Danatronics ECHO Series User manual

Ver: 2.1A
User’s Guide
ECHO Series Thickness Gages

Danatronics, Corp.
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Liability
Ultrasonic testing is a function of using the proper equipment (electronics, transducer,
cable and couplant combination) for the inspection and a qualified operator who knows
how to use this manual, the instruments and all calibration procedures. The improper use
of this equipment, along with the improper calibration can cause serious damage to
components, factories, facilities, personal injury, and even death. ALL DANATRONICS
ULTRASONIC THICKNESS GAGES ARE NOT INTRINSICALLY SAFE AND
SHOULD NOT BE USED IN ANY HAZEDOUS OR EXPLOSIVE AREAS.
It is understood that the operator of this equipment is a well trained inspector qualified by
either their own company or another outside agency to issue Ultrasonic Level I, 40 hour
class room training in Ultrasonic Theory. Danatronics, Corp. and any of its employees or
representatives shall not be held responsible for improper use of this equipment for its
intended use. Proper training, a complete understanding of Ultrasonic wave propagation,
thorough reading of this manual, proper transducer selection, correct zeroing of the
transducer, correct sound velocity, proper test blocks, proper cable length, proper
couplant selection all play a factor in successful ultrasonic thickness gaging. Special care
should be taken when test pieces have rough or painted surfaces, particularly those
applications where the test piece is thin to begin with as doubling of the echoes is
possible even if the transducer is capable of measuring the desired thickness. As
transducers wear or heat up, results can be either too thin due to a lack of sensitivity as a
result of wear or too thick due to heating up of the transducer, referred to as “drift.”

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Table of Contents
Liability .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1 Getting Started ........................................................................................................................... 6
About the ECHO Series............................................................................................................ 6
Latest Software Updates.......................................................................................................... 6
Coating Thickness.................................................................................................................. 7
Temperature Correction ......................................................................................................... 7
Stored Setups......................................................................................................................... 8
Oxide Scale.......................................................................................................................... 10
Setup Instructions .................................................................................................................. 11
Keypad Functions .................................................................................................................. 12
Function Keys......................................................................................................................... 13
Display Screen........................................................................................................................ 14
Battery Pack............................................................................................................................ 15
Monitoring the Battery Charge from the Display Screen...................................................... 15
Re-charging the Battery ....................................................................................................... 16
Using Non-rechargeable AA Batteries ................................................................................. 17
Boot, Bail, and Strap Features .............................................................................................. 18
Placing the Boot on the Gage .............................................................................................. 18
Removing the Boot from the Gage....................................................................................... 18
Using the Boot Strap and Bail .............................................................................................. 18
Other Gage Features .............................................................................................................. 18
Using the T/R 1 and T/R 2 Ports .......................................................................................... 18
Locating the USB Slot .......................................................................................................... 18
Using the Accessory Mount.................................................................................................. 18
Locating the Altitude Change Release Regulator ................................................................ 19
2 Using Basic Gage Operations ................................................................................................ 20
Power on the Gage ................................................................................................................. 20
Selecting the Menu Option .................................................................................................... 20
Performing a Reset................................................................................................................. 21
Database Reset.................................................................................................................... 22
Parameter Reset .................................................................................................................. 22
Database/Parameter Reset.................................................................................................. 23
About Screen .......................................................................................................................... 23
Backlight ................................................................................................................................. 24
3 Calibrating the Gage................................................................................................................ 25
Velocity Calibration Only ....................................................................................................... 25
Velocity and Zero Calibration................................................................................................ 26
Zero Calibration Only ............................................................................................................. 27
Delay Line Calibration............................................................................................................ 28
Automatic Zero ....................................................................................................................... 28
Measurement Mode with a Datalogger ................................................................................ 29
4 Customizing Display Options................................................................................................. 30
Backlight ................................................................................................................................. 30
Color ........................................................................................................................................ 30
User.......................................................................................................................................... 32
Waveform ................................................................................................................................ 32
Grid View ................................................................................................................................. 33
5 Adjusting the Initial Settings .................................................................................................. 36
About ....................................................................................................................................... 36
Auto Off ................................................................................................................................... 36
Clock........................................................................................................................................ 37
Language................................................................................................................................. 38

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General Lock........................................................................................................................... 38
Advanced Locks ..................................................................................................................... 39
Options .................................................................................................................................... 39
Reset........................................................................................................................................ 40
Resolution ............................................................................................................................... 40
Units......................................................................................................................................... 41
Beeper ..................................................................................................................................... 41
Vibrate ..................................................................................................................................... 42
6 Changing Measurement Options............................................................................................ 43
Alarm ....................................................................................................................................... 43
Vibrating Alarm Display........................................................................................................ 46
Blank........................................................................................................................................ 46
B-scan...................................................................................................................................... 47
Changing B-scan Max Thickness......................................................................................... 47
Saving an A-scan while in B-scan........................................................................................ 48
Differential (Diff) ..................................................................................................................... 49
Echo-to-Echo .......................................................................................................................... 50
Calibrating in Echo-to-Echo.................................................................................................. 52
Fast .......................................................................................................................................... 52
Gain.......................................................................................................................................... 53
Hold.......................................................................................................................................... 54
Measure Type.......................................................................................................................... 55
Range....................................................................................................................................... 56
Rect (Rectification)................................................................................................................. 56
Velocity.................................................................................................................................... 58
Transducer .............................................................................................................................. 59
7 Special Gage Functions .......................................................................................................... 60
Display Size Options .............................................................................................................. 60
Use of Blanks.......................................................................................................................... 60
Test .......................................................................................................................................... 60
Using the Save Option ........................................................................................................... 61
Choosing Where to Save the Readings................................................................................ 62
Using the Freeze Option ........................................................................................................ 63
Advanced Locks ..................................................................................................................... 64
8 Using the Datalogger Directory Mode.................................................................................... 67
Reviewing a File...................................................................................................................... 75
B-scan...................................................................................................................................... 76
9 Technical Specifications ......................................................................................................... 82
Product Specifications for the ECHO 9 Series .................................................................... 82
10 Software Options for the ECHO 9 Series............................................................................. 85
Datalogger with B-scan.......................................................................................................... 85
Saving a B-scan to Memory................................................................................................... 85
Encoded B-scan ..................................................................................................................... 85
Floating Gate........................................................................................................................... 86
Tracking gate .......................................................................................................................... 87
Peak Pitch Memory................................................................................................................. 89
Transducers ............................................................................................................................ 90
Acoustic Sound Speed for Common Materials ................................................................... 92
Updating the ECHO 9 Gage ................................................................................................... 94
Updating a Thickness Gage to be Compatible with Windows 8 or
Windows 10 USB .................................................................................................................... 95
Exporting Files from a Gage.................................................................................................. 96

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11 Additional ECHO Series Gage Information ......................................................................... 98
ECHO 7 and ECHO 8 Series................................................................................................... 98
Overview to Get Started....................................................................................................... 98
12 Technical Assistance .......................................................................................................... 101

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1 Getting Started
About the ECHO Series
The ECHO series are portable, digital, handheld ultrasonic thickness gages that are
specifically designed to measure the remaining wall thickness of primarily steel
structures.
ØVibralarm (vibrates gage below/above minimum/maximum thickness value)
ØIlluminating keypad for easy to view go-no-go thickness values
ØUnique, programmable left-hand/right-hand operation
ØUp to 20 hour battery life with rechargeable Li-Ion high capacity battery
ØSmall, easy to hold, ergonomic, custom molded, durable case with rubber keypad
designed for IP67 rating
ØMultiple dual and single element transducer options including high temperature
The ECHO 9 is a base gage in the color family offering a simple user interface packaged
in the same custom molded high-density plastic case with rubber keypad as the other
more sophisticated models. This gage offers reliable, accurate thickness readings on
mostly steel structures with access to only one side. The ECHO series can be easily
upgraded in the field to the add ECHO-9DL, EHCO-9CW, or ECHO-9DLW the live
color waveform (A-scan). We can even add our precision gage mode to allow for 0.0001"
resolution and higher frequency single element probes.
The ECHO-9W is a mid-range model consisting of the most commonly used features in a
thickness gage not requiring a datalogger, but with a live color A-scan. This model offers
gain adjustment, vibrating alarm and illuminating keypad conditions, and automated
transducer replacement notification feature. Like the ECHO 9, this model is field
upgradeable to include a datalogger with color waveform.
Our top of the line model, ECHO-9DLCW, contains all the same features of the ECHO 9
and ECHO-9CW and ECHO-9DL plus:
ØLive color waveform with gain, range, and rectify adjustments
Ø1M thickness reading Datalogger using a 32GB micro SD card memory is
essentially “unlimited”
ØThree pre-set files for linear, grid (row advance), grid (column advance), linear
plus custom point, 2D plus custom point, 3D, boiler, and sequential
ØB-scan
ØCustom rubber boot with built-in stand and 4-point chest harness
ØProbe Zero
Latest Software Updates
Danatronics periodically releases software updates with new and improved gage
functionality and features. You can download the latest standard software at no charge by
going to the ECHO section of www.danatronics.com and clicking on the support tab. Use

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the most recent version of Data XL, which is also available on the website to download at
no charge, and use the USB cable provided with the kit. Plug the cable into the USB port
on the top left of the ECHO and use the “Software Upgrade” tab to begin.
The following enhancements are included with the latest software for the ECHO 9 Series
(Version V1.15 or higher):
1. Coating Thickness
2. Temperature Correction
3. Stored Setups
4. Oxide Scale
Coating Thickness
For any ECHO 9 equipped with the live Waveform (A-scan), both the coating thickness
and substrate thickness can be displayed at the same time. When the Coating option is
enabled through the Menu options, the Measurements and the Calibration screen will be
turned on. ECHO will prompt you to calibrate the thickness of the substrate first (without
the coating), and preform your normal 2-point calibration (described later in this manual).
Next, you must perform Cal Zero on the thin section and Cal Vel on the thick section
followed by pressing the OK button. ECHO will then prompt you to put on a coating of
the known thickness and press the F3 Vel key to adjust the coating thickness displayed in
yellow in the top right hand corner of the screen (shown in the image below). ECHO
calculates the sound speed of the coating and substrate independently. There is no need
for special dual transducers.
Temperature Correction
The Temperature Correction feature allows you to enter the calibrated temperature,
current temperature, and coefficient factor, which corrects for sound speed variations
between the calibrated temperature and current temperature.

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Stored Setups
You can store and re-call up to 2,700 unique applications setups with this updated
feature, allowing for easy parameter recall for a more efficient inspection. ECHO keeps
track of various parameters, such as Gain, Range, Rectification, and Alarm Values. To
get started, follow the steps below.
1. Choose the transducer you are using and perform your normal test.
F1 F2 F3
2. If you alter a setup parameter, such as Gain, Range, Blank, or Rectification, then
you will see in the main Menu screen as shown below:
3. After scrolling to the Xducer Setups option, press the MENU/OK key. An
asterisk next to the transducer file you started with.

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4. At this point, you can either SAVE the file by pressing the F2 key or DISCARD
it by pressing the F3 key. If you press the F2 key to save the file, then a screen
will appear with an alphanumeric keypad so you can name the custom file.
5. After naming the file, press the F4 – Done key. The new custom setup file will
populate at the end of the transducer list.
When the new file is highlighted in the transducer list, you can press the
MENU/OK key to use the custom setup or press the F3 – DELETE key to the
delete it. You can also press the F4 – RENAME key to modify the file name.
Note: Default transducers in the initial library cannot be deleted.
6. You may have more than one custom setup, as shown in the example below:

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Oxide Scale
The Oxide Scale option comes standard on the ECHO-7W and ECHO-7DLW.
When equipped with the Oxide Scale option and a 20mhz delay line transducer, both
ECHO 7 and ECHO 8 units with live waveform can measure the Oxide Scale (0.015" –
0.040") and tube thickness calibrated to their independent sound speeds.
To use the Oxide Scale option, begin at the main Menu and go to the Setups option.
Select DEF S3, DLK2025-OXIDE, or DLK20125. Use samples of known tube thickness
and known oxide thickness to perform a calibration.
Press the MENU/OK key. Select the Calibration option followed by the MENU/OK
key. The following prompt will appear:
Use screen above
Follow the prompts by pressing the F2 key to calibrate the tube thickness first (Cal Zero
on the thin section, and Cal Vel on the thick section). Press the MENU/OK key. Next,
press the F3 –VEL key to calibrate while coupled to a sample with a known oxide scale
thickness.
Note: You may need to increase I.DB or F.DB to get an echo image similar to the one
shown below.