General tools FHT803 User manual

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Instruction ManualThank you for your selection of this Fruit Hardness Tester. To ensure that you get the most out of the instrument, we strongly recommend you read and follow the instructions in this manual carefully. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FRUITS & VEGETABLESMULTIPLE DISPLAY UNIT-KG, LB, N & PaEASY ZERO ADJUSTMENT.ACCURACY VERIFICATIONFruit Hardness Tester
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!*held compact penetrometer for fruit firmness and some vegetable hardness testing, the universally accepted measure of ripeness.*The FHT series is the growers' indispensable tool for knowing when to pick and ship.*The FHT Fruit Tester measures the force required to push a The Ripeness Tester is a hand- Accurate Fruit Testing Requires:Controlling tip penetration.Providing a means to verify gage accuracy.Controlling the speed of tip penetration.1. FEATURESGeneral operation precautions WARNING
plunger tip of specified size into the fruit pulp. The force reading assists in determining the appropriate picking time or monitoring fruit softening during storage.* Because of the number of fruit and vegetable varieties, geographical locations and other variations, the appropriate firmness for harvesting will vary. Therefore FHT users must combine experience and expertise to establish the firmness value that applies to their specific variety and locale.* Automatic power off to conserve power.* Can communicate with PC for recording, printing and analyzing by the optional software and cable for RS232C interface.
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2. A GUIDE TO SELECT THE MODELthe model of FHT Fruit Testers to chose from 3 models is used with specific size penetrometer tips for testing ripeness of specific fruit.FHT-801 (3.5mm) Small Fruits, Soft Fruits,FHT-802 (3.5mm) Small & Large Fruits, Firm Fruits, Hard FruitsFHT-803 (7.9mm) Larger Fruits, Firm Fruits ,Hard Fruits(11.1mm) Apple, Firm FruitsSmall Fruits: e.g. Strawberry, Cherry, Grape , BerriesSoft Fruits: e.g. Peach, Banana, Apricot, Plum, Melon, Citrus, PersimmonFirm Fruits: e.g. Pear, Nectarine, KiwiHard Fruits: e.g. Avocado
Display 4 digits,10 mm LCDRange: Model FHT-80120.2-5.0 kgf/cmTip size 3.5mmModel FHT-80220.5-15.0 kgf/cmTip size 3.5mmModel FHT-80320.2-11.0 kgf/cm Tip size 11.1mm20.4-22.0 kgf/cm Tip size 7.9mmTip size can be interchanged after tip size is chosen. Resolution: 0.01 if reading<100.1 if 10<reading<99.91 if reading>100Unit conversion:2 kgf (kgf/cm )2lbf (lbf/cm )2N (N/cm)Pa2Accuracy: ± (1%H+0.1)kgf/cmPower supply: 4x1.5 AAA size3. SPECIFICATIONS

Power off : 2 modesManual off at any timeAuto power off after 5 minutes from last key operationOperating conditions:Temperature : 0-45℃Humidity : below 90% RHDimensions: 204x62x33mm or 8.0x2.4x1.3 inchWeight: 230g (not including batteries)Standard accessories included : Carrying case ………………1 pc. Operation manual………… .1 pc.Optional accessory:Cable and software for RS232C and USB
3-1 Display3-8 RS-232C interface3-9 Battery compartment3-2 Power key (Multifunctional)3-3 Unit conversion3-4 Tip selection (FHT-803 only)3-5 Max hold key3-6 Zero 3-7 Plunger tip
4. FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS3-53-43-33-23-63-83-13-73-9
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5. MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES
Larger Fruits A. Select an appropriate plunger tip for the commodity to be tested. See “A GUIDE TO SELECT THE MODEL”.B. Select a random sample of 10 to 15 fruits of uniform size and the same temperature or 3% of the lot to be sampled. For best results, suggest one person should test the lot.C. Remove a disc of skin on opposite cheeks of the fruit midway between the stem and bottom on sun and shade sides. Then proceed with puncture test.D. Zero adjustmentHold the FHT vertically with the plunger tip hanging in the air, the
reading on the display should be 0. If not, depress the 'ZERO' key to make the FHT tester display '0'.E. Hold the fruit against a hard surface and force the tip vertically into the pulp at a uniform speed (take about 3 seconds). F. The tip should consistently penetrate to the break in tip diameter or to the scribed line on some tips.G. Record reading on the display. H. If a maximum reading is needed, just press the key 'MAX' till the mark 'Max' shows on the display before taking measurements. The appearance of mark 'Max' is controlled by the key 'MAX'.I. To take the next measurement, just depress the 'ZERO' key and repeat steps from E to G. J. Unit conversion is controlled by depressing the key 'UNIT'.K. For the model FHT-803, make sure the plunger tip is in accordance
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with the tip size on the display. If not, press the key '7.9/11.1' to choose.Smaller Fruits Similar to large fruit testing except:A. Make a puncture test on only one cheek midway between the stem and the bottom.B. Removal of the skin is unnecessary.C. Penetration should be sufficient to obtain peak reading. Repetitive testing is a perfect testing technique for small fruits.6. BATTERY REPLACEMENTA. When the battery symbol appears on the display, it is time to replace the batteries.B. Slide the Battery Cover away from the tester and remove the batteries.C. Install batteries paying careful attention to polarity.
7. MAINTENANCEA. Before daily use, exercise the plunger in and out for 10 seconds to ensure the mechanism functions freely.B. After daily use, clean the penetrometer tips. Carefully hold the tester with the load shaft pointing down under a slowly flowing water faucet for a few seconds, dry with a towel and allow to dry further by standing it with shaft pointing down.C. The FHT tester should never be lubricated with oil since this will accumulate dust causing increased friction and decreased accuracy.
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! WARNINGPART 8 AND 9 ARE ONLY FOR SKILLED AND PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL ONLY. Users are not suggested to try to carry out the operations in part 8 and part 9. Improper operation will lead to the FHT tester inaccurate, even could not work.8.HOW TO SET THE TIME OF AUTO POWER OFFThe default setting for auto power off at the factory is 5 minutes. That means the tester will auto power off 5 minutes from the time of last key operation. Users can change it to any value between 0-9 minutes by following steps. Depress the POWER for about 4 seconds, release it after "OFF" shows on display, then press the key 'MAX' to preset the time as desired. To disable the function of
auto power off, just preset the time to 0. the tester will only be shut down manually in such a case.To quit the time setting, just press the key ZERO.
ModelTipCoefficientFHT-801FHT-802FHT-8033.5mm7.9mm11.1mmk=10.399k=2.041k=1.0533.5mmk=10.399
9.ACCURACY VERIFICATIONPrior to use, the FHT tester accuracy should be verified by testing with weights. FHT accuracy can be easily verified by the following formula. P=N/SHere P is FHT readingN is the force applied to the plunger tipS is the area on which the force is applied.Based on the above formula, coefficients are given for different models below.
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Apply a force N to the tip. When readings are almost unchanged, press the key 'MAX' to hold the reading P which should satisfy the equation below. P=k×Ne.g. if applying 0.4 kgf to FHT-801 or 802, the reading should be 0.410.399=4.16 Max. deviation is ±(4.16*1%+0.1)=±0.14 so correct reading should lie in×
4.16±0.14 =4.02-4.30kgfBut if applying 11.0 kgf to FHT-803 (7.9mm) the reading should be 11x2.041=22.45 Max. deviation is ±(22.45*1%+0.1)=±0.32 so correct reading should lie in 22.45±0.32 =22.13-22.77kgf If the deviation is beyond its accuracy, Depress Power key and not release it till 'CO' appears on the Display. It takes about 6 seconds from starting depressing Power key. Then adjust the reading P by the 'MAX' key (increase) or 'UNIT' key (decrease) to the desired value. store that value and quit by pressing Zero key.A．Install the optional RS232C software to the PC.10. COMMUNICATE WITH PC
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B．Connect the tester to the COM or USB port of the PC with the optional RS232 cables. To connect to a USB port, a USB adaptor is required. C. Run the software on the desktop and select the COM port or USB port in the system settings.D. Click the button of data collection, then click the button of Begin/Continue.
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FHT801, FHT803 User’s M nu l
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MAN# FHT801, FHT803
2/25/10