FP-TECH Auto VH1 User manual

Auto VH1 User Manual
Last update: 2022-02-15
This manual can be downloaded in pdf format here: [Auto VH1 User Manual pdf]
The latest version of this manual can be found by scanning the QR code on the main unit or at this
url:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PKKcvXml7m4sm62oZJSDlhwSv1StEfk82z2V0mY9Wq4/edit?
usp=sharing
Or: http://tiny.cc/0128iz
Congratulations on the new tool you selected.
This is the user manual for the Auto VH 1 (v 1.4), Automatic Vacuum
pump and Heater controller for use in composite work or related
applications.
Units prior to v1.3 does not show the firmware version at start up must
refer to the old manual available here. Owners of the pre-v1.4 units
can contact us to arrange for a firmware update to provide you with an
enhanced unit.
The Auto VH1 was designed by a composite builder for the composite builder that needs a device to
help with the requirements of the layup, moulding and curing of composite materials like carbon fibre,
fiberglass, epoxies and other resins. For most of these materials good temperature control is
required and a vacuum controller to manage the vacuum at the right level and help to protect the
pump by avoiding over running or over cycling the pump.
Items covered in this manual:
Auto VH1 controller overview
Operating Instructions
Set Pressure - Units, upper & lower limits
Set Temperature limits
Accessories: AutoVH1 Max Power high power heater controller use.
Disclaimer:
The AutoVH1 units are used in various environments out of the Manufacturer and distributor’s control
and therefore the manufacturer and distributor is not liable for any injury, loss or damage whatsoever,
not to the unit and also not to any person or other property or work. The use of the unit is entirely at
your own risk.

The Auto VH1 Controller
The unit comes with a 15Amp, 3 point plug and
allows for a vacuum pump and a heater to be
connected. Note that the vacuum pump or the
heater unit may not exceed 10A or 15A in total.
The unit has a front panel and two 3 point AC
sockets.
One socket marked in Yellow to control the
Vacuum Pump.
One socket marked in Red to control the Heater
unit. Both sockets have a “on/off” switch which
must be in the “On” position for normal operation.
The switch can be turned off in an emergency as
an extra level of manual over-ride.
On the front panel of the unit you will find the
following:
OLED display in the centre indicates status and is
used for configuration.
Yellow LED: Indicates when the vacuum pump
socket is powered either directly or with the Auto
function.
Red LED: Indicates when the heater
socket is powered either directly or with
the Auto function.
Blue LED: Indicates when the unit is in
Auto mode and the on/off control will be
done based on the current configuration
settings.
The 4 arrow buttons control the unit. The
operating controls and configurations are
detailed below.
On the side of the unit there is a short
black pipe which must be connected to
your vacuum system. This pipe connects
the unit’s sensor to measure the vacuum
level to control the vacuum pump based on your settings.

A temperature probe connector also comes out from the side of the unit that must be placed inside
the area you wish to control the heat with a heater. This probe can be extended with a normal servo
extension cable available from RC Hobby shops.
Operating Instructions
Before you connect your Vacuum Pump and
Heater to the unit, familiarise yourself with
the workings of the unit.
To turn the unit on, plug it into a 220VAC wall
outlet.
The screen will initialise and some or all of
the LED’s on the front panel will light up.
The unit has a small vacuum reservoir and
pipe allowing the unit to be connected to
your vacuum line system. The pressure
sensor is located inside this small chamber which is part of the Auto VH 1 unit. It is advised that the
unit be connected between the pump and a reservoir or degas chamber to help avoid resins leaking
from the bagged system into the pressure monitor.
On the front panel the 4 arrow buttons control the menus and set the values.
◄“Left” or “Back” button
►“Right” or “Enter” button
▼“Down” button
▲“Up” button
Due to the environment of pumps and heaters the unit need to be
resistant to a noisy environment and the button presses are
designed to be held for about 0.5 seconds to register. A short press
will not be recognised.
(Some of the first units (Jan 2020) may require a longer button
press to register the button press)
When the unit starts go to the “Main Menu”
If you are not on the main menu press ◄ until you see the “Main
Menu” (on right)
The Auto VH1 has 4 main items:

Set Pressure: Adjust the vacuum pressure limits and the vacuum units.
Set Temperature: Adjust the temperature rage for the Heater operation in degrees Celsius.
Run Screen: In this mode the unit indicates the live Vacuum pressure and limits as well as the live
Temperature of the probe and the limits.
Settings: Calibrate the pressure to atmospheric level. Set pump and heater run time safety limits and
wait times to protect your pump and heater.
The “SETTINGS” menu
Press the ▲ or ▼ button to move the “>” pointer to the “SETTINGS”
line
Press ► “Enter”
The unit will now enter the settings menu.
This menu item is the last menu and will not be used often.
This menu allows the user to set safety limits for pump and heater run times.
In the event of your system developing a tear which leaks significantly it may lead to your pump
running for very long periods. These safety limits will stop your pump (and heater on different
settings) after a set maximum run time and then switch off, regardless of operating mode.
In this mode move the “-” cursor with the ▲ or ▼ button to be next to the item to be set. Now press
► “Enter”.
The first setting to set, is the Maximum time the vacuum pump may
run continuously.
V onmax Time: with the “-” cursor on this menu item press ► “Enter”
Now use the ▲ or ▼ buttons to change the maximum on time for the
vacuum pump in minutes
Now press ► “Enter” to return
Also set the “V wait Time” in the same way as above. This wait time is the time in minutes the pump
will not be switched on after a maximum on time limit was reached. This is to allow the pump to cool
down.
Under normal operating conditions these parameters should not control the unit, it is only safety
timers. The vacuum measurement and limits should control the vacuum pump.
The above procedure can also be used to set the maximum time the heater may be switched on as a
safety measure. Also enter the wait time for the heater to stay off in the event it switched off due to
the safety timer. Under normal operations with the limits at reasonable time periods the heater will be
controlled only by the temperature control function of the unit.
The last item in the “SETTINGS’ menu is the “Calibrate Pres” setting.
This setting allows you to set the unit's internal sensor to the
surrounding atmospheric pressure. This allows you to set and

measure some of the vacuum units relative to your current atmospheric pressure. (mmHg, inHg,
%Vacuum)
In this mode move the “-” cursor with the ▲ or ▼ button to be next to
the item to be set. Now press ► “Enter”.
On the screen you will now see the “Live Pressure” and the last
calibrated setting.
Before you calibrate the pressure make sure the vacuum line from the
unit is NOT connected to your vacuum system or pump and that there
are no valves that may affect the pressure to the sensor. You need an
open line to the AutoVH 1 units vacuum chamber to calibrate accurately.
Press ► “Enter” to set the Calibrated pressure equal to the atmospheric
pressure.
Now press the ◄“Left” or “Back” button to exit this calibration menu
and press the ◄“Left” or “Back” button again to exit the “SETTINGS”
menu.
To Set the Pressure range for the Vacuum Pump
Press the ▲ or ▼ button to move the “>” pointer to the “Pressure
Settings” line
Press ► “Enter”
The unit will now enter the Pressure settings menu.
The basic unit of pressure is mBar and the unit measures the
absolute pressure in mBar and this is converted to the other units
selectable on the controller. With the unit’s vacuum line not attached
the atmospheric pressure would be seen on the display. For
Gauteng, South Africa, it is about 860mBar and should be close to
1000mBar at the coast. The reset function in the “Settings” menu will
allow you to set vacuum levels relative to the calibrated pressure.
In this mode move the “-” cursor next to “U”, “L” and “Units” with the ▲ or ▼ button to be next to the
unit. Now press ► “Enter”.
“U”: upper pressure limit (least vacuum)
“L”: lower pressure limit (highest vacuum)
Press ▲ or ▼ button to select the desired unit.
(mBar, %Vacuum, inches mercury (inHg) or mmHg)
See the table at the back of the manual for the definitions and relative values between units and
some conversion calculation.
It is important to note the Upper and Lower definitions used here. The upper limit is the least vacuum
and the Lower limit is the higher vacuum setting. In other words your vacuum pump will start at the
Upper limit of pressure and then pump air out of the system, lower the
pressure until it reaches the Lower limit.

To set the Upper and Lower limits after you set the unit, move the “-” cursor to the “U” or “L” and press
► “Enter”. The”-” cursor will change to “>” cursor indicating item to be changed. Use the ▲ or ▼
button to set the desired limits.
Note that in the mBar setting the reading will change with 20mBar (minimum resolution of setting). In
other units the setting may jump or move only after 2 or 3 clicks as the base unit of 20mBar does not
result in a direct change on the screen. It is therefore also possible that you may not select an exact
inHg set point for example as it may be either above or below the closest 20mBar setting.
When the desired point is reached press the ◄“Left” or “Back” button to change the cursor to”-”
again.
Now move the cursor to the other limit and repeat above for that limit setting.
After the units, Upper and Lower limits have been set, press the ◄“Left” or “Back” button to escape
back to the main menu.
Note that the settings will be saved even when the unit is turned off. The next time the unit is
switched on the last set unit and limits will be active.
Note on vacuum use:
When a low/weak vacuum is desired to avoid compressing a medium too much, a test must be made
first to get a feeling for the vacuum settings and the effect on the object subjected to the forces of the
vacuum.
The vacuum upper and lower limits can be adjusted after the unit has been switched to auto and the
new set limit will then take immediate effect.
To set the temperature range for the Heater
From the Main Menu move the cursor to the “Set Temp” item and press ►
“Enter”.
On the left of the screen the “Real Temp” indicates the current temperature
at the probe. If the temperature reading shows -127 or over typed
readings the sensor may not be plugged in.
Press ▲ or ▼ button to select the “U” upper or “L” lower temperature point
to be set by moving the “-” cursor.
Press ► “Enter”. The”-” cursor will change to “>” cursor indicating the
item to be changed. Use the ▲ or ▼ button to set the desired limits.
Remember that if your heater has a thermostat it must be off or higher
than these limits else it will switch off before the set temperature is
reached.
For the best temperature settings refer to your resin system specifications.
The temperature limits can be set after the unit is operating in auto mode
and the new set limit will take immediate effect.

Normal running of the unit
From the Main Menu move the cursor to the “Run Screen” item and
press ► “Enter”.
The unit will now enter the main operating mode.
By pressing ► “Enter” the mode will toggle between:
“OFF”: Both Vacuum pump and Heater power sockets turned OFF,
regardless of limits set.
“ON”: Both Vacuum pump and Heater power sockets turned ON,
regardless of limits set
“AUTO”: Bothe Vacuum and Heater sockets will now power ON/OFF
based on the sensor readings to try and maintain a vacuum or
temperature in the set limits.
In the Auto mode the Blue LED will
be on and the Yellow and Red
LED’s will come on respectively
when the set limits have been
reached.
When you find in the Auto mode
your vacuum pump cycles too often
for a short time the set limits may
be too close and you may have a
significant leak in the vacuum
bagging system. During the first
couple of minutes frequent cycling
is normal as the trapped air is
sucked out.
The addition of a degas chamber or “vacuum reservoir” will help to stretch the time between pump
cycles and also ensure a more constant vacuum.
NOTE:
In the running mode in both “ON” and “Auto” the vacuum pump and heater may switch off even when
the pressure or temperature levels are not reach during conditions when the pump or heater was
running for longer than the safety timers set in the “SETTINGS” menu. By toggling between “ON”,
“AUTO”, “OFF” the safety timers will be reset and the vacuum pump and heater will operate again as
normal.

Accessories
AutoVH1 Max Power: High Power Module H1
AutoVH1 Max Power:
The AutoVH1 controller can control
Vacuum pumps and heaters up to 10A
(or 2KW). For sustained high use,
commercial use or power up to 3.5kW
(or 16A) a special “High Power
Module H1” is available to use with the
AutoVH1.
The AutoVH1 Max Power unit plugs
into the AutoVH1 controller with the
designated power plug.
The AutoVH1 Max Power unit also
plugs into a 16A wall outlet with the
designated power plug.
A heater up to 3500W (or 16A) can
then be managed by the AutoVH1
controller via the AutoVH1 Max Power
unit.

Specifications
- Bright OLED 0.96inch display
- High accuracy solid state sensors
- Operating temperature:
>> unit: 45deg celcius max.
>> Temperature probe: 120 deg celcius max.
- dimensions :
Main unit: 215 mm x 128 mm x 55 mm
Weight: 915g
-220VAC supply
-Max power per AC Socket on the device:
>> 10Amp Max or 2000W
>> Both sockets combined may not exceed 15Amp or 3000W
-**With the High Power Module H1 accessory unit the heater controller power that can be controlled
can be increased to 3.5kW (or 16Amp)
How to take care of the unit:
- It is recommended to place a “screen protector” over the screen. Any cheap phone screen
protector can be used. Cut to size and place over the screen to protect against dust and
resins spoiling the screen.
- Keep dry
- Keep out of direct sunlight
- Only operate in an environment suitable for humans
- Do not drop and avoid unnecessary vibrations
- Switch the unit off after use
- Take care to avoid the leakage of any resins into the pipe connected to the unit. Should resin
enter the units sensor chamber the pressure sensor will be destroyed. It is recommended to
always make use of a reservoir or chamber between the vacuum bag system and the
pressure controller and vacuum pump.
- - - - - - - -
Enjoy your unit and we trust your creations will be great.
Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
Email: [email protected]
_______________________________________________________________________

The definition of Vacuum
For background information and to put the readings you see into context this part is provided as extra
material on different vacuum measurement units and its inter relations and conversion.
Source:
Convert from % Vacuum to Unit of Pressure
The % of vacuum is a relative value where pressure at normal or standard atmosphere is the base value.
pv% = 100% - (pv/ patm) 100% (1)
where
pv% = vacuum (%)
pv= absolute pressure (psia, kPa, bar ..)
patm = absolute presure at normal or standard conditions (psia, kPa, bar ..)
Table below refers to sea level
%
Vacuum
Torr
(mm
Mercury)
Micron
psia,
(lb/in2
abs)
Inches
Mercury
Absolute
Inches
Mercury
Gauge
kPa
abs
0.0
760.0
760,000
14.7
29.92
0.00
101.4
1.3
750.0
750,000
14.5
29.5
0.42
99.9
1.9
735.6
735,600
14.2
28.9
1.02
97.7
7.9
700.0
700,000
13.5
27.6
2.32
93.5
21.0
600.0
600,000
11.6
23.6
6.32
79.9
34.0
500.0
500,000
9.7
19.7
10.22
66.7
47.0
400.0
400,000
7.7
15.7
14.22
53.2
50.0
380.0
380,000
7.3
15.0
14.92
50.8
61.0
300.0
300,000
5.8
11.8
18.12
40
74.0
200.0
200,000
3.9
7.85
22.07
26.6
87.0
100.0
100,000
1.93
3.94
25.98
13.3
88.0
90.0
90,000
1.74
3.54
26.38
12
89.5
80.0
80,000
1.55
3.15
26.77
10.7
90.8
70.0
70,000
1.35
2.76
27.16
9.3
92.1
60.0
60,000
1.16
2.36
27.56
8
93.0
51.7
51,700
1.00
2.03
27.89
6.9
93.5
50.0
50,000
0.97
1.97
27.95
6.7
94.8
40.0
40,000
0.77
1.57
28.35
5.3
96.1
30.0
30,000
0.58
1.18
28.74
4
96.6
25.4
25,400
0.49
1.00
28.92
3.4
97.4
20.0
20,000
0.39
0.785
29.14
2.7
98.7
10.0
10,000
0.193
0.394
29.53
1.3
99.0
7.6
7,600
0.147
0.299
29.62
1.0
99.87
1.0
1,000
0.01934
0.03937
29.88
0.13
99.90
0.75
750
0.0145
0.0295
29.89
0.1
99.99
0.10
100
0.00193
0.00394
29.916
0.013
99.999
0.01
10
0.000193
0.000394
29.9196
0.0013
100
0.00
0
0
0
29.92
0