driver may be missing. You can find the driver in the program folder under the "driver" folder. If you have a 64-bit system, use the installation file "CP210xVCPInstaller_x64". If you have a 32-bit system, use the installation file "CP210xVCPInstaller_x86" to install the driver.

Now click on "Connect". The software now establishes a connection to the meter.

Under the tab "Data", the displays on the meter are now shown mirrored in the programme. This means that the data are live-transferred to the PC. The software is synchronised with the meter via the "Sync" button.

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The "Group" tab displays all data saved on the meter. To export these data now, click on "Export". The data can now be saved to the PC as a CSV file. Click the "Sync" button to synchronise the software with the test instrument.

15 App transfer

To establish a connection with a mobile device, first download the "Coatingmaster" app. Then switch on the Bluetooth function in the measuring device. Now connect the coating thickness gauge via the app. To do this, select "Coating_XXXX" in the app.

Note: The Bluetooth connection is always active and cannot be disabled.

You will then be taken directly to the measurement window where the current measured value is displayed. Via the "Master" function, the meater is synchronised with the mobile device.

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Under the "Group" tab, the measurement data stored in the meter is displayed. Via the "Export" function, you can save the data on the mobile device as CSV, PDF and also as a TXT file.

Under the tab "Settings", you can make some settings to the app.

Setting

Meaning

Measuring sounds

During a measurement, a sound can be heard.

Measuring vibration

When a measurement is made, the vibration alarm is activated.

Alarm sounds

When the limit is reached, a sound can be heard.

Alarm vibration

When the limit value is reached, the vibration alarm is activated.

Paired gauge

Click here for more information about this meter.

About CoatingMaster

Here you can find more information about the app.

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16 Troubleshooting

Fault

Cause

Solution

Unit does not power on

Batteries discharged

Insert new batteries.

Batteries are not inserted correctly

Check that the batteries are inserted correctly.

Batteries inserted with reverse polarity

Check the polarity of the inserted batteries.

Measured value inaccurate or not stable

Base material has varied electromagnetic properties

The test instrument cannot perform measurements on base materials the electromagnetic properties of which are varied.

Magnetic fields in the environment

Do not carry out measurements in the vicinity of magnetic fields, for example near magnets, microwaves or audio equipment.

Edge effect

Measurements should be made in the middle of the sample. Do not perform any measurements at the edge.

Incorrect placement of the probe

Always align the probe vertically and quickly with the surface. Do not perform a measurement by force. The probe must touch the test object and must not swing.

The base material is too narrow or the measuring surface is too small or too round

Only carry out measurements on test objects with the properties indicated in the specifications. Otherwise, inaccuracies may occur.

Surface is too rough

Carry out measurements on a surface that is as smooth as possible.

Measurements not possible

Different environmental conditions change measurement

Perform a zero calibration. Inaccurate

measured values

Display is difficult to read

The meter is used under the wrong environmental conditions

The coating thickness gauge may only be located in areas with the specified environmental conditions. Otherwise damage can occur.

PCE Instruments PCE-CT 21BT Users guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual