Inficon VGC031 Operating Manual
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Inficon VGC031 Operating Manual

Inficon VGC031 Operating Manual

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Vacuum Gauge Controller
VGC031
tinb25e1-a
(2019-11)
Operating Manual
Incl. EU Declaration of Conformity
1

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Summary of Contents for Inficon VGC031

  • Page 1 Vacuum Gauge Controller VGC031 Operating Manual Incl. EU Declaration of Conformity tinb25e1-a (2019-11)

  • Page 2: Product Identification

    In no event will INFICON be responsible or liable for indirect or consequential damages that result from the use or application of this equipment.
  • Page 3 INFICON cannot assume responsibility or liability for any actual use based on the examples and diagrams. No patent liability is assumed by INFICON with respect to use of information circuits, equipment, or software described in this manual.
  • Page 4 Identifies information that is critical for successful application and understanding of the product. SHOCK HAZARD Labels may be located on or inside the device to alert people that dangerous voltages may be present. tinb25e1-a (2019-11)

  • Page 5: General Safety Instructions

    Communicate the safety instructions to all other users. Liability and Warranty INFICON assumes no liability and the warranty becomes null and void if the end-user or third parties • disregard the information in this document • use the product in a non-conforming manner •...

  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    Contents Product Identification Validity Important User Information General Safety Instructions Liability and Warranty Introduction / General Information Description Specifications Dimensions Options & Accessories Important Safety Information Safety Precautions - General Safety Precautions - Service and Operation Electrical Conditions 2.3.1 Proper Equipment Grounding 2.3.2 Electrical Interface and Control Overpressure and use with hazardous gases Gases other than Nitrogen / air...
  • Page 7 Analog Output Log 1-8; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - Torr Log 1-8; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - mbar Log 0-7; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - Torr Log 0-7; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - mbar NONLIN 6V;...

  • Page 8: Introduction / General Information

    PGE050 Pirani Gauge Enhanced or a Granville-Phillips® 275 Convectron®. The 1/8-DIN housing can be used as a bench top, or mounted in a cutout in an instrument panel. The VGC031 is powered by user supplied 12 to 28 V (dc), 2 W, or by the INFICON power supply.

  • Page 9: Specifications

    Specifications Supply voltage 12 … 28 V (dc), 2 W protected against power reversal and tran- sient over-voltages Connection 2-pin pluggable terminal block (mating connector included) Permissible temperature Operating 0 … +50 °C Storage –40 … +70 °C Relative humidity 0 to 95%, non-condensing Operating altitude up to 2500 m (8200 ft.)
  • Page 10 Interface (digital) RS232 and 2 wire/4 wire RS485 Protocol ASCII Analog output Log-linear 0 to 7 V (dc) or 1 to 8 V (dc), 1 V/decade Linear 0 to 10 V (dc) Non-linear S-curve 0.375 to 5.659 V (dc) Non-linear S-curve 0 to 9 V (dc) Switching function relays two single-pole double-throw...

  • Page 11: Dimensions

    Dimensions mm (inch) Weight ≈250 g (9 oz.) tinb25e1-a (2019-11)

  • Page 12: Options & Accessories

    Options & Accessories Ordering No. Power supply for VGC031 399-575 Input 100 … 240 V (ac), 50 … 60 Hz Output 24 V (dc) Cable length 2 m (6 ft) The conventional IEC60320 AC power entry receptacle allows use with any user supplied AC mains power cord set available worldwide.

  • Page 13: Important Safety Information

    Important Safety Information INFICON has designed and tested this product to provide safe and reliable service, provided it is installed and operated within the strict safety guidelines provided in this manual. Please read and follow all warnings and instructions. WARNING To avoid serious injury or death, follow the safety informa- tion in this document.

  • Page 14: Safety Precautions - Service And Operation

    Do not use if the equipment grounding or elec- trical insulation has been compromised. Safety Precautions - Service and Operation Ensure the enclosure of the VGC031 is connected directly to a good quality earth ground. Ensure that the vacuum port on which the PGE050 vacuum gauge tube is mounted is electrically grounded.

  • Page 15: Electrical Conditions

    Do not use if the unit has been dropped or the enclosure has been damaged. Contact INFICON for return authorization and instructions for returning the product to INFICON for evaluation. Electrical Conditions WARNING! When high voltage is present in any vacuum...

  • Page 16: Proper Equipment Grounding

    Proper grounding of your equipment is essential for safety as well as intended operation of the equipment. The PGE050 vacuum gauge tube and enclosure of the VGC031 controller must be connected directly to a good quality earth ground. Use a ground lug on the PGE050 gauge vacuum connection / flange if necessary.

  • Page 17: Overpressure And Use With Hazardous Gases

    INFICON gauges should not be used at pres- sures exceeding 1000 Torr absolute pressure. In cases where an equipment failure could cause a hazardous condition, always implement fail-safe system operation.

  • Page 18: Gases Other Than Nitrogen / Air

    ) or air without referring to correction factor data ta- bles. INFICON gauges and modules are calibrated for direct readout of nitrogen or air. Do not attempt to use with other gases such as argon (Ar) or carbon dioxide (CO...

  • Page 19: Installation

    Installation Mechanical Installation - Controller The VGC031 is designed for use on a bench top, or it may be mounted in an instrument control panel. To mount the VGC031 in a panel: 1. Make a cutout in your instrument control panel as shown in the drawing above.

  • Page 20: Electrical Installation

    3. Slide the VGC031 into the panel hole cutout. 4. On either side of the VGC031 are two screw-mounting brack- ets. When the screws in the front of the instrument are turned counterclockwise, the hold-down brackets recess out of the way into the VGC031 housing.
  • Page 21 Relay connector DC power input DC Power Input The VGC031 accepts DC power from 12 to 28 V (dc), 2 W. If the user prefers to use AC power, INFICON offers the series op- tional power supplies. 2-pin pluggable terminal strip...
  • Page 22 2) The relays are disabled by applying a continuous ground to pin # 9. This will prevent any switching of the relay contac- tors during operation of the VGC031. 9-pin D-sub male (Mating connector provided by user). Pin description Pin description...
  • Page 23 2 NO Gauge Cable Assembly P/Ns 399-580, 399-581 and 399-583 are custom cable assem- blies provided in different lengths from INFICON for connecting the VGC031 controller to INFICON PGE050 Pirani Gauge En- ® hanced or MKS Instruments / Granville-Phillips 275 Convec- ®...

  • Page 24: Setup And Operation

    Setup and Operation Initial Setup Two of the most important steps for the initial setup of the gauge are to set zero (SET VAC) and set atmosphere (SET ATM) as described in the Programming section 4.3 below. This will en- sure proper operation of the gauge and accurate pressure meas- urements.

  • Page 25: User Interface Basics

    Setting Atmosphere (SET ATM) Setting zero optimizes performance of the gauge when operating at a low pressure range of 1.00×10 Torr to 1.00×10 Torr. If your minimum operating pressure is higher than 1.00×10 Torr, it is not normally necessary to set zero and thus setting atmos- phere should be adequate.

  • Page 26: Programming

    These keys are used to select and program the various functions available. During programming of the VGC031, the display will identify what function each key repre- sents. To begin programming, press any one of the four keys.
  • Page 27 If your VGC031 has been previously configured and relay setpoints and linear analog output pressure settings have been programmed, changing units-of-measure will return the re- lays setpoints and the linear analog output pressure settings to factory default setting values in Torr. In this case, you must re- program the relay setpoints and linear analog output pressure settings in the newly programmed units-of-measure.
  • Page 28 SET SP1 OFF and SET SP2 OFF [Factory default = 200 mTORR] These setpoints correspond to the pressures at which the relays will turn of (de-energize). The relays will turn off when the pres- sure is above the programmed pressure value. If you are unable to decrease the values of SP1 OFF or SP2 OFF, you must first go to SP1 ON or SP2 ON and decrease those values to a num- ber lower than the values of SP1 OFF or SP2 OFF you are trying...
  • Page 29 BAUD [Factory default = 19,200] This sets the baud rate for the RS485 and the RS232 serial communications. The baud rate can be set to various values through the serial interface or via the front panel soft-keys. The parity can only be changed through the serial interface command set.
  • Page 30 VGC031 and the resulting pressure calculation from the analog output do not match closely. To perform this adjustment, connect the gauge to the VGC031 and connect the VGC031 analog out- put to a high resolution voltmeter, your system, PLC, etc. While...

  • Page 31: Return To Factory Default Settings

    999 Torr (atmosphere recommended). SCREEN SAVER [Factory default = ON] The VGC031 uses an OLED type display which over an ex- tended period of time can start to show divergence between pixels that are on at all times verses pixels that are not. This could result in pixels exhibiting a burned-in effect.

  • Page 32: Using The Gauge With Different Gases

    Since different gases, and mixtures, have different thermal con- ductivities, the indicated pressure readings and outputs will also be different. INFICON convection gauges (and most other ther- mal conductivity gauges) are calibrated using nitrogen (N When a gas other than N...
  • Page 33 Under normal conditions the voltages and currents in INFICON convection gauges are too low to cause ignition of flammable gases.
  • Page 34 The X-axis is the pressure reading indicated by the convection gauge under test. This chart shows readings for an INFICON convection gauge (PGE) and Granville-Phillips® Convectron® gauge to illustrate that the difference in the response for both of these types of gauges is virtually indistinguishable.

  • Page 35: Display

    23 Torr. Continuing to backfill your system, attempting to in- crease the reading up to 760 Torr, you will over pressurize your chamber which may present a hazard. Example C: If the gas is helium (He), the gauge will read over pressure (OP) when pressure reaches about 10 Torr true pres- sure and opening the chamber to atmosphere prematurely may present other hazards for both people and product.
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  • Page 39: Display - Mbar

    Notes: 1) OP = overpressure indication: display will read over pressure 2) Display auto-ranges between Torr and mTorr at 1 Torr Examples: 1) Gas used is nitrogen (N ). Display shows pressure mea- surement of 10 Torr. True pressure of nitrogen is 10 Torr. 2) Gas used is argon (Ar).
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  • Page 43 Notes: 1) OP = Overpressure indication; display will read "overpressure". Examples: 1) Gas used is nitrogen. Display shows pressure measurement of 13.3 mbar. True pressure of nitrogen is 13.3 mbar. 2) Gas used is argon. Display shows pressure measurement of 11.7 mbar.

  • Page 44: Analog Output

    Analog Output The VGC031 provides either a non-linear, log-linear or a 0-10 V (dc) linear analog output signal. These analog output signals ® are also compatible with various Granville-Phillips Mini-Con- ® vectron modules as well as Convectron® gauge controller se- ries 375, 475 and the original 1/4 DN 275 Analog Convectron Gauge Controllers.
  • Page 45 Selecting the LOG 1-8 setting from the INFICON VGC031 ANA- LOG TYPE menu duplicates the analog outputs of the Granville- ® Phillips Convectron gauge controller series 375 and 475. The equations and tables shown in section 7.1 and section 7.2 contain the lookup data for converting the LOG 1-8 output volt- age into pressure values for nitrogen and various other gases.
  • Page 46 5.659 V (dc) for 0 to 1000 Torr of N , roughly in the shape of an "S" curve, as shown below. Selecting the NONLIN 6V setting from the INFICON VGC031 ANALOG TYPE menu duplicates the Granville-Phillips Mini- Convectron® modules original S-curve of 0.375 to 5.659 V (dc) corresponding to 0 to 1000 Torr.
  • Page 47 1000 Torr of N , roughly in the shape of an "S" curve, as shown below. Selecting the NONLIN 9V setting from the INFICON VGC031 ANALOG TYPE menu duplicates the analog outputs (S-Curve) of the Granville-Phillips Convectron® gauge controller series 375, 475 and the original 1/4 DN 275 Analog Convectron Gauge Controllers.

  • Page 48: Log 1-8; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - Torr

    LINEAR; 0-10 V (dc) Linear Analog Output The VGC031 also provides a linear 0-10 V (dc) analog output. The linear output voltage can be any value between 0.01 V and 10 V corresponding to displayed pressure between 1 mTorr and 1000 Torr.
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  • Page 52: Log 1-8; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - Mbar

    An analog output of 10 volts indicates a faulty convection gauge or unplugged gauge cable. The chart on the following page shows the graphical results of the table and formulas given above for nitrogen. True pressure (N ) is plotted on the X-axis with a log scale. The output signal is plotted on the Y-axis on a linear scale.
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  • Page 57: Log 0-7; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - Torr

    Note - when using the units of pascals and LOG 1-8 is selected, (V - 5) the same equation of P = 10 listed above applies. This re- sults in a log-linear analog output range of about 3.00 V (dc) at .01 pascals (Pa) and 10.12 V (dc) at 133 kPa.
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  • Page 61: Log 0-7; Log-Linear Analog Output Equation & Table - Mbar

    An analog output of 10 volts indicates a faulty convection gauge or unplugged gauge cable. The chart on the following page shows the graphical results of the table and formulas given above for nitrogen. True pressure ) is plotted on the X-axis with a log scale. The output signal is plotted on the Y-axis on a linear scale.
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  • Page 66: Nonlin 6V; Non-Linear Analog Output Equations

    Note - when using the units of pascals and LOG 0-7 is selected, (V - 4) the same equation of P = 10 listed above applies. This re- sults in a log-linear analog output range of about 2.00 V (dc) at .01 pascals (Pa) and 9.12 V (dc) at 133 kPa.
  • Page 67 For Non-Linear Analog Output voltage range of 0.375 to 2.842 volts, use this table. Coefficients for y(x) = a + bx + cx + dx + ex -0.02585 0.03767 0.04563 0.1151 -0.04158 0.008738 For Non-Linear Analog Output voltage range of 2.842 to 4.945 volts, use this table.

  • Page 68: Nonlin 6V; Non-Linear Analog Output Table - Torr

    Example: Measured analog output voltage is 0.3840 V. From first table shown above use equation: y(x) = a + bx + cx + dx + ex x = 0.3840 volts a = -0.02585, b=0.03767, c=0.04563, d=0.1151, e=-0.04158, f=0.008738 y(x) = Pressure = 1.0E-03 Torr The equations listed above are used to calculate the non-linear voltage outputs for N /air shown in tables of section 7.6 and...
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  • Page 72: Nonlin 6V; Non-Linear Analog Output Table - Mbar

    Note: By design, these values are identical to the outputs from MKS Instruments / Granville-Phillips® Convectron® gauges, Mini-Convectron® modules and controllers so that equivalent units can be interchanged without affecting your process system or software. An analog output of 10 volts indicates a faulty convection gauge or unplugged gauge cable.
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  • Page 76: Nonlin 9V; Non-Linear Analog Output Equations & Table

    Note: By design, these values are identical to the outputs from ® ® MKS Instruments / Granville-Phillips Convectron gauges, Mini- ® Convectron modules and controllers so that equivalent units can be interchanged without affecting your process system or software. An analog output of 10 volts indicates a faulty convection gauge or unplugged gauge cable.
  • Page 77 Coefficients for voltage segment range of 3.1641 to 4.3945 volts = +1.100000E+00 = -1.675000E-03 = +1.125000E-06 = +7.414069E-21 Coefficients for voltage segment range of 4.3945 to 6.54785 volts = -3.777930E+01 = +5.495931E-02 = -2.652588E-05 = +4.526774E-09 Coefficients for voltage segment range of 6.54785 to 7.3828 volts = -7.184400E+03 = +7.117083E+00 = -2.354167E-03...
  • Page 78 Coefficients for voltage segment range of 7.9102 to 9 volts = -2.417225E+05 = +1.919958E+02 = -5.106048E-02 = +4.554342E-06 Example: Measured analog output voltage is: V = 5.6243 V. Since analog output in this example is 5.6243 V, use the Coefficients from the fourth table shown in the previous page: = -3.777930E+01, = +5.495931E-02, = -2.652588E-05, K...

  • Page 79: Linear Analog Output

    An analog output of 10 volts indicates a faulty convection gauge or unplugged gauge cable. LINEAR ANALOG OUTPUT The VGC031 analog output may be setup to provide a 0-10 V (dc) output signal that has a direct linear relationship to the displayed pressure. When preparing to setup and process...
  • Page 80 10.0 volts should not exceed 1.00 torr. Doing this is considered best practice when using this type of analog output signal with the VGC031. If your application requires the analog output voltage to cover a pressure range exceeding three decades, then consider using the log-linear or non-linear analog output.

  • Page 81: Rs485 / Rs232 Serial Communications

    RS485 / RS232 serial communications Device Specific Serial Communication Info The standard VGC031 model provides RS232 / RS485 serial communications. The following information and the RS485 / RS232 command protocol summary listed on the next page should be used to set serial communications with the device.

  • Page 82: Rs485 / Rs232 Command Protocol Summary

    RS485 / RS232 Command Protocol Summary tinb25e1-a (2019-11)
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  • Page 85: Service

    Torr. Care should be exercised when using gases other than nitrogen (N Maintenance In general, maintenance is not required for your INFICON sensor and controller. Periodic performance checks may be done by comparing the sensor to a known reference standard.

  • Page 86: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting tinb25e1-a (2019-11)
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  • Page 88: Factory Service And Support

    (8:00 am to 5:00 pm Mountain time) Monday through Friday, at +423 / 388 3111. Or e-mail us at reachus@inficon.com. Storage Eelectronic component Inappropriate storage (static electricity, humidity etc.) can damage electronic components.

  • Page 89: Disposal

    Disposal WARNING Substances detrimental to the environment Products or parts thereof (mechanical and electric components, operating fluids etc.) can be detrimen- tal to the environment. Dispose of such substances in accordance with the relevant local regulations. Separating the components After disassembling the product, separate its components ac- cording to the following criteria: •...

  • Page 90: Eu Declaration Of Conformity

    EU Declaration of Conformity We, INFICON, hereby declare that the equipment mentioned below complies with the provisions the Directive relating to electromagnetic compatibility 2014/30/EU and the Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2011/65/EU.
  • Page 91 Notes tinb25e1-a (2019-11)
  • Page 92 LI–9496 Balzers Liechtenstein +423 / 388 3111 Fax +423 / 388 3700 reachus@inficon.com Original: English www.inficon.com...

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