Norsonic NOR150 User manual

nor150
SOUND & VIBRATION ANALYSER
INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
INSTRUMENT SOFWARE 2.0
Norsonic has always been at the
forefront introducing new technology
to sound level meters. The Nor150
Sound and Vibration Analyser sets
a new standard in user-friendliness.
Featuring the largest colour touch
screen in a handheld meter on the
market today, the Nor150 provides
the user-friendliness of a smart phone.
Further features include built in web
server, camera, GPS, sound recording,
voice and text notes, sophisticated
marker handling and event triggers
in addition to high resolution time
profile and multi-frequency spectra
bringing the sophistications normally
found in laboratory instrumentation
out in the field. The instrument is
designed to cover a variety of appli-
cations besides being a sophisticated
sound level meter. This instruction
manual is covering software ver-
sion 2.0, which with its features ad-
dress the noise assessment , building
acoustics and sound intensity market.

Nor150 User Guide – February 2017 Edition
Im150_1Ed3R1En
Norsonic is a registered trademark of Norsonic AS. All other
brand or product names are trademarks or registered trade-
marks of their respective companies. Every effort has been
made to supply complete and accurate information. However,
Norsonic AS assumes no responsibility for the use of – nor
for the consequential damages of the use of – this informa-
tion and/or the instrumentation described herein. Furthermore
Norsonic AS assumes no responsibility for any infringement
of the intellectual property rights of third parties, wherever
applicable, which would result from such use. Norsonic AS
reserves the right to amend any of the information given in
this manual in order to take account of new developments.
If you wish to communicate with us, please feel welcome.
Our address is:
Norsonic AS, P.O. Box 24, N-3421 Lierskogen, Norway
Find us on the web: www.norsonic.com
Tel: [phone],
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Copyright © Norsonic AS 2017 All rights reserved

Finding the information you need
NOTE that the instruction manual describes a fully
equipped instrument.Yourversionofthe instrument
may not have all the optional extensions available.
Software extensions may, however, be installed as
retrofit at any time, However, extensions like the
dual channel option, camera and GPS cannot be
installed as retrofit.
Denotes
Some denotes are used in the manual to ease the use
and distinguish a keyboard key, a soft key or a menu.
VIEW denotes the View button found on the rubber
keyboard.
Stop denotes a soft key mostly found in the lower line
of the display.
Instrument denotes a menu point.
Thank you for choosing Norsonic!
The Nor150 has been designed to give you many years
of safe, reliable operation.
Your approach to the Nor150 documentation depends
on what you want to do and how much you already know.
This manual is divided into several sections plus an
index. Each section provides useful and in depth
information about the available features. Depending on
your requirements and your familiarity with measure-
ments as such, you may find that you use some parts
of this manual quite often and others not at all.
A brief introduction of the user philosophy and use of
the instrument is described in chapter 2. We recom-
mend reading this chapter before use, and as a mini-
mum, reading the safety instructions and precautions
in chapter 1.
If you do not have this manual at hand, useful help is
found in context sensitive help function in the instrument.
In most pictures there is a red question mark “?“ in the
upper right corner of the display. Tap it to access the
help function.

i
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
Contents
Chapter 1 Important information.....................................................................................................1
Safety instructions .............................................................................................................................. 1
Precautions......................................................................................................................................... 2
Storage ............................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2 Taking a closer look at the instrument..........................................................................3
Switching ON/OFF ............................................................................................................................. 4
Keyboard ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Touch sensitive screen....................................................................................................................... 5
The Main Status LED .......................................................................................................................... 7
Input and output connectors.............................................................................................................. 8
On the use of the internal battery vs. external DC ............................................................................. 9
Charging the Internal Battery ............................................................................................................. 9
If power fails ......................................................................................................................................10
Optional extensions...........................................................................................................................10
Software maintenance.......................................................................................................................10
Chapter 3 Your first measurement................................................................................................11
Turn on the Nor150............................................................................................................................11
Select the transducer ........................................................................................................................11
Check the calibration.........................................................................................................................11
Select a standard set up ...................................................................................................................11
Start and Stop of the measurement ..................................................................................................11
Saving the measurement to the memory ..........................................................................................12
Reducing the influence of the operator.............................................................................................12
Removing the influence of the instrument itself ................................................................................12
Limiting the influence of wind and dust ............................................................................................12

ii Contents
Chapter 4 The measurement functions available........................................................................13
Chapter 5 Setting up the analyser.................................................................................................18
The organisation of the display .........................................................................................................18
The status bar .............................................................................................................................19
Symbol # 1 Battery gauge / external power ...............................................................................19
Symbol # 2; Overload indication................................................................................................ 20
Symbol # 3, Measurement status .............................................................................................. 20
Symbol # 4, Application mode................................................................................................... 20
The soft key bar.......................................................................................................................... 20
The measurement picture ...........................................................................................................21
On-screen menus............................................................................................................................. 22
Activate and deactivate the result displays ............................................................................... 23
Cursor handling...........................................................................................................................24
The main menu system - an overview ...............................................................................................24
On/Off/Available/Disabled indication........................................................................................ 25
Chapter 6 Selecting the different views and the parameters to display...................................26
Function selection – selecting the measurement parameters ......................................................... 28
SPL Live in ended mode ..................................................................................................................31
Numerical tables ...............................................................................................................................31
Chapter 7 Input selection Menu ....................................................................................................32
The Sound channel 1 or 2 menu ...................................................................................................... 33
The Transducer menu ................................................................................................................ 34
Adding a new sensor ................................................................................................................. 36
Preamplifier selection................................................................................................................. 37
Using other transducers................................................................................................................... 37
Chapter 8 Calibrating the instrument - field check.............................................................................38
When to calibrate ....................................................................................................................... 38
Carrying out the field check / calibration................................................................................... 38
Microphone check............................................................................................................................ 40
Chapter 9 Measurement Setup Menu............................................................................................42

iii
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
Chapter 10 Trigger Selection Menu.................................................................................................45
Global Trigger................................................................................................................................... 45
The Event Trigger ............................................................................................................................. 48
Chapter 11 Working with Markers...................................................................................................51
Setting up Markers - the Marker Setup menu ...................................................................................51
System specified markers................................................................................................................ 52
Adding a marker to an ongoing measurement ................................................................................ 53
Working with markers - post processing.......................................................................................... 53
Chapter 12 Recording the sound - Audio record and replay ................................................................54
Making a recording .......................................................................................................................... 55
Listening - replaying an audio recording ......................................................................................... 56
Insert a reference tone as a recording............................................................................................. 56
Chapter 13 Camera ...........................................................................................................................57
Internal camera................................................................................................................................. 57
Device camera ................................................................................................................................. 57
IP camera. ....................................................................................................................................... 58
Chapter 14 Voice and Text notes.....................................................................................................59
Adding text and voice notes............................................................................................................. 59
Retrieving text and voice notes. ....................................................................................................... 59
Chapter 15 Pausing and resuming a measurement......................................................................61
The difference between a “Pause” and a “Hold” function............................................................... 62
Chapter 16 Storing a measurement - Memory Organising Menu..................................................63
File name .......................................................................................................................................... 64
Rename, Delete, Move ..................................................................................................................... 64
Chapter 17 Application Selection Menu - Predefined Setups......................................................65
Storing a Setup ................................................................................................................................. 66

iv Contents
Chapter 18 Building Acoustic..........................................................................................................67
Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 67
SPL Mode ......................................................................................................................................... 68
Display in SPL Mode.................................................................................................................. 68
Single-Channel views ................................................................................................................ 68
Dual-Channel views ................................................................................................................... 69
On-screen menus ...................................................................................................................... 70
Setup ................................................................................................................................................ 70
Input - Setup................................................................................................................................71
Type - Setup ................................................................................................................................71
Level - Setup (Figure 18.17) ........................................................................................................72
Reverberation - Setup (Figure 18.19)..........................................................................................72
Rating – Setup............................................................................................................................ 73
Standard:.................................................................................................................................... 73
Source (Figure 18.21) .................................................................................................................74
Receiving (Figure 18.22) ............................................................................................................74
Test Specimen............................................................................................................................ 75
Various parameters (Figure 18.25) ............................................................................................ 75
Signal Generator - Setup (Figure 18.25).................................................................................... 75
Memory – Setup (Figure 18.26) ..................................................................................................76
Making the Level measurements ......................................................................................................76
Making the Background noise measurements ................................................................................ 78
Making the Reverberation time measurements ............................................................................... 79
Data Mode........................................................................................................................................ 80
Display in Data Mode................................................................................................................. 80
Rating views 1 - 4 .......................................................................................................................81
Rating View-1 ..............................................................................................................................81
Rating View-2 ............................................................................................................................. 82
Rating View-3 ............................................................................................................................. 82
Rating View-4 ............................................................................................................................. 82
Measurements views 1 – 4......................................................................................................... 83
View 1- 4 for reverberation time measurements: ....................................................................... 84
View 1 - 4 for receiving room measurements: ........................................................................... 84
Measurement View-1 ................................................................................................................. 85
Measurement View-2 ................................................................................................................. 87
Measurement View-3 ................................................................................................................. 87
Measurement View-4 ................................................................................................................. 88
Start a new project ........................................................................................................................... 89

v
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
Chapter 19 Sound intensity .......................................................................................................90
Setting up the instrument for intensity........................................................................................91
Assembling and handling the probe ...................................................................................91
Probe dismantling ................................................................................................................93
Transducer setup .................................................................................................................93
Connecting a smartphone ...................................................................................................95
Calibration and phase correction...............................................................................................97
Pressure calibration .............................................................................................................97
Phase correction ..................................................................................................................98
Verification procedure........................................................................................................100
Configuring an intensity measurement ....................................................................................101
Probe and environment parameters ..................................................................................102
Defining a measurement surface.......................................................................................102
Measurement settings........................................................................................................105
Navigating the Sound Intensity mode ......................................................................................107
Introducing the surface scopes .........................................................................................108
The views ...........................................................................................................................108
Errors and warnings ........................................................................................................... 111
Saving and loading intensity projects................................................................................ 112
Helpful features .................................................................................................................. 112
Using the smartphone........................................................................................................ 112
Sound power using ISO 9614-2 ............................................................................................... 114
Measurement configuration ............................................................................................... 114
Measuring .......................................................................................................................... 115
Reviewing the measurements............................................................................................ 116
Measurement functions and indicators ............................................................................. 119
Chapter 20 Instrument Specific Setup....................................................................................120
The software license system ....................................................................................................122
Installing new options...............................................................................................................122
Activate evaluation license .......................................................................................................122
Signal Generator (Optional) .....................................................................................................123
Chapter 21 Norsonic software.................................................................................................124
NorConnect Nor1051 ...............................................................................................................124
Installation ..........................................................................................................................124
Description .........................................................................................................................125

vi Contents
Quick Reference Guide ...................................................................................................................127
Connecting the instrument........................................................................................................127
Transfer......................................................................................................................................127
Where are my measurements and reports stored ....................................................................127
Making reports ........................................................................................................................ 129
Building Acoustic- and Sound Intensity measurements reports ..............................................131
Details............................................................................................................................................. 133
File browser.............................................................................................................................. 133
SD card connection ................................................................................................................. 134
Graph view ............................................................................................................................... 135
Choose/add function ............................................................................................................... 136
Concatenate measurements.....................................................................................................137
Sort criteria............................................................................................................................... 138
Excel reports .............................................................................................................................140
Enhanced reports with Nor850 and NorReview .......................................................................141
Where are my Measurements stored? ......................................................................................142
Search ...................................................................................................................................... 143
Initialize Nor150 USB ............................................................................................................... 144
Language selection ................................................................................................................. 144
Info............................................................................................................................................ 145
Chapter 22 Technical Specifications ............................................................................................146
Firmware version .............................................................................................................................146
Type of instrument ...........................................................................................................................146
Analog inputs...................................................................................................................................147
Input connector.........................................................................................................................147
Microphone input socket (outside view)...................................................................................147
High-pass input filter .......................................................................................................................148
Nor1225 data ............................................................................................................................148
Preamplifier......................................................................................................................................148
Nor1209 data ............................................................................................................................149
Nor1209 Technical Specifications ........................................................................................... 150
Acoustical data................................................................................................................................151
Acoustical data for Nor1225 and Nor1209 mounted on Nor150..............................................151
Reference direction: .................................................................................................................151
Microphone Reference Point ....................................................................................................151

vii
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
Directional response – Horizontal ................................................................................................................................ 155
Directional response - Vertical..................................................................................................................................... 157
Directional response – Horizontal with Wind Screen................................................................................................... 159
Directional response – Vertical with Wind Screen ....................................................................................................... 161
Verification of the free field response ............................................................................................................................... 163
Analog to digital converters ............................................................................................................................................... 163
Frequency weightings ........................................................................................................................................................ 163
Weighting networks:..................................................................................................................................................... 163
Filters............................................................................................................................................................................ 163
Filter type...................................................................................................................................................................... 163
Level detector..................................................................................................................................................................... 163
Detector type................................................................................................................................................................ 164
Crest factor capability .................................................................................................................................................. 164
Overload indication...................................................................................................................................................... 164
Under-range indication ................................................................................................................................................ 164
Time weightings and measured functions................................................................................................................... 164
Level distribution ................................................................................................................................................................ 165
Statistics ....................................................................................................................................................................... 165
Indication on the screen of the Nor150 .............................................................................................................................. 165
Indication range.................................................................................................................................................................. 166
Self-noise levels ................................................................................................................................................................. 166
Electric self-noise ............................................................................................................................................................... 166
Acoustic self-noise....................................................................................................................................................... 167
Considerations for low noise measurements............................................................................................................... 167
Measurement duration and resolution .............................................................................................................................. 167
Measurement ranges ......................................................................................................................................................... 168
Total range for measurement of A-weighted levels .................................................................................................... 168
Total range for measurement of C-weighted levels .................................................................................................... 168
Total range for measurement of Z-weighted levels ..................................................................................................... 168
Measurement range for C-weighted peak levels ........................................................................................................ 169
The Nor150 used for electrical measurements .................................................................................................................. 169
Electrical verification measurements ................................................................................................................................. 169
Power supply ...................................................................................................................................................................... 169
Internal battery ............................................................................................................................................................ 169
Power consumption...................................................................................................................................................... 170
External DC / Charging input....................................................................................................................................... 170

viii Contents
Mains adapter Nor345A............................................................................................................170
Display.............................................................................................................................................170
Keyboard .........................................................................................................................................170
Adjustment of indicated levels ........................................................................................................171
Random response.....................................................................................................................171
Windscreen ...............................................................................................................................171
High Levels................................................................................................................................171
Diffraction around the instrument casing .......................................................................................172
The general I/O socket....................................................................................................................172
Signal output – Noise generator ...............................................................................................173
Signal output – Microphone signal ...........................................................................................173
Serial I/O port............................................................................................................................173
Digital inputs .............................................................................................................................173
Digital output control lines ........................................................................................................173
Headset input and output socket ....................................................................................................174
LAN interface...................................................................................................................................174
USB interface ..................................................................................................................................174
Data / Result storage .......................................................................................................................174
SD-card..................................................................................................................................... 174
Internal memory ........................................................................................................................174
Environmental conditions ................................................................................................................175
Warm-up time ..................................................................................................................................175
Changes in the environmental conditions.......................................................................................175
Sensitivity to static pressure............................................................................................................175
Sensitivity for vibration.....................................................................................................................175
Sensitivity for magnetic fields..........................................................................................................176
Sensitivity for radio frequencies ......................................................................................................176
Emission of radio frequencies .........................................................................................................176
Sensitivity for AC power frequency .................................................................................................176
Recovery after electrostatic discharge ...........................................................................................177
Size and weight ...............................................................................................................................177

ix
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
nor150
SOUND & VIBRATION ANALYSER

1
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
Important information
Please read all safety, precaution and storage informa-
tion before use. These sections contain vital informa-
tion to maintain safety and warranty.
Safety instructions
• Read these instructions.
• Follow all warnings and safety instructions.
• Do not use the instrument in rain or moisture.
• Keep the instrument out of corrosive atmosphere
and do not use it in a hazardous area.
• Clean the instrument only with dry cloth, except
for the display where special wipes are available.
• Do not place this instrument near any heat sourc-
es such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or
other apparatus that produce heat.
• Only use the original mains adapter supplied with
the instrument.
• The internal battery is a Li-ion type. Make sure it
is recycled properly if it is going to be replaced
• Make sure the instrument and any accessories
are not damaged in any way use.
• Only use attachments/accessories allowed or
specified by Norsonic AS.
• Be careful when using the instrument on a tripod
or in combination with a rotating boom.
• Unplug this instrument during lightning storms or
when unused for long periods of time.
• Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
There are NO user-serviceable parts inside. Ser-
vicing is required when the instrument has been
damaged in any way, such as power failure, bat-
tery failure or any plug is damaged, liquid has
been spilled or objects have fallen into the appa-
ratus, the instrument has been exposed to rain or
moisture, does not operate normally, or has been
dropped.

2Chapter 1
Important information
Precautions
You probably already know it but…
… the microphone is a especially fragile device. It is
easily broken, so take care.
…. always keep the microphone cartridge mounted on
the preamplifier. This is the safest way to avoid damage
and access of dirt on the contact pin between the
preamplifier and microphone cartridge.
… keep the instrument in its carrying case, don’t leave
it everywhere.
… even the instrument is a field instrument, prevent it
from direct contact with dust and moisture.
… Nor150 is a measurement instrument; protect it from
impacts and strong vibration.
… never store the instrument with empty batteries. This
may permanent damage the batteries
… fully recharge batteries every month if the instrument
is not in use.
… always calibrate the microphone before and after a
measurement.
… send the instrument for verification at an accredited
laboratory minimum every 24 months.
Storage
• Fully recharge the batteries before storage. Never
store the instrument with empty batteries. It may
permanent damage the batteries.
• Fully recharge the batteries every month if not in
use
• Store the instrument at room temperature. Storage
above +35 °C / 95 °F, or below +5 °C / 41 °F is not
recommended.

3
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
Taking a closer look at
the instrument
Be sure to take utmost care when mounting a micro-
phone cartridge onto a preamplifier. To avoid electrical
shock from the 200 V polarization voltage always
keep the preamplifier disconnected whenever you are
mounting a cartridge onto a preamplifier and screw
finger tight only!
The picture shows the Nor150 fitted with the standard
preamplifier Nor1209 and the microphone Nor1225
mounted in sound channel one.
The instrument is powered from an internal rechargeable
Li-ion battery pack. The battery is fully charged when
leaving the factory, but due to self-discharge, you may
experience the battery gauge shows a lower value than
full. The batteries will be charged once the instrument
is connected to mains via the supplied mains adapter
Nor345A.
Always keep the microphone cartridge mounted
on the preamplifier. This is the safest way to avoid
damage and access of dirt on the contact pin
between thepreamplifier and microphonecartridge.
The preamplifier input has extremely high input
impedance (10 Giga ohms) in order not to load the
microphone cartridge. Hence, dust, finger prints or
other types ofcontaminationmaychange the sensi-
tivity ofthe microphone,especiallyathigh humidity.

4Chapter 2
Taking a closer look at Nor150
It is recommended to use the measurement control
buttons in the touch sensitive screen if you are
measuring low noise levels. The rubber keyboard
may generate acoustical noise that might influence
your measurements at levels below 40 dBA.
Switching ON/OFF
The instrument is toggled ON/OFF by pressing the
lower right key . A short push is enough to start the
instrument. The instrument is then going through an
initial start-up procedure before showing a measure-
ment display or the application selection menu.
A new push on the button produces a question on the
screen, where you confirm that the instrument shall be
turned off or lock/unlock the keyboard and the touch-
sensitive display.
You may force the instrument to turn off by pressing the
ON/OFF key for more than 5 seconds.
Keyboard
The Nor150 is mainly operated via the touch
screen. There is however a dedicated backlit
rubber keyboard used for operation of the main im-
portant functions such as power ON/OFF, measure-
ment START/STOP, PAUSE and CALIBRATION.
The philosophy is that all important functions can be
operated via the keyboard as well as the touch sensi-
tive display.
The backlighted keyboard enables easy operation in
dark environment. The backlight level is factory preset,
but may be adjusted in the Power Setting menu. A time
out function is added that will turn off the keyboard light.
Touching the screen or push a button will turn the light
on again. You may turn off the keyboard light or reduce
the power consumption. This setting is done in SETUP
> Instrument > Power Setting.

5
Norsonic Nor150
Instruction Manual
In this manual the following symbols are used to
indicate the keyboard buttons:
View button (VIEW): Switch between the
four available view setups. Each view can
have its own result types displayed, and
the cursor movements can be linked.
Table button (TBL): Switch between
graphical and numerical/table version of
the results.
Function button (FUNC): Rotating be-
tween selected measurement functions.
Information button (INFO): The info screen
is available and shows important meas-
urement settings even when the measure-
ment is running and the menus therefore
are not available.
Calibration button (CAL): Activates the
calibration functions.
Memory button (MEM): Gives access to
browse the memory system.
Start/Stop button (START/STOP): Starts a
measurement or Stops an ongoing meas-
urement.
Pause/continue button ( ): Temporarily
prevents measured data to go into the
global results. The pause is a toggle style
function. It includes a graphical back-
erase function.
Setup button (SETUP): Gives access to
the menu system. Display parameters are
also available via pop-up menus which are
context sensitive.
Cursor buttons ( ): Keys for mov-
ing the cursor in graphical and tabular
displays. The cursor buttons may have dif-
ferent functionality in the different displays.
On/Off / Lock Keyboard button (ON/OFF):
Turns the instrument On/Of or keyboard
lock. A control question appears on the
screen. Holding the button down for more
than 5 seconds force the instrument to
switch off. Pushing the button when the in-
strument is measuring will prompt you for
keyboard lock only.
V button (√or OK): Exits the current menu
and stores your current selections.
X button ( ): Exits a menu without doing
your modifications.
Touch sensitive screen
The large 4.3” capacitive touch display is optimised for
use both in dark environment as well as in sunlight. The
Nor150 uses the latest technology for touch sensitive
displays. The capacitive touch technology eliminates
the use of a stylus or calibrating the XY position of the
screen.
Manoeuvring in the menus follows the same use as on
any smart phone or pad. I.e. in all menus use your finger
to tap on the selection fields or drag on the selection
wheels or table up/down.

6Chapter 2
Taking a closer look at Nor150
Placing the finger for a few seconds in a graphical dis-
play or numerical table or pushing the √ button gives
access to a context sensitive menu with various selec-
tions available for the current display – easy and intuitive.
The backlight brightness is preset from the factory to
work in various environments. It is however possible to
adjust it in the power setting menu to optimise it for the
current light condition. It may be needed to increase the
brightness in heavy sunlight, while dark environments
may call for a lower setting. Additionally there is a time
out function that will turn off the backlight after a preset
time. Touch the screen or push a button and the light
will be turned on again.
Please note that the use of the backlight makes a
significant impact on the power consumption.
Use the measurement control (Start/Stop,Pause/
Continue) in the touch sensitive display when you
measure low noise levels. The touch sensitive dis-
playiscompletely noiseless compare toatraditional
keyboard.