S.E. International Sentry User manual

®
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Alarming Dosimeter & Ratemeter
S.E. INTERNATIONAL, INC.
PO Box 39, 436 Farm Rd Summertown, TN 38483 USA TEL:[phone] FAX:[phone] [email protected]
www.seintl.com

The Sentry is a Personal Alarming Dosimeter and Rate Meter that measures gamma and x-ray radi-
ation and provides dose rate monitoring in a small rugged package. The Sentry works with the
Sentry Software, which can assist in tracking exposure to generate incident reconstruction and
analysis.
The Sentry employs two bright pulsating LEDs, an Audio Alert, and/or a Vibration Alert for the selec-
table alert levels. Coupled with the software, The Sentry can provide dose measurement, dose rate
measurement, and dose history and also enables you to easily set the alert to your desired levels for
dose and rate.
User Interface
LEDs
Located on the left of the endpanel
are two LEDs labeled Dose and
Rate. The LED labeled Dose will
light when the Dose warning or alert
is going off. The LED labeled Rate
will light when the Rate warning or
alert is going off.
Switches
The Sentry has two switches on the
top of the unit. The first, located
near the center of the end panel,
controls the power (ON/OFF), the
audio alarm (Audio only), or the
vibration alarm (Vibrate only).
The second switch, located on the right of the unit, controls the audio clicks that sound with every
count. It has two icons labeling the positions. Clicks on. Clicks off. This switch is also used to turn off
active alerts and warnings.
Alert Modes
Audio and Vibrate Mode
When The Sentry is initially switched on, the Sentry will conduct an alarm test where you will hear
one high to low alert and feel a vibration.
The audio alert consists of two stages.
1. The first stage is a warning where the audio alert pulsates from high to low with a 1 second
delay between them accompanied by a pulsating vibration while the LED flashes to indicate a Rate
or Dose Warning. The warning is triggered when you are approaching the threshold that you have
set for your alert.
2. The second stage of the alert sounds when you have reached the settable threshold. The full
alert is a pulsating alert with no pause accompanied by a pulsating vibration while the LED remains
solid. The LED indicates a Rate or Dose Alert.
Fig. 1 Sentry Button and LED Functions

To turn off the alert, change the position of the audio clicks switch. After leaving the field detected,
the alert resets itself and will reset to alert the next time you enter a field corresponding to the preset
alert and warning levels. If the unit is set to the Audio and Vibrate Alert mode, users can turn off the
audio portion of the alert by switching the mode switch to “vibe”. The vibration alert and the LED will
continue without the audio alert.
Vibrate Mode
The vibrating alert consists of two stages.
1. The first stage is a warning where the vibration and the LED pulsates. The LED indicates a
Rate or Dose Warning. The warning is triggered when you are approaching the threshold that you
have set for your alert.
2. The second stage of the alert sounds when you have reached the settable threshold. The full
alert is a pulsating vibration notably faster than the warning. The LED indicates a Rate or Dose Alert.
Sentry Software
The Sentry Software enables the users to change the alert levels for both dose and rate, set the time
and date, as well as download and set the parameters for your accumulated dose data.
Connecting The Sentry to a PC
To connect the Sentry to a PC, open the battery door and locate the 4 pin header. Attach the provid-
ed cable as shown to the header connector and the other end to your computers serial port (A USB-
Serial adapter can be used is your computer does not have a serial port). Launch The Sentry
Software and click "Retrieve Current Settings". This will populate the fields with the current Sentry
alert and time/date settings, as well as the
calibration factor.
Changing your Default Alert Levels
When you open The Sentry Software, the “Settings” tab opens by default. To change the alert levels
on The Sentry, click into the field containing the setting
you would like to change. After you have changed them to
your desired setting, click "Update with New Settings" to
update The Sentry.
By putting a 0 (zero) in the fields for warning or alarm, it
will disable that warning or alarm. Note: Do not set the
warning value to a higher value than the alert.
Calibration Factor
If the factory defaults of The Sentry do not meet your
needs, you can adjust the deadtime and the
calibration factor by inputting
your new settings in the
Calibration tab. Fig. 2 Connect the cable to the header connector
located inside the battery compartment.

Data Logging Frequency
To download the accumulated dose data, click on the
"Data Log" tab. The data will be shown based on the
"Data Logging Frequency" setting.
Changing the Time and Date on The Sentry
To display the current date and time setting for The
Sentry, click "Retrieve Date and Time".
To set the date and time of The Sentry to the current
date and time of your PC, click "Set Date and Time to
PC" and then click "Update with New Settings".
You can also set the date and time to any desired
setting by selecting the date and time you desire in
the available date and time fields and then clicking
"Update with New Settings".
Retrieving Accumulated Dose Data
The Sentry allows the user to download and log
data that has been accumulated in The Sentry’s
memory. To download your data, connect to The
Sentry as described in “connecting The Sentry to
the PC” and click on the “Data Log” tab, then click
“Retrieve Data”. A progress bar will show you the
time taken to download your data. After the table in
the Data Log tab has been populated, you can
click “Save Data” to save it to your computer. Date
values of 00/00/00 indicate a power cycle of the
unit (turned off then on).
Fig. 3 Sentry Software Screen Capture
Fig. 2 Sentry Software Screen Capture

Specifications
Detector:
Un-Compensated Peanut GM Detector
Dose Alarm Default:
500 mR
Rate Alarm Default:
.5 R
Alarm Specifications:
< 90 db @ 1 ft.and Vibrating Alarm with corresponding LEDs.
Power:
9 Volt Battery provides 1500 hrs @ background
Size:
3.8 x 2.4 x 1 in (96.5 x 70 x 25.4 mm)
Weight:
4.7 oz.
Temperature Range
-10º C to +60º C
Outputs
3.5MM Headphone Jack
Warranty
1 year limited warranty
Software Requirements
Windows based OS with Serial connector or USB-Serial Adapter
Accessories
Carrying Case (included)
The Sentry comes with a Vinyl carrying case with a clear end window
for easy access to the switches. The carrying case comes equiped
with a belt clip for easy, hands free use.
Xtreme Boot for the Sentry
The Xtreme Boot for the Sentry offeres a
rugged rubber overlay that holds The
Sentry snuggly and safely and protects it
from potential drops. The boot has a belt
loop for easy, hands free use.