MONARCH INSTRUMENT Nova-Strobe BBL User manual

Nova-Strobe BBL
Basic Battery LED Stroboscope
MONARCH INSTRUMENT
Instruction Manual
15ColumbiaDrive
Amherst, NH 03031 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.monarchinstrument.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
Copyright 2011 Monarch Instrument, all rights reserved
1071-4230-110R-0911
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7.0 OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES
PSC-2U Universal Recharger, 115/230 Vac with USA, U.K., AUS,
Euro Adapter Plugs for battery operated Nova-Strobes
CC-7 Latching carrying case for Strobe with provision for
accessories (included with BBL Kit)
CC-12 Deluxe water-tight latching carrying case for Strobe with
provision for accessories
SPC-1 Splash proof Protective vinyl Cover for Battery Powered
Strobes ONLY
CAL-N.I.S.T N.I.S.T.Traceable Certificate of Calibration / Re-calibration
Protective Rubber cover that fits over reflector housing to protect
strobe
Rubber Cover

Safeguards and Precautions
1. Read and follow all instructions in this manual carefully, and
retain this manual for future reference.
2. Do not use this instrument in any manner inconsistent with
these operating instructions or under any conditions that
exceed the environmental specifications stated.
3. Certain strobe frequencies can trigger epileptic seizures in
those prone to that type of attack.
4. Users should not stare directly at the light source.
5. Prolonged exposure to the light can cause headaches in some
people.
6. Objects viewed with this product may appear to be stationary
when in fact they are moving at high speeds. Always keep a
safe distance from moving machinery and do no touch the
target.
7. There are no user serviceable parts in this instrument. Refer
service to a qualified technician.
8. Do not allow liquids or metallic objects to enter the ventilation
holes on the stroboscope as this may cause permanent
damage and void the warranty.
9. Do not allow cables extending from unit to come into contact
with rotating machinery, as serious damage to the equipment,
or severe personal injury or death may occur as a result.
10. This instrument may not be safe for use in certain hazardous
environments, and serious personal injury or death could occur
as a result of improper use. Please refer to your facility’s
safety program for proper precautions.
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Display LCD display with 6 numeric 0.506 inch [12.85
mm] high digits and 5 alphanumeric 0.282 inch
[7.17 mm] high digits
Indicators Battery level
KnobAdjustment Digital Rotary switch with 36 detents per
revolution; velocity sensitive
Input Power Battery powered: Internal Rechargeable Batteries
6 Vdc
Light Output Average: 3000 Lumens @6000 FPM 12" from lens
Flash Duration Adjustable 0.5 to 3000 microseconds or 0.2 to 14
degrees of rotation (auto adjust with flash rate)
Run Time 12 hours typical at 6000 FPM, and 2.8° pulse
width with fully charged batteries
Charge Time 4-5 hours typical with supplied recharger
Weight 1.875 lbs [0.8505 kg] including batteries
Safety This product is designed to be safe for indoor use
under the following conditions (per IEC61010-1).
Operating Temperature32-104 ºF [0-40 °C]
Humidity Maximum relative humidity 80% for temperature
up to 88 °F [31 °C] decreasing linearly to 50%
relative humidity at 104 °F [40 °C]
This product is CE certified and ROHS compatible.
Manufactured in an ISO9001 facility.
For troubleshooting information and technical support visit
www.monarchinstrument.com.

11. Nova-Strobe LED units contain Nickel Metal Hydride batteries
which must be disposed of in accordance with Federal, State,
& Local Regulations. Do not incinerate. Batteries should be
shipped to a reclamation facility for recovery of the metal and
plastic components as the proper method of waste
management. Contact distributor for appropriate product
return procedures.
In order to comply with EU Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE): This product
may contain material which could be hazardous to human health
and the environment. DO NOT DISPOSE of this product as
unsorted municipal waste. This product needs to be RECYCLED
in accordance with local regulations, contact your local authorities for
more information. This product may be returnable to your distributor for
recycling - contact the distributor for details.
Monarch Instrument’s Limited Warranty applies. See
www.monarchinstrument.com for details.
Warranty Registration and Extended Warranty coverage available
online at www.monarchinstrument.com.
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When charging, the strobe will indicate CHRGE in the bottom of the
display. The recharger will fast charge the batteries for about 4-5 hours
and then trickle charge the batteries.
Allow the recharger to charge the batteries until the display shows
DONE for peak battery life performance. If the batteries are not charged
to 100% regularly, the batteries will lose capacity.
5.3 StroboscopeDisposal
Prior to disposing of the battery-powered strobe, the user
must remove the Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries. To do
this, remove the LED assembly first. This will expose four
(4) screws that must be removed so the reflector housing
can be dismantled. There are four (4) additional screws in
the case half opposite the input and output jacks that must
beremoved. Thecasehalvescan now be separated, exposing
the batteries. Remove the cables from the batteries and
place tape over the battery terminals to prevent them from
shorting. The batteries should be sent to a recycling center
or returned to the factory. The rest of the parts may now
be disposed of.
6.0 SPECIFICATIONS
Flash Range 30 - 500,000 FPM (Flashes Per Minute), 0.5 to
8333.33 Hz
Flash RateAccuracy 0.004% of setting or ±last digit
Flash Rate Resolution 0.01 to 1 FPM (menu selectable), 0.1 FPM
resolution above 9,999.99 FPM, 1 FPM resolution
above 99,999.9
Display Update Rate Instantaneous
Time Base Ultra Stable Crystal Oscillator

TABLEOF CONTENTS
TABLEOF CONTENTS
1.0 OVERVIEW ............................................................................. 1
1.1 Brightness ......................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Degree of Rotation Adjustment ............................ 3
1.1.2 Pulse Duration Adjustment....................................3
2.0 PREPARATIONFORUSE ........................................................ 4
3.0 LEDSTROBEOPERATION ..................................................... 4
3.1 Adjusting the Flash Rate - RPM ................................... 4
3.1.1 Multiply or Divide By 2..............................................5
3.2 Adjusting the Flash Duration (Brightness).................. 5
3.2.1 Flash Duration - Degrees ........................................ 5
3.2.2 Flash Duration - Microseconds .............................6
3.3 DisplayUnits ................................................................. 6
4.0 USINGTHESTROBOSCOPETOMEASURE RPM .................. 6
5.0 BATTERIES ............................................................................. 8
5.1 Low Battery Indication.......................................................... 9
5.2 Charging the Batteries ......................................................... 9
5.3 Stroboscope Disposal ........................................................10
6.0 SPECIFICATIONS...................................................................10
7.0 OPTIONSANDACCESSORIES .............................................12
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The enclosure contains control electronics to properly and safely charge the
batteries. Never remove the batteries from the enclosure and attempt to
charge externally. Always use the recharger supplied (PSC-2U).
5.1 Low Battery Indication
When the batteries are charged, there will be no battery icon indication.
When the batteries are low, the Low Battery icon will blink in the
display. The strobe may still be used for a short time.
Low Battery Icon = Outline blinking (very little time left)
The strobe has a protection feature that prevents the strobe from
operating if the battery voltage is too low. This condition is indicated
by no flash and the display shows “LO BAT”. At this time the
batteries must be recharged. Remember to release the trigger switch.
5.2 Charging the Batteries
The unit may be recharged at any time. You do not need to wait until the
low battery condition is indicated.
To charge the strobe with the recharger:
1. Release the trigger so the strobe is off.
2. Plug the recharger cable into the recharger socket (located below
the display panel behind the handle).
3. Plug the recharger into anAC mains wall outlet (115/230 Vac).
CAUTION: Use of rechargers other than the one supplied
(PSC-2U)willdamagethestroboscope and void the
warranty.
When the recharger plug is inserted into the recharger jack, the strobe
will go into the Charging Mode. Make sure the trigger switch is not
depressed.TheBBLstrobewill not do anything else whencharging(e.g.
it will not flash and the buttons have no function).

1
Figure 1 LED Strobe
Control Panel
1.0 OVERVIEW
The Nova-Strobe Basic BBL LED
(LightEmittingDiode)isarugged
portable battery powered LED
Stroboscopes used for inspection
and to stop motion to determine
the speed of rotating objects. The
unit has a pistol grip with lockable
trigger switch and wrist strap for
comfortable hand held operation
or it may be mounted on a tripod
using the integral ¼ -20 UNC
thread at the base of the handle.
The Basic LED Strobe has a two
line backlit alpha-numeric liquid
crystal display (LCD) and a 4 key keypad that enables the user to control
the operation of the unit. Most of the icons in the LCD display are not
used.
1.1 Brightness
GLOSSARY:
LED – Light Emitting Diode
msec – millisecond = 1/1,000 of a second
µsec – microsecond = 1/1,000,000 of a second
° = degree. One rotation = 360°
The strobe’s brightness depends on how wide the LED flash pulse is;
the wider the pulse, the brighter the visual output from the LEDs. Since
the strobe is primarily used on reciprocating or rotating targets there is
a downside to the wider flashes.All strobes work by giving short bursts
of light (the pulse width) at a rapid repetition rate (the flash rate).

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image you encounter, call this speed “A”. Continue decreasing the flash rate
untilyouencounter a secondSINGLEimage. Note thisspeedas “B”. Continue
decreasing the speed until you reach a third SINGLE image at speed “C”.
For a two point calculation the actual speed is given by:
RPM = AB/(A-B)
For a three point calculation: RPM = 2XY(X+Y)/(X-Y)2where
X = (A-B) and Y = (B-C)
Ininstanceswhen you canshutdownthe device andinstallapiece of reflective
tape, then an optical tachometer is easier to use for RPM measurement.
Stroboscopes must be used when you can’t shut down the device. The
human eye is not easily tricked into seeing a stopped image by a stroboscope
when the flash rate is slower than 300 FPM. Therefore, stroboscopes are just
about impossible to use below 300 FPM for inspection or to measure RPM.
5.0 BATTERIES
The Nova-Strobe LED is fitted with rechargeable NiMH (Nickel Metal
Hydride) batteries. These batteries contain fewer toxic metals than NiCd
(Nickel Cadmium) and are currently classified “environmentally friendly”.
They also have 30% more capacity than NiCd batteries of the same size.
Like NiCds, NiMH batteries are prone to self-discharge - 10 to 15% of
charge is lost in the first 24 hours then continues at a rate of 0.5 to 1% per
day. For maximum performance, charge the batteries just prior to use.
When not in use, the batteries should be charged at least every three months,
otherwise the battery capacity will be reduced or the batteries may become
unusable.
Chargethe batteriesbeforeuse andallow 3-5cyclesof chargingand discharging
for batteries to reach full capacity.

2
Strobesrelyonthe persistence of the human eye(theabilitytoremember
and image) and its response to bright light to give an apparent stop
motion image. Imagine a shaft rotating at 6000 RPM or one rotation
every 1/100 of a second (10 msec). If the strobe flashes once every 10
msec for a brief moment, the user sees the flash at the same spot in the
rotation of the shaft and the persistence of the eye remembers this until
the next flash making the shaft appeared to be stopped.As the target is
rotating there is some movement evident during the strobe flash. The
longer the flash duration, the more obvious the rotation is and this
increases the blur.
This blur can be calculated – if the shaft takes 10 msec to complete one
revolution and the strobe flash duration is 100 µsec (1/100 of a
millisecond), the shaft will turn:
(flash duration/time per rotation) x 360°, which is (.0001/.01) x 360 = 3.6°.
So you will see the shaft move 3.6°.As the flash pulse widens you will
see greater degrees of rotation which results in more blur and a brighter
perceived illumination (the LEDs are on longer so the average light the
eyes see is greater). The trade-off is blur versus brightness. One also has
to take into account tangential velocity (rotational speed) – the further
away the rotating point is from the center axis the faster the tangential
velocity and the worse the blur appears to be – it is always the same
number of degrees of rotation but the physical length of the blur gets
bigger as the point moves faster. The strobe adjusts the width of the
pulse automatically to keep the degree of rotation visible constant.
There are two methods of adjusting the flash pulse width and hence the
brightness and consequently the blur.
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viewed is perfectly symmetrical, then the user needs to mark the object with
a piece of tape or paint in a single location to be used as a reference point.
Look only at the reference point.
If the speed of rotation is within the range of the stroboscope, start at a higher
flash rate and adjust the flash rate down. At some point you will stop the
motion with only a single reference point of the object in view. Note that at
a flash rate twice the actual speed of the image you will see two images
(reference points). As you approach the correct speed you may see three,
four or more images at harmonics of the actual speed. The first SINGLE
image you see is the true speed. To confirm the true speed, note the reading
and adjust the stroboscope to exactly half this reading, or just press the ÷2
button.Youshould again see a single image (which may bephaseshiftedwith
respect to the first image seen).
For example, when viewing a shaft with a single key way you will see one
stationary image of the key way at the actual speed and at 1/2,1/3,1/4, etc, of
the actual speed. You will see 2 images of the key way at 2 times the actual
speed, 3 key way at 3 times, etc. The FPM equals the shafts Revolutions Per
Minute (RPM) at the highest flash rate that gives only one stationary image
of the key way.
Example: Object rotating at 3000 RPM
If the speed is outside the full scale range of the stroboscope (500,000 FPM),
itcanbemeasuredusingthemethod of harmonics and multipoint calculation.
Startat the highestflashrateand adjust the flashratedown.Youwillencounter
multiple images so be aware of these. Note the flash rate of the first SINGLE
Stopped Image 1/4times 1/2 times 1time 2 times 3times 4 times
Flash Rate (FPM) 1000 1500 3000 6000 9000 12000
ActualRPM

3
1.1.1 Degree of Rotation Adjustment
The first method is to adjust the flash pulse width for degree of
rotation visible (blur). The user can set this from 0.2 to 14 degrees
out of 360. The higher the setting the brighter the strobe appears to
be but the more blurred the target is. Optimal setting to stop
motion is 1.8 to 3.6°. The number of degrees is a proportional
amountandremains constant astheflash rate increasesordecreases.
The strobe automatically calculates how wide the pulse width
should be at different flash rates to keep the blur constant – the
faster the flash rate the narrower the pulse width. The pulse width
equals: (setting in degrees/360) x (1/flash rate in Hz).
Thus the blur remains constant no matter what the flash rate*.
1.1.2 Pulse Duration Adjustment
The second method is to adjust the flash pulse width to a fixed
number of microseconds. Here the user sets the flash pulse width
in microseconds not degrees. As the flash rate increases the pulse
width stays the same and the image will get brighter and more
blurredastheflashwidth remains constant*. The degree of rotation
visible changes to keep the pulse width of the flash constant*.
*Note: There are two limits maintained by the strobe – the pulse
can never be greater than 3000 µs nor can it exceed 14° of rotation.
The strobe automatically adjusts these values as the flash rate is
increased or decreased to maintain these limits at all times. For
example - at a flash rate of 600 flashes per minute 14° of blur
represents a flash pulse width of 3800 µsec. The Strobe will limit
this value to 3000 µsec or 10.8° of rotation (blur).
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3.2.2 Flash Duration - Microseconds
To view or adjust the flash duration in microseconds
press the BRIGHT button again after viewing degrees
or press the BRIGHT button twice from normal
operation. The display will show the current
flash duration in microseconds (uSECS) – this
maybecalculatedfrom phase degrees set above.
Use the knob to increase or decrease the flash
duration in microseconds.Adjusting the microseconds will cause
this to be the controlling parameter for pulse width. As the flash
rate increases or decreases the strobe will keep the flash duration
at the preset width in microseconds provided this does not exceed
the strobe specifications. Press the BRIGHT button to exit the
flash duration adjustment.
3.3 DisplayUnits
The display can show the flash rate in revolutions per minute
(RPM) or per second (RPS or Hertz). To switch between
display modes press the DISPlay button shown right. The
display units will toggle at each press (RPM < > RPS).
4.0 USING THE STROBOSCOPE TO
MEASURE RPM
The primary use for a stroboscope is to stop motion for diagnostic inspection
purposes. However the stroboscope can be used to measure speed (in RPM
/ RPS). In order to do this several factors need to be considered. First, the
object being measured should be visible for all 360° of rotation (e.g. The end
of a shaft). Second, the object should have some unique part on it, like a bolt,
key way or imperfection to use as a reference point. If the object being
1234
uSECS

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2.0 PREPARATION FOR USE
The Stroboscope may be hand held or mounted on a tripod or other user
supplied bracket using the ¼-20 UNC bushing at the base of the handle.
The LED Strobe is battery powered and has internal rechargeable batteries.
The unit should be charged before use (see section 5.0). The actual operating
time of the stroboscope depends on the flash pulse width. Narrower flash
widths increase the operating time. Note that the BBL strobe will not operate
from the recharger supplied with the unit.
To turn on the stroboscope, depress and hold the trigger. The trigger may be
locked in position using the side locking button. To lock the stroboscope on,
depress the trigger as far as it will go and then press the locking button. Once
the locking button is set you may release the trigger and the trigger will be
held in place. To unlock the stroboscope, simply depress the trigger and then
release.
NOTE: Unit must power down completely (OFF will be displayed and
then disappear) before unit will power on again. This is normal
operation. Wait 2 seconds before turning the unit back on again.
3.0 LED STROBE OPERATION
3.1 Adjusting the Flash Rate - RPM
The flash rate can be adjusted by turning the knob on the side of the unit
– counter clockwise to increase the flash rate and clockwise to decrease
the flash rate. The knob is rate sensitive, the faster you turn the knob the
greater the change in flash rate. The smallest adjustment is to add or
subtract one from the least significant (right most) digit on the display.
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3.1.1 Multiply or Divide By 2
The strobe flash rate can be instantly doubled (x2) or
halved (÷2) by pressing the x2 and ÷2 buttons shown
right. This is useful in determining actual rotational
speed. Refer to the section on speed measurement –
Section 4.0. Note that if doubling or halving the flash
rate will cause the strobe to exceed its capability, the
display will show OVER or UNDER respectively and the flash
rate will remain at the current flash value.
3.2 Adjusting the Flash Duration (Brightness)
The flash duration, the width of the LED flash, can be adjusted by the
user to be a preset number of degrees of rotation (DEGS) or a fixed with
in microseconds (uSEC). The result is a more or less bright image at the
expense of less or more image blur. Read the section on Brightness -
Section 1.1.
3.2.1 Flash Duration - Degrees
To view or adjust the flash duration press the BRIGHT
button shown on the right. The display will show the
current flash duration in degrees of rotation – note that
thereare360° inacomplete rotation.Thedegrees
shown is the amount of rotation visible during
the flash. The higher the degrees the brighter the
image and the more apparent the blur. Use the
knobtoincrease or decreasetheflash duration indegreesof rotation.
Adjustingthedegreeswill cause this tobethecontrolling parameter
for pulse width.As the flash rate increases or decreases the strobe
will adjust the flash duration to keep it at the preset number of
degrees provided this does not exceed the strobe specifications.
Press any key other than BRIGHT to exit or press BRIGHT again
to go to MICROSECOND adjustment.
1.2
DEGS