Check-line MINI-MAX User manual

OPERATION MANUAL
ELECTROMATIC Equip't
M
MI IN NI I- -M MA AX X
BOLT TENSION MONITOR
P/N P-156-0002 Rev1.1,September 2005
®
BY ELECTROMATIC
CHECK•LINE
ELECTROMATIC Equipment Co., Inc., 600 Oakland Ave., Cedarhurst, NY 11516 – USA
Tel: [phone] (USA & Canada) ■Tel: [phone] ■Fax: [phone]
Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.checkline.com

CHAPTER 1 WARRANTY AND SAFETY................................................................... 1
1.1 WARRANTY .......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 SAFETY ................................................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER 2 ABOUT THIS MANUAL .......................................................................... 2
2.1 IF YOU’RE NEW TO ULTRASONICS........................................................................ 2
2.2 IF YOU’RE NEW TO FASTENER MEASUREMENT .................................................... 2
CHAPTER 3 QUICK STA RT GUIDE ........................................................................... 3
3.1 OVERVIEW............................................................................................................ 3
3.2 GETTING THE MINI-MAX READY ........................................................................ 3
3.3 SETTING UP THE MINI-MAX ............................................................................... 3
3.4 CREATING A NEW GROUP TO STORE MEASUREMENTS ..................................... 6
3.5 SETTING THE APPROXIMATE LENGTH ............................................................... 13
3.6 MEASURING REFERENCE LENGTHS .................................................................. 16
3.7 MEASURING ELONGATIONS ............................................................................... 17
CHAPTER 4 KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE ..................... 19
4.1 MENU KEY (OPERATION &SUB MENUS )......................................................... 19
4.2 CAL –MENU...................................................................................................... 21
4.3 MATL (MATERIAL)–MENU ............................................................................... 21
4.4 GEOM (GEOMETRY)–MENU ........................................................................... 22
4.5 DISP (DISPLAY)–MENU................................................................................... 23
4.6 TUNE –MENU .................................................................................................. 23
4.7 AUTO –MENU .................................................................................................. 24
4.8 SETUP –MENU................................................................................................ 25
4.9 DATA –MENU................................................................................................... 25
4.10 UTIL (UTILITIES)–MENU .................................................................................. 26
4.11 XFER (TRANSFER)–MENU.............................................................................. 26
4.12 CLR (CLEAR)KEY ............................................................................................. 27
4.13 MEAS (MEASUREMENT MODE )KEY.................................................................. 27
4.14 OK KEY.............................................................................................................. 29
4.15 ESC KEY.............................................................................................................. 29
4.16 ARROW KEYS ....................................................................................................... 29
4.17 ENTER KEY......................................................................................................... 29
4.18 AUTO SET KEY.................................................................................................. 29
4.19 ON/OFF KEY....................................................................................................... 30
4.20 TOP &BOTTOM END CAPS.................................................................................. 30
CHAPTER 5 THEORY OF OPERATION.................................................................. 32
5.1 ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT OF BOLTS ........................................................... 32
5.2 FEATURES OF THE MINI-MAX.......................................................................... 33
5.3 ULTRASONIC WAVES .......................................................................................... 33
CHAPTER 6 BOLT PREPARATION ......................................................................... 34
6.1 USE OF ULTRASONIC COUPLANT........................................................................ 34

6.2 TRANSDUCER CONTACT REQUIREMENTS .......................................................... 35
6.3 BOLT END REFLECTORS..................................................................................... 36
CHAPTER 7 TRANSDUCER SELECTION .............................................................. 38
7.1 SELECTING THE TRANSDUCER.......................................................................... 38
CHAPTER 8 MEASURING SYSTEM ZERO (CALIBRATION) ............................. 39
8.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 39
8.2 CALIBRATION /ZERO MISNOMER....................................................................... 40
8.3 USING A STANDARD BOLT.................................................................................. 40
8.4 CALIBRATION /ZERO BARS &TRIPLE SIDED GLASS BLOCK............................. 62
CHAPTER 9 TEMPERATURE COMPENSATION.................................................. 81
9.1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................... 81
9.2 MANUAL MODE .................................................................................................. 81
9.3 SEMI AUTOMATIC MODE .................................................................................... 82
9.4 AUTOMATIC MODE ............................................................................................. 84
CHAPTER 10 BOLT MATERIAL CALIBRATION .................................................... 85
10.1 WHY DO WE NEED TO CALIBRATE ...................................................................... 85
10.2 VELOCITY CALIBRATION ..................................................................................... 85
10.3 STRESS FACTOR CALIBRA TION .......................................................................... 89
10.4 TEMPERATURE FACTOR CALIBRATION ............................................................... 92
CHAPTER 11 LOAD MEASUREMENT .................................................................... 96
11.1 CALCULATING A LOAD FACTOR .......................................................................... 96
11.2 CALIBRATING A LOAD FACTOR (FIELD CALIBRATION)........................................ 99
11.3 PERFORMING A FIELD CALIBRATION ...............................................................100
CHAPTER 12 MEASUREMENT AND THE WAVEFORM DISPLAY.................113
12.1 QUANTITIES OF MEASUREMENT......................................................................113
12.2 DISPLAY VIEW OPTIONS ..................................................................................114
12.3 ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY.................................................................................120
12.4 GAIN .................................................................................................................125
12.5 THRESHOLD .....................................................................................................127
12.6 GATE ................................................................................................................130
12.7 INTERPRETING THE WAVEFORM ......................................................................134
12.8 MANUALLY LOCATING THE ECHO.....................................................................136
12.9 AUTOMATIC ECHO OPTIMIZATION.....................................................................138
12.10 UNLOADED LENGTH AND ELONGATION MEASUREMENTS ...............................142
CHAPTER 13 ADDITIONAL FEATURES ...............................................................143
13.1 PULSE WIDTH ..................................................................................................143
13.2 ALARM MODE...................................................................................................144
13.3 POLARITY .........................................................................................................147
13.4 RECTIFIED WAVEFORM (FILLED/UNFILLED).....................................................148
CHAPTER 14 DATA STORAGE –SETUP, EDIT, & VIEW GROUPS ..............150

14.1 INTRODUCTION TO GROUP (SPREADSHEET)FORMAT.....................................150
14.2 CREATING A NEW GROUP ................................................................................150
14.3 STORING A READING........................................................................................157
14.4 VIEWING STORED MEASUREMENTS AND WAVEFORMS....................................158
14.5 DELETING A GROUP .........................................................................................161
14.6 EDITING A GROUP ............................................................................................162
14.7 CHANGING THE ACTIVE GROUP (OPEN)..........................................................165
CHAPTER 15 SETUPS –CREATE, STORE, EDIT, & RECALL........................167
15.1 INTRODUCTION TO SETUPS .............................................................................167
15.2 OPENING A SETUP ...........................................................................................167
15.3 SAVING A SETUP..............................................................................................169
15.4 USING THE DEFAULT SETUP............................................................................171
CHAPTER 16 USING THE UTILITY SOFTWARE ................................................174
16.1 COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .............................................................174
16.2 INSTALLING MINIMAXVIEW 1.X......................................................................174
16.3 UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE............................................................................174

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
Chapter 1 Warranty and Safety
1.1 Warranty
The Dakota Ultrasonics MINI-MAX carries a two year limited warranty. The
warranty only applies to MINI-MAX units being operated as described in this
manual. Software and hardware failures of the unit will be repaired or replaced at
Dakota Ultrasonics discretion. Dakota Ultrasonics will not be held liable for any
damage caused, interruption of business, loss of profits, etc., resulting from such
failures. Dakota Ultrasonics will not be liable to repair or replace a unit, which has
been damaged, used inappropriately, or subject to unauthorized repair by the
purchaser.
1.2 Safety
Using the MINI-MAX while standing in water or in a wet environment can result in
serious electric shock, injury, and even death.
Operating the MINI-MAX with damaged or inadequate cables and power source
can result in serious electric shock, injury, and even death.
Failure to first read this manual and understand the proper operation of the MINI-
MAX can result in inaccurate measurements, and lead to decisions which cause
property damage, personal injury, or even death.
Use of the MINI-MAX for any other purpose, or in any other manner than
described in this manual invalidates the warranty and can result in serious
electric shock, injury, and even death.

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Chapter 2 About this manual
This chapter is intended to help you make the best use of this manual. Readers
may have different knowledge of ultrasonic bolt measurement and may find parts
of this manual repetitive or unnecessary.
2.1 If you’re new to Ultrasonics
There are a variety of ultrasonic applications currently being utilized in today’s
industry. For example weld inspection, thickness measuring, immersion testing
of flaws, etc. The use of ultrasound to measure forces in fasteners is relatively
new compared to the previously mentioned traditional applications.
Ultrasonic measurement of bolts provides an extremely accurate means of
determining fastener load, provided the correct techniques are utilized. As a new
user, careful consideration of this entire manual is highly recommended.
2.2 If you’re new to fastener measurement
Assuming you are familiar with ultrasonics, but unfamiliar with fastener
measurement, the chapters on transducer selection and the theory of operation
can be skipped entirely.
The MINI-MAX measures load on the fastener by measuring the amount the
fastener stretches. As load is applied to the fastener, it stretch’s just as a spring
would stretch. The stretch is proportional to the load while the load is less than
the elastic limit of bolt. By measuring the stretch of the fastener and knowing the
physical properties of the fastener, the load of the fastener can be calculated.
The MINI-MAX measures the fastener stretch by ultrasonically measuring the
change in length.
Be sure to setup and experiment with a test fixture of some kind as a means of
becoming familiar with your MINI-MAX.

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide
3.1 Overview
This section demonstrates the basic procedures for setting up and measuring
bolts using the MINI-MAX. More in depth explanations pertaining to the
individual functions and features can be found in the chapters that follow.
Here we go!
3.2 Getting the MINI-MAX ready
Making all the connections
In order to get the MINI-MAX ready for operation; the following connections
must be made:
1) Remove the MINI-MAX from the carrying case.
2) Connect the transducer cable to the transducer, and plug the lemo
connector into the gauge.
3) If a temperature sensor is being used, connect the sensor to the MINI-
MAX.
3.3 Setting up the MINI-MAX
Please Read: In this section the MINI-MAX will be setup in its simplest form.
Remember this is only a quick start guide to get the user up and measuring bolts.
Before we setup the gauge to measure basic elongation, the following
assumptions must be made: A preset material type will be used. The user will
not be re-measuring the fasteners at a later date to monitor relaxation of the joint
over time. This eliminates the need for a transducer zero. All these assumptions
will be answered and explained in detail in the chapters that follow.

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Selecting the Quick Start Setup
1) Press the ON/OFF key to power up the MINI-MAX.
2) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the
MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key multiple times to
tab left until the SETUP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu
items.
3) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until OPEN is highlighted.
4) Press the ENTER key to display the list of setups.
5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the setup list until
the QUICK START setup is highlighted.
6) Press the ENTER key to display the confirmation screen.
7) Press the OK key to select the setup and return to the menu screen, or
ESC to cancel the selecting the setup.

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
Selecting the Units
Note: The Quick Start setup, selected in the previous section,
automatically defaults to english units –inches. Follow the procedure
below to change the units to metric, if needed.
1) Press the MENU key multiple times to tab right and the ESC key
multiple times to tab left until the MATL menu is highlighted and
displaying the submenu items.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until UNITS is highlighted.
3) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll through the unit options
IN (inches), IN HR (inches hi resolution), MM (millimeters), and MM HR
(millimeters hi resolution).
Note: The high-resolution options display an additional digit of resolution to
the measurement. This mode is typically used when measuring very short
bolts with very little elongation.
Selecting the Material Type

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This section allows the user the ability to select a material from a list of
preset material types. Keep in mind that we are measuring elongation only.
If your material is not in the list, select a similar material type. When
measuring in elongation mode, the measurement consists of a difference
equation only (Loaded Length –Unloaded Length = ∆Length). Therefore,
it doesn’t matter if the ultrasonic length is different from the actual physical
length, because the ∆Length will be the same. Example: 2.0080” physical
loaded length –2.0000” physical unloaded length = 0.0080” ∆Length which
is equivalent to 2.1080” ultrasonic loaded length –2.1000” ultrasonic
unloaded length = 0.0080” ∆Length.
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until TYPE is highlighted.
2) Press the ENTER key to display the list material types.
3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the material list
until the appropriate type is highlighted.
4) Press the ENTER key to display the confirmation screen.
5) Press the OK key to select the type and return to the menu screen, or
ESC to cancel selecting the material type.
3.4 Creating a New Group to Store Measurements
Now that the MINI-MAX is all setup, this section will explain how to get started
measuring unloaded initial lengths. In order to do this, we need to create a group
that contains bolts. A group can have up to 250 bolts, each bolt containing 1
reference length (L-REF), and up to 51 elongations. Keep in mind that the MINI-
MAX uses a group to store measurements and all gauge settings at the time of
measurement.

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
Creating a Group Name
1) Press the MENU key once to activate the menu items tab. Press the
MENU key multiple times to tab right, and the ESC key multiple times to
tab left, until the DATA menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu
items.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu
items until NEW is highlighted.
3) Press the ENTER key to display the New Group Edit Box.
4) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the new Group
List Items until NAME is highlighted.
5) Press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit Box.
6) Use the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys to highlight the
appropriate alpha characters.
7) Press the ENTER key to select a character and advance to the next field
of the Group Name.

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8) Use the CLR key to backspace if necessary.
9) Repeat steps 6 -8 until the Group Name is completed.
10) Press the OK key to save the Group Name and return to the Group
List Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the Group Name.
Creating a Group Note
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the new Group
List Items until NOTE is highlighted.
2) Press the ENTER key to activate the Alpha Edit Box.
3) Use the UP, DOWN, LEFT, & RIGHT arrow keys to highlight the
appropriate alpha characters.

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
4) Press the ENTER key to select a character and advance to the next field
of the Group Note.
5) Use the CLR key to backspace if necessary.
6) Repeat steps 3-5until the Group Note is completed.
7) Press the OK key to save the Group Note and return to the Group List
Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the Group Note.
Selecting the Number of Bolts in the Group
Note: A group can contain up to 250 bolts. There must be at least 1 bolt in
a group.
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the new Group
List Items until NUM BOLTS is highlighted.
2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll the highlighted value.
4) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll the digit locations.
5) Repeat steps 3 & 4 until the NUM BOLTS value is correctly displayed.

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6) Press the OK key to save the NUM BOLTS and return to the Group
List Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the NUM BOLTS.
Note: If a number greater than 250 is entered, an error message box
“VALUE IS OUT OF RANGE” will be displayed.
7) Press the OK key to display the Digits Edit Box and re-enter the NUM
BOLTS.
8) Press the OK key to save the NUM BOLTS and return to the Group
List Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the NUM BOLTS.
Selecting the Number of Readings Per Bolt
Note: A bolt can have up to 51 possible measurements and 1 initial length
(L-REF). There must be at least one reading per bolt.
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the new Group
List Items until NUM READS is highlighted.
2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll the highlighted value.
4) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll the digit locations.

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
5) Repeat steps 3 & 4 until the NUM READS value is correctly displayed.
6) Press the OK key to save the NUM READS and return to the Group
List Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the NUM READS.
Note: If a number less than 1 or greater than 51 is entered, an error
message box “VALUE IS OUT OF RANGE” will be displayed.
7) Press the OK key to display the Digits Edit Box and re-enter the NUM
READS.
8) Press the OK key to save the NUM READS and return to the Group
List Items menu, or ESC to cancel entering the NUM READS.
If there’s not enough memory available to create the group, an error
message box “NOT ENOUGH MEMORY“ will be displayed. Press the OK
or ESC key to return to the Group List Items menu. It may be necessary
to free some memory in the MINI-MAX at this time.
Selecting the Auto Increment Direction
The Auto Increment feature gives the user the ability to specify which
direction to advance the cursor after storing a reading.

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1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the new Group
List Items until INCR. DIR is highlighted.
2) Use the LEFT & RIGHT arrow keys to toggle the Increment direction
NONE, NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, or WEST.
3) When the correct Increment direction is displayed, continue on to the
next section “Saving the Group”.

MINI-MAX Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Monitor
Saving the Group
Once all the parameters are set, the user has the option of saving or
canceling the new group.
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the new Group
List Items until CREATE NEW GROUP? is highlighted.
2) Press the ENTER key to accept the group parameters, and activate the
confirmation screen.
3) Press the OK key to save the New Group, or the ESC key to cancel the
New Group setup and return to the DATA menu.
4) Press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen to begin
measuring reference lengths.
3.5 Setting the Approximate Length
In order for to utilize the AUTO SET feature of the MINI-MAX, when measuring
reference lengths, the MINI-MAX has to know where to start looking for the
detection. We can accomplish this by entering an approximate length into the
gauge. The MINI-MAX will automatically take the value entered and scan +/-5%

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in both directions of the approximate length for the detection signal. The
approximate length is a very valuable feature that can be used to pin point a
specific detection area. This feature will be further discussed later in the manual.
Setting the Approximate Length using the Hot Menus
1) Press the MEAS key once to activate measure menu items. Press the
MEAS key multiple times to move right and the ESC key multiple times
to move left, until the ALEN cell is highlighted.
2) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
3) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll the highlighted value.
4) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll the digit locations.
5) Repeat steps 3 & 4 until the ALEN value is correctly displayed.
6) Press the OK key to return to the measurement screen, or ESC to
cancel entering the ALEN.
The user can also access and set the approximate length from the tabbed
menus. However, this method is more tedious than making the adjustments
using the Hot Menus. The procedure using the tabbed menus is outlined below:
Setting the Approximate Length using the Tabbed Menus