Basic Force GaugeBFGUser’s Manual

Risk of electrical shock. Do not remove cover. No user service-able parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.

Weigh-Tronix reserves the right to changespecifications at any time.

CAUTION

05/24/00 BFGUSER.P65 PN 29713-0015e1 Printed in USA

Table of Contents

Introduction ....................................................................... 1Operation .......................................................................... 1

Powering Up the Unit ................................................. 2Display of Tension/Compression ............................... 3Display of Torque ....................................................... 4Zeroing the BFG......................................................... 4Changing Unit of Measure ......................................... 5MAX (Peak) Readings ................................................ 6Auto Off ...................................................................... 7Data Output ................................................................ 7Foot Switches ............................................................. 7

Accessories ...................................................................... 8Appendix A: Dimensions and Misc. ................................. 9Appendix B: Specifications ............................................ 10

1

Thank you for choosing the Dillon Basic ForceGauge (BFG) instrument. With correct useand regular recalibration it will give many yearsof accurate and reliable service.

The Dillon BFG is a member of a series ofhighly adaptable display units. By using thelatest integrated circuit technology it has beenpossible to produce a truly universal displaywhich can be used to measure force, torque orweight when combined with suitable transduc-ers.

Upon receiving the unit please check forobvious physical damage to the packagingmaterial and the instrument itself. If anydamage is evident please notify your Dillondistributor immediately.

We strongly recommend you keep all packag-ing for future shipping requirements.

The most commonly used features such asforce or torque display, peak detection and thechanging of displayed units, can all be donewith just one key press per function on thefront panel.

Operation

Introduction

2

As shown in Figure 1, the control panel hasseven keys.

Figure 1BFG front panel

To power up the unit, press the green ON key.A short self test runs during which the displaywill show the software version number,revision date and the instrument’s capacity innewtons.

After the self test, providing no load has beenapplied to the instrument, the display will showall zeroes. This is because the unit rezeroesitself during the self-test routine.

Please note thatan instrumentwith an integraltransducer(BFG) measur-ing very lowforces may notshow zero if it ismoved duringthe self testroutine. Oncethe unit isproperlymounted andzeroed thereading will bestable.

Powering Upthe Unit

The Nicadbattery in theBFG has beencharged prior todelivery but formaximumbattery life werecommend thatyou charge thebattery for atleast 20 hoursbefore operat-ing.

You can use theBFG while it ischarging.

3

If a force is carefully applied via the sensingprobe (hole at bottom of BFG, only) thereading on the display will register the appliedforce.

Do not overload the transducer as this willcause irreparable damage. Forces or torquesgreater than 120% of full scale will produce aconstant sound warning coupled with an OLsymbol on the display. The instrument keeps arecord of all overloads that are applied. Thiscan only be cleared by trained Dillon staff orrepresentatives.

Tensile forces on the BFG are displayed aspositive numbers and compressive forces asnegative numbers, the minus sign appearingto the left of the digits when shown. SeeFigure 2.

Figure 2Display of tension and

compression

Display ofTension/Compression

4

The display also has symbols located at theleft which directly relate to this sign (twotriangular arrows pointing away from eachother for tension and two triangular arrowspointing toward each other for compression).

The display is equipped with rotating arrowsymbols which will appear when the unit is hasa Dillon Smart Torque Sensor attached. SeeFigure 3. Clockwise torques are displayed aspositive numbers and counterclockwisetorques as negative numbers. The arrowsdirectly relate to the sign just like the tensionand compression symbols described above.

Figure 3Torque display

During the operation of the unit it is oftennecessary to zero the display. Do this bypressing the ZERO key. When the instrumentis actually zeroing itself, the top and bottomrow of display segments will alternately blinkonce. The display should then read all zeroes.See Figure 4.

Display ofTorque

Zeroingthe BFG

5

You can choose among the following units ofmeasure: pounds, ounces, Newtons, kilo-grams, and grams.

On torque based instruments you can choosefrom kilogram.centimeters, pound.feet,pound.inches and Newton.meters. The actualunits available will vary depending on therange of the instrument. The most suitable setof units is automatically selected within theinstrument’s operating program according toits range and type.

To change the display units press the UNITSkey. The newly selected units will be shown atthe bottom of the display, as shown in Figure5. Each successive key press will select thenext available units until the instrumentreturns to the original.

Figure 5Changing unit of measure

Changing Unitof Measure

6

The instrument detects and stores maximum(peak) force or torque in both directions. Pressthe MAX key. The display will show the wordMAX and the highest tensile/clockwise loaddetected along with the appropriate symbol fortension or torque. See Figure 6.

Figure 6Max (Peak) tension

Press the MAX key again and the display willshow the maximum compressive/counter-clockwise load detected along with the appro-priate symbol for compression or torque. SeeFigure 7.

Figure 7Max (Peak) compression

Press the RESET key to clear both maximumregisters and prepare for detecting the nextmaximum readings or, for maximum accuracy,rezero the instrument by pressing the ZEROkey. This zeroes the instrument as well asresets it.

Max (Peak)Readings

The instrumentdeals with forceand torque inexactly thesame mannerexcept for thesymbols dis-played. Conse-quently, forcewill be used forall furtherreferences inthis manual.

7

To conserve battery charge the BFG willautomatically power off after 10 minuteswithout a key press. When battery charge islow LOW BATTERY is displayed and theBFG will power off after one minute to protectstored readings and settings.

The BFG has RS-232, Mitutoyo, and analogoutputs. Transmit information to peripheraldevices by pressing the TXD key. A PC canrequest data via the RS-232 interface bysending a ‘?’ character.

Figure 8Transmit data key

The BFG has two foot switch inputs thatallow you to remotely actuate the TXD andRESET keys.

Foot switch 1 actuates the TXD key.

Foot switch 2 actuates the RESET key.

Auto Off

Data Output

Foot Switches

BFG uses 9600baud, 8 databits, 1 start bitand no parity.

8

Accessories

ExternalSmart LoadCells

Warning: TheBFG must beOFF whenconnecting ordisconnecting aSmart loadcell.

Cables

Fixtures

The BFG is fitted with a 15 pin socket for theconnection of an external Smart force ortorque cell. Such a cell can be obtained froma Dillon authorized distributor and used withthe BFG without the need for any additionalcalibration. When powered on, the BFGautomatically recognizes any external cell thatis connected. During the self test sequencethe range of the connected cell will be dis-played.

A full range of cables and accessories isavailable including: RS-232 cables terminatedby 9 or 25-pin female D-TYPE connectors,MITUTOYO printer cables, foot switches,analogue output cables. A multi-way expan-sion cable is also available for when two ormore cables have to be connected at thesame time.

A wide range of standard fixtures & accesso-ries are available to cover most applications.In addition Dillon can produce many custommade items - please ask for more details.

9

Appendix A: Dimensions & Misc.

10

Ap

pen

dix B

: Sp

ecification

s

BFG CapacitiesModel No. lb oz mN N kN g kg

BFG 50N 11 x 0.003 180 x 0.04 50,000 x 10 50 x 0.01 — 5,000 x 1 5 x 0.001BFG 200N 44 x 0.009 700 x 0.2 — 200 x 0.04 — 20,000 x 4 20 x 0.004BFG 500N 110 x 0.03 1800 x 0.4 — 500 x 0.1 — 50,000 x 10 50 x 0.01BFG 1000N 220 x 0.05 3500 x 0.7 — 1000 x .2 1 x 0.002 — 100 x 0.02

Units of measurement and resolutionsare rounded up to nearest resolving digit.

11

Data capture rate: 1200 Hz

Display update rates: 40 Hz

Accuracy: ±0.5% of full scale ±1 least signifi-cant digit

Display overload: Typically 120% of full scale

Auto power off: After 10 minutes of no keypress

Battery life: 16 hours continuous use betweencharges

Outputs: RS-232, Mitutoyo and analog

Calibration temperature: 68°F ± 4°F(20°C ± 2°C)

Display weight: 1 lb 5 oz / 640g

Accessories: Wide range of fixtures, cablesand other accessories available–Please ask formore details.

Baud Rate: 9600

Units of mea-surement andresolutions arerounded up tonearest resolv-ing digit.

DillonA division of Weigh-Tronix Inc.1000 Armstrong Dr.Fairmont, MN 56031 USATelephone: 507-238-4461Facsimile: 507-238-8258e-mail: dillon@weigh-tronix.comwww.dillon-force.com

Force Measurement Products & Systems