Soil Instruments Digital Inclinometer Pro User manual

1
Soil Instruments Limited has an ongoing policy of design review and reserves the right to amend these specications without notice.
Man251 - Digital Inclinometer Pro – MN1114 – Rev1.2.5
Man 251
Digital
Inclinometer Pro
User Manual

2
QUESTION
What’s this manual about?
This manual tells you about the Digital Inclinometer Pro and
how to use it to take readings of lateral deections.
Who does this apply to?
Installers, eld engineers and technicians using the Digital
Inclinometer Pro.

3
Welcome!
Thank you for choosing the Digital Inclinometer Pro.
This manual has been written to help you utilise all of
the functions of the Digital Inclinometer Pro.
Please read this manual thoroughly before use to help
avoid any problems and keep it handy when using the Digital
Inclinometer Pro.
Digital Inclinometer Pro.
The Digital Inclinometer Pro comprises a biaxial probe, cable
reel and a rugged Tablet supplied with ‘In-Port Pro’ application.
The inclinometer probe measures lateral deections using
MEMS sensors, enabling the system to take highly accurate
and repeatable readings whilst transferring the measurements
via a digital signal for interference-free data transmission.
The system incorporates Bluetooth technology for
communicating from the inclinometer reel to the Tablet,
oering a complete cable free data transmitting system with
no connectors to corrode or break.
The graduated cable is constructed with Kevlar, making it very
strong and durable whilst remaining lightweight and consists
of a metal cable marker system which, when used in
conjunction with the cable gate, provides highly accurate and
repeatable depth control.
With all these combined design features, the Digital
Inclinometer Pro is a robust, eective and highly accurate
system that is light, compact and easy to operate in any
site environment.

4
Contents
OVERVIEW & INTRODUCTION 6
Important Information 6
Product Changes 6
Warrenty 6
Disposal 6
System Components - Things You Need to Know 7
About Inclinometers 7
System Components 7
The Digital inclinometer Pro 8
Measurement Axis 8
Control Cable 9
Handling The Probe 9
Cable Gate 9
Bluetooth Reel 9
Front Panel LED’s 10
Power Button & Power LED 10
Comms Ready/Bluetooth LED 10
Battery LED 10
QUICK START GUIDE 11
Using The Digital Inclinometer Pro 11
Before You Go To Site 11
Charging The Battery 11
Detachable inclinometer Pro Connection 11
In-Port Pro App Overview 12
In-Port Pro Software 12
Action Bar 12
Adding An Inclinometer 13
The Inclinometer List 13
Adding An Inclinometer 13
Fields On The Inclinometer Form 14
Recording Inclinometer Surveys 15
A-Grooves 15
Orientation Of Probes 16
The Survey Screen 17
0-Pass Screen 17
180-Pass Screen 17
Survey Buttons 18
Changing The Active Depth 18
Halting a Survey 19
Resuming An Interrupted Survey 19
Recording The Survey 20

5
Recording The 0-Pass 22
Recording The 180-Pass 26
DETAILED SOFTWARE GUIDE 30
Plotting Inclinometer Surveys 30
Introduction 30
Checksums 30
Change From Initial 30
Change From Last 30
Prole 30
View Data 30
Advanced Borehole Features 31
Autorun (Hands-Free Mode) 31
QR Code Feature 32
Sending Data Files To a PC 33
USB Transfers 33
Email Transfers 35
Setting Up Email Recipients 35
Emailing Files 36
Dropbox Transfers 37
Sending Files To Dropbox 37
Options Menu 39
Options List 39
Survey Control 40
Technical Details 41
Reading Units 41
Files and Folders 41
File Management 41
MAINTENANCE GUIDE 42
Maintaining the Digital Inclinometer Pro System 42
Routine Maintenance 42
Cable Maintenance 42
Probe Inspection and Maintenance 43
Cable Inspection and Maintenance 43
APPENDICES 44
Appendix A - Data Download Format and Manual Data Reduction 44
Appendix B 45
Checksums 45
Calibration 45
Appendix C – Frequently Asked Questions 46
Appendix D – CE Declaration 47
PRECISELY MEASURED
instrumentation and monitoring

6
OVERVIEW & INTRODUCTION
Important information
The following symbols are used throughout the manual
PRODUCT
CHANGES
WARRANTY
DISPOSAL
Failure to observe the warning may result in injury, product
malfunction, unexpected readings, loss of data or damage to the
product that may invalidate its warranty.
Soil Instruments has an on-going policy of design review and reserves
the right to amend the design of their product and this instruction
manual without notice.
Refer to our terms and conditions of sale for warranty information.
The batteries are a consumable item and are excluded from
the warranty.
Products marked with the symbol are subject to the following
disposal rules in European countries:
• This product is designated for separate collection at an
appropriate collection point
• Do not dispose of as household waste
• For more information, contact Soil Instruments or the local
authority in charge of waste management.
WEE/DE3326WV
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
QUESTION
WARNING TIP
TIP
Tips give additional information that may be helpful when using the
Digital Inclinometer Pro.
WARNING

7
Cable Marker
Accessory Carry Case
Waterproof Moulded Connection
Kevlar Cable
Cable Reel
Tablet
Moulded Handle
Wheel Assembly Inclinometer Probe
ABOUT
INCLINOMETERS
An inclinometer system includes inclinometer casing, a traversing
probe, control cable, and tablet.
Inclinometer casing is permanently installed in a near-vertical borehole
that passes through a zone of suspected movement. The probe, cable,
and tablet are used to survey the casing.
The rst survey establishes the baseline prole of the installed casing.
Subsequent surveys will reveal changes in the prole if ground
movement has occurred. Plotting these changes reveals the rate, depth,
and magnitude of ground movement.
SYSTEM
COMPONENTS
The Digital Inclinometer Pro system includes an inclinometer probe,
Cable, a Bluetooth reel, a cable gate, and an In-Port Pro app that runs on
the supplied Tablet.
Cable Gate
Things You Need to Know About the Digital Inclinometer Pro
System Description

8
THE DIGITAL
INCLINOMETER
PRO
The Digital Inclinmeter Pro is supplied in metric and English versions.
The metric version has a gauge length of 0.5m. The English version has a
gauge length of 2 feet. A + mark is engraved on the body of the probe.
This is used to orient the probe during a survey.
MEASURMENT
AXIS
There are two MEMS tilt sensors inside the probe. The A-axis sensor
measures tilt in the plane of the wheels. The B-axis sensor measures tilt
in the plane perpendicular to the wheels.
When the top of the probe is tilted in the + direction, tilt values are
positive, and when the probe is tilted in the - direction, tilt values are
negative.

9
PROBE CABLE The cable is used to control the depth of the inclinometer probe. It also
conducts power and data between probe and reel.
• Metric probe cables have half-meter graduations with labels every
meter. The rst graduation is 0.5 meters from the top wheels of
the probe.
• English probe cables two-foot graduations with labels every
four feet. The rst graduation is 2 feet from the top wheels of the
probe.
How to negate plotting errors
The Digital Inclinometer Pro system displays readings as mm or inches
of tilt, and this reading applies at the depth of the top wheel set pivot
point.
The Soil Instruments standard inclinometer along with inclinometer
systems from some other manufacturers use cable markers that are
spaced from the middle of the probe (mid-probe datum systems), but
this has some unexpected eects when the readings are plotted.
Digital Inclinometer Pro system has been designed to negate these
plotting errors.
If you are using your Digital Inclinometer Pro system in new boreholes
then the following does not apply.
However if you use a Digital Inclinometer Pro in a Borehole that has
previously been read using a mid-probe datum inclinometer you will
see anomalies in the data plots when comparing the previous borehole
runs with the new borehole runs.
There are a number of options of how to negate these
anomalies:
Option 1
• Take a new datum set and exclude the previous data runs from
the plot.
Option 2
• Add a 250mm section of casing to the borehole which will
position the new probe in the same positions in the borehole as
the original probe.
• the 250mm value may need adjusting for dierences in cable
support gates.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

10
HANDLING THE
PROBE
The inclinometer probe is a sensitive measuring intrument. handle it
with care.
• When you insert the probe into the casing, cup the wheels with
your hands to compress the springs and allow a smooth insertion.
• When you lower the probe into the borehole, do not allow it to
strike the bottom.
• When you withdraw the probe from the casing, again cup the
wheels with your hands to prevent them from snapping out.
• When you rotate the probe, keep it upright and perform the
rotation smoothly.
• The probe is rated for temperatures from -20 to 70°C (-4 to 158°F).
Avoid using the probe in temperatures outside this range.
During the survey, successive
cable graduations are locked
into the cable gate to hold
the probe steady for readings.
The cable gate ts three
diameters of casing: 85, 70,
and 48 mm (3.34, 2.75, and
1.9 inch).
CABLE GATE The cable gate is pushed onto the top of the inclinometer casing to
serve as the reference for the depth graduations.
The Bluetooth reel provides a convenient way to carry the probe,
control cable, and cable gate. The reel transmits commands and data
between the tablet and the probe. A battery pack inside the reel powers
both the reel and the probe.
BLUETOOTH REEL
Option 3
• Use the Depth Index adjustment feature in In-Prole to reposition
the previous data sets.
• See article Using In-Prole Depth Index Correction.

11
The front panel has three LED indicators and a power button.FRONT PANEL
LED’S
Press to switch on. Press again to switch o. The Power LED glows green
when power is on. The reel switches o automatically after 5 minutes
without a bluetooth connection or after 10 minutes if no commands
and data are transmitted between tablet and probe.
POWER BUTTON
& POWER LED
The Comms Ready/Bluetooth LED blinks slowly while the Bluetooth reel
waits for a connection, then glows a steady blue when the connection
is made.
COMMS READY/
BLUETOOTH LED
The Battery LED stays o during normal use. A fully-charged battery
provides about 40 hours of operation. If the battery charge is very low,
the Battery LED blinks red when you rst switch on the reel.
BATTERY LED
Battery LED
Comms Ready/
Bluetooth LED
Power Button & LED
BEFORE YOU GO
TO SITE
• Unpack the Digital Inclinometer Pro, retaining the packaging for
future carriage to Soil Instruments for calibration.
• Charge the Digital Inclinometer Pro by carefully following the
charging procedure below;
• Check that there is sucient battery power in the tablet by
tapping on the battery icon located on the top right hand side of
the home screen. Ideally the battery should be over 50%; however
the tablet will function at a lower level
QUICK START GUIDE
Using the Digital Inclinometer Pro

12
Follow the charging procedure outlined in this manual at all times
to properly maintain the Digital Inclinometer Pro System. Only
use the charger supplied, using other chargers will invalidate the
warrenty.
WARNING
Plug the AC adaptor into a wall socket. Insert the barrel-plug into the
charge socket on the back side of the reel.
The Battery LED glows a steady red while the battery is charging. When
charging is nished, the green Power LED blinks slowly.
You can charge the battery every night. A charging circuit inside the
reel limits charge time to 5 hours.
If the battery is fully discharged, a full recharge may take longer
than 5 hours. In that case, it is possible to reset the charge timer by
disconnecting and then reconnecting the AC adaptor.
The adaptor provides 12 Vdc. Polarity of barrel connector is +ve inside
and -ve outside.
CHARGING THE
BATTERY
ASSEMBLY
1. Remove the cap from the cable connector and the Probe.
DETACHABLE
DIGITAL
INCLINOMETER
PRO CONNECTION
The Digital Inclinometer System and tablet are fully charged
during the manufacturing process, however, Soil Instruments
advise you to follow the correct charging procedures before
rst use.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

13
2. Pair together the 2 caps and place in a safe secure location
3. Check for any contaminants on the connectors and on the probes
O-ring, removing any contaminants with a damp cloth is necessary.
4. Line up the largest keyways on the connectors and push together.
5. When fully inserted, tighten the collar nut by hand, and use the
22mm Spanner to fully secure the connection. Do not over tighten.

14
6. The probe is now connected.
DISASSEMBLY
1. After use, wipe o any moisture around the connection.
2. Use the 22mm spanner and unfasten the Collar Nut.
3. Pull the Connection apart
4. Check that the O-ring is clean and wipe down the connectors.
5. Fit the protective caps and t to the Probe and Reel assembly
respectively.
6. Re-stow the Probe unto the probe pins.

15
INPORT PRO
SOFTWARE
Tap the In-Port Pro icon to open the app.
In-Port Pro App Overview
Share: Tap to send new
surveys by email or
dropbox.
Plot: Tap to show
plots and data.
Scan: Tap to start
a survey from a QR
code.
Survey: Tap to start
a survey from the
inclinometer list.
Tablet Hard Buttons:
Physical buttons
located at the
bottom of the tablet Back:
Press to go back
to previous page.
Home:
Press to return to
tablet home page.
Menu:
Press to show
options menu.
Please retain the packaging supplied with the Vertical Digital
Inclinometer System to ensure safe carriage when returning to
Soil Instruments for future calibration. Soil Instruments will reduce
calibration costs if the system is returned in its original packaging.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

16
THE
INCLINOMETER
LIST
The App keeps a list of inclinometers along with
the survey data for each inclinometer. To see the
list, tap the Survey icon (See right).
• To add an inclinometer to the list, tap the ‘+’ symbol.
• To start a survey, tap the inclinometer you wish to use.
• To edit an inclinometer, tap-and-hold the inclinometer.
Adding An Inclinometer
Tap + to add
Tap to start survey
Tap-and-hold to edit
ADDING AN
INCLINOMETER
1. Tap “Survey” to display the list of inclinometers.
2. Tap “Add”to display the inclinometer form.
Tap + to add
3. Make entries as explained below. If the keyboard hides part of the
form, slide the form upwards with your nger.
ACTION BAR The ‘Action Bar’ contains tap icons that vary depending on the screen.
Add (Inclinometer)
Done
Pause (Survey)
Cancel

17
FIELDS ON THE
INCLINOMETER
FORM
Site & Inclinometer: These two elds are used together to identify an
inclinometer. Each eld can contain 12 characters.
Description: Optional. (35 Max Characters)
A0 direction: Optional. Compass heading 0 to 359.
North = 0, South = 180
Units: Tap to switch between metric and English units.
Display Unit: Use mm for metric probe and Inch for English probe.
Depth Unit: Fixed to meters or feet.
Interval: Typically 0.5 for metric and 2 for English.
Top Depth: Typically 0.5 for metric and 2 for English.
Bottom Depth: Enter a multiple of 0.5 for metric systems or a multiple
of 2 for English systems.
TIP
If the probe is 0.5m gauge length then select metric. Likewise for the
imperial probe, if the gauge length is 2ft then select English.
The app turns a eld red if it nds an unacceptable entry. Check
that you hae entered no spaces, punctuation, or special characters.
Also check that the top and bottom depths are multiples of the
interval.
WARNING
4. Tap “Done”when the form is complete.
Done

18
Recording Inclinometer Surveys
During a survey, the probe is drawn from the bottom to the top
of the inclinometer casing. This is called a “pass”. A complete
survey consists of two passes, a“0 pass” and a “180 pass”.
AGROOVES Inclinometer casing is installed with one set of grooves aligned with the
expected direction of movement (downhill or towards the excavation).
These are the“A”grooves.
Only the A-grooves are used in the survey. The A0 groove is usually
marked for easy identication.
To maintain accurate depth control, cut the inclinometer casing
as level as possible after installation to ensure the cable gate ts
securely over the casing. You must not cut the casing if readings
have been taken previously.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
TIP
Soil Instruments recommend marking the A0 direction on the
inclinometer casing with a permanent marker to make sure the
borehole is always read with the correct orientation.

19
ORIENTATION OF
PROBE
0-Pass Readings: For the 0 pass, insert the probe with the + mark
facing the A0 direction.
The + mark appears on the body of the probe above the top wheel set.
180-Pass Readings: For the 180 pass, remove the probe, rotate it 180°,
and insert it with the + mark facing the A180 groove.

20
0PASS SCREEN The elements of the survey screen are explained below.
180PASS SCREEN The 180-Pass screen adds checksums and a second progress bar.
The survey screen guides you through the survey.
Pass
Active Depth
Last Recorded Depth
A Reading
B Reading
Progress Bar
Inclinometer Name
Units
Record Button
Pass
A Checksum
B Checksum
2nd Progress Bar
THE SURVEY
SCREEN