Triplett AM320 User Manual

User Manual

AM320

CFM/CMM Thermo- Anemometer +
InfraRed Thermometer

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the Triplett AM320 CFM/CMM
Thermo Anemometer with InfraRed Thermometer. This instrument
measures Air Velocity, Air Flow (volume), Air Temperature (with probe)
and Surface Temperature (with the InfraRed function). The large, easy­to-read backlit LCD includes primary and secondary displays plus
numerous status indicators. The InfraRed feature includes a laser
pointer for convenient targeting. In addition, the meter can store 16
area setting dimension for easy recall. This meter is shipped fully tested
and calibrated and with proper use will provide years of reliable service.

Safety

Use extreme caution when the laser pointer beam is on

Do not point the beam toward anyone's eye
or allow the beam to strike the eye from a
reflective surface

Do not use the laser near explosive
gases or in other potentially explosive
areas

CAUTIONS

Improper use of this meter can cause damage, shock, injury or
death. Read and understand this user manual before operating
the meter.

Inspect the condition of the probe and the meter itself for any
damage before operating the meter. Repair or replace any
damage before use.

If the equipment is used in a manner not specified by the
manufacturer, the protection provided by the equipment may be
impaired.

This device is not a toy and must not reach children’s hands. It
contains hazardous objects as well as small parts that the children
could swallow. In case a child swallows any of them, please contact
a physician immediately

Do not leave batteries and packing material lying around
unattended; they can be dangerous for children if they use them
as toys

In case the device is going to be unused for an extended period of
time, remove the batteries to prevent them from draining

Expired or damaged batteries can cause cauterization on
contact with the skin. Always, therefore, use suitable hand
gloves in such cases

See that the batteries are not short-circuited. Do not throw batteries into
the fire.

Do not directly view or direct the laser pointer at an eye. Low
power visible lasers do not normally present a hazard, but may
present some potential for hazard if viewed directly for extended
periods of time

Meter Description

1. Power ON/OFF button

2. Probe input jack

3. Laser pointer

4. IR Sensor

5. Rubber holster

6. LCD Display

7. IR thermometer
measurement button

8. Airflow buttons (4)

9. Air Temperature
function buttons (2)

10. Vane

11. Airflow Average
button

12. Backlight button

13. MAX‐MIN button for TEMPERATURE mode

14. HOLD for TEMPERTAURE functions

15. MAX‐MIN button for AIR VELOCITY/AIR FLOW (also used as left arrow
button)

16. UNITS for AIR VELOCITY/AIR FLOW mode (also used as up arrow button)

17. HOLD for AIR VELOCITY/AIR FLOW mode (also used as right arrow button)

18. AREA button for AIR FLOW (Volume) mode

See next section for additional keypad description information.

Battery compartment is located on rear of instrument, rubber meter
jacket must be removed to access battery compartment

Keypad

 Press to turn the meter ON or OFF
 IR + Laser Pointer Press and hold to measure.

 MAX/MIN (Airflow) Record and store the highest and

lowest airflow or velocity readings. ◄ (LEFT) also serves as

change decimal point button in AREA mode

 UNITS Press to select the mode of operation. In FLOW mode,

the meter displays air volume. In VELOCITY mode, the meter
displays air speed. ▲ (UP) also serves as increase number
button in AREA mode.

 HOLD Press to freeze the displayed reading. Press again to

unlock display. ►(RIGHT) also serves as change digit button in
AREA mode.

 AREA Press and hold to manually enter the area of a duct in CFM

or CMM mode.

o Press and hold to scroll thru memory locations.
o This button also clears memory in the Averaging mode.

 Press to turn the backlight on/off. Hold to disable Auto Power

Off.

 MAX/MIN (Temperature) Press to record and store

the highest, lowest readings for air temperature.

 HOLD (Temperature) Press to freeze the displayed temperature

reading. Press again to unlock the display.

 AVG Press and hold to enter averaging mode. Averages up to 20

readings.

Display Layout

MAX (top of LCD): Max Hold function engaged for the Air Temperature
function

HOLD (top of LCD): Data Hold function engaged for the Air Temperature
function

PROBE TEMP: Reminder that the
top LCD digits represent Air (Vane)
Temperature

: Indicates that the laser
pointer is on.
IR TEMP: Indicates that the larger
LCD digits represent IR
temperature measurement

VEL: indicates that meter is in air
velocity mode

FLOW: indicates that meter is in air flow mode
MAX (bottom of LCD): Max Hold for the IR Temperature and RH function
HOLD (bottom of LCD): Data Hold for the IR Temperature function and

RH function

o

C / oF: Temperature units of measure

CFM/CMM: airflow units of measure
Ft2, m2: units for area dimensions
m/s, ft/min, km/h, MPH, knots: air velocity units of measure
X10, X100: multipliers for air flow readings
AVG: air averaging mode

RECORD: indicates that min/max function is running

(top for temp, bottom for air) Large LCD digits at center
of display for Relative Humidity and IR Temperature
Smaller LCD digits at top, right of display for Probe
Temperature

: Low battery indicator

Operation

Connecting the Vane

1. The vane plug is inserted in the meter’s sensor jack at the top of

the meter. The plug and jack are keyed so that the plug can only fit
in the jack one way.

2. Turn the plug carefully until it lines up with the jack and then firmly

push the plug in place. Do not apply undue force or try to twist the plug
side-to-side.

3. If the vane is not connected to the meter or if the sensor is

defective, the LCD display will indicate dashed lines in place of
an air velocity reading.

Air Velocity Measurements

1. Turn on the meter using the ON/OFF

button.

2. Press UNITS button to select the desired unit

of measure. NOTE: At power up the meter will
display the last unit of measure previously
entered.

3. Place the sensor in the air stream. Ensure that

the air enters the vane as indicated by the
arrow sticker placed inside the vane. Refer to
the diagram.

4. View the air velocity and temperature readings

on the LCD Display. The large main LCD
display shows the Air Velocity reading. The upper right LCD sub­display shows the temperature reading.

Air Velocity Measurements (Up to 20 Point averaging)

1. To enter 20 Point Averaging Mode, press and hold the AVG button

until it beeps twice. The AVG icon will be displayed.

2. Take a measurement and press the AVG button. A single beep will

sound and the HOLD icon will appear in the display.

3. The average reading will be displayed and number of readings

measured will appear in the upper right hand corner of the display.
After 5 seconds, the display will return to the current reading.

4. Repeat steps 2 - 3 until all desired points have been measured.

5. To return to standard velocity measuring mode press and hold

AVG button until meter beeps twice.

Note: In the standard velocity measuring mode, press the AVG button

once to recall the previous average. The average will be cleared
when you enter the Averaging Mode again.

Air Flow Measurements (CMM / CFM)

1. Turn on the meter using the ON/OFF button

2. Press the UNITS button to select the desired air

flow units: CMM (cubic meters per minute) or

CFM (cubic feet per minute). NOTE: At power up

the meter will display the last unit of measure

previously entered.

3. To begin entering the area in m2 or ft2, press and

hold the AREA button until it beeps twice. The

leftmost digit of the bottom display will begin to

flash.

4. Use the ▲ (UP) button to change the flashing digit

Use the ◄ (LEFT) button to move the decimal Use ►

(RIGHT) button to select the other digits.

After all of the digits are entered, press and hold the AREA button

(until meter beeps twice) to save the area into memory and return

to CFM or CMM measuring mode.

5. Place the sensor in the air stream. Ensure that the air enters the

vane as indicated by the arrow sticker placed inside the vane. Refer

to the diagram. The large main LCD display shows the Air Velocity

reading. The upper right LCD sub-display shows the temperature

reading.

The meter has 16 memory locations (8 for CFM and 8 for CMM) that can
be used to store commonly used area sizes that you can recall at anytime.

1. Press the AREA button until meter beeps twice. A memory location

number will appear in the top right of the display indicating the

memory location.

2. Push the AREA button to scroll thru and select the desired

location. Once you have selected the desired memory location

enter your dimension

Use the ▲ (UP) button to

change the flashing digit

Use the ◄ (LEFT) button

to move the decimal

Use ► (RIGHT) button to select the other digits. After all of the digits

are entered, press and hold the AREA button (until it beeps twice) to

save the area into memory and return to CFM or CMM measuring

mode.

To select and use a previously stored dimension, press and hold the AREA
button until it beeps twice.

Press AREA to scroll thru the 8 memory locations. Press and hold the
AREA button until it beeps twice to return to the CFM or CMM
measuring mode.

Air Flow Measurements (Up to 20 Point averaging)

1. To enter 20 Point Averaging Mode, press and hold the AVG

button until it beeps twice. The AVG icon will be displayed.

2. Take a measurement and press the AVG button. A single beep will

sound and the HOLD icon will appear in the display.

3. The average reading will be displayed and number of readings

measured will appear in the upper right hand corner of the display.

After 5 seconds, the display will return to the current reading.
(IMPORTANT: Please note that the average readings are only held
for 5 seconds and cannot be recalled.)

4. Repeat steps 2 - 3 until all desired points have been measured.

5. Press the AREA button to clear the multipoint averaging memory.

6. To return to standard airflow measuring mode press and hold

AVG button until meter beeps twice.

Data Hold (Air Velocity/Air Flow)

1. While taking measurements, press the HOLD button to freeze the air

velocity/air flow reading for later viewing.

2. The HOLD indicator will appear in the bottom of the LCD display.

3. Press HOLD again to return to normal operation.

MAX/MIN/AVG Record (Air Velocity/Air Flow)

This allows the user to record and view the highest (MAX), lowest
(MIN) and average (AVG) readings.

* Press the Airflow MAX/MIN button. The AVG indicator and

RECORD indicator along with the average reading will appear on the
LCD display and the meter will begin keeping track of the MAX, MIN
and Average values.

* Press the MAX/MIN button again. The MAX indicator will appear on

the display and display the Max reading.

* Press the MAX/MIN button again to view the minimum reading. The

MIN indicator along with the minimum reading will appear on the LCD
display and display the Min reading.

* Press the MAX/MIN button again to display current readings.

NOTE: the meter will keep recording MAX/MIN/AVG readings.

* To clear and stop MAX/MIN/AVG recording and return to normal

operation, press the AREA button once when displaying the
current reading.

Temperature Units

1. Remove the meter’s rubber protective jacket and select the desired

temperature units using the °F/°C slide switch located in the battery
compartment.

2. Replace the protective jacket and connect the sensor to the

sensor input jack on top of the meter.

Data Hold (Air Temperature)

1. While taking measurements, press the PROBE TEMPERATURE

HOLD button to freeze the air temperature reading.

2. The HOLD indicator will appear in the bottom of the LCD display.

3. Press PROBE TEMPERATURE HOLD again to return to normal

operation.

Max/Min Record (Air Temperature)

This allows the user to record and view the highest (MAX), lowest (MIN)
air temperature readings.

1. Press the Temperature MAX/MIN button once. The MAX indicator

will appear on the display and the meter will begin keeping track of
the MAX/MIN air temperature values.

2. Press the button again to view the minimum reading. The MIN

indicator along with the minimum air temperature reading will appear
on the LCD display.

3. Press the button again to return to normal operation.

Automatic Power OFF

To conserve battery life, the meter automatically turns off after 20 minutes.
To override this feature:

1. Turn the meter OFF.

2. Press and hold the (Backlight) key while turning the meter ON.

3. “dis APO” will appear in the display. The AUTO POWER OFF feature

will now be disabled.

4. Note that AUTO POWER OFF is re-enabled each time the meter is

turned on.

Also note that AUTO POWER OFF is disabled in CFM/CMM mode

InfraRed (Non-Contact) Temperature Measurements

1. The IR sensor is located at the top of the meter.

2. Point the sensor toward the surface to be measured.

3. Press and hold the red IR button to begin measuring

the surface temperature of a desired target. IR TEMP
and will appear on the display. The laser pointer

will switch on to help aim the meter.

4. The measured IR surface temperature will appear at
the center of the LCD (larger digits). The temperature
displayed is the temperature of the area within the spot.

5. When the red IR button is released, the laser pointer
will switch off and the reading will freeze (data hold) on
the display for approximately 3 seconds.

6. Note that the vane (Air Temperature) continues to monitor
temperature during IR tests and its temperature is displayed
on the top of the LCD (smaller digits).

7. After approximately 3 seconds the meter
defaults to the Air Flow and Air Temperature
display.

WARNING: Do not directly view or direct the laser pointer at an eye.

Low power visible lasers do not normally present a hazard, but may
present some potential for hazard if viewed directly for extended periods
of time.

Battery Replacement

Air Velocity

Range

Resolution

Accuracy

m/s (meters per
sec) 0.40 - 30.00 m/s

0.01 m/s

± (3%rdg + 0.20

m/s)

km/h
(kilometers/hour)

1.4 - 108.0 km/h

0.1 km/h

± (3%rdg + 0.8

km/hr)

ft/min (feet per
minute)

80 – 5900 ft/min

1 ft/min

± (3%rdg + 40

ft/m)

mph (miles per
hour) 0.9 – 67.0 mph

0.1 mph

± (3%rdg + 0.4

MPH)

knots (nautical
MPH) 0.8 to 58.0 knots

0.1 knots

± (3%rdg + 0.4

knots)

When appears on the LCD, the 9V battery must be replaced.

1. Disconnect the vane.

2. Remove the meter’s rubber protective jacket

3. Use a Phillips screwdriver to open the rear battery compartment

4. Replace the 9V battery

5. Close the battery compartment and replace the meter’s protective jacket

Other Battery Safety Reminders

1. Never dispose of batteries in a fire. Batteries may explode or leak.

Never dispose of used batteries or rechargeable batteries in household
waste.
As consumers, users are legally required to take used batteries to
appropriate collection sites, the retail store where the batteries were
purchased, or wherever batteries are sold.Disposal: Do not dispose of this

instrument in household waste. The user is obligated to take end‐of‐life

devices to a designated collection point for the disposal of electrical and
electronic equipment.

Never mix battery types. Always install new batteries of the same type

Specifications

Air Flow Range

Resolution

Area

CMM (cubic
meters/min)

0-999999 m3/min

0.1

0 to 999.9m

2

CFM (cubic
ft/min)

0-999999 ft3/min

0.1

0 to 999.9ft

2

Air
Temperature

Range

Resolution

Accuracy

14 - 140oF (-10 -

60oC)

0.1oF/C

4.0oF (2.0oC)

InfraRed
Temperature

Range

Resolution

Accuracy

-58 to -4oF (-50 to ­20oC)

1oF/C

±9.0oF (5.0oC)

-4 to 500oF (-20 to
260oC)

±2% reading or

±4oF

(2oC) whichever

is

greater

Circuit

Custom LSI microprocessor
circuit

Display

Dual function 13 mm (0.5") 4­digit LCD

Sampling rate

1 reading per
second approx.

Sensors

Air velocity/flow sensor: Conventional angled vane
arms with low-friction

ball bearing.

Temperature sensors: NTC-type precision
thermistor and InfraRed

IR Spectral
response

6 to 14µm

IR Emissivity

0.95 fixed

IR distance ratio

8:1

IR sampling rate

2.5 readings per second approx.

Automatic Power
off

Auto shut off after 20 minutes to preserve battery
life

Operating
Temperature

0°C to 50°C (32°F to
122°F)

Storage
Temperature

-10 to 60oC (14 to
140oF)

Operating Humidity

<80% RH

Storage Humidity

<80% RH

Operating Altitude

2000 meters (7000ft) maximum

Battery

One 9 volt (NEDA 1604) battery

Battery life

80 hours approx. (if Backlight and Laser are used
continuously the

Battery current

battery life is reduced to 2 to 3 hours approx.)

8.3 mA DC approx.

Weight

725g (1.6 lbs) including battery
& probe

Dimensions

Main instrument: 178 x 74 x 33mm (7.0 x 2.9 x1.2")

Sensor Head: 70mm (2.75”)

Diameter

Infrared Measurement Considerations

When taking IR measurements the meter automatically
compensates for ambient temperature changes. Note that it may
take up to 30minutes to adjust to extremely wide ambient
changes.

Low temperature measurements quickly followed by high
temperature measurements may require several minutes to
stabilize as a result of the IR sensor cooling process.

If the surface of the object under test is covered with frost, oil,
grime, etc., clean before taking measurements.

If an object's surface is highly reflective apply masking tape or flat
black paint before measuring. Steam, dust, smoke, etc. can obstruct
measurements.

To find a hot spot, aim the meter outside the area of interest then
scan across (in an up and down motion) until the hot spot is
located.

IR Theory

IR thermometers measure the surface temperature of an object. The

meter’s optics sense emitted, reflected, & transmitted energy that is
collected and focused onto the meter’s detector. The meter’s circuitry

translates this information into an LCD reading.

IR Field of View

Ensure that the desired target is larger than the spot size as shown in the
diagram below. As the distance from an object increases, the spot size of

the area measured by the meter becomes larger. The meter’s field of view

ratio is 8:1, meaning that if the meter is 8 inches from the target, the
diameter (spot) of the object under test must be at least 1 inch. Other
distances are shown below in the field of view diagram.

Emissivity

Most organic materials and painted or oxidized surfaces have an
emissivity of 0.95. Inaccurate readings will result when measuring shiny
or polished surfaces. To compensate, cover the surface under test with
masking tape or flat black paint. Allow time for the tape to reach the
same temperature as the material underneath then measure the
temperature of the tape or the painted surface.

Thermal Emissivity Table for Common Materials

Material

Emissivity

Material

Emissivity

Asphalt

0.90 to 0.98

Cloth (black)

0.98

Concrete

0.94

Human skin

0.98

Cement

0.96

Leather

0.75 to 0.80

Sand

0.90

Charcoal
(powder)

0.96

Earth

0.92 to 0.96

Lacquer

0.80 to 0.95

Water

0.67

Lacquer (matt)

0.97

Ice

0.96 to 0.98

Rubber (black)

0.94

Snow

0.83

Plastic

0.85 to 0.95

Glass

0.85 to 1.00

Timber

0.90

Ceramic

0.90 to 0.94

Paper

0.70 to 0.94

Marble

0.94

Chromium oxides

0.81

Plaster

0.80 to 0.90

Copper Oxides

0.78

Mortar

0.89 to 0.91

Iron Oxides

0.78 to 0.82

Brick

0.93 to 0.96

Textiles

0.90

Useful Equations and Conversions

Area equation for rectangular or square ducts

Height (H)

Area (A) = Width (W) x Height (H)

Width (W)

Area equation for circular ducts

Radius

Area (A) = x r

2

Where = 3.14 and r2 = radius x radius

m/s

ft/min

knots

km/h

MPH

1 m/s 1 196.87

1.944

3.6

2.24

1 ft/min

0.00508

1

0.00987

0.01829

0.01138

1 knot

0.5144

101.27 1 1.8519

1.1523

1 km/h

0.2778

54.69

0.54 1 0.6222

1 MPH

0.4464

87.89

0.8679

1.6071

1

Cubic equations

CFM (ft3/min) = Air Velocity (ft/min) x Area (ft2)
CMM (m3/min) = Air Velocity (m/sec) x Area (m2) x 60

NOTE: Measurements made in inches
must be converted to feet or meters before using the above

formulae.

Unit of Measure Conversion Table

Warranty

Triplett / Jewell Instruments extends the following warranty to the original purchaser of
these goods for use. Triplett warrants to the original purchaser for use that the products
sold by it will be free from defects in workmanship and material for a period of (1) one
year from the date of purchase. This warranty does not apply to any of our products
which have been repaired or altered by unauthorized persons in any way or purchased
from unauthorized distributors so as, in our sole judgment, to injure their stability or
reliability, or which have been subject to misuse, abuse, misapplication, negligence,
accident or which have had the serial numbers altered, defaced, or removed.
Accessories, including batteries are not covered by this warranty

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www.triplett.com