Geokon GK-405 User manual

Quick Start Guide |  -   
FPC-2 Handheld
Field PC (NAUTIZ X8)
Remote Module
(Dock)
Single Sensor
Connector
Load Cell
Connector
Carrying Strap
The ® Model GK-405 Vibrating Wire Readout and FPC-2 Handheld Field PC (NAUTIZ X8) placed in dock.
Power On (Bluetooth®
Connectivity Indicator)

01. Switch on the Field PC by depressing the power
button (lower right).
02. If the Field PC was not in sleep mode (or
hibernating), it may take more than  seconds
to power-up. When the Windows® Mobile main
screen appears, the Field PC’s Programs and
Settings can be accessed by tapping (with the
01. Plug the flying leads into the -pin connector
marked “Sensor” on the side of the Remote
Module (red box). Connect the flying leads color for
color to the leads on the sensor. Or, if the sensor
has a -pin mating connector, connect it directly
to the -pin “Sensor” connector.
02. Press the “POWER ON” button on the Remote
Module. The blue light (wireless Connectivity
Indicator) will turn on.
03. On the Field PC, tap the .
Launch the GK- application by tapping on the
“GK- VW Readout” icon.
04. When the “Live Reading” screen appears, set
the “Display Mode” to “B.”
05. The screen should now be displaying the digits
reading of the vibrating wire sensor.
06. If this is an unpressurized (for piezometers) “Zero”
reading, record this in a field book. Or, if you want
to store readings electronically in the Handheld,
follow the instructions below—but after Step 
select “Menu” then “Store Zero Reading Value.”
To store readings in the Field PC and for the display to
read in engineering units, a sensor configuration must
first be created that represents the vibrating wire sensor
to be read. This sensor configuration contains informa-
tion that can identify the piezometer (or load cell, strain
gauge, etc.) as well as parameters that allow the GK-
to produce readouts in engineering units. These parame-
ters include: gauge factor, zero reading, units, etc. A new
configuration needs to be created for each sensor to be
read or to store data for. Sensor configurations are stored
in “Projects” so that sensors may be grouped by project
name, customer, or job site.
To begin the process of creating a sensor configuration,
tap the “View” menu from the “Live Readings” screen
and select “Sensor Selection Screen.” If no “Project”
exists, in the Project Explorer pane, tap and hold the
Workspace icon (looks like a folder) and from the menu
that pops up, select “Add Project.” Enter a project
name and a description (optional) then tap “Menu” and
“Save Settings.” To add a sensor configuration, tap and
hold the Project where the sensor is to be added then
tap “Add Sensor.” Sensor configuration requires more
information than Project configuration; the steps at right
further describe the process:
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Field PC’s stylus) the menu at the top of the
main screen. If, during a pause in operation, the
Field PC’s screen goes dark, simply press the
power button again. The “Power” settings of the
Field PC can be accessed from the System Settings
menu by tapping then “Settings,” then the
“System” tab and finally “Power.”

01. Enter the sensor identifying name/number along
with any description.
02. Select the sensor model number, i.e., xx, from
the drop-down menu.
03. Tap the arrow to reach the next page.
04. Select “Linear” (If selecting “Polynomial,” see
Section . of the GK- User Manual for more
information regarding polynomial conversion and
entering coefficients).
05. From the “Output Calculation” dropdown menu,
select “G(R-R).”
06. Set the zero reading equal to the initial Regression
Zero shown on the calibration sheet. Alternatively,
when an actual zero reading has been taken, set
this parameter to the actual value.
07. Set the “Gauge Factor” equal to the Gauge Factor
given on the calibration sheet. The Gauge Factor
may be a negative number.
08. Leave “Gauge Offset” at zero.
09. Tap the arrow to reach the next page.
10. From the “Measurement” dropdown menu,
select “PRESSURE” (or whatever measurement
type that corresponds to the sensor being read).
11. From the “Input Units” dropdown menu, select
units equal to the gauge factor units.
12. Select the desired output units that will show on
the display.
13. Tap the arrow to reach the next page.
14. If Temperature Correction is not desired, set the
“Sensor Correction” to “Disabled” then skip to
step . To temperature correct the sensor output,
set the “Sensor Correction” to “Enabled.”
15. Set the initial temperature at installation.
16. Set the Thermal Factor from the calibration sheet.
17. Select “Menu” and “Save Settings.”
18. Select “Applications,” then select “Live
Readings.”
19. Select “With Selected Sensor” (the sensor just
created).
20. The Live Readings screen will be displayed
and the readings should now be in the selected
engineer units.
21. To store data, tap the “Store” icon on the screen.
The readings will be stored under that particular
sensor file, the one created in Steps -.
Please Note:
If at any time the wireless connection is lost, it can be
restored by first pressing “POWER ON” (on the Remote
Module). Then tap the “Applications” menu, tap
“Remote Connect with…” and finally, tap “COM .”
Where multiple sensors are in use and readings are
required in engineering units, from the “Sensor
Selection Screen,” select the proper sensor configura-
tion corresponding to the sensor currently connected to
the Remote Module.
From the “Live Readings” screen, the wireless con-
nection can be closed by tapping “Menu” then tapping
“Close GK-.”
For further instructions on how to access the stored data
see the GK- User’s Manual.
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
48 Spencer Street
Lebanon, NH 03766 •USA
www.geokon.com
e: [e-mail]
p: +1 · 603 · 448 · 1562
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Reading load cells is very similar to reading other sen-
sors with the major difference being that the load cell
has a separate connector on the Remote Module labeled
“Load Cell.” Use this connector when connecting to a
load cell with the standard “Mux”cable (p/n -) or if
-pin Bendix connector has been factory installed on the
load cell cable end.
When reading a load cell comprised of multiple sensors,
the value for each sensor can be seen by selecting the
“Sensor Index” from the dropdown menu. The “Sensor
Index” defaults to “Avg” (average) on power-up.
When defining a Sensor Configuration for a load cell,
the Sensor Type will be “xx” and the gauge factor is
taken from the calibration report that is included with
each load cell.
Another difference when configuring a load cell versus
a piezometer is that the “Measurement” type should
be set for “LOAD” and the input units set to the units
the cell was calibrated for. Output units can be set for
whatever is desired.
Please Note: Model 3000 resistance load cells can-
not be read with the GK-405. Use the GEOKON Model
GK-502 for this type of load cell.
When done taking measurements, the unit is powered
down by first closing the GK- application. If in “Live
Readings” this is accomplished by tapping on “Menu”
then “Close GK-.” If in the “Sensor Selection”
screen, tap on the “File” menu and then “Close
GK-.” In either of the above cases, the Remote
Module will power down within  minutes.
A quick push of the “Power” button on the FPC-, sends
it to sleep mode where it draws very little current. This is
the recommended mode when more measurements are
to be made the same day.
A full power-down sequence is recommended at the end
of each day. This is accomplished by pressing and hold-
ing the FPC- “Power” button until a menu is displayed.
Select “Power Off” from this menu.
PowerinG down
readinG load cellS