3DATX parSYNC User manual

User Guide
3DATX Corp. parSYNC®miniPEMS
Updated July 2020

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Table of Contents
1 Unpacking your parSYNC® .................................................................................................................... 4
2 Items needed in the field (not included) .............................................................................................. 7
3 Software................................................................................................................................................ 8
3.1 Location and Startup..................................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Config and Connect..................................................................................................................... 10
3.3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 10
3.3.2 Config Save Button.............................................................................................................. 11
3.3.3 Calibration Settings ............................................................................................................. 12
3.3.4 Admin .................................................................................................................................. 13
3.4 How to Zero ................................................................................................................................ 13
3.5 How to Start Recording............................................................................................................... 15
3.6 Gases Tab .................................................................................................................................... 16
3.7 PM Conc and PN.......................................................................................................................... 16
3.8 PM (Sig) ....................................................................................................................................... 17
3.9 Temperature ............................................................................................................................... 18
3.10 PSN .............................................................................................................................................. 19
3.11 RAW ............................................................................................................................................ 19
4 Span Calibration Procedure ................................................................................................................ 20
5 Test Checklist - parSYNC® and CUBE™ ................................................................................................ 22
5.1 Day before test............................................................................................................................ 22
5.2 Test Day....................................................................................................................................... 22
5.2.1 Zero Sensors........................................................................................................................ 22
5.2.2 If Calibration is needed, proceed below, (IF NOT, skip this section) .................................. 22
5.3 Data Collection/System Setup .................................................................................................... 23
5.4 End Test Cycle ............................................................................................................................. 23
5.5 Post Processing ........................................................................................................................... 24
6 Setup Flow Chart................................................................................................................................. 24
7 Appendix ............................................................................................................................................. 25
7.1 Software - Chart Design Elements .............................................................................................. 25
7.1.1 Y-axis and X-axis .................................................................................................................. 25
7.1.2 Chart Area ........................................................................................................................... 27

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7.1.3 Legend................................................................................................................................. 27
7.1.4 Control Palette .................................................................................................................... 28
7.1.5 Scroll Bar ............................................................................................................................. 28
7.2 Test Data File Format .................................................................................................................. 29
7.3 Hardware Overview and Technical Specifications ...................................................................... 31
7.3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 31
7.3.2 Next Generation: iPEMS...................................................................................................... 31
7.3.3 Modular Sensor Cartridge Advantage: Particulates and Gases .......................................... 31
7.3.4 C.U.B.E. – (Condensate Unit for Batch Emissions) Chiller/Water Trap (Sample Conditioner)
33
7.4 Technical Memorandum ............................................................................................................. 33
7.4.1 Opacity ................................................................................................................................ 34
7.4.2 Scattering ............................................................................................................................ 35
7.4.3 Ionization ............................................................................................................................ 36

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1Unpacking your parSYNC®
Congratulations on the purchase of your parSYNC® - the next generation, mini portable emissions
measurement system (miniPEMS)!
Follow these easy instructions on unpacking your unit, and you will be up and running before you know
it!
*TIP - Before we get started, remember to carefully open the boxes and save them in case you need to
send the equipment back or use them to ship to a testing location.
Box 1: Open the big box. This box contains your parSYNC® device along with all of its accessories.
•The first layer contains your field bag with warmer inside. You will use this bag to transport and
warm your parSYNC®.
•For shipping purposes, we have packed the following inside of your bag:
oPower strip w/power adapters and handle
oSample probe
oIn one of the interior side pockets, you will find the tablet charger, a bag of PM filters,
and another bag of miscellaneous connectors.
oRemove the first layer of foam protection, and you will see the tablet that has been
mated with your parSYNC®.

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•Remove the second layer of foam protection.
•The final layer holds your parSYNC® with a few other accessories.
oOn this layer, you may find the parSYNC® power adapter/charger, extra tubing, and/or
extra feet that can be attached to the bottom of the unit.

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•Once you have removed the unit from the bottom of the box, place the other previous layers of
foam back into the box for safe keeping.
Box #2:This smaller box contains the CUBE™ (Condensate Unit for Batch Emissions).
*TIP - Again, be careful opening the box so that you can save the box and foam inserts.
•The first layer of this box contains the power adapter/charger for your CUBE™.
•Remove the first layer of foam protectant and you will find your CUBE™ below.
•Now let’s get charging! Be sure the parSYNC®, CUBE™, and tablet all have a full charge before
starting your first test.
oWhen you power up your tablet, *IF* a PIN or password has been set, they are:
PIN = 2020
Password = parSYNC (this is case sensitive)

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2Items needed in the field (not included)
•Screwdriver
•Wrench(s) (Adjustable)
•Multimeter
•Calibration Gases with regulators (flowrate ~ 2.0 lpm)
1. NO
2
(Nitrogen Dioxide) - 100 ppm
2. Bar 97 HIGH Blend (Gas Mixture)
NO (Nitrogen Oxide) – 3000 ppm
CO (Carbon Monoxide) – 8%
CO2(Carbon Dioxide) – 12%
C3H8(Hydrocarbon) – 3100 ppm
Routine measurement should be made of
the parSYNC® sampling flowrate (with the
standard lengths of hoses when the system
was purchased) and any significant decrease in
flowrate is an indication that the sampling
pump requires replacement (flowrate will
increase with no hose attached).

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3Software
3.1 Location and Startup
By default, the parSYNC® software base folder is set to C:\parSYNC. Within this folder, are the sub-
folders for the:
configuration files, C:\parSYNC\Config
software licenses, C:\parSYNC\License
software executable, C:\parSYNC\Software
recorded test data, C:\parSYNC\TestData
user guides, C:\parSYNC\UserGuide
The base folder path can be as per user choice; however, the sub-folder names are fixed. Thus, for
example, if the base folder is set to D:\level1\level2\foldername, the configuration files sub-folder path
will be D:\level1\level2\foldername\Config. The base folder on your hard drive must be same as the
base folder in the parSYNC software Config > Test Setup tab.
Start-up Application
The parSYNC® unit must be turned ON and running before starting up the operational software. Push the
Main power button on the unit and verify that the blue LED surrounding the power button is lit and that
the sampling pump is running (audible noise).
On the laptop controller, click the shortcut link on the Taskbar or Desktop that points to the parSYNC®
application executable file. The executable file in the “Software” is typically named parSYNC_**.exe where
the ** is a placeholder for software version number and date. For example, the executable could be
named parSYNC_190903a.exe
3.2 Overview
Upon software start-up you will see a series of tabs which contain both input data for the system and
displays for the data output from the parSYNC® sensors and software processing.
The Tabs
1. Config (Data File and Hardware Configuration Settings)
a. Test Setup
b. Calibration Settings
c. Admin
2. Zero (Reset sensors to reference base)
3. Gases (Gaseous Pollutants Concentration)
4. PM Conc (Particle Mass Concentration)
5. PN (Particle Number)
6. PM Sig (Particle Matter – individual sensor signals)
We advise keeping the base folder as default unless there’s a good reason to move it. Also, make
sure all users of the computer have full access to the base folder.

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7. Temperature (PM Cartridge Temperature)
8. PSN (Particulate Synchronization Number)
9. Raw (Raw Voltage Signals from All Sensors)
The tabs will be described as they come up when you set-up parSYNC®, operate your equipment, and
analyze your data afterwards.
TIP: For any button or control in the User Interface (UI), right-click and click “Description and Tip…” for
notes on usage and/or functionality.
When you start the software, it will default to the Config tab, as shown below. Also, at startup, the
software will look for the default configuration file named config_default.ini in the basepath\Config sub-
folder. If it does not locate a suitable file, the message window will inform the user that a config file
needs to be loaded. This can be done using the “Config Load” button in the Config tab.
Key elements of the parSYNC® graphical user interface (GUI). The left bar contains these elements
(top to bottom):
1. Buttons to control recording of test data AFTER initial connection has been established
between the parSYNC®®software and parSYNC® miniPEMS. These buttons are labeled
Start, Pause, and Clear Charts.
2. Message window that informs the user about a required action or current state of the
software
3. Bag number control
To the right, are the tabs for making initial connection, zeroing the parSYNC® miniPEMS, and
visualizing the test data in real-time. In general, these tabs are arranged left to right based on
typical workflow. For example, the leftmost tab is “Config” because configuration and connection
are the first things the user must do before anything else can be done with the software. The next
tab is “Zero” because right after a connection is established, it is expected that the parSYNC®®
needs to be zeroed.
The configuration file (extension .ini) contains the last known state of the software, including any
user set values such as base folder path and sensor zeroing and span calibration settings.
The GUI buttons are state aware. That means, if a button is not valid or should not be clicked, it will
be grey and disabled. For example, when you load the software, the Start and Pause buttons are
disabled because they cannot function until a connection has been established. On the other hand,
the Config Load button and Connect button are enabled.

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3.3 Config and Connect
3.3.1 Overview
If a suitable default config file is found the message window will instruct the user to proceed with
establishing a connection between the software and the hardware.
Note that when a config file is loaded, many of the GUI controls will be populated by the values stored in
the config file. For example, the date and time the config file is created is displayed (above the “Config
Load” button).
To proceed, the connection procedure requires the user to hit the “Connect” button on the Config tab.
During connection attempt, the message window will display “Connecting. Please wait.” If the
connection is successful, the message window will show “Connection successful. Please Zero.” Or it will
say “Could not connect!” followed by a likely explanation of what caused the failure to connect and how
to remedy it. If the connection is successful, the “Connect” button will turn to grey and disabled state to
prevent the user from making a duplicate connection. Similarly, the “Config Load” button also gets
disabled, however the “Start” button is enabled.