ACS Alert J5 User manual

Instruction manual
EVIDENTIAL BREATH ALCOHOL TESTER

The ALERT J5 personal breath alcohol tester has met the requirements of EN55011
and EN61326-1.
Under the ACMA regulations for EMC requirements, the ALERT J5 personal breath
alcohol tester has been classied as a low-risk device, since it is only powered through
a battery.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Disclaimer
Changes or modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operations are subject to the following 2
conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference.
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operations.
Industry Canada
This device complies with Industry Canada licence-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject
to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Industrie Canada
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d’Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio
exempts de licence. L’exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes :
1. L’appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et
2. L’appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est
susceptible d’en compromettre le fonctionnement.
Certication
The ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol tester and other breath alcohol testing products of Alcohol
Countermeasure Systems (ACS) comply with international standards for function and safety. For
more details, contact ACS.

Manufactured by:
Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp
60 International Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario M9W 6J2 CANADA
T [phone]
F [phone]
[email protected]
acs-corp.com
ACS, ALCOHOL COUNTERMEASURE SYSTEMS, ALCOSIM, ALERT and the “Molly” are
trademarks of Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (International) Inc. and are used under license.
Alcohol Countermeasure Systems is the trading style of Alcohol Countermeasure Systems
(International) Inc.
© 2015 Alcohol Countermeasure Systems
The information disclosed in this document is the valuable property of Alcohol Countermeasure
Systems and all copyright and other proprietary rights to this document are reserved. No
reproduction of this document is permitted without the prior written consent of Alcohol
Countermeasure Systems.

ALERT J5 COMPONENTS
FRONT VIEW BACK VIEW
Left
navigational
button
Right
navigational
button
Red
plastic tab
Battery
cover
Main
button
Exhaust grid
BOTTOM VIEWTOP VIEW
USB port
Mouthpiece
port
Graphic display

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Safety and precautions...................................................................... 1
Disclaimer ........................................................................................... 2
Introduction......................................................................................... 2
Warranty...................................................................................... 2
Maintenance................................................................................ 2
Getting started.................................................................................... 3
Operation............................................................................................. 3
Display................................................................................................. 4
Menu icons — main menu .......................................................... 5
Breath test........................................................................................... 5
Passive test......................................................................................... 6
Signicance of breath test results.................................................... 7
History menu....................................................................................... 8
Settings menu..................................................................................... 9
Troubleshooting menu..................................................................... 14
Diagnostics................................................................................ 14
Advanced .................................................................................. 15
Battery strength indicator................................................................ 15
Printing.............................................................................................. 16
Printing via Bluetooth ................................................................ 16
Printing via USB cable .............................................................. 16
Printing operations .................................................................... 16
Inserting the battery .................................................................. 17
Loading the paper roll ............................................................... 17
Maintenance and troubleshooting.................................................. 18
Calibration ................................................................................. 18
Disposal at the end of service life ............................................. 18
Replacement parts .................................................................... 18
Index .................................................................................................. 19

ALERT J5
1
SAFETY AND PRECAUTIONS
• Use the ALERT J5 tester for its intended purpose only
• Do not blow smoke or spit into the mouthpiece; it may damage the
sensor
• Always use a clean mouthpiece when blowing into the tester
• Do not cover the exhaust grid (the top-right side of the tester)
while providing a breath sample
• Do not store the tester in extreme heat or cold and avoid exposing
it to direct sunlight for extended periods of time
• Use the tester within the ambient temperature range of -20 to
65 °C
• Use the power adaptor provided for ambient temperatures lower
than 10 °C
• Only use AA alkaline batteries
• Turn the tester off before removing the batteries
• Do not disassemble the tester, as this may cause injury and void
the warranty
• Keep magnets or radio frequency (RF) devices away from the
tester to minimize the potential for electromagnetic interference
• Wait 10 minutes after drinking, eating or smoking before providing
a breath sample
• Drinking alcohol and eating foods containing alcohol will result in
a warning, including: medicines, menthol drops, smoking, using
mouthwash or mouth spray
• Rinse the mouth with water after using mouthwash or mouth spray
to remove alcohol
• Do not spray air fresheners, disinfectants, cologne or perfume
prior to a test, as these may also contain alcohol
NOTE: There are additional factors that may affect the results of a
breath test. Follow this manual carefully to avoid false readings.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
2
DISCLAIMER
Sale of the ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol tester is under the
strict condition that neither the manufacturer nor the vendor of the
device shall be held responsible for the accuracy of any breath test
nor is responsible for any loss, damage, injury or other consequence
resulting—directly or indirectly—from the use thereof.
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing the ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol
tester, a device designed for the industrial and trafc safety sectors.
The ALERT J5 tester accurately measures breath alcohol
concentration (BrAC).
Alcohol tolerance differs from person to person; impairment may occur
below the legal limit. It may take up to 60 minutes to reach the highest
BrAC after the consumption of alcohol.
WARRANTY
All ACS products are warranted to be free of defects in workmanship
and materials for one year from the date of shipment.
ACS agrees to replace or repair any defective ALERT J5 device,
provided the defect was not caused by misuse or mishandling.
Any ALERT J5 device being returned for warranty repair must be
properly packaged and shipped prepaid to the authorized dealer’s
facility.
MAINTENANCE
The ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol tester is manufactured for eld
use and is susceptible to dirt and debris. Clean with a damp cloth and
mild soap. Do not use abrasive cleaners or solvents.
Periodic maintenance and calibration is required. Contact your dealer
for more information.

ALERT J5
3
GETTING STARTED
The ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol tester is simple to use. It
measures breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), which is in direct
proportion to blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The readout is
provided on the display.
The ALERT J5 tester is well suited for the industrial and trafc safety
sectors, with a three button control and the choice of battery or power
adaptor operation.
NOTE: A red plastic tab is inserted between the battery and the
electrical connection to conserve battery power during shipment
and storage. To operate the tester for the rst time, pull the
plastic tab from the battery compartment, which is accessible at
the back of the tester. You do not need to open the back cover to
remove the tab.
OPERATION
TURNING THE TESTER ON
Press the main button once to power ON the ALERT J5 evidential
breath alcohol tester. The ACS logo is displayed during the start-up
sequence.
READY FOR A BREATH TEST
READY appears on the display when the ALERT J5 tester is ready for
use.
TURNING THE TESTER OFF
The ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol tester will power down
automatically after 3 minutes of inactivity. Press and hold the main
button or select the Shutdown icon to turn off the ALERT J5 tester.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
4
DISPLAY
The ALERT J5 evidential breath alcohol display provides the readout
of BrAC with the unit of measurement, battery levels, date and time,
error messages, abort messages and all the indicators necessary for a
clear and comprehensive user interface.
USB connectionCurrent date & time
Current activity
Battery indicator
Menu icon name
Menu icons
PREPARING
FOR TEST
Breath Test
2013.11.22 12:12 PM

ALERT J5
5
MENU ICONS — MAIN MENU
Breath Test To take a test with a mouthpiece.
Passive Test To take a test of the surrounding
environment.
History To review the log with a printing option.
Settings Time/date, language, volume, brightness
and Bluetooth pairings.
Troubleshooting Error codes, diagnostics and advanced
options.
Shutdown To turn the unit off.
In the Main Menu, use the navigational buttons to move to the desired
function and press the main button to select.
BREATH TEST
Select the Breath Test icon to perform a breath test using a
mouthpiece. Always insert a clean mouthpiece to ensure an accurate
breath sample.
PREPARING FOR TEST is displayed, followed by READY.
Blow into the mouthpiece. A continuous tone can be heard, indicating
proper breath ow. Continue blowing until the tone
ends. A failure tone with ABORT displayed indicates
that a proper breath sample was not provided.
Follow the directions on the display for a retest.
ANALYZING is displayed for a few seconds,
followed by the numeric BrAC result and the Print
icon on the display. The mouthpiece port will also
illuminate:

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
6
• RED - if the test result is over the fail threshold
• ORANGE - if the test result is within the warn range
• GREEN - if the test result is below the warn threshold
Press the main button to select the Print icon, or wait for the device
to return to READY. Refer to the “Printing” section of this manual for
printing instructions.
The result is stored in the log. Refer to the “History menu” section of
this manual for further information.
PASSIVE TEST
Select the Passive Test icon to perform a breath test without the use
of a mouthpiece.
PREPARING FOR TEST is displayed, followed by READY.
Position your mouth 3 cm away from the exhaust
grid, exhale for 5 seconds and press the main
button to take a breath sample.
NOTE: Passive testing is generally used
to detect the presence of alcohol in the
environment.
ANALYZING is displayed for a few seconds, followed by a PASS,
WARN or FAIL message and the Print icon on the display.
The mouthpiece port glows:
• RED - if the test result is over the fail threshold
• ORANGE - if the test result is within the warn range
• GREEN - if the test result is below the warn threshold
Press the main button to select the Print icon, or wait for the unit to
get back to READY. Refer to the “Printing” section of this manual for
printing instructions.
The result is stored in the log. Refer to the “History menu” section of
this manual for further information.

ALERT J5
7
SIGNIFICANCE OF BREATH TEST RESULTS
The results of a breath test are presented digitally and may be
interpreted in the following chart; BrAC is expressed in mg/L:
BrAC (mg/L) SIGNIFICANCE
0.05 Not associated with a positive measure of alcohol.
0.10 Not necessarily indicative of alcohol consumption.
0.25 Positive measure of alcohol and unsafe to operate a
vehicle.
0.40 High alcohol level detected and dangerous to operate
a vehicle.
BrAC readings of up to 0.05 mg/L may appear from naturally occurring
substances in the body and are not associated with a positive measure
of alcohol.
Readings of up to 0.10 mg/L may occur from alcohol contamination
from foods, beverages or medicines and are not necessarily indicative
of alcohol consumption.
Readings of 0.25 mg/L and greater are indicative of alcohol
consumption and deemed unsafe to operate a vehicle, the result of
which may lead to a trafc violation.
Readings of 0.40 mg/L and greater are indicative of high levels of
alcohol consumption and deemed too dangerous to operate a vehicle,
the result of which may lead to a criminal offence.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
8
HISTORY MENU
Select the History icon to review the records stored in the log.
Each breath test is saved in a numerical format which can be
interpreted as follows:
NOTE: Records in yellow indicate that the test was taken with a
unit that is overdue for a calibration. Not veried will show on the
printout.
Follow the icons below to navigate through the History Menu.
You can scroll through the options with the navigational buttons and
select with the main button. The current selection is indicated by an
arrow u on the left-hand side of the display.
Back
2013.11.22 10:05 AM
13.06.04 11:35 AM Passive Pass
13.06.04 11:35 AM Passive Pass
13.06.04 11:34 AM Passive Pass
13.06.04 08:54 AM Passive Pass
13.06.04 08:53 AM Passive Pass
13.06.04 03:40 PM 0.00 mg/dL
13.06.04 03:31 PM 0.00 mg/dL
13.06.04 02:46 PM Passive Pass
13.06.04 02:45 PM Passive Fail
13.06.04 02:44 PM Passive Pass
The test result
(expressed as Pass,
Warn, or Fail for a
passive test)
TimeDate

ALERT J5
9
Back To move back to the previous menu.
Print Refer to the “Printing” section of this
manual.
Page Up To move up the log, 1 page at a time.
Page Down To move down the log, 1 page at a time.
Record Up To move up the log, 1 record at a time.
Record Down To move down the log, 1 record at a
time.
SETTINGS MENU
Select the Settings icon to change various options.
TIME AND DATE
Select the Time & Date icon to change various time elements. Scroll
through the options with the navigational buttons and select with the
main button.
Adjust Time. The time, 24 hour and BACK options are
presented. The current option is indicated by an arrow u.
Press the navigational buttons to scroll up and down and
press the main button to select.
Time. The hourly value will blink. Use the navigational buttons to
increase and decrease the value. Press the main button to conrm and
switch to the minute value. Repeat these steps to adjust the minute
value and conrm, which will return to the previous menu.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
10
Time format. The time format will blink. Toggle between 12 hour
and 24 hour with the navigation buttons and press the main button
to conrm. The AM/PM value will blink if 12 hour is selected. Toggle
between AM and PM with the navigational buttons and press the main
button to conrm. Select BACK by pressing the main button to return
to the Time and Date Menu.
Adjust Date. The day, month, year, format and BACK options
are presented. The current option is indicated by an arrow u.
Use the navigational buttons to scroll up and down and the
main button to select.
Day. The day value will blink. Use the navigational buttons to increase
and decrease the value. Press the main button to conrm.
Month. The monthly value will blink. Use the navigational buttons to
increase and decrease the value. Press the main button to conrm.
Year. The yearly value will blink. Use the navigational buttons to
increase and decrease the value. Press the main button to conrm.
Format. The date format will blink. Use the navigational buttons to
change how the date format is displayed. Press the main button to
conrm.
Back. Allows you to move back to the Settings Menu.

ALERT J5
11
VOLUME
Select the Volume icon to change various speaker volume elements.
Scroll through the options with the navigational buttons and select with
the main button.
Button Sound. A beep is generated by default for each
button press. Press the main button to scroll between
BUTTON MUTE ON and BUTTON MUTE OFF.
Volume up. Press the main button to increase the volume.
Volume down. Press the main button to decrease the
volume.
Back. Allows you to move back to the Settings Menu.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
12
BRIGHTNESS
Select the Brightness icon to brighten or darken the display. Scroll
through the options with the navigational buttons and select with the
main button.
Press the main button to increase the brightness of the
display.
Press the main button to decrease the brightness of the
display.
Back. Allows you to move back to the Settings Menu.
LANGUAGE
Press the navigational buttons to scroll up and down the languages
and press the main button to select and save. The display will return to
the Settings Menu.

ALERT J5
13
DEVICE SETTINGS
The current item is indicated by an arrow u. Use the navigational
buttons to scroll up and down the items. This menu is for informational
purposes only and is useful when contacting an authorized dealer for
troubleshooting. It provides a list of factory settings:
• Country code
• Print script version
• Firmware version
• Hardware version
• PCB serial number
• Unit serial number
• Unit of measurement
• Warn limit
• Fail limit
Press the main button at any time to return to the Main Menu.
BLUETOOTH PAIRING
This section allows you to pair the ALERT J5 tester with the Bluetooth
printer. Refer to the “Printing” section of this manual for more
information.
RESTORE SETTINGS
Press the main button to restore the Volume, Brightness and
Language to factory settings.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
14
TROUBLESHOOTING MENU
Diagnostics, advanced and back options are presented. The current
option is indicated by an arrow u. Use the navigational buttons to
scroll up and down and the main button to select.
DIAGNOSTICS
Test the main components of the unit. The current option is indicated
by an arrow u. Use the navigational buttons to scroll through the icons
at the bottom and use the main button to select.
PUMP. The pump is activated once the charging voltage is reached.
The result of the test is indicated as PASS or FAIL. Press the main
button to return to the previous menu.
LED. The mouthpiece port LED is tested in all the available colours
(Green, Amber and Red) to allow a visual check. The result of the test
is indicated as a PASS or FAIL. Press the main button to return to the
previous menu.
SPEAKER. The speaker is tested with all the tones implemented.
The result of the test is indicated as a PASS or FAIL. Press the main
button to return to the previous menu.
BLUETOOTH. The Bluetooth module is tested. The result of the test
is indicated as a PASS or FAIL. Press the main button to return to the
previous menu.
SENSOR HEATER. The sensor heater is tested by monitoring its
capability to reach a target temperature in 20 seconds. The result
of the test is indicated as a PASS or FAIL. Press the main button to
return to the previous menu.
NOTE: A power adaptor needs to be plugged into the unit in order
to test the sensor heater.
BLOWTUBE HEATER. The blowtube heater is tested by monitoring
its capability to reach a target temperature in 20 seconds. The result
of the test is indicated as a PASS or FAIL. Press the main button to
return to the previous menu.

ALERT J5
15
NOTE: A power adaptor needs to be plugged into the unit in order
to test the blowtube heater.
DEVICE TEMPERATURE. The temperature measured by the ambient
sensor and blowtube thermistors is displayed to provide an indication
of potential anomalies with these components.
ANALOG SIGNALS. The analog signals for battery voltage, real time
clock, booster, CPU and pump are displayed to provide an indication
of potential anomalies with these components.
ADVANCED
This menu is password protected; only an authorized ACS person can
perform these actions.
BATTERY STRENGTH INDICATOR
The Battery Strength icon is displayed on the top-left corner.
The batteries need to be replaced when the Battery Strength
icon ashes. Failure to do so may cause the unit to shut down
unexpectedly.
NOTE: The Battery Strength icon is replaced by a USB icon when
the unit is plugged into a vehicle via a power adaptor.