SHIMPO FGE-H User Manual

FGE-H Series
Digital Force Gauges
Models FGE-200H,300H,500H

SHAFT

HANGER

General

You have just received the world's most rugged and
economical force gauge. For the price of a mechanical
gauge you have all the advantages of a small digital

instrument ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in the
palm of your hand. With the touch of a button you can

measure force in any engineering units desired (lbs, kgs
and N).

The unit's microprocessor enables it to measure forces very
accurately in the "average" or "peak" mode. Its LCD

display is smartly designed to inform the operator at all
times of exactly what's going on.

If the hanger is used or a test stand, reversing the display
so that it can be read right-side-up is a cinch. Just press

two buttons and the digits and units indicators reverse
themselves instantly .

Instruction Manual

Precautions

Do not use the gauge in hostile environments.
A.High humidity areas

B. High temperature environments

(see specifications table)

C. Caustic areas where various chemicals can seep into the

unit.

When not in use, place gauge back in its case to prevent
any damage due to accidental drop etc. With a little care
you can have an instrument that can last and provide

service for many years.

Operation

When the carrying case is opened make sure you have all
the accessories that came with the instrument; namely

adapter/charger, hook, flat head, and hanger.

1. Charge the batteries for approx. 12 hrs. before using the
gauge. (Batteries come discharged from the factory)
When batteries are charging the BAT indicator is ON.

When the batteries are fully charged the indicator goes
OFF.

2. Hand tighten appropriate attachment to unit's measuring
shaft (Do not use a wrench or any other device to
tighten the attachment).

3. Press the POWER switch and release. On the release of
the switch the display will momentarily show all 8's

(Digit segment self-check) and then will show some
zeros with the last one or two digits changing to some
random numbers. Also the unit of measurement (lbs,

kgs or N) will appear above the digits and stay as long
as the instrument is on.

Change Display Units

To change the display units, just press the UNIT button and
the units will change every time this particular button is

pressed.

Reverse the Display

Low Battery

If unit is used with the hanger or mounted on a test stand
and the display must be reversed, follow this procedure:

1. Press the POWER switch and hold it. Display will go
blank.

2. Press UNIT switch and hold it.

3. Release POWER switch while you are still holding the
UNIT switch. Display is still blank.

4. Press the POWER switch once more and release it
while still holding the UNIT switch. At this point you

should see the display reversed.

5. Release the UNIT switch. Now the display stays in that
mode. If you want to go back to the normal mode Just
repeat steps 1 through 5.

Select Average or Peak

If you want to measure force in real time the display will
show just the digits and units of the force being measured.

That is "average " force. If you want to measure "peak"
force, press the PEAK button and the word PEAK will

appear in the upper left corner of the display . When the
unit is in the peak mode, the display will freeze after

capturing the peak force. Press zero to cancel previous
peak and continue with your tests. If you want to go back

to average mode press the PEAK button again and the
word PEAK will disappear from the display .

NOTE: It is very important that you measure forces
(tension or compression) that are in line with the measur-

ing shaft and not at any angle (see fig. 1). Failure to
observe this directive will damage the instrument. Also,

after the gauge is positioned and ready to take a measure­ment (with the proper attachment in place) tare the unit by

pressing the ZERO switch. In the PEAK mode to clear the
display for another measurement press the ZERO switch.

Measure Tension

When the battery charge starts to get low, a LO BAT sign
appears in the upper left corner of the display . The gauge
will work for another three hours after the indicator

appears. At this point, if necessary, the adapter/charger can
be used to power the unit indefinitely . With the power off

and the battery discharged it takes approx. 12 hrs. to fully
charge it. When the battery is fully charged the adapter/
charger cuts off completely to protect the battery .

Auto Power Off

If the power on the gauge is turned on and there is no
activity for 10 minutes, the power is automatically cut-of f

to conserve battery charge. One minute before cut-of f, the
sign PWR appears above the display digits to remind the
operator that there is 1 minute left before power cut-of f . I f

the adapter/charger is powering the gauge the Auto Power
Cut-off function becomes inactive.

Tracking Function

A tracking function has been introduced to check and
compensate for temperature drift. When measuring very
minute forces (a few oz.) and at a very slow rate, you may

want to turn off the tracking function. T o turn off or on the
tracking function follow the steps below:

1. Turn power off

2. Press PEAK and UNIT switches simultaneously and
hold these until step 3 is complete.

3. Press POWER switch and release it to turn the power
on. If tracking function was on, the display will show

TRK OFF momentarily .

4. Release buttons PEAK & UNIT . The tracking function
is now of f. Repeat above steps to turn it on. It is a good

idea to have this function on all the time unless it is
absolutely necessary to cancel it.

To measure tensile force use the hook attachment. The
display will show the force measured and a minus sign (-)

will appear on the left of the display (right next to the
digits).

Measure Compression

To measure compression force use the flat head attachment.
No sign will appear on the left of the display during a

compression measurement.

Fig. 1