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Dakota MAX II Operation Manual

Ultrasonic bolt tension monitor
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OPERATION MANUAL

DAKOTA ULTRASONICS
MAX II
Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
P/N P-197-0002
Rev 1.0, June 2015

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Summary of Contents for Dakota MAX II

  • Page 1: Operation Manual

    OPERATION MANUAL DAKOTA ULTRASONICS MAX II Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor P/N P-197-0002 Rev 1.0, June 2015...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    ARRANTY CHAPTER TWO ABOUT THIS MANUAL ............3  2.1 N ? ....................... 3  LTRASONICS 2.2 N ? ..................3  EW TO FASTENER MEASUREMENT 2.3 MAX II O ........................ 3  VERVIEW 2.4 T & S ....................6  UBMENU EFERENCE CHAPTER THREE QUICK START GUIDE ............8 ...
  • Page 4 OWER ONNECTOR CHAPTER FIVE THEORY OF OPERATION ........... 40  5.1 U ................40  LTRASONIC EASUREMENT OF OLTS 5.2 F MAX II ....................40  EATURES OF THE 5.3 U ......................41  LTRASONIC WAVES 5.4 M ...................... 41  EASUREMENT ODES CHAPTER SIX BOLT PREPARATION ............43 ...
  • Page 5 9.2 M ........................93  ANUAL 9.3 S ..................... 95  UTOMATIC 9.4 A ......................96  UTOMATIC CHAPTER TEN BOLT MATERIAL CALIBRATION ......... 98  10.1 W ? ......................98  ALIBRATE 10.2 V ....................98  ELOCITY ALIBRATION 10.3 S ..................102  TRESS FACTOR CALIBRATION 10.4 T ................
  • Page 6 CHAPTER SIXTEEN SOFTWARE, FILE TRANSFER, & UPGRADES ..200  16.1 C ................200  OMPUTER YSTEM EQUIREMENTS 16.2 I ..................... 200  NSTALLING 16.3 C MAX II ..................200  OMMUNICATING WITH 16.4 U XFER (MAX II) ................... 201  SING THE MENU 16.5 S ..................201  ELECTING...

  • Page 9: Chapter One Introduction

    The responsibility for proper use of the instrument rests solely on the user. 1.2 Safety Using the MAX II while standing in water or in a wet environment can result in serious electric shock, injury, and even death. Operating the MAX II with damaged or inadequate cables and power source can...

  • Page 10: Warranty

    Use of the MAX II for any other purpose, or in any other manner than described in this manual invalidates the warranty and can result in serious electric shock, injury, and even death.

  • Page 11: Chapter Two About This Manual

    By measuring the stretch of the fastener and knowing the physical properties of the fastener, the load of the fastener can be calculated. The MAX II measures the fastener stretch by ultrasonically measuring the change in length.
  • Page 12 Dakota Ultrasonics In order to understand how to operate the MAX II, it’s best to start off with an understanding of what it is we’re looking at exactly. The MAX II has a lot of great features, tools, and flexibility to assist you with all of your bolting applications. Let’s have a brief look at the screens you’ll be looking at most often:...
  • Page 13 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor D. Alarm – Indicates that the alarm feature has been activated and currently in use. E. RF A-Scan Display (split screen) – Displays the radio frequency sound wave reflection returned the opposite end of the bolt being measured. The RF view displays both the positive and negative cycles.

  • Page 14: Top & Submenu Reference

    2.4 Top & Submenu Reference The following table is a quick menu reference guide. The MAX II has 11 top level menu titles, and multiple submenu items as illustrated below. The MAX II also has 4 ‘hot menu’...
  • Page 15 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor >> End DATA UTILS XFER TEMP MODE BACKUP SETUPS EDIT ALARM COPY DATA OPEN ALARM LOW COPY SCREENS CLOSE ALARM HIGH UPGRADE GAUGE DELETE ONE ANALOG CAPTURE TO FILE OUTPUT FILE DELETE ALL KEY CLICK...

  • Page 16: Chapter Three Quick Start Guide

    3) If a temperature sensor is being used, connect the sensor to the MAX II. 3.3 Setting up the MAX II Please Read: In this section the MAX II will be setup in its simplest form. Remember this is only a quick start guide to get the user up and measuring bolts. Before we setup the gauge to measure basic elongation, the following assumptions must be made: A preset material type will be used.
  • Page 17 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the ON/OFF key to power up the MAX II. 2) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the SETUP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 18 Dakota Ultrasonics Selecting the Units Note: The Quick Start setup, selected in the previous section, automatically defaults to english units – inches. Follow the procedure below to change the units to metric, if needed. 1) Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the MATL menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 19 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor This section allows the user the ability to select a material from a list of preset material types. Keep in mind that we are measuring elongation only. If your material is not in the list, select a similar material type. When measuring in elongation mode, the measurement consists of a difference equation only (Loaded Length –...

  • Page 20: Creating A New Group To Store Measurements

    A group can have up to 250 bolts, each bolt containing 1 reference length (L- REF), and up to 51 elongations. Keep in mind that the MAX II uses a group to store measurements and all gauge settings at the time of measurement.
  • Page 21 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 6) Press the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys using the left button wheel to highlight the appropriate alpha characters. 7) Press the ENTER key to select a character and advance to the next field of the Group Name.
  • Page 22 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit Box. 3) Press the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys using the left button wheel to highlight the appropriate alpha characters. 4) Press the ENTER key to select a character and advance to the next field of the Group Note.
  • Page 23 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the new Group List Items until NUM BOLTS is highlighted. 2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
  • Page 24 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the new Group List Items until NUM READS is highlighted. 2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
  • Page 25 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor return to the Group List Items menu. It may be necessary to free some memory in the MAX II at this time. Selecting the Starting Bolt Number Note: Depending on the application and layout of the project, the user won’t always want the starting bolt to be 1.
  • Page 26 Dakota Ultrasonics Note: If a value is enter that is greater than the maximum number of bolts allowed per group (250), an error message box “VALUE IS OUT OF RANGE” will be displayed. 7) Press the OK key to display the Digits Edit Box and re-enter the START BOLT NUM.

  • Page 27: Setting The Approximate Length

    In order to utilize the AUTO SET feature of the MAX II, when measuring reference lengths, the MAX II has to know where to start looking for the detection. We can accomplish this by entering an approximate length into the gauge. The MAX II will automatically take the value entered and scan +/- 5% in both directions of the approximate length for the detection signal.
  • Page 28 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the MEAS key once to activate measure menu items. Press the MEAS key multiple times to move down and the ESC key multiple times to move up, until the ALEN cell is highlighted. Alternatively, press the and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel.
  • Page 29 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the AUTO menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 30: Measuring Reference Lengths

    Dakota Ultrasonics 3.6 Measuring Reference Lengths At this point, the MAX II is setup and ready to start measuring reference lengths. We’ve already setup a bolt group to store the reference length data, and now need to display the group storage locations prior to making measurements.

  • Page 31: Measuring Elongations

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor layer creating a gap between the transducer and bolt. This can be accomplished by rotating the transducer clockwise and counter clockwise while applying a very small amount of pressure to seat the transducer firmly against the bolt.
  • Page 32 Dakota Ultrasonics Important Note (recap): Always be sure to place the transducer in the same exact location if it will be removed in between reference lengths and elongation measurements. This will eliminate any potential sound path error caused by moving the transducer to a completely different location on the bolt, thus causing potentially erroneous measurements.

  • Page 33: Chapter Four Keyboard, Menu, & Connector Reference

    CHAPTER FOUR KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE 4.1 Menu Key (Operation & Sub Menus) The Menu key activates the primary menu structure containing 11 menu tab groups. These tab groups then contain sub menu items, or functions. The sub menu items have been organized in tab groups according to how closely they are related to the individual tab group names.
  • Page 34 Dakota Ultrasonics Activating and Getting Around in the Menu Items 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the desired tab group is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 35: Cal - Menu

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 4.2 CAL – Menu ZERO MODE: The MAX II is zeroed in much the same way that a mechanical micrometer is zeroed. There are three zero mode options available in the MAX II – FIXED, ONE POINT, TWO POINT and AUTO. Selecting the proper mode is dependent on the application requirements, but the most convenient mode of preference is - AUTO.

  • Page 36: Geom (Geometry) - Menu

    LOAD FACTOR: The conversion factor from elongation to Load. This value is typically determined by performing a field calibration and running a regression or vector using the MAX II or utility software. Alternatively, the load factor can be determined using the bolt calculator in the utility software. However, if extreme accuracy is required, performing a field calibration is a must.

  • Page 37: Disp (Display) - Menu

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor sub menu item enables the user to edit the area at anytime. Refer to page 109 for further info. EFFECTIVE LENGTH: The length of the region of the fastener under stress (the distance between the nut plus some amount of additional stress that occurs in the head and nut(s) of the fastener).

  • Page 38: Tune - Menu

    Dakota Ultrasonics 4.6 TUNE – Menu GAIN: The MAX II has 100dB gain range from (-30 to 70 dB), used in conjunction with the attenuator feature above. This feature is used to increase/decrease the power or amplitude of the signal. This might easily be considered as similar to turning the volume up or down on a stereo receiver.

  • Page 39: Auto - Menu

    APPROX LEN: In order for the user to use the Auto Set feature, an approximate length of the fastener must be entered. The approximate length gives the MAX II some idea of where to turn on the receiver and look for the detection, or end of the bolt.

  • Page 40: Setup - Menu

    Refer to page 195 for further info. DEFAULT SETUP: Loads a basic default setup. Use only as a last resort when the setups in the MAX II have been corrupted and a computer is not accessible. Refer to page 197 for further info.

  • Page 41: Util (Utilities) - Menu

    (manual, semi-auto, and auto). This feature is only available to those units purchased with the automatic temperature compensation option and probe. Note: Contact Dakota for information on upgrading the MAX II. Refer to Error! Reference source not found. for further info.

  • Page 42: Xfer (Transfer) - Menu

    FREEZE key. Refer to page 174 for further info. UPGRADE GAUGE: Enables the user the ability to upgrade the MAX II to the most current firmware revision. Refer to page 173 for further info.

  • Page 43: Setups Key

    .tif (tagged image) graphic file that can be opened using any graphics viewer. 4.15 SETUPS Key The PEAK key is a feature used in the flaw detector portion of the MAX II, and is not used in the thickness gauge. 4.16 AUTO SET Key The AUTO SET is an automatic measurement routine that attempts to locate the detection and set all the scope parameters of the MAX II.

  • Page 44: Ok Key

    The primary function of the OK key is confirmation of a change or selection. The OK key also toggles between full or split screen view while in the main measurement screen. If the MAX II is displaying a data group, the OK key toggles an advance to row number option.
  • Page 45 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor The diagram above is a screenshot of all 4 “Hot Menus” in the MAX II. The Hot Menu’s contain all the most regularly adjusted features from each tabbed menu, in the exact order of the tabbed menus themselves. Some of the menus have been combined into a single Hot Menu in order to reduce the number of hot menus.

  • Page 46: Top & Bottom End Caps

    4.26 Top & Bottom End Caps The top & bottom end panels are where all connections are made to the MAX II. The diagram above shows the layout and description of the connectors: Transducer Connector Refer to Diagram: The transducer connector is a board mounted and shielded LEMO “00”.

  • Page 47: Alarms Connection (Lemo 1 - 5 Pin)

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Alarms Connection (LEMO 1 – 5 pin) Refer to Diagram: The RS-232 connector is a 5 pin female Lemo 1 connector. This is used for connecting each alarm directly to an external source. An accessory 9 pin female serial to Lemo 1 - 5 pin male cable will be required to use this feature, and is not included in the standard kit.

  • Page 48: Chapter Five Theory Of Operation

    While the concept is comparatively simple and ultrasonic measurement can produce astoundingly accurate results, the selection of the optimum bolt and transducer, and their coupling can be difficult. The MAX II minimizes these difficulties to the greatest extent possible:  The variable width pulser system can send the maximum amount of energy to the ultrasonic transducer, allowing the broadest possible range of transducers for a given application.

  • Page 49: Ultrasonic Waves

    5.4 Measurement Modes In this section we will discuss the different measurements modes the MAX II is capable of operating in, the transducers required, and the reasons for using specific modes:...
  • Page 50 Dakota Ultrasonics Echo-Echo Mode (E-E) Multi echo mode that measures from the first to the second return echo, and blocks the initial pulse. This mode can slightly improve user transducer placement errors, coated fasteners, and coated fasteners with changes in temperature. Because two return echoes are required, generally not suitable for long fasteners applications.

  • Page 51: Chapter Six Bolt Preparation

    6.1 Use of Ultrasonic Couplant Sonic energy at the frequency range used by the MAX II travels well through solid materials and most liquids. It does not travel well through air. This variable resistance to the passage of sonic energy is called sonic impedance.
  • Page 52 Dakota Ultrasonics Figure 1 Sound path in a good bolt Smooth, even surfaced bolt ends that seat the entire active surface of the transducer with minimum gap are required for accurate signal transmission. Bolt ends may need to be cleaned, ground, etc. to achieve the required surface.

  • Page 53: Bolt End Reflectors

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Figure 3 Effect of lowered and raised grade marks 6.3 Bolt End Reflectors Smooth, flat reflecting bolt ends that are perpendicular to the axis of the bolt are required for accurate echo reception. Bolt ends may need to be cleaned, ground, etc.
  • Page 54 Dakota Ultrasonics Figure 6 Reflection in a bending bolt...

  • Page 55: Chapter Seven Transducer Selection

    CHAPTER SEVEN TRANSDUCER SELECTION 7.1 Selecting the Transducer Transducer selection is a very import part of getting the best results from the MAX II. The frequency and diameter of transducer should be carefully selected using the following information:  Select the largest diameter transducer that will seat completely on the end of the bolt.

  • Page 56: Chapter Eight Measuring System Zero (Calibration)

    System Zeroing is only required if:  More than one MAX II or transducer will be used while measuring a set of bolts. If the same MAX II and transducer are used, the amount of the delay is constant. If...

  • Page 57: Creating A Group To Document Zero (Calibration) Data

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor  The MAX II should be sent in for calibration by Dakota Ultrasonics, or other authorized service representative, on a periodic basis to verify proper operation of the instrument. Dakota Ultrasonics recommends one-year intervals.  Depending on the how critical the application is, bolts should be calibrated in a lab against a known load prior to measuring.
  • Page 58 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until NEW is highlighted. 3) Press the ENTER key to display the New Group Edit Box.
  • Page 59 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Note: Be sure to include a note that describes and references the Zero/Cal data, and or bolt. 1) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the new Group List Items until NOTE is highlighted.
  • Page 60 Dakota Ultrasonics Selecting the Number of Bolts in the Group Note: A group can contain up to 250 bolts. In this case, the number of bolts in the group can be thought of as the number of reference points on the calibration standards.
  • Page 61 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 8) Press the OK key to save the NUM BOLTS and return to the Group List Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the NUM BOLTS. Selecting the Number of Readings Per Bolt Note: A bolt can have up to 51 possible measurements and 1 initial length (L- REF).
  • Page 62 “NOT ENOUGH MEMORY“ will be displayed. Press the OK or ESC key to return to the Group List Items menu. It may be necessary to free some memory in the MAX II at this time. Selecting the Starting Bolt Number Note: Depending on the application and layout of the project, the user won’t...
  • Page 63 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box. 3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the highlighted value. 4) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the digit locations.
  • Page 64 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Use the LEFT & RIGHT arrow keys to toggle the Increment direction NONE, NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, or WEST. 3) When the correct Increment direction is displayed, continue on to the next section “Saving the Group”. Saving the Group Once all the parameters are set, the user has the option of saving or canceling the new group.

  • Page 65: Auto Zero/Calibration

    If valid signals cannot be acquired during the auto set routine, the MAX II will report “Can’t find stable echo”. Before eliminating this option altogether and using one of the manual options listed below, try relocating the transducer to various positions on the end of the calibration standard first.
  • Page 66 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until ZERO MODE is highlighted. 3) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the right button wheel to scroll the zero mode options until the AUTO option is displayed.
  • Page 67 Note: The TEMP COEF should be set to 55 (99 metric) for the 3 & 6” bars supplied by Dakota Ultrasonics. If the glass block is used, it should be set to 0. The reason for this is because glass has a very low temperature...
  • Page 68 Dakota Ultrasonics 17) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the One Point Zero list until ULTRASONIC is highlighted. Note: Ultrasonic will measure the ultrasonic length of the calibration standard.
  • Page 69 CAL menu to review the new ZERO value calculated. Note: In order for the MAX II to display the correct measurement value for documentation purposes in the CAL DATA group created in the previous section, the material velocity calculated during the calibration process and temperature coefficient must be set to the same values as in the calibration section.

  • Page 70: Using A Standard Bolt

    The primary objective is to verify a zero value prior to measuring to avoid measurement errors if the MAX II, transducer, or cable is replaced. While this sounds like an economic way to go, the...
  • Page 71 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Selecting the Bolt Material Type 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the MATL menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 72 Dakota Ultrasonics Now that a bolt group has been created, and material type selected to save and document the probe zero data, this next section will go through the process of obtaining the information needed to use the standard bolt for a probe zero calibration bar.
  • Page 73 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 4) Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the MATL menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items. Alternatively, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll the tabbed menus.
  • Page 74 Note: This is the approximate physical length of the fastener or bolt. This tells the MAX II where to turn on the receiver and look for an echo. The area scanned will be +/- 5% from the approximate length.
  • Page 75 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 17) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the highlighted value. 18) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll the digit locations.
  • Page 76 Dakota Ultrasonics 23) Press the ENTER key and the Ultrasonic Length of the bolt will be displayed and should be documented and scribed on the bolt, along with the Velocity and Temperature Coefficient, for future zero verification. 24) Proceed to the next section to save this length in the zero group CAL DATA created in a previous section.
  • Page 77 When should I use the Calc Zero feature versus adjusting the Temperature, and why? The only time the Calc Zero feature should be used is when a different MAX II, transducer, or transducer cable is being used, other than the one initially used to obtain the probe zero data for the probe zero calibration bolt.
  • Page 78 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the CAL menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 79 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 5) Press the ENTER key to display the One Point Zero Edit Box. 6) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the One Point List Items until PHY LEN 1 is highlighted.
  • Page 80 Dakota Ultrasonics 11) Press the OK key to return to the One Point Zero List, or ESC to cancel entering the PHY LEN 1 value. 12) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the One Point Zero List Items until VELOCITY is highlighted.
  • Page 81 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 19) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box. Note: Enter the temperature coefficient value of the bolt that was documented in the previous section. Reminder: The value was written down and scribed on the side of the bolt.
  • Page 82 Dakota Ultrasonics 25) Press the ENTER key to display the measurement screen. 26) Press the key to automatically adjust the settings and measure the calibration standard. 27) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll the hot menu items until ACCEPT CAL is highlighted.
  • Page 83 Note: User has selected this section because the MAX II, transducer, or transducer cable has not changed and the elongation is outside the tolerance of +/- .0005”.
  • Page 84 TEMP value. 7) Continue to scroll the temp value until the elongation reads 0.0000. When the value is at 0.0000 the MAX II is officially zeroed and ready to store or document the zero data prior to making measurements.

  • Page 85: Calibration / Zero Bars & Triple Sided Glass Block

    This will allow the user to easily verify the zero value and make any necessary changes to the MAX II, by adjusting the zero value or temperature depending on the circumstances or conditions.
  • Page 86 Dakota Ultrasonics Note: It is assumed that the temperature sensor is connected to the MAX II, and semi automatic or automatic mode has been selected. The temperature sensor should also be attached to the specific calibration bar being measured. If an external pyrometer or other method will be used, the temperature mode should be set to manual, and the temperature manually entered into the gauge.
  • Page 87 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Note: The one point option can optionally be selected if only one cal bar will be used. Although the procedures below are described with the two-point option in mind, they will also work in the case of a one-point calibration.
  • Page 88 Dakota Ultrasonics 11) Press the OK key to return to the Two Point Zero list, or ESC to cancel entering the PHY LEN 1. 12) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the Two Point Zero list until PHY LEN 2 is highlighted.
  • Page 89 Note: This should be set to 55 (99 metric) for the 3 & 6” bars supplied by Dakota Ultrasonics. If the glass block is used, it should be set to 0. The reason for this is because glass has a very low temperature coefficient.
  • Page 90 Dakota Ultrasonics Note: The default is AUTO, allowing the MAX II the ability to select either positive or negative polarity. However, the polarity can be set and fixed to a specific polarity, positive/negative, as selected by the user. 31) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the right button wheel to scroll AUTO, POSITIVE or NEGATIVE polarity options.
  • Page 91 In any event, the probe zero calibration should always be checked prior to changing it and only changed if it’s required. If the MAX II has been previously calibrated, open the calibration data saved in the MAX II and check the probe zero by simply measuring the bars in an empty location (columns B –...
  • Page 92 Dakota Ultrasonics the GEOM menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items. Alternatively, press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel. 2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until QUANTITY is highlighted.
  • Page 93 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until OPEN is highlighted. 6) Press the ENTER key to display the list of log files.
  • Page 94 3” cal bar. Note: Once an echo is found and the MAX II is measuring the cal bar, the GAIN, as well as the POLARITY may need to be adjusted. Using a large...
  • Page 95 21) Press the key to automatically setup and measure the 6” cal bar. Note: Once an echo is found and the MAX II is measuring the cal bar, the GAIN, as well as the POLARITY may need to be adjusted.
  • Page 96 Dakota Ultrasonics 32) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the digit locations. 33) Repeat steps 31 & 32 until the VELOCITY value is correctly displayed. 34) Press the key to display the CAL DATA group.
  • Page 97 “In Spec” at a later time. It’s important to note that user should never have to change or re-calculate the probe zero value again, unless the MAX II, transducer, or cable has been replaced. If the transducer or cable has changed, and the probe zero value re-calculated, the change in the zero value should be very small.
  • Page 98 Dakota Ultrasonics Verifying the Probe Zero at a Later Time 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the DATA menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 99 B. It’s also important to note that the L-REF stored in column A, also contains all the MAX II settings when the L-REF was initially measured. These settings will automatically be copied to all the columns B-ZZ, for each individual bolt.
  • Page 100 Dakota Ultrasonics calibration standards. If the probe zero is “Out of Spec” perform the zero procedure in its entirety.

  • Page 101: Chapter Nine Temperature Compensation

    CHAPTER NINE TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION 9.1 Purpose The temperature of a fastener affects the overall physical length, as well as the velocity of a fastener. As the temperature of a fastener increases, the ultrasonic length increases at a rate greater than the physical change in length. If the user intends to measure the same fastener at different time intervals over the service life of the bolt, temperature compensation is very important to produce accurate results.
  • Page 102 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until TEMP MODE is highlighted. 3) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the right button wheel to scroll the temperature mode options.

  • Page 103: Semi Automatic Mode

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 10) Press the OK key to return to the measurement screen, or ESC to cancel entering the TEMP. 9.3 Semi Automatic Mode The semi automatic mode gives the user an opportunity to initiate when the temperature is read and automatically adjusted.

  • Page 104: Automatic Mode

    9.4 Automatic Mode The automatic mode constantly monitors and compensates for temperature when the accessory temperature sensor is attached to the MAX II and placed on the joint or fastener being measured. While this mode eliminates the need to manually insert or...
  • Page 105 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the UTIL menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 106: Chapter Ten Bolt Material Calibration

    BOLT MATERIAL CALIBRATION 10.1 Why Calibrate? The preset bolt types in the MAX II contain average factors for the material type. These are approximate values only. In a tightly controlled application where extreme accuracy is required, it is necessary to obtain all the information possible about the fasteners being measured.
  • Page 107 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until QUANTITY is highlighted. 3) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the right button wheel to scroll the quantity until ELONG is displayed.
  • Page 108 Dakota Ultrasonics 9) Press the OK key to select the type and return to the menu screen, or ESC to cancel selecting the material type. 10) Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the AUTO menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 109 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 18) Apply a drop of couplant to the bolt or transducer, and attach it to one end of the bolt. Rotate the transducer clockwise and counter clockwise applying a small amount of pressure to eliminate any excess couplant between the transducer and bolt surface.

  • Page 110: Stress Factor Calibration

    Since the change in ultrasonic length is approximately 3 times the change in physical length, due to the change in velocity, a stress factor must be applied to correct the ultrasonic length in the MAX II.
  • Page 111 Sonic Stress Factor is to be determined. NOTES:  The Dakota Ultrasonics MAX II must be calibrated, or zeroed, as described in the Zero Calibration procedure section 8.6.  The Velocity Calibration should be performed prior to determining the Stress Factor.
  • Page 112 Note: The following steps assume that the user has performed the steps in the previous section and calibrated the velocity. Therefore, the velocity has been adjusted, approximate length already entered, and the MAX II is currently setup and ready to measure in elongation mode.
  • Page 113 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor working conditions. Using the mechanical measuring device, measure and record the Mechanical Length at Load 1 “L ” for the current sample bolt. 6) Apply a drop of couplant to the bolt or transducer, and attach it to one end of the bolt.

  • Page 114: Temperature Factor Calibration

    The MAX II always measures a fastener at 68  F. If the temperature of the fastener is currently being measured at 108  F, the MAX II will compensate, or correct, the measurement back to 68 ...
  • Page 115  A minimum of three sample bolts, which are representative of the bolt type and geometry for which the Temperature Factor is to be determined. NOTES:  The Dakota Ultrasonics MAX II must be calibrated, or zeroed, as described in the procedure entitled Measuring System Zero in Error! Reference source not found..
  • Page 116 Dakota Ultrasonics adjusted, approximate length already entered, and the MAX II is currently setup and ready to measure in elongation mode. 2) Apply a drop of couplant to the bolt or transducer, and attach it to one end of the bolt. Rotate the transducer clockwise and counter clockwise applying a small amount of pressure to eliminate any excess couplant between the transducer and bolt.

  • Page 117: Chapter Eleven Load Measurment

    The cross sectional area of the bolt is defined as the average area of a fastener under stress. This factor is only used in the MAX II’s calculation of load. It has no effect on stress or elongation, time, or strain, and is directly proportional to the load measured ultrasonically.
  • Page 118 Dakota Ultrasonics Area For bolts with complex geometry, the areas should be estimated by averaging each individual area and length. In the case of a hollow fastener, the area of the hole must be subtracted from the overall area. The area of a fastener with complex geometry can be estimated as follows: ...

  • Page 119: Calibrating Load Factor (Field Calibration)

    The MAX II is equipped with a self- calibrating feature that uses a linear regression or vector equation to produce a best-fit line through the known loads, minimizing error.

  • Page 120: Performing A Field Calibration

    Dakota Ultrasonics zero and produces only a load factor. Why are both options needed? In applications where a small amount of load is applied to the fastener, thus producing very little elongation, the regression option can potentially produce non-linear results. In cases such as these, a vector may sometimes produce better results as the offset is set at zero.
  • Page 121 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Note: Select a name that references this group to Field Calibration Data. 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the DATA menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 122 Dakota Ultrasonics 6) Press the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys using the left or right button wheel to scroll to highlight the appropriate alpha characters. 7) Press the ENTER key to select a character and advance to the next field of the Group Name.
  • Page 123 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the new Group List Items until NOTE is highlighted. 2) Press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit Box.
  • Page 124 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the new Group List Items until NUM BOLTS is highlighted. 2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
  • Page 125 If there’s not enough memory available to create the group, an error message box “NOT ENOUGH MEMORY“ will be displayed. Press the OK or ESC key to return to the Group List Items menu. It may be necessary to free some memory in the MAX II at this time.
  • Page 126 Dakota Ultrasonics Selecting the Starting Bolt Number Note: Depending on the application and layout of the project, the user won’t always want the starting bolt to be 1. This feature allows the user to define what the starting number will be.
  • Page 127 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Note: If a value is enter that is greater than the maximum number of bolts allowed per group (250), an error message box “VALUE IS OUT OF RANGE” will be displayed. 7) Press the OK key to display the Digits Edit Box and re-enter the START BOLT NUM.
  • Page 128 Dakota Ultrasonics Saving the Group Once all the parameters are set, the user has the option of saving or canceling the new group. 1) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the new Group List Items until CREATE NEW GROUP? is highlighted.
  • Page 129 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Storing the Reference Length 1) Press the MEAS key once to activate measure menu items. Press the MEAS key multiple times to move down and the ESC key multiple times to move up until the LOG cell is highlighted. Alternatively, press the and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel.
  • Page 130 Note: The following steps assume that the user has previously selected a similar material type for the list of materials and the approximate length of the bolt has been entered. Therefore, the MAX II is currently setup and ready to measure in elongation mode.
  • Page 131 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 2) Apply a drop of couplant to the bolt or transducer, and attach it to one end of the bolt. Rotate the transducer clockwise and counter clockwise applying a small amount of pressure to eliminate any excess couplant between the transducer and bolt.
  • Page 132 Dakota Ultrasonics 11) Measure and record the Ultrasonic Length at Load 2 by pressing the ENTER key. The Digits Edit Box will be displayed. Note: Load 2 should be stored in column C. 12) Enter the Known Load value by pressing the...
  • Page 133 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 22) Repeat Steps 1 – 21 for sample bolts 2 & 3. Now that we have measured and documented three sample bolts, we’re now ready to run the vector or regression calculation to determine a load factor and offset (regression only).
  • Page 134 Dakota Ultrasonics 5) Press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen. Note: The new Load Factor and Offset values can be reviewed and edited in the GEOM tabbed menu item. 6) Calibration is completed.

  • Page 135: Chapter Twelve Measurement & Waveform Display

    MEASUREMENT & WAVEFORM DISPLAY 12.1 Quantities of Measurement The MAX II has the ability to measure in a number of measurement quantities: Time (nanoseconds), Elongation, Load, Stress, and Strain (in terms of %). While there are a number of quantity options available, the easiest and most fail safe quantities to consider are Time and Elongation.

  • Page 136: Display View Options

    Dakota Ultrasonics 12.2 Display View Options A key feature of the MAX II is the versatility of the display views available to the user. The waveform views are a graphical representation of the actual sound reflections traveling through a fastener and returning back to the transducer. The waveform display shows the amplitude of the signal received on the vertical (Y) axis and time (displayed in terms of length) on the horizontal (X) axis.
  • Page 137 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Large Digits (Alarm) RECT (Split Screen) Changing Display Options 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the DISP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 138 A) Stability of Reading Indicator – Indicates the stability of the return echo on a scale of 1 to 6 – the solid bars displayed in the figure above indicate a repeatable signal. If the MAX II is displaying a reading from memory, the repeatability indicator will be replaced by the text “MEM”.
  • Page 139 A) Stability of Reading Indicator – Indicates the stability of the return echo on a scale of 1 to 6 – the solid bars displayed in the figure above indicate a repeatable signal. If the MAX II is displaying a reading from memory, the repeatability indicator will be replaced by the text “MEM”.
  • Page 140 Dakota Ultrasonics B) Battery life indicator – Fully charged batteries will appear filled in solid. Note: The diagram shows the batteries at approximately 50%. C) Length Measurement – Digital readout of quantity (English or Metric). D) Detect Indicator – The broken vertical line displays the zero crossing (flank) detection point on the waveform where the measurement has been obtained.
  • Page 141 A) Stability of Reading Indicator – Indicates the stability of the return echo on a scale of 1 to 6 – the solid bars displayed in the figure above indicate a repeatable signal. If the MAX II is displaying a reading from memory, the repeatability indicator will be replaced by the text “MEM”.

  • Page 142: Adjusting The Display

    Dakota Ultrasonics activate the tabbed menu items and searching through a variety of menus to make adjustments. I) Temperature – Display’s the current temperature of the fastener (manual, semi- automatic, or automatic). 12.3 Adjusting the Display The width refers to the overall viewable range, with respect to length, being displayed on the screen.
  • Page 143 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 6) Repeat steps 4 & 5 until the WIDTH value is correctly displayed. Press the OK key to return to the measurement screen, or ESC to cancel entering the WIDTH. The user can also access and adjust the width from the tabbed menus, however this method is a more tedious than making the adjustments using the Hot Menus.
  • Page 144 Dakota Ultrasonics Adjusting the Width using the Tabbed Menus 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the DISP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 145 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 9) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen. Starting delay The starting DELAY, or starting length, is the value displayed on the bottom lower left side of the display in both RF and RECT (Rectified) views.
  • Page 146 Dakota Ultrasonics Press the OK key to return to the measurement screen, or ESC to cancel entering the DELAY. The user can also access and adjust the delay from the tabbed menus. However, this method is more tedious than making the adjustments using the Hot Menus. The...

  • Page 147: Gain

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 6) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the digit locations. 7) Repeat steps 5 & 6 until the Delay number is correctly displayed.
  • Page 148 Dakota Ultrasonics Adjusting the Gain using the Tabbed Menus 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the TUNE menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 149 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 6) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the digit locations. 7) Repeat steps 5 & 6 until the Gain value is correctly displayed.
  • Page 150 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to tab left, until the TUNE menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 151: Gates

    12.5 Gates The MAX II is equipped with 3 gates to accommodate the variety of measurement mode options. A Gate can also be termed “blocking gate”, as measurements are only made inside of the boundaries/parameters of a gate. Anything outside of the gate boundaries are blocked.
  • Page 152 4” and using the Auto Set feature to automatically configure the gate parameters, the MAX II will select a Gate 1 start position to the right of the 3” reflection. Nevertheless, the purpose of this section is to demonstrate that the gates can be manually configured.
  • Page 153 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the MEAS key once to activate measure menu items. Press the MEAS key multiple times to move down and the ESC key multiple times to move up until the GATE cell is highlighted. Alternatively, press the and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel.

  • Page 154: Thresholds

    Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the AUTO menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 155 The MAX II is equipped with three gates and thresholds, depending on the measurement mode used. The standard measurement mode is pulse-echo (P-E) uses a single gate and threshold. The MAX II also has optional multiple echo modes that use two or three gates depending on the multiple echo mode selected, echo- echo (E-E) or echo-echo verify (E-EV).
  • Page 156 Dakota Ultrasonics 5) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the digit locations. 6) Repeat steps 4 & 5 until the Threshold value is correctly displayed. 7) Press the OK key to return to the measurement screen, or ESC to cancel entering the Threshold.

  • Page 157: Interpreting The Waveform

    When this occurs, the decrease in amplitude can cause the MAX II to lose the first cycle altogether. If the fist cycle is lost, the MAX II will “peak Jump” to another cycle later in time with greater amplitude. Often...
  • Page 158 For this reason, selecting the proper phase is very important. The Auto Set feature built into the MAX II will do a lot of this work for you. However, it’s always a good idea to understand how to interpret the waveform. The following diagrams offer a brief explanation: Correct Phase (Polarity) –...

  • Page 159: Manually Locating The Echo

    The echo can be manually located by simply adjusting the delay and width values of the MAX II. While this is process is very tedious and will most often not be used because of the Auto Set feature, it should be explained for general control of the instrument.
  • Page 160 Dakota Ultrasonics 4) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the highlighted value. 5) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll the digit locations.

  • Page 161: Automatic Echo Optimization

    In order to use the Auto Set properly, an approximate length of the bolt must be entered into the MAX II. The approximate length tells the MAX II where to start looking for the echo. The MAX II will search +/- 5% from the value entered.
  • Page 162 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box. 3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left or right button wheel to scroll the highlighted value. 4) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll the digit locations.
  • Page 163 ESC to cancel entering the Approx. Len. Using Auto Set Note: If the Approximate length has been entered into the MAX II, the Auto Set feature can be run simply by pressing the AUTO SET key on the left side of the keypad.

  • Page 164: Unloaded Length And Elongation Measurements

    Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until AUTO SET is highlighted. 3) Apply a drop of couplant to the bolt or transducer, and attach it to one end of the bolt.

  • Page 165: Chapter Thirteen Additional Features

    ADDITIONAL FEATURES 13.1 Quality/Correlation (Transducer Placement) The auto correlation feature in the MAX II is a handy feature to assist the user with returning the transducer back to the original position/location where it was during the initial reference length measurement. Since the sound path is changing, in terms of material consistency, returning the transducer to the same location increases the accuracy of the MAX II, reducing what is referred to as the “placement error”.

  • Page 166: Color

    13.3 Color The MAX II has a variety of display color options to select from. These will change the look and feel of the according to the users preference. The procedures for changing the COLOR, are outlined below:...
  • Page 167 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the DISP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 168: Dim

    However, if the gauge is turned on, set for a DIM of 120sec, and then left idle for 5 minutes, the MAX II will dim in 2 minutes, then power off in 5 minutes. The procedures for adjusting the DIM time are outlined below: Setting a DIM time 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab.

  • Page 169: Graphics Options (Look & Feel)

    We’ve added a couple of graphic interface features to the MAX II , accommodate customer requests we’ve received in the past. These features only serve as cosmetic items, and do not change the functionality of the MAX II in any way. RECT Wave:...

  • Page 170: Pulse

    Dakota Ultrasonics 13.6 Pulse The MAX II has a very powerful 400 volt square wave and 400 volt tone burst pulser that can be adjusted using the pulse width option. Pulse width, refers to the duration of time the pulser is left on. This time results in increased energy sent into the test material.

  • Page 171: Pulser Voltage

    13.7 Pulser Voltage The MAX II has a 400 volt square wave pulser that can be adjusted for specific bolt lengths, geometries, materials and transducer size and frequencies. The Pulser Voltage feature offers various voltage settings of 100 to 400 volts, based on the pulse width setting.
  • Page 172 Dakota Ultrasonics Thin, HV Wide, TB 10MHz, TB 5MHz, TB 2MHz, and TB 1MHz. Depending on the setting selected, the pulser voltage options will include the applicable settings/options (i.e. if Thin is selected, the max output voltage option is 200V. However if HV Thin is selected, the max output voltage option is 400V –...

  • Page 173: Damping

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 13.8 Damping The MAX II has a built-in damping feature to control the impedance input of the receiver. This enables the user the ability to match and optimize the transducer for better signal quality at various frequencies. The available settings are 50, 75, 100, 300, 600 and 1500 ohms.
  • Page 174 Dakota Ultrasonics The digitizer feature provides additional stability when to the measurement by increasing the number of samples. This can be beneficial when measuring shorter length fasteners with units set to in/mm hr (high resolution), in order to increase the resolution.

  • Page 175: Polarity

    Refer to section 12.7 ,interpreting the Waveform, for a detailed explanation on how to select the proper polarity. It’s also important to note that the MAX II auto set feature will automatically select and set the polarity, but it’s important to review, understand, and check that MAX II selected the proper polarity.

  • Page 176: Alarm Mode

    There are two limits, or alarm values, that can be setup in the MAX II – ALARM LOW and ALARM HIGH limits. However, the user may choose to activate and utilize only one of the limit values, depending on their specific application requirements.
  • Page 177 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 4) Continue on to the next section “Setting the Alarm Low Limit”. Setting the Alarm Low Limit 1) Assuming the ALARM is ON, press the UP and DOWN arrow keys multiple times using the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until ALARM LOW is highlighted.

  • Page 178: Analog Output

    ALARM HIGH limit. 13.12 Analog Output The MAX II is also equipped with an analog output to send a 0-10 volt electrical signal to an external device to control a system process to respond in a different manner considering the voltage measured.

  • Page 179: Key Click

    4) Press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen. 13.13 Key Click When a key is pressed on the MAX II keypad, the user can control whether or not an audible beep is sounded and at what volume level, if any. The procedure for this...

  • Page 180: Date & Time

    Dakota Ultrasonics 13.14 Date & Time The MAX II is equipped with an internal clock to time and date stamp the log, setup and screen capture files for reporting/documentation purposes. The procedures for setting the time and date are outlined below: Setting Date &...

  • Page 181: Upgrade Gauge

    13.15 Upgrade Gauge The MAX II can be upgraded very conveniently at your desk or in the field. The latest version of firmware can be found on the Dakota website, which can be compared to the current version loaded in the MAX II. The version is displayed to the right of the ABOUT menu item in the XFER menu.

  • Page 182: Freeze & Capture

    & green alarm lights periodically flashing. When the upgrade is completed, the MAX II will automatically reboot. DO NOT LOSE POWER! Be sure the MAX II has plenty of battery life prior to upgrading, or the AC adaptor is connect to the gauge.

  • Page 183: Storage

    FREEZE key toggles freeze on/off. 13.17 Storage The MAX II has a 4 GB internal SD memory card installed on the board. There is also an external SD slot located in the battery lithium ion battery compartment located on the bottom end cap of the gauge. The external slot will accept all SD cards up to 64 GB in size.
  • Page 184 LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys multiple times on the right button wheel to toggle the STORAGE internal/external. Note: If there is no SD card inserted into the external slot, the MAX II will only offer Internal as an option. 4) Press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen.

  • Page 185: Chapter Fourteen Data Storage - Setup, Edit, & View Files

    14.1 Introduction to Group (spreadsheet) format Data is stored in the MAX II in a spreadsheet like format called a GRID. A GRID is simply a table of readings. In the case of the MAX II they will be discussed in terms of a GROUP.
  • Page 186 Dakota Ultrasonics In order to eliminate too much redundancy with multiple pass of the same exact steps for each of the group list items, the following procedure will be listed once below. This process can be repeated for the name, note, number of bolts, number of reads,...
  • Page 187 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 5) Press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit Box. 6) Press the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys using the left or right button wheel to highlight the appropriate alpha/numeric characters. 7) Press the ENTER key to select a character and advance to the next field.

  • Page 188: Storing A Reading

    This section assumes the group was just created. Refer to the section on “opening a group” if the file was created at another time. Key Feature: When the MAX II is displaying a “group”, pressing the OK key will initiate an advance to row number option screen. Use the...

  • Page 189: Viewing Stored Readings

    Simply press the ENTER key to display the file from the measurement screen. 14.4 Viewing stored readings It is sometimes necessary to go back and view the stored readings and waveforms using the MAX II without a PC. The following procedures outline this process: Viewing Stored Readings...
  • Page 190 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the MEAS key once to activate measure menu items. Press the MEAS key multiple times to move down and the ESC key multiple times to move up until the LOG cell is highlighted. Alternatively, press the...

  • Page 191: Deleting Groups (Files)

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor display view saved with the reading. Readings stored in memory are indicated by displaying a MEM in the top left corner of the measurement screen. Note: The user may opt to clear a specific reading and save a new one at any time.
  • Page 192 Dakota Ultrasonics 2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until DELETE ONE FILE is highlighted. 3) Press the ENTER key to display the File List Box. 4) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll through the stored Files until the target File to delete is highlighted.
  • Page 193 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until DELETE ALL DATA is highlighted. 3) Press the ENTER key to activate the confirmation screen.

  • Page 194: Editing A Group (File)

    Dakota Ultrasonics 14.6 Editing a Group (File) Once a grid has been created and saved to memory, the user can edit the Name, Comments, or Increment Direction at a later time. The following procedures outline this process: Editing a Grid 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab.
  • Page 195 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 5) Press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit box – Only used when editing the NOTE. 6) Use the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys on the left or right button wheel to highlight the appropriate alpha characters.

  • Page 196: Changing The Active File - Open

    The user may have transferred grid/seq templates from a PC to the MAX II, or setup grids/seq using the MAX II at an earlier time. The name of the currently active file is always displayed at the top of the Grid/Seq Box in measurement mode (refer to photo below).
  • Page 197 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll through the sub menu items until OPEN is highlighted. 3) Press the ENTER key to display the Grid/Seq List Box.

  • Page 198: Closing An Active File - Close

    Dakota Ultrasonics 14.8 Closing an active File - Close A user might not have a current requirement to store measurements, but a file is currently open or active and needs to be closed. The following procedures outline how to close an open or active file: Closing an Active File 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab.

  • Page 199: Chapter Fifteen Setups - Create, Store, Edit, & Recall

    The MAX II has a setup feature that allows up to 64 custom setups that can be backed up to a PC and restored as needed.

  • Page 200: Saving A Setup

    7) Press the MEAS key to return to the measure screen. 15.3 Saving a Setup Once the MAX II parameters and features have be adjusted for an application, the user may elect to save these setting to a specific setup location for future use. This can potentially save time and reduce error between users.
  • Page 201 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Saving a Setup 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the SETUP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
  • Page 202 Dakota Ultrasonics 5) When the parameter to edit is highlighted, press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit Box. 6) Use the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys on the left or right button wheel to scroll through the characters, the ENTER key to select characters, and the CLR key to backspace through the characters, until the Name or Note fields have been edited.

  • Page 203: Deleting A Saved Setup

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 11) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys on the left button wheel to scroll through the setups until the target location to save the Setup is highlighted. 12) Press the OK key to activate the confirmation screen.
  • Page 204 Dakota Ultrasonics 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the SETUP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 205: Using The Default Setup

    7) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen. 15.5 Using the Default Setup The default setup feature was added to the MAX II to use, as a last resort, if there are no setups stored in the gauge –factory or otherwise. The only time this might...

  • Page 206: Selecting A Language

    4) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen. 15.6 Selecting a Language The MAX II is equipped with a language option. Currently, only a few languages supported. However, be sure to update your gauge firmware often, to check for language additions.
  • Page 207 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 4) Once the desired language is displayed, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen.

  • Page 208: Chapter Sixteen Software, File Transfer, & Upgrades

    16.3 Communicating with MAX II DakView will not directly communicate with the MAX II series gauges. The MAX II is equipped with USB, acting as a Thumb Drive (external storage device) when connected to a computer and powered on.

  • Page 209: Using The Xfer Menu (Max Ii)

    MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor 16.4 Using the XFER menu (MAX II) The XFER menu of the MAX II will be used in conjunction with the DakView PC software. The steps below outline the procedure for accessing the XFER menu and...

  • Page 210: Copying Files (Setups, Data, & Screenshots)

    16.6 Copying Files (Setups, Data, & Screenshots) The MAX II can store a number of setup, data and screenshot files to either the internal or external SD memory cards. All the copy routines will copy files from the currently selected storage device to the other. Therefore, if the current storage device is set to ‘internal’, the copy routines will transfer files directly to the external...
  • Page 211 MAX II Bolt Tension Monitor Copying Files Between Storage Devices 1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to tab left until the XFER menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.

  • Page 212: Upgrading The Max Ii

    9) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen. 16.7 Upgrading the MAX II The MAX II can be upgraded to the latest revision of firmware at any time. Simply download the latest version posted on the Dakota Ultrasonics website, copy the upgrade file to the main drive directory MAX II, and use the upgrade utility located in the XFER menu.
  • Page 213 2) Press the ENTER key to display the upgrade confirmation screen, followed by pressing OK key to start the upgrade process. Note: The MAX II will power down during the upgrade process, and restart when completed.

  • Page 214: Warranty Information

    Additionally, Dakota Ultrasonics warrants transducers and accessories against such defects for a period of 90 days from receipt by the end user. If Dakota Ultrasonics receives notice of such defects during the warranty period, Dakota Ultrasonics will either, at its option, repair or replace products that prove to be defective.
  • Page 216 Distributed by: ABQ Industrial LP USA Tel: +1 (281) 516-9292 / (888) 275-5772 eFax: +1 (866) 234-0451 Web: https://www.abqindustrial.net E-mail: info@abqindustrial.net...

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