Rhopoint Instruments NG Flex 60 Instruction Manual

Thank you for purchasing this Rhopoint product.
Please read these instructions carefully before operating this product and retain them for
future reference.

1

This instruction manual contains important information about the setup and use of
your Rhopoint NG Flex 60. It is essential that the contents be read before powering
up and operating the instrument.

If this instrument is passed to other users, you must ensure that the instruction
manual is supplied with the instrument. If you have any questions or require additional
information about the Rhopoint NG Flex 60 please contact the Rhopoint Authorised
Distributor for your region.

The technology and components used in the device are based on state-of-the-art
optics and electronics. As part of Rhopoint Instruments’ commitment to continually
improve the technologies used in their products, they reserve the right to change
information included in this document without prior notice.

© Copyright 2016 Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Rhopoint Novo-Gloss™ and Rhopoint™ are registered trademarks of Rhopoint

Instruments Ltd. in the UK and other countries.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their

respective owner.
No portion of the software, documentation or other accompanying materials may be

translated, modified, reproduced, copied or otherwise duplicated (with the exception
of a backup copy), or distributed to a third party, without prior written authorization
from Rhopoint Instruments Ltd.

Rhopoint Instruments Ltd.
Enviro 21 Business Park
Queensway Avenue South
St Leonards on Sea
TN38 9AG UK
Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.rhopointinstruments.com
Revision A

April 2016

2

Contents

Storage and Handling 3
Accessories 5
Functional Overview 6
Power 7
Switching on the unit 7
Operation 8
Menu Screen 11
Batching Options 12
Setup Screen 13
Calibration Screen 15
Calibrating the Novo-Gloss Flex 60 16
Measurement Screen 18
Pass/Fail Setup Screen 19
Control Screen 20
Bluetooth Communication and Pairing 20
Instrument Setup Screen 26
Maintenance Screen 27
Technical Specification 29

3

Storage and Handling

 This instrument contains precision optics and electronics. You should avoid

knocking or dropping the device as the resulting impact could cause serious
damage.

 In some circumstances the optical components in the instrument could

become misted as a consequence of temperature change. It is recommended
that the instrument is not used until it has stabilised to the ambient
temperature.

 Ensure that the instrument is not exposed to moisture, chemicals or any

corrosive vapours.

 Do notinterfere or place anyobjects inside themeasuring aperture as damage

to the measuring system could occur.

 The instrument housing and screen are resistant to a variety of solvents

however it is not possible to guarantee resistance to all chemicals, therefore
the surfaces of the instrument should only be cleaned using a soft, moist cloth.

 Prevent exposure of the instrument to direct sunlight for prolonged periods and

to continuous humidity and condensation.

4

About the Rhopoint NG Flex 60

The Rhopoint NG Flex 60 is used to quantify the gloss of difficult to access mid-low
gloss surfaces. The instrument measures using the 60° geometry specified for
measuring mid gloss surfaces 10-70GU.

To improve the measurement performance on low gloss surfaces (0-10 GU) the
instrument has a GUh range: gloss unit high resolution. The GUh range gives x10
resolution and improved repeatability and accuracy on low gloss surfaces. Any
surface from 0-125 GU can be measured using this device.

The GUh low gloss high resolution range uses an additional high gain amplifier for
improved measurement on matt surfaces.

5

Accessories

The instrument is supplied as a standard package complete with all accessories
required to calibrate and recharge the unit including:

 Rhopoint NG Flex 60 Glossmeter.
 Rhopoint NG Flex magnetic measurement adapter.
 Rhopoint NG Flex standard adapter.
 Rhopoint NG Flex 60 measuring head and remote connecting cable.
 BAM traceable high gloss calibration adapter including certificate.
 BAM traceable low (GUh range) gloss calibration adapter including certificate.
 Cleaning cloth for calibration tile.
 BAM traceable instrument certificate.
 USB mains charger with four selectable mains input connectors (UK / Europe

/ US / Australia).

 USB PC cable.
 Quick start operating instructions.
 Protective instrument carry case.

6

Functional Overview

The instrument is controlled by pressing the relevant touch sensitive button.
Functionality is dependent on whether the instrument is in menu or operate mode as
detailed in the operation sections that follow.

Label No

Function

1

Measurement button

2

High resolution graphic display

3

Up/Down/Left/Right buttons

4

Calibration tile

5
6
7
8

Operate / Enter button
Remote measurement head
Remote measurement button
Magnetic measurement adapter

6

5
3

1

4

7

8

2

7

Power

The RhopointNG Flex60 is powered by an integrated high capacity lithium ion cell.
Fully charged the instrument will operate continuously for >17 hours or >20,000

readings.
A mains powered USB charger is provided with the instrument. This will fully charge the

instrument when connected to the unit’s USB input (6) using the USB cable provided in

under 4 hours.
TheRhopoint NG Flex 60 can also be powered and charged using the USB cable

attached to any compatible USB host (e.g. laptop)however due to the lower current
available from these devices the chargetime would be a minimum of 6– 8 hours.

Do not operate the instrument whilst it is charging.

Switching on the unit

To switch on the unit, touch the On/Off button locatedat the back of the instrument near
theUSBsocket.

The instrument will display the RhopointNGFlex 60 logoand then enter into the home
screendisplaying measurement parametersaccording to the instrument’s default
settings or those previouslyconfigured.

Similarly, the instrumentcan bepowered off (dependent on configuration – see
Instrument Setup) by pressing the On/Offbuttonfor three seconds.

Label No

Function

6

Mains / USB charger
input connector

7

On / Off button

6

7

8

Operation

The Rhopoint NG Flex 60 has the ability to flip its screens according to its
measurement orientation.

It automatically displays measurement data in either portrait mode:

Or landscape mode:

Note: The Main Menu, Statistics and Main Measurement screen are available in
portrait view. Other menus and graphs can only be accessed when the instrument is
held in a landscape orientation. The flip function is disabled when landscape only
screens are shown and when an on screen prompt is visible.

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When the instrument is switched on and initialised it will display the home screen as
shown below:

In this mode, measurements can be made by simply pressing the measurement
button (1) on the side of the instrument, remote head button (7) or operate button (4)
on the instrument keypad.

Pressing the right button in the home screen the NG statistics screen is shown for
the current batch. Memory must be switched on to access the statistics screen.

Label No

Function

i

Navigation options

ii

Geometry banner

iii

60° gloss measurement

iv

Batch name and number

v
vi
vii
viii
ix

Battery meter
Instrument status and Bluetooth icons
Batch iteration
High resolution 60° gloss measurement (GUh)
Date and time

v

i

vi

vii

ii

iii

iv

viii

ix

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Pressing the left button returns the display to the home screen.

Pressing the right button in the NG statistics screen will access the NG graph screen
providing a graphical representation of the statistics data. The same screen is
available for gloss statistics when in the NG statistics screen.

When pressing the up / down buttons NG data can be displayed either all together or
individually.

Pressing the up button in the NG graph screen accesses the gloss graph screen.
Measurements can be taken whilst in this screen and the graph will be updated after
each reading.

Pressing the left button returns the display to the Statistics Screen.
Pressing the right button the instrument returns the display to the Home Screen.

11

Menu Screen

The Menu screen is used to quickly access often used options. Pressing the up and
down buttons navigates through the options. Pressing the enter button selects that
option.

Selectable settings in the menu screen are:
Memory: Set to ON: This enablesthestorage and batching of

measurement results. The amount of available storage
memory is also displayed.

Set to OFF: Thisdisablesthe result storage.
With Memory ON:

 Delete last reading– delete the last measurement, the no. of measurementsand

statistics data updated to previous values.

 Start new batch– start new batch of readings: batch name is incremented by 1.
 Clear current batch– delete entire batch of measurements for current batch.
 Deleteall batches – delete all stored batches and measurements.
 Batch name– default name is BATCH. Amaximum of 8 user defined batch

names can be used as detailedinthe Batching Options section.

 Calibrate instrument – perform a calibration of the instrument as detailed under

Operation.

 Switch off – turn off the instrument.
 Pressing the left button returns the display to the home screen.

 Pressing the right button will access the setup screen.

12

Batching Options

Thebatching feature allows the user to group measurements together in batches. Each
batch has associated statistics;the data for each batch can be accessed byconnecting
the instrument to a PC.

The current batch name is displayed on the home screen in the bottom left corner, the
sample number within that batch is shown in the top right of the screen indicated with
n=(sample number).

A new batch is started using the start newbatch option ineither the menu screenor the
data menu, note that the batch name will increment as will the ‘n’ indicator.

The current batch can be cleared in the either the menu screen or the data menu. The
batch name will remain the same but the ‘n’ indicator will reset to zero.

Auto batch size is user defined using the auto batch option in the data menu. When the
number of readings in the current batch reach the number set by the user the instrument
will automatically increment the batch name and set the ‘n’ indicator to zero.

Viewing Batch Data

To access the stored batch information connect the instrument to a PC using the USB
data cablesupplied.

A new device name NG-METER can be viewed and accessed via MY COMPUTER, in
this device open the DATA folder.This folder contains subfolders which contain the data
for each individual saved batch. Each reading is saved as an individual comma separated
value (.csv) containing the gloss, time and date of reading, the serial number &
calibration/servicing information.

Each reading also contains the statistics for the batch up to and including that reading.
To access the STATISTICS for the whole batch, the last reading in the batch should be
examined.

User Defined Batch Names

Batch names are user definable. With the instrument connected to a PC, openthe folder
named CONFIG. Within thisfolder there is a documentnamed Batches. This is a.csv file
that can be opened in Notepad, Excel or Wordpad.

User defined names should be saved in this document with each name listed on a
separate line. Ensure that thefinal line is terminated with a carriage return.

The format of these names should only contain letters. Numbers, spaces or other
characterscannot be used.

13

Once completed save the file then switch the instrumentoff and on again to initialize the
new batch names.

Setup Screen

The setupscreen is used to customize the instrument to the user’s preference. Pressing
theup and downbuttons navigates through the options, pressing the Enter button
selects that option.

 Data and Batch Menu - Batch/ Data options (See Data &Batch MenuScreen).
 Calibration Menu- Calibration options (See Calibration MenuScreen).
 Measurement Menu- Geometrysetup (See Measurement Menu Screen).
 Control Menu -Bluetooth setup(See Control Menu Screen).
 InstrumentSetup -Language,Date / Time and Power options (Setup Menu

Screen).

 Factory Menu -Pin locked menu options for Rhopoint authorisedservice

centres.

 Pressing the left button returns the display to the home screen.

14

Data & Batch Screen

The Data Screen is similar in functionality to that of the menu screen but also allows the
selection and setting of the Auto Batch size.

By selectingAuto Batch to ON thebatch size can be selected between 1-999 by pressing
the Left and Right buttons to select the relevant digit and the Up and Down buttons to
increment / decrement the value. Pressing the Enter button saves the batch size.

If Batch names have been user defined,as detailed under Batching Options, selection of
the Batch Name required isachieved by repeatedly pressing the Enter button with Batch
Name selected.

Pressing the Left button returns the display to the home screen.

15

Calibration Screen

TheCalibration Screen is used to setup the instrumentcalibration to the user’s
preference. Pressing the Up and Down buttonsnavigatesthrough the options, pressing
the Enter button selects that option.

Selectable settings in the Calibration screenare: ­Calibrate instrument – Performs an instant calibration of the instrument; a dialogue box

being displayed upon completion to either “Cancel” or “Confirm”.
Calibrate to - GU - atraceable high gloss tile is used to calibrate GU ran

GUh- a traceable lowgloss tile is used to calibrate GUhrange.

Tile Value- Set the calibration values for either standard being used for
calibration. Pressing the Enter button selects the value. Pressing the Left and Right
buttons selects the relevant digit and the Up and Down buttons increment / decrement
the value. Pressing the Enter button again saves the value.

16

Calibrating the Novo-Gloss Flex 60

The Rhopoint Novo-Gloss Flex 60 is supplied with 2 calibration standards for the GU &
GUh ranges. The standards are magneticallyenclosed which protects the glass
referencetiles from contamination and damage. The holder can be opened for
inspection and cleaning.

The calibration tiles are enclosed in a magnetically sealed holder.

To calibrate the instrument, remove the measurement adapter and attach the
calibration holder.Theinstrument serial number on the calibration holderand
instrumentmust be matched.

Place the measurement head and calibration holder on a flat surface and initiate calibration.

Select the correct calibration range in thecalibration menu -the range is indicated on
labels on the top and bottom of each holder. If the incorrect range is selected for the
attached tile Calibration Error will be shown on the screen. Cancel the calibration and
select the correct rangethenrestart the procedure.

17

TheCalibrate To field indicates which tile must be used for the calibration. If the wrong
range or tile is selected an error message is shown. Cancel the calibration, change the
tile or range and begin the calibration process again.

18

Measurement Screen

TheMeasurement Screen is used to configure the instruments measurement
parameters to the user’s preference. Pressingthe Up and Downbuttons navigates
through the options, pressing the Enter button selects that option.

Selectable settings in the Measurement screen are:
Pass/Fail- Displays the Pass/Fail set up screen.
Auto Measure- Enables or disables automatic measurement mode, used for monitoring

surfaces for changes over a period of time.Pressing the Enter button selects the
required measurement frequency of either 2, 5 or 10 seconds. When auto measure
mode is activated a dialogue box is displayed after the Enter button is pressed and
before the beginning of the measurement sequence indicating that it is activated. To
stop auto measure simply press the Enter button once again at any time during the
sequence.

Geometry - The following measurements are selected to be displayed on measurement
screen:

 GU/GUh- Both ranges are displayed on the measurement screen.
 GU – The standard gloss scale only is displayed.
 GUh – The high resolution gloss scale only is displayed.

Pressing the Left button returns the display to the home screen.

19

Pass/Fail Setup Screen

The Pass/Fail setup screen is used to enable/disable on-screen pass/fail indication and
setmin / max tolerances.

The down key should be used to navigate to the Pass/Fail option and the center button
pressed to toggle the feature on and off.

Pressing the right navigation button allows the user to edit thepass & fail criteria.
Once the Pass/Fail feature is enabled, any measurement which falls between the max

and min values will be considered a pass and its header text will be colouredgreen.
Readings above the max value or below min value will be deemed a fail and header
text will becoloured red. Saved data and data transmitted by Bluetooth will also contain
a pass/fail field.

Select the done option to complete this process.

20

Control Screen

TheControl Screenis used to configure the instruments Bluetooth parameters to the
user’s preference. Pressing the Up and Down buttons navigates through the options,
pressing the Enter button selects that option.

Enable Remote Control is not presently user configurable.

 ID-Data is transmitted via Bluetooth with a field identification name*.
 SOF/EOF- Bluetooth data is transmitted with a start and end of field

identification*.

 Bluetooth– Enables or disables Bluetooth
 Bluetooth Mode – Selects Bluetooth data mode:

RC – Not currently used (for future use)
Data– Basic data transfer mode (transmits On-Screen

Parameters)
Pressing the Left button returns the display to the home

screen.

*ID & SOF/EOF should be set to “OFF” for use with the Rhopoint Data Widget.

Bluetooth Communication and Pairing

The Rhopoint NG Flex 60 has a Bluetooth function that allows readings to be
instantly transmitted to a compatible PC.
60° Gloss values, instrument serial number and service/calibration data can be
instantly accessed by many PC applications including Excel, Word, Wordpad,
OpenOffice or SPC packages.

21

Pairing Procedure

1.Switch on the Rhopoint NG Flex 60.

2.The Bluetooth icon must be visible to allow pairing.

3.If the Bluetooth icon is not visible, enable it

as detailed in Control Screen.
Ensure that Bluetooth mode is set to either

Data or Data+.

4.In Windows, go to START menu and select “Devices and
Printers.”

5. In Devices and Printers screen Click: Add a Device.

22

6. Windows will now search for available Bluetooth
devices, double click on the icon that corresponds to the

NG instrument.

7:Click: Enter the devices pairingcode in
the Add a Device screen.

8:Enter the pairing code
"0000".

Make sure the NG remains
switched on throughout
this process, to disable or
extend auto power off refer
to instructions detailed in
Instrument Setup Screen
that follow.

23

9. The NG is now
installed on your PC

and ready for

connection to the
Bluetooth Data Widget.

It is important to wait until Windows displays the ‘Your device is ready to use’
message before starting the data widget.

Bluetooth Data Widget Installation Instructions

The Bluetooth (BT) Data Widget software supplied with the instrument is a mini
program that converts transmitted measurement data into keystrokes that are
automatically input into any open PC program.

1. Install the BT Data Widget software (BTdatawidget.exe) found on the cd supplied
with the instrument.

2. Check Bluetooth is switched on and that the instrument
has been paired correctly.

24

3. On the desktop click on the “Data Widget” icon to start.

4. Click on the blue

"refresh "arrow to search
for paired NG(s).

5.The buttons are
greyed out while the
DATA widget searches
for SWITCHED ON
NG(s) that have been
PAIRED to the PC.

6.Look in the data widget
drop down box to see
discovered instruments.

25

7.Select the instrument
required.

8. Click the tick to connect the instrument.

9.The transmitter icon now appears on the NG.

All readings will now be automatically transferred to any
open windows package.
Download example EXCEL spreadsheets from Rhopoint’s
website.

26

Instrument Setup Screen

TheInstrument Setupscreen is used to configure the instrument’s basic operating
environment to the user’s preference. Pressing the Up and Down buttons navigates
through the options, pressing the Enter button selects that option.

Selectable settings in the Instrument Setup screen are:­Language – Set instrument language to English (default), Spanish, Italian, French,

German, Chinese.
Backlight– Set screen intensity to either 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% or 100% brightness.
Power Off– Set instrument to automatically power off after either 30sec, 60sec, 90 sec

or 120 sec or inactivity or DISABLE this feature.
Power Switch –Set On/Off button to switch the instrument ON ONLY, switchthe

instrumentON & OFF,orset it toON (Fn) to operate as a Function Select button.
Selecting the Power Switch to Function Select mode provides easy access to two

regularly used features, Rotate Screen and New Batch.
In the home screen, press and hold the On/Off button.
Pressing either the Upbutton will rotate the screen. Only one rotation is possible each

time the On/Off button is pressed.
Pressing the Down button allows a New Batch to be started, this action is either

Confirmed or Cancelledby selecting the required box when prompted using the Left
and Right buttons and pressing the Enter button.

Sound –Enable or disable button press sound
USB Charge – Set the USB charge current to either 500mA or 100/500mA.
Set Date & Time– Set the date and time on the instrument. Press the Down button to

set time. Pressing the Left and Right buttons selects the date or time and the Up and
Down buttons increment / decrement the value. Pressing the Enter button again saves
the value.

Pressing the Left button returns the display to the home screen

27

Maintenance Screen

The Maintenance screen is used by Rhopoint Approved Service Centres.
It is PIN locked to prevented unauthorised access.
There are no user configurable settings available.

Pressing the Enter button returnsthe display to the home screen.

About Screen

The About screen is for information only.
It provides information relating to the instruments software, the instrument serial
number and last date of Factory Calibration.
It also shows the amount of free memory available and battery power status.

28

Notes

29

Technical Specification

GLOSS MEASUREMENT SPECIFICATION

Geometry: 60°
Resolution: 0.1 GU

0.1 GUh (0.01 GU)

STANDARDS: ISO 2813, ASTM D523, DIN 67530, JIS 8741, ISO 7668

GLOSS CALIBRATION STANDARD

NMI traceable

Instrument Specification

Colour Screen

• Adjustable brightness 6 button touch sensitive interface.

Construction

• All aluminium construction – enclosure, optics, standard holder.

• Integrated calibration holder with in position detector.

Statistical Analysis

• Max, Min, Mean, S.D.

• All measured parameters.

Graphical Analysis

• On board trend analysis.

• Gloss and NG values.

Power

• Rechargeable lithium ion.

• >17 hours operation.

• >20,000 readings/charge.

30

Operate from

• Internal battery/USB/USB mains charger.

Recharge Time

• USB mains charger 4.5 hrs.

Memory

• 8 MB–>999 Readings.

• User definable batching.

Data Transfer

• Bluetooth.

• PC compatible.

• USB connection.

• No software install required.