DAKOTA ULTRASONICS MMX-7 User manual

OPERATION MANUAL
DAKOTA ULTRASONICS
M
MM MX X- -7 7 v
v2 2. .0 0
Data Logging Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge
P/N P-160-0004 Rev 3.0, April 2019

CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1
1.1 DISCLAIMER ......................................................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER TWO QUICK STARTUP GUIDE ....................................................... 2
2.1 MMX-7 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 2
2.2 SELECTING THE TRANSDUCER TYPE ..................................................................................... 4
2.3 PROBE ZERO & CALIBRATION ............................................................................................... 5
2.4 MEASURE .......................................................................................................................... 10
CHAPTER THREE KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE ...... 13
3.1 MENU KEY (OPERATION & SUB MENUS) .............................................................................. 13
3.2 PROBE – MENU .............................................................................................................. 15
3.3 CAL – MENU .................................................................................................................. 15
3.4 DISP (DISPLAY) – MENU ............................................................................................ 16
3.5 SETUP – MENU ............................................................................................................. 16
3.6 DATA – MENU ............................................................................................................... 17
3.7 UTIL (UTILITIES) – MENU ................................................................................................ 17
3.8 XFER (TRANSFER) – MENU ............................................................................................ 18
3.9 CLR (CLEAR) KEY  ........................................................................................................ 18
3.10 MEAS (MEASUREMENT MODE) KEY ............................................................................... 18
3.11 OK KEY  ....................................................................................................................... 19
3.12 ESC KEY  ..................................................................................................................... 19
3.13 ARROW KEYS ............................................................................................................... 19
3.14 ENTER KEY ................................................................................................................. 19
3.15 MULTI MODE KEY  ...................................................................................................... 19
3.16 ON/OFF KEY  .............................................................................................................. 20
3.17 TOP & BOTTOM END CAPS ............................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER FOUR PRINCIPALS OF ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT ........... 22
4.1 TIME VERSUS THICKNESS RELATIONSHIP ............................................................................. 22
4.2 SUITABILITY OF MATERIALS ................................................................................................. 22
4.3 RANGE OF MEASUREMENT AND ACCURACY .......................................................................... 22
4.4 COUPLANT ......................................................................................................................... 22
4.5 TEMPERATURE ................................................................................................................... 23
4.6 MEASUREMENT MODES ...................................................................................................... 23
CHAPTER FIVE SELECTING THE MEASUREMENT MODE ......................... 26

5.1 THE SETUP LIBRARY ........................................................................................................... 26
5.2 WHICH MODE & TRANSDUCER DO I USE FOR MY APPLICATION? ............................................ 26
5.3 FACTORY SETUP CHART .................................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER SIX MAKING MEASUREMENTS ................................................... 28
6.1 SELECTING THE TRANSDUCER TYPE ................................................................................... 28
6.2 PROBE ZERO ..................................................................................................................... 30
6.3 MATERIAL CALIBRATION ..................................................................................................... 32
CHAPTER SEVEN USING THE DISPLAY OPTIONS ..................................... 41
7.1 DISPLAY VIEWS .................................................................................................................. 42
7.2 CHANGING DISPLAY OPTIONS ............................................................................................. 44
7.3 ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY .................................................................................................... 45
7.4 GAIN ................................................................................................................................. 48
CHAPTER EIGHT THRU PAINT MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE................... 51
8.1 INTRODUCTION TO THRU PAINT MEASUREMENT .................................................................. 51
8.2 USING THRU PAINT MODE .................................................................................................. 51
CHAPTER NINE ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THE MMX-7 ......................... 52
9.1 HIGH SPEED SCAN ............................................................................................................. 52
9.2 ALARM MODE .................................................................................................................... 53
9.3 DIFFERENTIAL MODE .......................................................................................................... 55
9.4 KEY CLICK ......................................................................................................................... 56
9.5 SET DATE & TIME .............................................................................................................. 57
9.6 SHOW DATE & TIME ........................................................................................................... 59
9.7 FREEZE & CAPTURE ........................................................................................................... 59
CHAPTER TEN DATA STORAGE – SETUP, EDIT, & VIEW FILES ............... 62
10.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE GRID FILE FORMAT ........................................................................ 62
10.2 CREATING A NEW GRID .................................................................................................... 63
10.3 STORING A READING ........................................................................................................ 71
10.4 VIEWING STORED READINGS ............................................................................................. 72
10.5 DELETING GRIDS (FILES) .................................................................................................. 74
10.6 EDITING A GRID (FILE) ...................................................................................................... 77
10.7 CHANGING THE ACTIVE FILE - OPEN .................................................................................. 79
10.8 CLOSING AN ACTIVE FILE - CLOSE .................................................................................... 81
CHAPTER ELEVEN SETUPS – CREATE, STORE, EDIT, & RECALL .......... 84
11.1 INTRODUCTION TO SETUPS............................................................................................... 84
11.2 OPENING A SETUP ........................................................................................................... 84

11.3 SAVING A SETUP .............................................................................................................. 86
11.4 DELETING A SAVED SETUP ............................................................................................... 90
11.5 USING THE DEFAULT SETUP ............................................................................................. 92
11.6 SELECTING A LANGUAGE .................................................................................................. 93
CHAPTER TWELVE USING THE UTILITY SOFTWARE ................................ 94
12.1 COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................ 94
12.2 INSTALLING DAKVIEW ....................................................................................................... 94
12.3 COMMUNICATING WITH THE MMX-7 .................................................................................. 94
12.4 LINE POWER .................................................................................................................... 94
12.5 UPGRADING THE MMX-7 .................................................................................................. 94
APPENDIX A - VELOCITY TABLE .................................................................. 96
APPENDIX B - SETUP LIBRARY .................................................................... 98

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The Dakota Ultrasonics model MMX-7 is a digital ultrasonic thickness gauge with
time based B-Scan and alpha numeric data logger. Based on the same operating
principles as SONAR, the MMX-7 is capable of measuring the thickness of various
materials with accuracy as high as  0.001 inches, or  0.01 millimeters. The
principle advantage of ultrasonic measurement over traditional methods is that
ultrasonic measurements can be performed with access to only one side of the
material being measured.
Dakota Ultrasonics maintains a customer support resource in order to assist users
with questions or difficulties not covered in this manual. Customer support may be
reached at any of the following:
Dakota Ultrasonics Corporation
1500 Green Hills Road, #107
Scotts Valley, CA 95066 USA
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]
www.dakotaultrasonics.com
1.1 Disclaimer
Inherent in ultrasonic thickness measurement is the possibility that the instrument will
use the second rather than the first echo from the back surface of the material being
measured. This may result in a thickness reading that is TWICE what it should be.
Responsibility for proper use of the instrument and recognition of this phenomenon
rest solely with the user of the instrument. Other errors may occur from measuring
coated materials where the coating is insufficiently bonded to the material surface.
Irregular and inaccurate readings may result. Again, the user is responsible for
proper use and interpretation of the measurements acquired.

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CHAPTER TWO
QUICK STARTUP GUIDE
Turn the MMX-7 on and off using the switch located on the bottom right corner of the
keypad. When MMX-7 is initially turned on, a flash logo and blinking lights will be
displayed prior to entering into the main measurement screen.
Note: This section is primarily written as a basic startup guide only.
2.1 MMX-7 Overview
In order to understand how to operate the MMX-7, it’s best to start off with an
understanding of what it is we’re looking at exactly. The MMX-7 has a lot of great
features and tools that will prove to be a huge benefit for the variety of applications
you’re constantly facing on a continual basis. Let’s have a brief look at the screens
you’ll be looking at most often:
A. Repeatability/Stability Indicator – This indicator should be commonly used
in conjunction with the digital thickness values displayed. When all the vertical
bars are fully illuminated and the last digit on the digital thickness value is
stable, the MMX-7 is reliably measuring the same value 250 times per second
(250 Hz).
B. Battery Icon – Indicates the amount of battery life the MMX-7 has remaining.
C. Velocity – The material velocity value the MMX-7 is currently using or
calibrated for. Displayed in both English or Metric units, depending on what
units the gauge is set for.

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D. Feature Status Bar – Indicates the features currently enabled and in use in
the following order:
 Measurement Mode
 Differential Mode
 High Speed Scan Mode
 Alarm Mode
 Gain Setting
E. Digital Material Thickness Value – Extra large font size for viewing ease.
F. Scan Bar – Another view of material thickness in a deflection style horizontal
bar. This is a visual tool that would enable the user the ability to see thickness
changes during high speed scans from flaws and pits.
G. Units – The current measurement units being used (English, Metric).
H. Digital Material Thickness Value – Smaller font size when the B-Scan
display view is enabled.
I. Minimum Material Thickness – Part of the scan feature. Displays the
minimum thickness value found during a scan.
J. Maximum Material Thickness – Part of the scan feature. Displays the
maximum thickness value found during a scan.
K. B-Scan Display – Cross section view of the material. Provides the user with
graphical view of the opposite/blind surface (i.e. inside pipe wall surface), to
give the user some idea of the condition, or integrity of the material being
tested.

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2.2 Selecting the Transducer Type
The MMX-7 is equipped with a transducer list of all of the dual element transducer
options that can be connected to the gauge. These are dual element transducers
with different diameters and frequencies, depending on the material and application
requirements. Transducers with an HD (high damped) designation are commonly
used in conjunction with E-E (echo-echo) through paint modes, while CPZT
(composite) are used for additional output with materials that are difficult to pass
sound through. Finally, the majority of the transducers listed in the table are standard
diameter/frequency transducers used in P-E (pulse-echo) mode. By selecting the
transducer type from a predefined list, the MMX-7 can recall specific properties about
the transducer.
Note: Once the transducer has been selected, the MMX-7 will store and recall this
transducer type every time the MMX-7 is powered on/off. The type will only change if
the user physically selects another transducer type from the list, or selects a
previously saved setup. You’ll notice that the probe type previously selected will be
highlighted every time the probe type screen is displayed.
Use the following steps to select your transducer type:
Selecting the Transducer Type
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 PRB menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until TYPE is highlighted.

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3) Press the ENTER key to display the table/list of transducers.
4) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to highlight the transducer type currently
connected to the gauge.
5) Press the ENTER key to load the transducer type and display the
confirmation screen.
6) Press the OK key to overwrite the existing probe type, or ESC to cancel.
2.3 Probe Zero & Calibration
The next steps are to perform a probe zero and calibrate the MMX-7 to the material
and transducer selected. If the sound velocity is unknown, the MMX-7 can be
calibrated to a known thickness sample. The procedures are outlined as follows:

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Performing a Probe Zero
Note: The probe zero disk (battery cap) is located on the top end cap of the
gauge. The warning screen will be displayed following the selection and
overwrite of a new transducer.
1) Press the OK key to enter the main measurement screen and begin the
manual zero process.
2) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in
steady contact with the probe zero disk.
3) With the “zero probe” hot menu cell highlighted by default, press the ENTER
key to display the confirmation screen, followed by pressing the OK key to
perform the zero.
Note: If the “zero probe” cell is not highlighted, press the MEAS or ESC keys
to highlight.

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4) Alternatively, 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 PRB menu is highlighted and displaying the
submenu items.
5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until ZERO PROBE is highlighted.
6) Press the ENTER key to display the confirmation screen.
7) Press the OK key to complete the probe zero process, or ESC key to cancel
zeroing.
8) Remove the transducer from the probe zero disk, and proceed to the
calibration section.

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Note: The value that is displayed will change depending on the current velocity
setting in the MMX-7. Disregard the number that is displayed. It is not
important. What is important is accurately performing the steps outlined above
to insure reliability of the probe zero calculation.
One Point Material Calibration
For the purposes of this quick start section, the most common single point calibration
option will covered in this section.
Note: It would be very handy to carry a set of mechanical calipers to use in
conjunction with the MMX-7 for calibration in the field.
Known Thickness
Note: Be sure a probe zero has been performed prior to calibration.
1) Physically measure an exact sample of the material, or a specific location
directly on the material using a set of calipers or a digital micrometer.
2) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in
steady contact with the sample or actual test material measured. Be sure
the measurement is stable and the repeatability indicator, in the top left
corner of the display, is fully lit and stable. Press the MENU key once to

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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 CAL menu is highlighted
and displaying the submenu items.
3) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until MATL 1PT is highlighted.
4) Press the ENTER key to display the Digits Edit Box.
5) Press the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll the highlighted value.
6) Press the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll the digit locations.
7) Repeat steps 5 & 6 until the known thickness value is correctly displayed.
8) Press the OK key to calculate the velocity and return to the menu screen, or
ESC to cancel the one point calibration.
9) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen and begin
taking readings.
Note: CHECK YOUR CALIBRATION! Place the transducer back on the
calibration point. The thickness reading should now match the known
thickness. If the thickness is not correct, repeat the steps above.

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2.4 Measure
The MMX-7 is now ready to measure. There are two different measurement view
options each with a specific purpose – Digits & B-Scan. The steps below outline how
to toggle between the different view mode options:
Selecting the Measurement View Option
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 DISP menu is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
2) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until VIEW is highlighted.
3) Use the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to scroll the view options.
4) Once the view is displayed, press the MEAS key to return to measurement
mode.
DIGITS: Displays the digital thickness value using a large font size. This view is
useful when the MMX-7 is being used as a basic thickness gauge.
BSCAN: The Time Based B-Scan provides the user with a cross sectional view of
the material being tested. This mode is useful when there is concern regarding the

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profile of the blind surface. This can also be a useful view when scanning for pits and
flaws.
Once the view has been selected according to the application requirements, the B-
Scan Start (B-ST) and Depth (B-DEP) will potentially need adjustment in order to
optimize the zoom if the MMX-7 has been set to B-Scan.
Use the following steps to adjust these settings directly from the measurement
screen as follows:
Note: The B-Start and B-Depth are also used to adjust the parameters of Scan
Bar.
Adjusting B-Start & B-Depth
1) Press the MEAS key once to activate the measure menu items. Press the
MEAS key multiple times to move right and the ESC key multiple times to
move left, until the either the B-ST or B-DEP cell is highlighted.
2) Use the UP, DOWN, LEFT, or RIGHT arrow keys to scroll the B-ST and B-
DEP values.
3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 until the range is correctly being displayed.
Alternatively, the B-ST and B-DEP values can be changed using the Digit Edit
Box as follows:
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 either the B-ST or B-DEP cell is highlighted.

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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 B-ST or B-DEP value is correctly displayed.
6) Press the OK key to set the B-ST and B-DEP value and return to the
measure screen, or ESC to cancel entering the B-ST or B-DEP value.
7) Finally, press the MEAS key to return to the measurement screen and begin
taking readings.
Note: The B-START & B-DEPTH can also be adjusted from the tabbed menu
item DISP. However, using the hot menu keys is the most convenient method.

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CHAPTER THREE
KEYBOARD, MENU, & CONNECTOR REFERENCE
3.1 Menu Key (Operation & Sub Menus)
The Menu key activates the primary menu structure containing 8 menu tab groups.
These tab groups then contain sub menu items, or functions. The sub menu items
have been organized in tab groups according to how closely they are related to the
individual tab group names. Let’s first get familiar with how to move around in these
tabs before continuing on to the sub menu functions. This procedure is outlined
below:

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Activating and Getting Around in the Menu Items
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 desired tab group is highlighted and displaying the submenu items.
The tab groups are illustrated above (A).
Now that you’re familiar with activating and moving amongst the tab groups, let’s
have a look at how to move around in the sub menu items as follows:
Getting Around in the Sub Menu Items
1) Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to scroll through the sub menu items
until the desired function is highlighted. The sub menu items are illustrated
in the diagram above (B).
2) Depending on which function is highlighted, use the LEFT, RIGHT, and
Enter keys to scroll the options or activate the Digit Edit and List Box
options.
The sections to follow will provide the user with an explanation of the sub menu
functions: