Olympus Sonic 1200S/HR User manual

PN 7720044, PN 7720066 — March 2006
Sonic®1200S/HR Ultrasonic Flaw
Detector
User’s Manual

Copyright © 2006 by Olympus NDT. All rights reserved.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of Olympus NDT, except
where permitted by law. For information, contact: [e-mail].
Panametrics, Panametrics-NDT, and the Panametrics-NDT logo are trademarks of
Panametrics Inc.
Other product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks of their
respective companies, and are mentioned for identification purposes only.
Printed in the United States of America.
In accordance with European Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment, this symbol indicates that the product must not be disposed of as unsorted
municipal waste, but should be collected separately. Refer to your local Olympus NDT
distributor for return and/or collection systems available in your country.

Warranty iii
Warranty
The Sonic 1200S/HR has been designed and manufactured as a high quality instrument.
Inspect the unit thoroughly upon receipt for evidence of external or internal damage that may
have occurred during shipment. Notify the carrier making the delivery immediately of any
damage, since the carrier is normally liable for damage in shipment. Preserve packing
materials, waybills, and other shipping documentation in order to establish damage claims.
After notifying the carrier, contact Olympus NDTTM so that we may assist in the damage
claims, and provide replacement equipment, if necessary.
Olympus NDT guarantees the Sonic 1200S/HR to be free from defects in materials and
workmanship for a period of one year (twelve months) from date of shipment. This warranty
only covers equipment that has been used in a proper manner as described in this instruction
manual and has not been subjected to excessive abuse, attempted unauthorized repair, or
modification. DURING THIS WARRANTY PERIOD, Olympus NDT LIABILITY IS
STRICTLY LIMITED TO REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF A DEFECTIVE UNIT AT ITS
OPTION. Olympus NDT does not warrant the Sonic 1200S/HR to be suitable of intended use,
or fitness for any particular application or purpose. Olympus NDT accepts no liability for
consequential or incidental damages including damage to property and/or personal injury. In
addition to our standard one year warranty, Olympus NDT also offers an optional two year
warranty (call for further details).
This warranty does not include transducers, transducer cables, or battery. The customer will
pay shipping expense to the Olympus NDT plant for warranty repair; Olympus NDT will pay
for the return of the repaired equipment. (For instruments not under warranty, the customer
will pay shipping expenses both ways.)
In this manual, we have attempted to teach the proper operation of the Sonic 1200S/HR
consistent with accepted flaw detection techniques. We believe the procedures and examples
given are accurate. However, the information contained herein is intended solely as a teaching
aid and should not be used in any particular application without independent testing and/or
verification by the operator or the supervisor. Such independent verification of procedures

iv Warranty
become more important as the criticality of the application increases.
For these reasons, we make no warranty, expressed or implied, that the techniques, examples,
or procedures described herein are consistent with industry standards nor that they will meet
the requirements of any particular application. Olympus NDT expressly disclaims all implied
warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any particular application.
Olympus NDT reserves the right to modify all products without incurring the responsibility for
modifying previously manufactured products. Olympus NDT does not assume any liability for
the results of particular installations, as these circumstances are not within our control.
THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH HEREIN ARE EXCLUSIVE AND ARE IN LIEU OF
ALL OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER STATUTORY, EXPRESS, OR IMPLIED
(INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING
OR USAGE OR TRADE).

TableofContents
Table of Contents
Warranty and PowerLink™
1 Preparation for Operation............................................................................. 1
1.1 Unpacking the Sonic 1200S/HR ........................................................................................ 4
1.2 Sonic 1200S/HR Packages................................................................................................. 5
1.3 Sonic 1200S+/HR+ Packages ............................................................................................ 8
1.4 Optional Accessories........................................................................................................ 11
1.5 Initial Inspection Checklist............................................................................................... 11
1.6 Power Requirements ........................................................................................................ 12
1.7 Ni-MH Battery Characteristics......................................................................................... 14
1.8 Li-Ion Battery Characteristics.......................................................................................... 15
1.9 Charging the Ni-MH/Li-Ion Battery................................................................................ 16
1.10 Operating Environment................................................................................................... 20
2 Technical Data............................................................................................... 21
3 FastBreak Operation .................................................................................... 29
3.1 Getting Started with FastBreak Operation ........................................................................ 29
3.2 Ready................................................................................................................................ 29
3.3 Operating Menu Structure................................................................................................ 30
3.4 Set..................................................................................................................................... 31
4 Control Descriptions..................................................................................... 35
4.1 Instrument Controls.......................................................................................................... 36
4.2 Power Button.....................................................................................................................37
4.3 Displays............................................................................................................................ 37
4.4 Soft Keys.......................................................................................................................... 39
4.5 INC/DEC Arrow Keys ......................................................................................................40
4.6 Main Menu Keys.............................................................................................................. 40

4.7 Enter Key...........................................................................................................................42
4.8 Print Key........................................................................................................................... 42
4.9 SmartKnob™.................................................................................................................... 42
4.10 RCV and XMIT BNCs.................................................................................................... 42
4.11 Pulser Menu..................................................................................................................... 43
4.12 Receiver Menu..................................................................................................................43
4.13 Range Menu..................................................................................................................... 44
4.14 Gate 1 Menu.................................................................................................................... 45
4.15 Gate 2 Menu.................................................................................................................... 46
4.16 Thickness Menu............................................................................................................... 47
4.17 Angle Menu......................................................................................................................48
4.18 DAC Menu...................................................................................................................... 49
4.19 Main Menu ...................................................................................................................... 50
4.20 SPCL Menu..................................................................................................................... 51
4.21 Program Sub-Menu ......................................................................................................... 54
4.22 Report Form Sub-Menu................................................................................................... 55
4.23 Clock Sub-Menu...............................................................................................................56
4.24 A-scan Sub-Menu............................................................................................................ 57
4.25 A-scan Attribute Sub-Menu ............................................................................................ 58
4.26 Data Sub-Menu................................................................................................................ 59
4.27 New Block Editor............................................................................................................ 60
4.28 Block Review Sub-Menu .................................................................................................61
4.29 Text Editor....................................................................................................................... 62
4.30 Instrument Reset.............................................................................................................. 63
5 Applications................................................................................................... 65
5.1 Pulse-Echo Contact Thickness Testing ............................................................................ 65
5.2 Dual Transducer Thickness Testing...................................................................................74
5.3 Delay Line Thickness Testing .......................................................................................... 87
5.4 Shear Wave (Angle Beam) Testing .................................................................................. 98
5.5 Distance Amplitude Correction (DAC) Testing............................................................. 112
6 Internal Datalogger..................................................................................... 119
6.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 119
6.2 Creating a New Block .....................................................................................................120
6.3 Selecting a Block............................................................................................................ 121
6.4 Storing Readings into Memory ...................................................................................... 121
6.5 Selecting Locations and Reviewing Readings ............................................................... 122
6.6 Clearing Readings .......................................................................................................... 122

TableofContents
6.7 Clearing a Block............................................................................................................. 123
6.8 Deleting a Block............................................................................................................. 124
6.9 Deleting All Blocks........................................................................................................ 124
7 Computer Interface .................................................................................... 127
7.1 Description..................................................................................................................... 127
7.2 RS-232 Communication .................................................................................................128
7.3 Modes of Operation........................................................................................................ 130
7.4 Command Strings........................................................................................................... 130
7.5 Status Reporting............................................................................................................. 131
7.6 RS-232 Command Set.................................................................................................... 132
7.7 Examples........................................................................................................................ 143
Documentation Comments

Preparation for Operation 1
1. Preparation for Operation
What’s in this section?
Introduction to PowerLink™
• 1.1 Unpacking the Sonic® 1200S/HR
• 1.2 Sonic®1200S/HR Optional Accessories
• 1.3 Initial Inspection Checklist
• 1.4 Power Requirements
• 1.5 Ni-MH Battery Characteristics
• 1.6 Li-Ion Battery Characteristics
• 1.7 Charging the Ni-MH / Li-Ion Battery
• 1.8 Operating Environment
Introduction to PowerLink™
The PowerLink™ feature enables the Sonic®1200S/HR instrument to recognize a Olympus
NDT PowerLink transducer type and provides the capability to modify selected instrument
parameters for program storage and recall. PowerLink has a separate screen with a sign-on

2 Chapter 1
message and menu structure (as shown).
Each PowerLink transducer is programmed at the factory to identify itself by model,
frequency, serial number and type. The operator may select the factory default setup for each
transducer type in the event that an instrument setup has not been associated with that
transducer.
The stored program feature is tied into the program store and recall features of the instrument.
This makes stored programs associated with transducers look the same to the operator as other
stored programs.
Before any stored transducer programs can be recalled, a Olympus NDT transducer must be
connected to the instrument and identified. Multiple programs are associated with each
transducer and the operator is allowed to select from the programs stored.
When a transducer linked through PowerLink is removed and replaced with
another transducer, the Sonic®1200S/HR instrument MUST be recalibrated, or the
new transducer relinked before testing.

Preparation for Operation 3
PowerLink™ Connection
After connecting a Olympus NDT transducer to your Sonic®1200S/HR instrument, touch and
hold the transducer to the PowerLink contact disc on your EL/LCD display for approximately
4 seconds, or 2 beeps. If contact is not maintained for the proper amount of time, the screen
will show the PowerLink display with N/A parameters. In this case, try again, until the
PowerLink connection is complete and parameters are displayed.
Menu Description
•ModelTransducer Model
•FrequencyTransducer Nominal Frequency
•S/NSerial Number (stamped on the front of the transducer)
•ModeSingle or Dual
•Program Name and Date Stamp - Program number, optional operator-entered description,
and date stamp. The stored program number is shown in the PROGRAM softkey menu
box.
Program
This line displays the program storage location/transducer setup, which is to be stored,
recalled, or erased. Rotating the SmartKnob™will cycle through the storage locations
associated with the identified transducer. If no stored locations are associated with the
identified transducer, the number of the next empty storage location will be displayed.
Store/Recall
Instrument settings associated with the identified transducer are stored to or recalled from the
selected program location. If the location is empty, the operator is allowed to store the
instrument setup. Whenever a transducer setup is recalled, the current instrument settings are
overwritten and cannot be recovered unless the setup was previously saved.
Erase
Allows the operator to erase the selected transducer setup. This needs to be done only if the
storage location is to be reused. An ENTER confirmation will be required from the operator
before the program location is cleared. An erased location cannot be recovered.
Name
Allows the operator to enter a name of up to 26 characters to identify the setup. Only program
locations which are not empty may be named.

4 Chapter 1
Default
Restores the factory default instrument setup and changes the PULSEWIDTH, FREQUENCY,
and MODE parameters of the receiver in accordance with the identified transducer parameters.
The PowerLink menu may be exited at any time without changing instrument setups by
pressing any menu key on the main keypad. When recalling default setups for an angle beam
transducer, the operator will be sent to the ANGLE menu on return from the PowerLink menu.
When recalling the default setting from a nonangle beam transducer, the operator will be
returned to the RCVR menu on exit from PowerLink.
1.1 Unpacking the Sonic 1200S/HR
All cartons should be opened and inspected upon receipt. The cartons and contents should be
inspected for any signs of damage that may have occurred during shipment. If damage is noted,
contact the carrier and retain the damaged shipping materials until an inspection can be
performed by a representative of the carrier. With the exception of the UBC (universal battery
charger) and external accessories, all Sonic®1200S/HR options are installed before the unit is
shipped. Check the contents of the carton or cartons against the Packing List to ensure that all
accessories ordered have been received.

Preparation for Operation 5
1.2 Sonic®1200S/HR Packages
1.2.1 Sonic®1200S Packages

6 Chapter 1

Preparation for Operation 7
1.2.2 Sonic®1200HR Packages

8 Chapter 1
1.3 Sonic®1200S+/HR+ Packages
1.3.1 Sonic®1200S+ Packages

Preparation for Operation 9

10 Chapter 1
1.3.2 Sonic®1200HR+ Packages

Preparation for Operation 11
1.4 Optional Accessories
1.5 Initial Inspection Checklist
After the Sonic®1200S/HR has been unpacked and the contents of the carton have been
checked against the packing list, a visual inspection and a basic operation test should be
Hands-free Chest Harness/Battery Belt - This accessory is designed to hold the
weight of the Sonic®/Nortec®/BondMaster 1200 series of nondestructive test (NDT)
equipment and it’s accessories. Specifically, the pouch on the chest harness is
designed to hold the DR-35 battery sled, which adds two batteries to the system to
extend field operation time. THE CHEST HARNESS IS NOT DESIGNED TO
SAFELY SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE USER IN ANY SITUATION!

12 Chapter 1
performed.
•Cosmetic or structural damage?
• Istrument Power “On”
•PowerOnSelfTest
• EL/LCD Sign On Message displays?
1.6 Power Requirements
As a fully portable inspection instrument, the Sonic®1200S/HR relies on two nickel-metal
hydride (Ni-MH) batteries (one Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery on ë+’ models) as the primary
source of power. The battery compartment is located at the rear of the unit and is conveniently
accessed by loosening the two quick release screws and removing the battery cover.
Figure 1-1: Battery Cover Locations
The batteries provided with the Sonic®1200S/HR instrument are small, lightweight, portable,
and capable of delivering long service life between recharges or battery replacement.
A Universal Battery Charger (UBC) unit is provided with the Sonic®1200S/HR for recharging
the batteries while in the instrument or external battery pack and allowing the Sonic®
1200S/HR to be operated from AC line power. The UBC unit auto senses 90-264 VAC, 47 to
Ni-MH
Li-Ion
Top of Instrument
RCV XMT
RCV XMT