Introduction - General IRTC50 User Manual

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing General Tools & Instruments' (General's) IRTC50 Scanning
IR Thermometer with Star Burst Laser Targeting. Please read this manual carefully
and thoroughly before using the instrument.
The IRTC50 is a pistol-grip instrument that measures the surface temperature of an
object from a distance by using an infrared (IR) sensor to quantify its thermal
radiation. This remote measurement capability allows you to safely determine the
temperature of very hot or cold surfaces, inaccessible or hard-to-reach objects, and
toxic substances. A laser pointer in the shape of a starburst defines the target area
(spot) whose temperature is actually being measured, improving the accuracy of
readings. All measurements are displayed on a backlit LCD.
The IRTC50's scanning function, which is made possible by the three-color light
panel on the top of the instrument, is an especially convenient and time-saving
feature. In many applications—such as detecting thermal leaks in a house or a
batch of undercooked food—the absolute temperature of a surface is less
important than the temperature of the surface relative to surfaces around it.
What the IRTC50 does extremely well and quickly is place scanned targets into one
of three color-coded categories: green for targets within a temperature band (or
window) centered on a reference (normal) temperature, red for targets hotter than
the upper edge of the band, and blue for targets colder than the lower edge of the
band. The instrument simultaneously uses sound to categorize scanned targets by
temperature. Colder-than-normal targets generate a slow beeping sound, hotter-
than-normal targets produce fast beeping, and targets close to the reference
temperature do not activate the beeper.
The IRTC50 automatically enters scanning mode when you squeeze and hold the
trigger for three seconds. Doing so sets the reference temperature to the measured
temperature of the laser's target at that time. In practice, what most professionals
use as a reference is something they consider at "normal" temperature—an interior
wall of a room, for example. After you squeeze and hold the trigger for three
seconds, the word "REF" appears on the LCD next to the measured temperature.
More importantly, however, the light panel on the top of the IRTC50 initially glows
green to indicate that the surface being scanned is within the temperature window.
In scanning mode, the "setpoint bandwidth"—the technical term for the width of
the temperature window centered on the reference temperature—is preset at 1°F
(0.5°C), but you can widen the window to 5°F (3°C) or 10°F (5.5°C) if a wider
window would better suit your application. Typically, the narrowest setpoint band
(1°F/0.5°C) is used to monitor the temperature of processes requiring precise
quality control (food preparation, for example). The wider bands of ±5°F (3°C) and
±10°F (5.5°C) are used to detect wider deviations, for example in energy auditing.
What distinguishes the IRTC50 from other scanning IR thermometers is that one
squeeze of its trigger simultaneously captures a reference temperature and
3