Rhopoint Instruments IQ Flex 20 User manual

Thank you for purchasing this Rhopoint product.
Please read these instructions carefully before operating this product and retain them for
future reference.
The images shown in this manual are for illustrative purposes only.
English
Operating Instructions

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This instruction manual contains important information about the setup and use of your
Rhopoint IQ Flex 20. It is essential that the contents be read before powering up and
operating the instrument.
If this instrument is passed to other users you must ensure that the instruction manual is
supplied with the instrument. If you have any questions or require additional information
about the IQ Flex 20 please contact the Rhopoint Authorised Distributor for your region.
The technology and components used in the device are based on state-of-the art optic
and electronics. As part of Rhopoint Instruments commitment to continually improving the
technologies used in their products, they reserve the right to change information included
in this document without prior notice.
© Copyright 2014 Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Rhopoint IQ™ and Rhopoint™ are registered trademarks of Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. in
the UK and other countries.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their
respective owner.
No portion of the software, documentation or other accompanying materials may be
translated, modified, reproduced, copied or otherwise duplicated (with the exception of a
backup copy), or distributed to a third party, without prior written authorization from
Rhopoint Instruments Ltd.
Rhopoint Instruments Ltd.
Enviro 21 Business Park
Queensway Avenue South
St Leonards on Sea
TN38 9AG UK
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: https://www.rhopointinstruments.com
Revision G
November 2019

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Contents
Storage and Handling 3
Accessories 5
Optional items 5
Functional overview 6
Power 7
USB Connectivity 7
Switching the unit on 8
Operation 9
Menu Screen 13
Viewing Batch Data 14
Setup Screen 15
Data & Batch Screen 16
Calibration Screen 17
Calibration 18
Measurement Screen 18
Pass/Fail Setup Screen 21
IQ Screen 22
Control Screen 23
Instrument Setup Screen 28
Maintenance Screen 30
About Screen 30
Disadvantages of standard gloss measurement 34
Gloss 35
% Reflectance 36
Haze 37
Measuring Haze with the Rhopoint IQ Flex 20 38
Haze Compensation 38
Distinctness Of Image (DOI) 40
Reflected Image Quality (RIQ) 41
RSpec- Peak Specular Reflectance 42
Goniophotometric Profile 43
Calculating Gloss, Haze, RSpec and DOI from a Goniophotometric Profile 44

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Storage and Handling
 This instrument contains precision optics and electronics. You should avoid
knocking or dropping the device as the resulting impact could cause serious
damage.
 In some circumstances the optical components in the instrument could become
misted due to temperature change. It is therefore recommended that the
instrument is not used until it has stabilised to ambient temperature.
 Ensure that the instrument is not exposed to moisture, chemicals or to any
corrosive vapours.
 Do not interfere or place any objects inside the measuring aperture as damage to
the measuring system could occur.
 The instrument housing and screen are normally resistant to a variety of solvents
however it is not possible to guarantee resistance to all chemicals; the surfaces
of the instrument should therefore only be cleaned using a soft, moist cloth.
 Prevent exposure of the instrument to direct sunlight for prolonged periods and
to continuous humidity and condensation.

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About the Rhopoint IQ Flex 20
The Rhopoint IQ Flex 20 is an advanced measuring instrument used to quantify the
quality of surface appearance.
Unlike a standard glossmeter the IQ Flex 20 has the unique capability of measuring and
detecting quality problems caused by microscopic texture in the surface that cause haze
and orange peel effects which lead to poor Distinctness Of Image (DOI),
These factors can seriously affect the visual impact and reflective quality of many coated,
painted and polished surfaces. By measuring the quality of the reflected image it
accurately profiles how light is reflected from a surface.
The instrument uses a diode array to measure the distribution of the reflected light at +/-
7.25° from the specular angle of reflection in steps of 0.02832°.
This technology allows the instrument to calculate Gloss, Haze, DOI, RIQ and RSpec
providing the user with a complete analysis of the reflective quality of the surface.
Definitions of each of the parameters measured by the IQ Flex 20 can be found in the
section “Appearance Theory” detailed later in this manual.

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Accessories
The instrument is supplied as a standard package complete with all accessories required
to calibrate and recharge the unit including: -
Rhopoint IQ Flex 20 Goniophotometer
NIST traceable high gloss calibration tile including certificate
Cleaning cloth for calibration tile
NIST traceable instrument certificate
USB Mains Charger with four selectable mains input connectors (UK / Europe / US /
Australia)
USB PC cable
Quick Start Operating Instructions
Protective instrument carry case
Location Template
Product Warranty Card
Optional items
NIST traceable mirror gloss calibration tile including certificate
Reduced measuring spot size adaptor, 2mm
Reduced measuring spot size adaptor, 4mm

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Functional overview
The instrument is controlled by pressing the relevant touch sensitive button.
Functionality is dependent on whether the instrument is in menu or operate mode as
detailed in the operation sections that follow.
Label No.
Function
1
Measurement button
2
High Resolution Graphic Display
3
Up/Down/Left/Right
Buttons
4
Operate / Enter
Button
5 Measurement head
5
4
2
3
1

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Power
The Rhopoint IQ Flex 20 is powered by an integrated high capacity lithium ion cell.
Fully charged the instrument will operate continuously for >17 Hours or >20,000 readings.
A mains powered USB charger is provided with the unit. This will fully charge the unit when
connected to the unit’s USB input in up to 9 hours.
Alternatively, the instrument can be powered and charged using the USB cable attached to
any compatible USB host (e.g. laptop etc.), Please note that charging from a USB host such
as a laptop may take longer due to the lower current available.
Do not operate the instrument whilst it is charging.
USB Connectivity
Three functions are available when the IQ Flex 20 is connected to a computer using the USB
cable supplied –
Access Files – Allows access to measurement and configuration files on the instrument. The
instrument appears as a USB drive named IQ-METER. When selected the display on the
instrument shows a USB memory key as shown below –

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USB Remote Control - Allows control of the IQ Flex 20 remotely by sending ASCII commands
from a computer or PLC. In this mode the instrument displays “REMOTE CONTROL ACTIVE”
on the main measurement screen.
Battery Charge Only – Allows USB charging of the instrument, all instrument functions are
available. Do not operate the instrument whilst it is connected via USB and / or charging.
Switching the unit on
To switch on the unit, touch the On/Off button located at the back of the instrument near
the USB socket.
The instrument will display the IQ Flex 20 logo and then the home screen displaying
measurement parameters according to the instruments default settings or those
previously configured.
Similarly, the instrument can be powered off (dependent on configuration – see
Instrument Setup) by pressing the On/Off button for three seconds.
Label No.
Function
6 Mains / USB Charger
Input Connector
7 On / Off button
6
7

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Operation
The Rhopoint IQ Flex 20 has the ability to rotate its screens according to its measurement
orientation.
It automatically displays measurement data in either portrait mode –
Or landscape mode -
Note- Main measurement screen, statistics and main menu are available in portrait view.
Other menus and graphs can only be accessed when the instrument is held in landscape
orientation. The flip function is disabled when landscape only screens are shown and
when an on-screen prompt is visible.

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With the unit switched on and initialised the instrument will display the home screen as
shown below.
In this mode, measurements can be made by simply pressing the Measurement button
(1) on the side of the instrument or Operate button (4) on the instrument keypad.
Press the Up (3) button in the home screen to display the graph screen.
The goniophotometric profile and data for the last 20° measurement will be shown.
Measurements can be taken whilst in this screen and the display will update.
Press the Right button to zoom in, the Y axis will auto-scale to fit the reflectance curve
data.
Press the Left button to return to the Home screen.
NAVIGATION OPTIONS
GLOSS GEOMETRY
MEASUREMENT READY
BATTERY METER
SAMPLE NUMBER
DATE AND TIME
IQ READINGS
IQ VALUES
BLUETOOTH READY
GLOSS READING
BATCH NAME

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Press the Right button in the home screen to display the Gloss statistics screen
Measurements can again be taken whilst in this screen and the statistics will be updated.
Press the Right button to access the Gloss graph screen, this provides a graphical
representation of the statistics data.
Press the Down button to display IQ data.
Press the Up / Down buttons to display Gloss and IQ data individually. Measurements
can be taken whilst in any screen and the graph will be updated after each reading.
Press the Left button to return to the statistics screen. Press the Right button to return to
the home screen.

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In the Home screen press the Left button to display the Stored Data screen.
When Memory is set to ON (as detailed later in the Menu Screen section of this manual)
measurements can be recalled and displayed from any batch stored in the IQ memory.
Press the Left / Right buttons to review the measurement data.
Press the Up / Down buttons to select each batch.
At the end of each batch the mean results are displayed.
Press the Enter / Operate button to return to the Home screen.

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Menu Screen
The Menu Screen is used to quickly access frequently used options. Press the Up / Down
buttons to navigate through the options; press the Enter button to select the option
required.
Settings in the menu screen are: -
Memory – Set to ON, enables storage and batching of measurement results.
The amount of available storage memory is also displayed.
Set to OFF, disables result storage.
With Memory ON:
Delete Last Reading – Delete last measurement, no. of measurements and statistics
data updated to previous values.
Start New Batch – Start new batch of readings, Batch name is incremented by 1.
Clear Current Batch – Delete entire batch of measurements for current batch.
Delete All Batches – Delete all batches and measurements stored.
Batch Name – Default name is BATCH, a maximum of 8 user defined batch names can
be used as detailed in the “Batching Options” section.
Calibrate Instrument – Perform a calibration of the instrument as detailed under
“Operation”.
Switch Off – Turn off the instrument.
Press the Left button to return to the home screen.
Press the Right button to enter the Setup screen.

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Batching Options
The batching feature allows the user to group measurements together in batches. Each batch
has associated statistics; the data for each batch can be accessed by connecting the
instrument to a PC.
The current batch name is displayed on the home screen in the bottom left corner, the sample
number within that batch is shown in the top right of the screen indicated with n=(sample
number).
A new batch is started using the Start New Batch option in either the Menu screen or the Data
menu, note that the batch name will increment as will the ‘n’ indicator.
The current batch can be cleared in the either the Menu screen or the Data Menu, the batch
name will remain the same but the ‘n’ indicator will reset to zero.
Auto batch size is user defined using the Auto Batch option in the Data Menu. When the
number of readings in the current batch reach the number set by the user the instrument will
automatically increment the batch name and set the ‘n’ indicator to zero.
Viewing Batch Data
To access the stored batch information, connect the instrument to a PC using the USB data
cable supplied.
A new device name “IQ-METER” can be viewed and accessed via “MY COMPUTER”, in this
device open the DATA folder. This folder contains subfolders which contain the data for each
individual saved batch. Each reading is saved as an individual comma separated value (.csv)
that contains Gloss, Haze, DOI/RIQ, RSpec, Time and Date of Reading, Serial Number and
Full Goniophotometric data for all 512 diode elements.
Each reading also contains the statistics for the batch up to and including that reading. To
access the STATISTICS for the whole batch, the last reading in the batch should be
examined.
User Defined Batch Names
Batch names are user definable. With the instrument connected to a PC, open the folder
named “CONFIG”. Within this folder there is a document named “batches”. This is a .csv
file that can be opened in Notepad, Excel or Wordpad.
User defined names should be saved in this document, each name listed on a separate line.
Ensure that the final line is terminated with a carriage return.
The format of these names should only contain letters. No numbers, spaces or other
characters can be used.
Once completed, save the file then switch the instrument off and on again to initialize the new
batch names.

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Setup Screen
The Setup Screen is used to customise the instrument settings to the user’s preference.
Press the Up / Down buttons to navigate through the options, press the Enter button to
select the option required.
Data and Batch Menu - Batch / Data options (See Data & Batch Menu Screen)
Calibration Menu - Calibration options (See Calibration Menu Screen)
Measurement Menu - Geometry setup (See Measurement Menu Screen)
Control Menu - Bluetooth setup (See Control Menu Screen)
Instrument Setup - Language, Date / Time and Power options (Setup Menu Screen)
Factory Menu - Pin locked menu options for Rhopoint authorised service centres
About Menu – Information about the instrument’s firmware version, serial number and
last date of Factory Calibration
Press the Left button to return to the Home screen.

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Data & Batch Screen
The Data Screen is similar in functionality to that of the menu screen but also allows the
selection and setting of the Auto Batch size.
By selecting Auto Batch to ON the batch size can be selected between 1 - 999 by
pressing the Left / Right buttons to select the relevant digit and the Up / Down buttons
to increment / decrement the value. Press the Enter button to save the batch size.
If Batch names have been user defined, as detailed under Batching Options, selection
of the Batch Name required is achieved by repeatedly pressing the Enter button with
Batch Name selected.
Press the Left button to return to the Home screen.

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Calibration Screen
The Calibration Screen is used to set the instrument calibration to the user’s
preference. Press the Up / Down buttons to navigate through the options, press the
Enter button to select the option required.
Selectable settings in the Calibration screen are: -
Calibrate instrument - Performs an instant calibration of the instrument; a dialogue box
being displayed upon completion to either “Cancel” or “Confirm”.
Calibrate to - Set to Black - a traceable gloss tile is used for calibration
Set to Mirror - a traceable mirror tile is used for calibration
Tile Value 20 - Set the calibration values for either standard being used for
calibration. Press the Enter button to select the value. Press the
Left / Right buttons to select the relevant digit and the Up /
Down buttons to increment / decrement the value. Press the Enter
button again to save the value.
Error Detection - The instrument detects the condition of the calibration standard being
used.
Set to OFF - Values are still checked against the stored reference but no other error
checking is carried out.
Set to CAL - A check is made to see if an appropriate hardware channel is wildly
different to what it should be, indicating that the calibration is being
attempted on the wrong tile type.
Set to Hz - A check is carried out on the haze value, if this is higher than expected the
tile could be dirty.
Set to CAL + Hz - A combination of the two above.
Haze Tolerance - Set the tolerance for the standard being used for calibration. An ideal
calibration standard should have zero haze, therefore setting the
value anywhere between 0 – 9.9 defines the acceptable pass band.

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Calibration
Standard spot size adaptor
To calibrate the instrument, place the head in the tile holder. It is important to hold the
head straight and still during calibration. Calibrate the instrument by selecting “Calibrate
Instrument” in the calibration menu.
The IQ Flex 20 can be used with optional 3D printed adapters- these are used to
improve accuracy on curved parts.
The adaptors are supplied with a small spot size calibration adapter- the instrument
should be calibrated with this in place before use.
Printed curved part adaptor with small spot size

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Measurement Screen
The Measurement Screen is used to configure the instruments measurement parameters
to the user’s preference. Press the Up / Down buttons to navigate through the options;
press the Enter button to select the option required.
Selectable settings in the Measurement screen are: -
Pass/Fail - Displays the Pass/Fail set up screen.
Auto Measure - Enables or disables automatic measurement mode, used for
monitoring surfaces for changes over a period of time. Press the Enter
button to select the required measurement frequency of either 2, 5 or
10 seconds. When auto measure mode is activated a message is
displayed after the Enter button is pressed and before the beginning of
the measurement sequence indicating that it is activated. To stop auto
measure simply press the Enter button once again at any time during
the sequence.
Range - Selects gloss measuring range to:
Auto – Full range.
Black – Standard gloss scale.
Mirror - Extended scale for highly reflective materials, polished metals,
requires calibration using Mirror standard.
Geometry - Displays the head geometry (20°)
Reflectance - Selects the measurement unit to be displayed for each angle:
% - display percentage reflectance, 100% reflectance = 2000GU@20
Degrees.
GU - display Gloss Units.
Press the Left button to return to the Home screen.