CASTLE VibA8 User manual

www.castlegroup.co.uk
VibA(8) Vibration Level Meter
Operating Manual
Castle Group Ltd
Salter Road
Scarborough
North Yorkshire
YO11 3UZ, UK
Copyright © Castle Group Ltd 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the copyright holder.
HB/2009/020/EL
Rev A

Contents
Chapter 1 ..................................................................1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
Chapter 2 ..................................................................2
Frequency Weighting Filters ............................................................................................. 2
Hand Arm Vibration (HAVS) ............................................................................................ 2
Whole Body Vibration (WBV).......................................................................................... 3
Chapter 3 ..................................................................4
Accelerometer Details......................................................................................................... 4
Attaching & Removing the Accelerometer......................................................................... 4
Accelerometer Types............................................................................................................................. 5
Certifiable Calibration............................................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 4 ..................................................................7
Measuring Vibration............................................................................................................. 7
Vibration Level –General Advice ...................................................................................................... 7
Hand Arm Vibration Transducer Mounting ................................................................................. 8
Vibration Direction................................................................................................................................... 8
Vibration Level ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Under Range & Overload Conditions ........................................................................................... 10
Under Range Condition............................................................................................................. 10
Overload Condition ...................................................................................................................... 10

Chapter 5 ...............................................................11
Getting Started ................................................................................................................... 11
Keypad Layout ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Powering Your VibA(8) Vibration Meter..................................................................................... 11
Battery Level Indicator .................................................................................................... 13
Switching the VibA(8) Meter On/Off .................................................................................. 14
Auto Power Off.............................................................................................................................. 14
Instrument Icons ................................................................................................................................... 15
Icon Location.................................................................................................................................. 16
Chapter 6 ...............................................................17
Using Your VibA(8) ............................................................................................................ 17
First Time Setup .................................................................................................................................... 17
Accelerometer Fitting ......................................................................................................................... 18
Accelerometer Check ......................................................................................................................... 18
Operation .................................................................................................................................................. 19
Real Time.................................................................................................................................................. 20
Recording ................................................................................................................................................. 21
Time History Disabled, with or without Duration Timer Set........................... 21
Time History Enabled, with or without Duration Timer Set ............................ 21
Time History Disabled, Duration Timer Set ........................................................... 21
Time History Enabled, Duration Timer Set............................................................. 22
Stopping an Active Recording ......................................................................................................... 22
Save ......................................................................................................................................... 23
Don’t Save............................................................................................................................. 23
File Review................................................................................................................................................ 24
Exit ............................................................................................................................................ 24
Auto Playback................................................................................................................................ 25
Chapter 7 ...............................................................26

Software ................................................................................................................................ 26
VibdataPro ............................................................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 8 ...............................................................27
Menu Structure .................................................................................................................. 27
Menu Navigation & Settings .......................................................................................... 28
File Manager ........................................................................................................................................... 29
Load File ........................................................................................................................................... 30
Filter Selection .................................................................................................................... 30
Delete File........................................................................................................................................ 31
Delete All Files ............................................................................................................................... 32
Auto Playback ................................................................................................................................ 33
Auto File Naming.......................................................................................................................... 33
Hand Arm and Whole Body Setup................................................................................................ 34
Range ................................................................................................................................................ 34
Results Selection.......................................................................................................................... 35
Data Recording............................................................................................................................. 35
Time History On - Disabled ............................................................................................ 36
Interval.................................................................................................................................... 36
Timer Setup.......................................................................................................................... 37
Exposure Values........................................................................................................................... 38
Hand Arm Values .............................................................................................................. 38
Whole Body Values........................................................................................................... 38
Channel Setup ............................................................................................................................... 39
Axis........................................................................................................................................... 39
Scaling .................................................................................................................................... 39
Calibration....................................................................................................................................... 40
External Calibrator ............................................................................................................ 41
Manual Input........................................................................................................................ 41
Calibrator Level................................................................................................................... 42
General Settings.................................................................................................................................... 43
Units................................................................................................................................................... 43

Screen............................................................................................................................................... 44
Brightness ............................................................................................................................ 44
Screen Colour ..................................................................................................................... 44
Auto Dim................................................................................................................................ 44
Date.................................................................................................................................................... 45
Time ................................................................................................................................................... 45
Language......................................................................................................................................... 46
Restore Defaults.......................................................................................................................... 46
Information............................................................................................................................................... 47
Chapter 9 ...............................................................48
Measurement Screens..................................................................................................... 48
Measurement Screen 1 .................................................................................................................... 48
Measurement Screen 2 .................................................................................................................... 49
Measurement Screen 3 .................................................................................................................... 50
Chapter 10 ............................................................51
Accessories .......................................................................................................................... 51
Chapter 11 ............................................................52
Customer Support ............................................................................................................. 52
Warranty and After Sales Service................................................................................................ 52
Instrument Disposal............................................................................................................................. 53
Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................................ 54

1
Chapter 1
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing your VibA(8) vibration meter from Castle Group Ltd.
Your new Vibration meter is at the forefront of design and technology and yet has
been developed for seamless intuitive operation without the unnecessary complexity
of traditional vibration meters.
It boasts a high-resolution large colour LCD with simple and clear visual data
representation, has advanced data recording capabilities which records your data to
the large internal memory at your disposal.
Equipped with a simple plug in accelerometer, carry strap and a responsive
membrane keypad all housed in an elegant, balanced and practical case which has
been specifically developed for this application. The case, accelerometer and cable
are all designed for industrial use.
Operation of your VibA(8) is simple and requires minimal button pressing. To start
recording, simply power the instrument and start recording.
The VibA(8) provides you with choice when it comes to analysing your data, meaning
you can always choose the most effective solution for your needs.
The USB flash drive supplied with your instrument contains the latest free version of
software, Vibdata LITE. Renowned for its simplicity and ease of use, this PC based
software is a comprehensive data analysis solution. Vibdata LITE can be upgraded at
any time to Vibdata Pro.
With the VibA(8) combating HAVS and WBV has never been so easy, welcome to the
new era in vibration level measurement.

2
Chapter 2
Frequency Weighting Filters
The human body’s response to vibration alters depending on the vibration frequency
and where the vibration is in contact with the body.
Your VibA(8) meter has the following frequency weighting filters which are applied to
the measured vibration signal using digital processing for superior accuracy.
Hand Arm Vibration (HAVS)
Wh
Wh Band Limited

3
Whole Body Vibration (WBV)
Wd
Wd Band Limited
Wk
Wk Band Limited

4
Chapter 3
Accelerometer Details
Accelerometers by the very nature of their manufacture are precision components
that are easily damaged through incorrect use. Great care must be taken when using
the instrument to ensure the longevity of the Accelerometer.
Attaching & Removing the Accelerometer
Align the orientation keys between the accelerometer cable and instrument socket,
which are easily identified with a Red marking and then gently push the accelerometer
cable into the instruments socket.
To unlatch and remove the accelerometer cable gently pull the on the knurled part of
the stem and pull the accelerometer from the instrument.
Do not twist the connector, doing so will likely damage internal wiring which would not
be covered under warranty.
Removal of the accelerometer can be achieved with the instrument powered on or off.
To prevent damage occurring to your VibA(8) vibration level meter or
your transducer assembly never attempt to twist the connection point.

5
Accelerometer Types
The accelerometers for use with the VibA(8) produce a Voltage Output proportional to
the signal being measured.
The table below shows the output voltage and specifications for the accelerometer
where g is the acceleration due to gravity on the Earth’s surface and is defined as
9.80665 ms-2.
Acceleration is measured in metres per second per second (m/s/s) which can be
written as either of the following: -
•ms-2
•m/s2
Hand Arm
•KD1012 : 1mV/g +/-500g , 1Hz to 5kHz
•KD1006 : 10mV/g +/-500g , 1Hz to 5kHz
m/s2
g
ft/s2
Low
0.10 –1000
0.01 –100
0.328 –3280
High
0.50 –5000
0.05 –500
1.64 –16400
Whole Body
•KD1013: [980.66mV/g] , 0.1Hz to 100Hz , 0.01m/s2to 5m/s2PEAK
m/s2
g
ft/s2
Single Range
0.01 –35
0.001 –3.5
0.0328 –115
m/s2
g
ft/s2
Low
0.20 –2000
0.02 –200
0.656 –6560
High
1.00 –10000
0.1 –1000
3.28 –32800