Atago Pocket PAL-102S - Cutting Oil Refractometer Manual

Parts

LCD
Measurement results, prism temperature, and remaining battery charge are displayed. The displayed value is an example.

START button
Press to take measurements and hold dow n to turn off the display.

Battery compartment
Place and remove batteries from here.

Sample stage
Apply water and samples on the glass prism located in the center of the sample stage.

ZERO button
Press to perform zero-setting.

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the instrument. Carefully read and follow all instructions. Keep this manual for future reference.

Safety Instructions

Read and follow all safety instructions before operating the instrument. Failure to comply with the following instructions may result in personal injury or property damage.

• Ensure safety when handling hazardous materials. Observe precautionary measures and use protective equipment, Be aware of the hazards of such chemicals and emergency response guidelines.
• ATAGO may not be held liable for any injury or damage arising in connection with handling of hazardous materials during the use of the instrument.
• Do not drop the instrument or subject it to strong physical shock. ◇ Do not attempt to repair, modify, or disassemble the instrument.

• Carefully read this manual to have basic knowledge of the function of each component.
• ATAGO is not liable for any loss and damage caused by the measurement and use of this instrument.
• Some acids may corrode the glass prism and/or metal sample stage, which may cause erroneous measurements.
• Do not use metal tools, such as a spoon, as they may scratch the prism, resulting in erroneous measurements. ◇ Do not use water above 50℃ to rinse the instrument.
• Only use the specified battery type. Observe proper polarities, properly aligning the anodes and cathodes.
• Store the instrument away from direct sunlight/heat sources and excessive amounts of dust/debris.
• Do not expose the instrument to a rapid change in ambient temperature.
• Do not subject the instrument to strong vibration.
• Do not subject the instrument to extreme cold temperature.
• Do not place the instrument under anything heavy.
• Loosen the battery compartment cover for air transportation.

<International Protection Classification IP65>

• The instrument is water-resistant, not waterproof, and should not be submerged.

<Chemical Resistance of Body Case>

• The body case is made of PBT resin. Do not expose it to water vapor or solvents. See the list of "Solvents Harmful to Body Case."

Solvents Harmful to Body Case

1,2-Dichloroethane/Dichloromethane

Solvents that are harmful to the plastic body case include but not limited to the above substances.

Zero-setting and Measurement

Zero-setting

• Zero-set the instrument at the beginning of each day before use as well as after replacing the batteries.
• Let water on the prism acclimate to the temperature of the instrument before zero-setting.
• When "AAA" is displayed, wipe the prism clean, apply water, and press the ZERO button again.

Measurement

• Do not use metal tools to apply samples on the prism as they may scratch the prism.
• Initial measurements may fluctuate with hot or cold samples. Wait for the instrument to acclimate to the sample temperature, approximately 20 seconds, to press the START button. Alternatively, press the START button multiple times until measurements become stable.
• Do not splash water above 50℃. The plastic may warp, which may compromise the water resistance.
  • When measuring hot samples, place only the necessary amount and do not let it overflow from the sample stage well.
  • When hot water is necessary to clean off hardened samples, use water-soaked gauze around the prism area and keep hot water away from the body case.
• The displayed temperature is that of the prism and may not necessarily match the temperature of the sample.

<LCD Auto Shut-off>
The instrument will turn itself off after 2 minutes of inactivity. To manually turn it off, hold down the START button for more than 2 seconds.

<For oily/fatty samples>
Try stirring the sample on the prism while measuring to improve the repeatability of oily/fatty samples.

Cleaning

Wipe off the sample, rinse with water, and wipe off the water to clean the sample stage thoroughly. Dry the sample stage completely with dry tissues.

For oily samples:
Clean oily residues with ethyl alcohol or mild soap, and then, rinse with water.

Measurement Value

This unit converts refractive index into TDS (total dissolved solids) for convenient concentration measurements of cutting oil.
The relationship between the concentration of cutting oil and its refractive index differs with each type of oil.

Therefore, to determine the concentration of each type of oil, each solution should have its own custom conversion table to compensate for the value displayed by instrument.

Conversion method (in the case of water based solutions)

<How to calculate the Conversion Factor>

E.g.) For an oil solution, with a concentration of 5% (dilution ratio at 20 times), mix 95ml of water to 5ml of undiluted solution.
For this example, assume the displayed value, on the instrument, is 4.0.
Next, convert the displayed value using the following relationship to determine the conversion factor; Actual concentration÷Displayed value, Ex: (5.0÷4.0 = 1.25 ).

Once the conversion factor in known (1.25 in this example), measuring a sample with an unknown concentration is simple.
Taking an unknown sample, assume that the measured value is 3.0.
Using the simple formula, displayed value × conversion factor (3.0×1.25) the actual concentration of the sampled measured is 3.75.

<Offset feature use>
Program a conversion factor to automatically display adjusted measurement
In the example above, the measurement values multiplied by the factor of 1.25 will be displayed.

Offset Function

• To disable the Offset feature, set the Offset value to factory default value (a: 1.00, b: 0.00).
• The measurement range is shifted according to the offset settings.
• Screen images when offset is on
  
  During measurement
  
  Water after zero-setting

y = ax + b
y: Actual concentration
x: PAL-102S readings
a: Coefficient (multiplication)
Range: 0.01 to 10.00(Factory default 1.00)
b: Addition/subtraction number
Range: -10.00 to 10.00(Factory default 0.00)

Replacing the Batteries

• Fasten the battery compartment cover tightly to prevent water ingress or poor connection, which will cause erroneous measurements. Push the cover in firmly and turn.
• When the O-ring on the cover is dirty or damaged, the water resistance may be compromised. Lubricate the O-ring regularly (Figure 1)
  
• When the battery icon indicates the low power level ( ), replace both batteries with a brand new set of AAA alkaline batteries (1.5V).
• Static images may occasionally appear on LCD. Such retained pixel charges do not indicate a faulty display, consume the battery power, or affect the instrument's performance in any way.
• Check the expiration dates on batteries before purchase.
• Zero-set the instrument after the batteries are replaced.

Error Messages

The following messages alert the user when an operation has failed.

The battery is low.

The ZERO button was pressed with nothing or something other than water on the prism.

The START button was pressed with nothing or an insufficient amount of sample on the prism.

The sample measured outside the measurement range.

The prism temperature is below the temperature range.

The prism temperature is above the temperature range.

The instrument is faulty. (Replace the batteries. Contact ATAGO if this error persists.)

Too much light is entering the prism, and the instrument cannot measure accurately. (Shade the sample stage with your hand and take a measurement again.)

Automatic Temperature Compensation

The readings are corrected, based on the temperature of the prism, within the automatic temperature compensation range.

• Measurements may fluctuate with hot or cold samples. Wait for approximately 20 seconds to press the START button. Measurements will stabilize once the instrument acclimates to the sample temperature.

Storage and Maintenance

Store the instrument in a dry place away from direct sunlight. Exposure to humidity and heat may damage the instrument.

Do not use organic solvents (paint thinner, benzene, gasoline, etc.) on the plastic body case.

Clean and dry the sample stage thoroughly, following the "Cleaning" instructions. Store the unit away from direct sunlight at a stable temperature with as little fluctuation as possible.

Specifications