Extech Instruments TM500-NIST User manual

USER GUIDE
12-Channel Thermocouple Datalogger
Model TM500
99 Washington Street
Melrose, MA 02176 Phone
781-665-1400 Toll Free
1-800-517-8431
Visit us at www.TestEquipmentDepot.com

2TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
Introduction
CongratulationsonyourpurchaseoftheExtechTM500Thermometer,anSDLoggerSeriesmeter.
Thismeterdisplaysandstorestemperaturereadingsfromuptotwelve(12)TypeK,J,T,R,E,orS
thermocoupletemperatureprobes.LoggeddatareadingsarestoredonanSDcardfortransfertoa
PC.Inaddition,anRS232portallowsdatastreamingtoaPC.Thismeterisshippedfullytestedand
calibratedand,withproperuse,willprovideyearsofreliableservice.
MeterDescription
1. Thermocoupleinputs
2. DCpoweradapter,SDmemoryslot,andPCinterfacejack
3. PowerON‐OFFandBacklightkey
4. HOLDandNEXTkey
5. PowerON‐OFFandESCkey
6. RECandENTER
7. TYPE▲key(K,J,T,R,E,orS)
8. LOGGER(Offset)key
9. SET(TimeCheck)key
10. PAGE▼key(DisplayT1‐8orT9‐12)
LOG
TYPE PAGE
SET
ESC
HOLD
NEXT
REC
ENTER
12-Channel Thermocouple Datalogger
TM500
VIEW SAMPLE
RATE
VIEW TIME
OFFSET
F
CH8
CH7
CH6
CH5
CH4
CH3
CH2
CH1
K
1
2
3
4
56
78
910

3TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
DisplayDescription
1. TemperatureChannelnumber(1–8or9–12)
2. ThermocoupleTypeindicator(K,J,T,E,R,orS)
3. Temperaturereading
4. Unitsofmeasure(C/F)








GettingStarted
PowerON‐OFF
Powerthemeterbypressingthepowerbutton .
Pressandholdthepowerbuttonforatleast3secondstopowerOFFthemeter.
Thismeterispoweredbyeight(8)1.5VDC‘AA’batteriesorbyoptionalACadaptor.Ifthe
meterwillnotswitchONpleasecheckthatfreshbatteriesareinstalledintherearbattery
compartment(refertothebatteryreplacementsectionlaterinthisguide)or,inthecaseof
theACadaptor,checkthattheadaptorisconnectedcorrectlytothemeterandtoanAC
source(refertotheACPowerAdaptorsectionlaterinthisguide).

ConnectingThermocoupleSensors
ThismetercanacceptThermocoupletemperatureprobeTypesK,J,T,E,R,orS.
Connectuptotwelve(12)thermocouplestothesub‐miniaturejacksatthetopofthemeter
labeledT1throughT12.
Selectthedesiredmodeofoperation,andothersetupfeatures,intheSetupMode.Referto
theSetupModesectionbelow.

IMPORTANTNOTE:Thesuppliedthermocoupleprobesareuseableintherangeof‐20to+250°C
(‐4to+482°F)only;eventhoughthemetercandisplaytemperaturevaluesoutsideofthisrange.
Formeasuringoutsideoftherangespecifiedhere,pleaseobtainthermocouplesrated
accordingly.
F
CH8
CH7
CH6
CH5
CH4
CH3
CH2
CH1
K
1
2
3
4

4TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
SetupMode
Basicsettingsataglance
Toviewthecurrentconfigurationofthemeterwithregardtotime,date,anddatalogging
samplingratepresstheSETbuttonfor>4seconds.Themeterwillnowdisplaytheconfiguration
menu.TheSetuppagerevertstothetemperaturewindowinapproximately8secondsifthere
arenobuttonpresses.
AccessingtheSetupmode
1. PressandholdtheSETbuttonforatleast4secondstoaccesstheSetupmenu.
2. PresstheNEXTbuttonmomentarilytostepthroughtheavailableparameters.
3. WhenaparameterthatistobechangedisflashingclickENTERtoenterthechangemode.
UsethearrowkeystochoosethesettingandpresstheENTERbuttontomakethechange.
4. NotethatthemeterautomaticallyswitchesoutoftheSetupmodeifnokeyispressed
within8seconds.
5. TheavailableSetupparametersarelistedbelow.Additionaldetailedinformationis
providedbelowthislist:
dAtE Settheclock(Year/Month/Date;Hours/Minutes/Seconds)
LooP StartandEndaloopmeasurementcycle 
dEC
Setthenumericalformat;USA(decimal:20.00)orEuropean(comma:20,00)
PoFF Automaticpower‐off(Enableordisabletheauto‐powerofffunction)
bEEP SetthebeepersoundON/OFF
t‐CF Selectthetemperatureunitofmeasure(CorF)
SP‐t Setthedataloggersamplingrate(1to3600seconds)
SdF FormattheSDmemorycard
SettingtheClockTime
1. AccessthedAtEparameter.
2. PresstheENTERbutton.
3. UsethearrowbuttonstochangetheYEARvalue.PressENTERtoconfirmsetting.
4. RepeatforMONTH,DAY,HOUR,MINUTEandSECONDS.
5. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.
Note:Theclockwillkeepaccuratetimeevenwhenthemeterisswitchedoff.However,ifthe
batteriesexpiretheclockwillhavetoberesetafterfreshbatteriesareinstalled.
Test Equipment Depot - 800.517.8431 - 99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176
TestEquipmentDepot.com

5TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
SettingdataloggingLoopmode
Thismetercanbesettorecordtemperaturesforthesametimeeveryday.
Example–recordtemperatureseverydayfrom9:00to13:00
1.
AccesstheLooPparameter.
2.
PresstheENTERbutton.
3. SettheStartHour(0‐23)andpressENTER.
4.
SettheStartMinuteandpressENTER.
5. SettheStopHourandpressENTER.
6.
SettheStopMinuteandpressENTER.
7. PresstheupordownarrowtoindicateYESandpressENTER.
8. PresstheRECbuttonsotheRECiconisvisibleonthedisplay.Themeterisnowsetupto
recordtemperatureeverydayforthesettimewindow.

SettingdECmode‐NumericalFormat(commaordecimal)
EuropeanandUSAnumericalformatsdiffer.ThemeterdefaultstoUSAmodewhereadecimal
pointisusedtoseparateunitsfromtenths,i.e.20.00;TheEuropeanformatusesacomma,i.e.
20,00toseparateunitsfromtenths.Tochangethissetting:
1. AccessthedECparameter.
2. UsethearrowbuttonstoselectUSAorEUro.PressENTERtoconfirmsetting.
3. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.
SettingPoff‐Enabling/DisablingtheAutoPowerOFFFeature
1. AccessthePoFFparameter.
2. UsethearrowbuttonstoselectON(enable)orOFF(disable).WiththeAutoPowerOFF
featureenabled,themeterwillautomaticallyswitchOFFafter10minutesofinactivity.
3. PressENTERtoconfirmsetting.
4. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.
SettheBeeperSoundONorOFF
1. AccessthebEEPparameter.
2. UsethearrowbuttonstoselectONorOFF.PressENTERtoconfirmsetting.
3. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.

6TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
SettheTemperatureUnitsofMeasure(°Cor°F)
1. Accessthet‐CFparameter.
2. Usethearrowbuttonstoselect°Cor°F.PressENTERtoconfirmsetting.
3. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.
SettingtheDataloggerSamplingTime(Rate)
1. AccesstheSP‐tparameter.
2. Usethearrowbuttonstoselectthedesiredsamplingrate.Theavailablesettingsare: 0,1,2,
5,10,30,60,120,300,600,1800,and3600seconds.Use‘0’formanualloggingmode.A
samplingrate>1secondisrecommended. 
3.
PresstheENTERbuttontoconfirmtheentry. 
4. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.
SDCardFORMATTING
1. AccesstheSdFparameter.
2. UsethearrowbuttonstoselectYEStoformatthecard(selectNOtoabort).Notethatall
dataonthecardwillbelostifformattingisattempted.
3. PressENTERtoconfirmselection.
4. PressENTERagaintore‐confirm.
5. PresstheENTERbuttontoexittotheSetupmode.PressESCtoexitsetupmode.
  Note:alwaysformatanewSDmemorycardbeforeuse.

7TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
Measurementsandrelatedfeatures
BasicThermocoupleMode
ThermocouplesareconnectedatthetopofthemetertothejackslabeledT1throughT12.
Selectthethermocoupletype(J,K,etc.)tomatchthethermocoupletypeused.Innormal
thermocouplemodethemeterwillsimultaneouslydisplaythetemperatureforthermocouples
T1throughT12.Dashesaredisplayedifathermocoupleisnotconnectedorifthemeasurement
isoutofrange.
DataHold
Tofreezeameasurementonthedisplay,presstheHOLDbuttonmomentarily.Themeterwill
emitabeep,thereadingwillhold,andtheHOLDiconwillswitchon.PresstheHOLDbutton
againtoreleasethedisplayandexittheDataHoldmodereturningthemetertothenormal
operatingmode.
TemperatureDisplayOFFSET
TheVPC300allowstheusertosetadisplayoffsetthatappliestoallofthethermocouple
displaysequally.Tosetthedisplayoffsetfollowthestepsbelow:
1. PressandholdtheOFFSETbuttonfor3secondstoreachtheoffsetscreen.The
temperatureontheleftisthecurrentlydisplayedtemperatureforChannel1andthe
temperatureontherightistheoffsettemperature
2. Usetheupanddownarrowkeystoadjustthedisplayontherighttooffsetthedisplayas
desired.
3. Whenfinished,presstheENTERbuttontostoretheoffsetandreturntonormaloperation.
4. Allofthethermocouplereadingswillnowreflecttheoffsetvalueprogrammedbythe
user.

TocleartheOFFSET,followthestepsbelow:
1. SwitchthemeterpowerOFF
2. PressandholdtheHOLDandRECbuttonswhileswitchingthemeterpowerON
3. ReleasethetwobuttonswhenthemeterswitchesON
4. PressandholdtheOFFSETbuttonfor5secondsandthedisplaywillshowCODE100
5. UsetheuparrowbuttontochangefromCODE100toCODE125andthenpressENTER
6. UsethearrowbuttonstoselectYESorNOandthenpressENTER
7. IfYESisselected,themeterwillclearthepreviouslyprogrammedoffset.IfNOisselected,
themeterwillretaintheoffsetprogrammedbytheuser.
MAX‐MINReadings
Foragivenmeasurementsession,thismetercanrecordthehighest(MAX)andthelowest(MIN)
readingsforlaterrecall.
1. PresstheRECbuttonmomentarilytoaccessthismodeofoperation(RECiconappears)
2. ThemeterisnowrecordingtheMAXandMINreadings.
3. PresstheRECbuttonagaintoviewthecurrentMAXreadings(MAXiconappears).The
readingsonthedisplayarenowthehighestreadingsencounteredsincetheRECiconwas

8TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
switchedon(whentheMAX‐MINbuttonwasfirstpressed).TodeletetheMAXvalue,press
theHOLDbutton.ThedisplaywillshowjusttheRECicon.
4. PresstheRECbuttonagaintoviewthecurrentMINreadings(MINiconappears).The
readingsonthedisplayarenowthelowestreadingsencounteredsincetheRECiconwas
switchedon(whentheMAX‐MINbuttonwasfirstpressed).TodeletetheMINvalue,press
theHOLDbutton.ThedisplaywillshowjusttheRECicon.
5. ToexittheMAX‐MINmode,pressandholdtheRECbuttonforatleast1.5seconds.The
meterwillbeep,theREC‐MAX‐MINiconswillswitchoff,theMAX‐MINmemorywillclear,
andthemeterwillreturntothenormaloperatingmode.
DisplayBacklight
ToturnthedisplaybacklightONorOFF,pressthebacklight buttonmomentarily.Themeter
willbeepwhenswitchingthebacklightONorOFFunlessthebeeperisdisabledasdescribedin
theSetupModesectionofthisuserguide.
TimeCheck
MomentarilypresstheSETbuttonandthemeterscurrentDateandTimewillappearinthe
lowerleftcornerofthedisplay.
SamplingTimeCheck
Wheninnormalmode,presstheLOGGERbuttonmomentarily.TheSampleratesettingwill
appearinthelowerleftcornerofthedisplay.
RS‐232/USBPCInterface
ForstreamingofdatatoaPCviatheRS232Outputjack,theoptional407001‐USBkit(USBcable
anddriverCD)alongwiththe407001softwarearerequired.
ACPowerAdaptor
Thismeterisnormallypoweredbyeight(8)1.5V‘AA’batteries.Anoptional9Vpoweradaptoris
available.Whentheadaptorisused,themeterispermanentlypoweredandthepowerbutton
willbedisabled.
Test Equipment Depot - 800.517.8431 - 99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176
TestEquipmentDepot.com

9TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
DataloggingandPCInterface
TypesofDataRecording
ManualDatalogging:Manuallylogupto99readingsontoanSDcardviapush‐buttonpress.
Thesampleratemustbesetto0toimplementthismode.
AutomaticDatalogging:AutomaticallylogdataontoanSDmemorycardwherethenumber
ofdatapointsisvirtuallylimitedonlybythecardsize.Readingsareloggedataratespecified
bytheuserfrom1to3600seconds.
RS‐232/USB:ThemeterincludesanRS‐232/USBPCinterfacejacklocatedonthelowerright
sideofthemeterunderthesnap‐offcompartmentcover.ForstreamingofdatatoaPCvia
theRS232Outputjack,theoptional407001‐USBkit(USBcableanddriverCD)alongwiththe
407001softwareare required.
SDCardInformation
InsertanSDcard(from1Gsizeupto16G)intotheSDcardslotatthebottomofthemeter.
Thecardmustbeinsertedwiththefrontofthecard(labelside)facingtowardtherearofthe
meter.
IftheSDcardisbeingusedforthefirsttimeitisrecommendedthatthecardbeformatted
andthelogger’sclocksettoallowforaccuratedate/timestampingduringdatalogging
sessions.RefertotheSetupModesectionforSDcardformattingandtime/datesetting
instructions.
EuropeanandUSAnumericalformatsdiffer.ThedataontheSDcardcanbeformattedfor
eitherformat.ThemeterdefaultstoUSAmodewhereadecimalpointisusedtoseparate
unitsfromtenths,i.e.20.00.TheEuropeanformatusesacomma,i.e.20,00.Tochangethis
setting,refertotheSetupModesection.
ManualDatalogging
InthemanualmodetheuserpressestheLOGbuttontomanuallylogareadingontotheSDcard.
1. Setthesamplingrateto‘0’secondsasdescribedintheSetupModesection.
2. PressRECbuttontoturnonmanualrecordmode.TheRECiconwillappearintheupper
leftcornerofthedisplay.Thelowerportionofthedisplaywillshowp‐n(n=memory
positionnumber1‐99).
3. PresstheENTERbuttonmomentarilytologareadingintomemory.TheLOGGERiconwill
flasheachtimeadatapointisstored(theSCANSDiconwillappearwhenthemeter
accessesthecard).
4. Advancetothenextmemorylocationusingtheuparrow▲button.
5. Toexitthemanualdataloggingmode,pressandholdtheRECbuttonforatleast1.5
seconds.

10 TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
AutomaticDatalogging
Inautomaticdataloggingmodethemetertakesandstoresareadingatauser‐specifiedsampling
rateontoanSDmemorycard.Themeterdefaultstoasamplingrateoftwoseconds.Tochange
thesamplingrate,refertotheSetupModesection(thesamplingratecannotbe‘0’for
automaticdatalogging):
1. PressRECbuttontoturnonrecordmode.TheRECiconwillappearintheupperleftcorner
ofthedisplay.
2. StartanautomaticDataloggingsessionbypressingtheLOGGERbutton.
3. ThemeterwillscanforanSDcardandverifythatitcanbeusedtostoredata.Ifacardis
notinsertedorifthecardisdefective,themeterwilldisplaySCANSDindefinitely.Inthis
case,switchthemeterOFFandtryagainwithavalidSDcard.
4. IftheSDcardisvalid,thedisplaywillshowtheDATALOGGERiconandthenthe
DATALOGGERandtheRECiconswillflasheachtimethatareadingisstored.
5. TopausethedataloggerpresstheLOGGERbuttonmomentarily.TheDATALOGGERandREC
iconswillstopflashing.ToresumeloggingsimplypresstheLOGGERbuttonagain
momentarily.
6. ToterminatethedataloggingsessionpresstheLOGGERbuttontostoptheloggingandthen
presstheRECbuttonforatleast1.5seconds.
7. WhenanSDcardisusedforthefirsttimeafolderiscreatedonthecardandnamed
TMD01.Upto99spreadsheetdocuments(eachwith30,000readings)canbestoredinthis
folder.
8. WhendataloggingbeginsanewspreadsheetdocumentnamedTMD01001.xlsiscreatedon
theSDcardintheTMD01folder.ThedatarecordedwillbeplacedintheTMD01001.xls
documentuntil30,000readingsarereached.
9. Ifthemeasurementsessionexceeds30,000readings,anewdocumentwillbecreated
(TMD01002.xls)whereanother30,000readingscanbestored.Thismethodcontinuesfor
upto99documents,afterwhichanotherfolderiscreated(TMD02)whereanother99
spreadsheetdocumentscanbestored.Thisprocesscontinuesinthissamefashionwith
foldersTMD03throughTMD10(lastallowablefolder).

11 TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
SDDataCardtoPCDataTransfer
1. Completeadataloggingsessionasdetailedinaboveintheprevioussections.Hint:Forthe
firsttest,simplyrecordasmallamountoftestdata.Thisistoensurethatthedatalogging
processiswellunderstoodbeforecommittingtocriticaldatalogging.
2. WiththemeterswitchedOFF,removetheSDCard.
3. PlugtheSDCarddirectlyintoaPCSDcardreader.IfthePCdoesnothaveanSDcardslot,
useanSDcardadaptor(availableatmostoutletswherecomputeraccessoriesaresold).
4. PowerthePCandrunaspreadsheetsoftwareprogram.Openthesaveddocumentsinthe
spreadsheetsoftwareprogram(seeexamplespreadsheetdatascreensbelow).

Spreadsheetdataexample




Spreadsheetexample(Plottingthedata)









12 TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
BatteryReplacementandDisposal
Whenthelowbatteryicon appearsontheLCD,thebatteriesmustbereplaced.Several
hoursofaccuratereadingsarestillpossibleinthiscondition;howeverbatteriesshouldbe
replacedassoonaspossible:
Removethetwo(2)Phillipsscrewsfromtherearofthemeter.
Removeandsafelyplacethebatterycompartmentandscrewswheretheywillnotbelost.
Replacetheeight(8)1.5V‘AA’batteriesobservingpolarity.
Replacethebatterycompartmentcoverwiththetwo(2)Phillipsscrews.
BatterySafetyReminders
Neverdisposeofbatteriesinafire.Batteriesmayexplodeorleak.
Nevermixbatterytypes.Alwaysinstallnewbatteriesofthesametype.
Asconsumers,usersarelegallyrequiredtotakeusedbatteriestoappropriate
collectionsites,theretailstorewherethebatterieswerepurchased,orwherever
batteriesaresold.
Disposal:Donotdisposeofthisinstrumentinhouseholdwaste.Theuserisobligated
totakeend‐of‐lifedevicestoadesignatedcollectionpointforthedisposalof
electricalandelectronicequipment.
Test Equipment Depot - 800.517.8431 - 99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176
TestEquipmentDepot.com

13 TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
Specifications
GeneralSpecifications
DisplayBacklitLCD;LCDsize: 82×61mm(3.23×2.40")
StatusindicatorsOver‐range(‐‐‐‐)andlowbattery 
MeasurementChannelsT1toT12
SensortypesThermocoupletypes:K,J,T,E,R,andS
MeasurementUnits°C/°F
OffsetAdjustmentToadjustthezerotemperaturedeviationvalue
LinearityCompensationLinearcompensationforthefullrange
DataloggerSamplingRateAUTOLOGGING:1,2,5,10,30,60,120,300,600,1800,
3600seconds.Notethataone(1)secondsamplingrate
cancausesomedatalossonslowercomputers
MemoryCardSDmemorycard;1Gto16GBsize
TemperatureCompensationAutomaticcompensationforallthermocoupletypes
DisplayupdaterateApprox.1second.
DataOutputRS‐232/USBPCcomputerinterface(9600,N,8,1)
OperatingTemperature0to50°C(32to122°F)
OperatingHumidity85%R.H.maximum
AutoPowerOFFAfter10minutesofinactivity(canbedisabled)
PowerSupplyEight(8)1.5VDCbatteries(optional9VACadaptor)
PowerConsumptionWithbacklight&dataloggerOFF:approx.7.5mAdc
WithbacklightOFFanddataloggerON:approx.25mAdc
WithbacklightONanddataloggerON:approx.36mAdc
Weight827g(1.84lbs.)meteronly
DimensionsMaininstrument:225x125x64mm(8.86x4.92x2.52”)



14 TM500-EU-EN v1.1 12/13
ThermocoupleInput (typesK,J,T,E,R,andS) 
Thesuppliedthermocoupleprobesareuseableintherangeof‐20to+250°C(‐4to+482°F)only.For
measuringoutsideofthisrange,pleaseobtainthermocouplesratedaccordingly.
Accuracyspecifiedformeteronly.Inputprobesaddadditionalmeasurementerror.GenerallyRTD
probesintroduceasmallererrorthanthermocouples.
TheabovespecificationsaretestedunderanenvironmentalRFFieldStrengthlowerthan3V/Mand
afrequencylowerthan30MHz
SensorTypeResolutionRangeAccuracy
TypeK
0.1
° C 
‐100.0to‐50.1 ° C  ±(0.4%+1 ° C) 
‐50.0to999.9 ° C  ± (0.4%+0.5° C) 
1°C  1000to1300 ° C  ±(0.4%+1 ° C) 
0.1 ° F 
‐148.0to‐58.1 ° F  ±(0.4%+1.8 ° F) 
‐58.0to999.9 ° F  ±(0.4%+1 ° F) 
1° F  1000to2372 ° F  ±(0.4%+2 ° F) 
TypeJ 
0.1 ° C 
‐100.0to‐50.1 ° C  ± (0.4%+1° C )
‐50.0to999.9 ° C  ±(0.4%+0.5 ° C) 
1° C  1000to1150 ° C  ±(0.4%+1 ° C) 
0.1 ° F 
‐148.0to‐58.1 ° F  ±(0.4%+1.8 ° F) 
‐58.0to999.9 ° F  ± (0.4%+1° F )
1 ° F  1000to2102 ° F  ±(0.4%+2 ° F) 
TypeT 
0.1 ° C 
‐100.0to‐50.1 ° C  ±(0.4%+1 ° C) 
‐50.0to400.0 ° C  ±(0.4%+0.5 ° C) 
0.1 ° F 
‐148.0to‐58.1 ° F  ±(0.4%+1.8 ° F) 
‐58.0to752.0 ° F  ± (0.4%+1° F )
TypeE 
0.1 ° C 
‐100.0to‐50.1 ° C  ±(0.4%+1 ° C) 
‐50.0to900.0 ° C  ±(0.4%+0.5 ° C) 
0.1 ° F 
‐148.0to‐58.1 ° F  ±(0.4%+1.8 ° F) 
‐58.0to999.9 ° F  ± (0.4%+1° F )
1 ° F  1000to1652 ° F  ±(0.4%+2 ° F) 
TypeR 
1 ° C 
0to600 ° C 
±(0.5%+3 ° C) 
601to1700 ° C 
1° F 
32to1112 ° F 
±(0.5%+5 ° F) 
1113to3092°F 
TypeS 
1 ° C 
0to600 ° C 
±(0.5%+3 ° C) 
601to1500°C 
1° F 
32to1112 ° F 
±(0.5%+5 ° F) 
1113 to2732 ° F 