3.Operation
To turn on the GK-404 on, press the On/Off button on the front panel of the unit. The initial startup screen will be displayed. After approximately one second, the GK-404 will start taking readings and display them based on the settings of the Pos and Mode buttons.
The unit display (from left to right) is as follows:
■The current Position, set by the Pos button, displayed as a letter, A - F.
■The current Reading, displayed as a numeric value, followed by the unit of measure (set by the Mode button).
■Temperature reading of the attached gauge in degrees Celsius.
The GK-404 will continue to take measurements and display readings until the unit is turned off, either manually, or if enabled, by the Auto-Off timer. See Section 3.3 for information on the Auto-Off timer. To turn off the GK-404 manually, press and hold the On/Off button until Saving Settings is displayed, then release the button. All user settings are stored at shut off and will be restored the next time the GK-404 is turned on.
Use the Pos button to change the GK-404 pluck settings. Each Position setting (A-F) has different preprogrammed parameters that are optimized for certain instruments. Each option also has different scaling and processing characteristics. The table below details the correct position to use with the various models sold by geokon.
|
Position |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
|
Use with |
All |
4300BX 4400 4500 4600 4700 4800 4900 |
4000 |
4200 |
4100 |
4300EX |
|
Mode 1: |
Dg |
|
με |
|
Dg |
|
|
Units: |
Digits |
|
μStrain(ε) |
|
Digits |
|
|
Calculation: |
F2x10-3 |
F2x10-3x4.062 |
F2x10-3x3.304 |
F2x10-3x0.39102 |
F2x10-3 |
|
|
Mode 2: |
Hz |
|||||
|
Units: |
Hertz |
|||||
|
Calculation: |
F = Frequency in Hertz |
|||||
|
Mode 3: |
μS |
|||||
|
Units: |
μSec |
|||||
|
Calculation: |
T = Period (1/F) in μSec |
|||||
|
Frequency Sweep: (Hz) |
450‑6000 |
1500‑3500 |
450‑1200 |
1500‑3500 |
2500‑6000 |
|
table 2: Position Specifications
Pressing the Mode button will select the format of the vibrating wire reading. The available options are Dg (digits), Hz (hertz), μS (period), and με (microstrain). Only positions C, D, and E support the με microstrain format.
Pressing the Cfg button will cause the GK-404 to enter the Configuration Menu. The LCD screen will display:
GK-404 verX.XX
Config Menu
From this menu, several GK-404 operating parameters may be set. Use the Pos button to select the various parameters and the Mode button to select each parameter's options. Press Cfg twice at any time to exit the Configuration Menu and return to the Readings Screen. Parameters available from the Configuration Menu are as follows:
Backlight:
Press Mode to turn the LCD backlight on or off.
Battery Voltage:
This is a bar graph display of the power remaining in the two 1.5V AA cells, with F for FULL and E for EMPTY. The GK-404 is capable of continuous operation for greater than 20 hours on a fresh set of batteries.
Contrast:
Press the Mode button to adjust the contrast of the LCD display in 10% increments.
AUTO-OFF:
Press the Mode button to select automatic shutoff after five minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes. The Auto-Off may be disabled so that the GK-404 will only shut off if the front panel On/Off button is pressed. The Auto-Off will activate only if no front panel buttons are pressed for the specified amount of time. The timer will reset each time a button is pressed. When the GK-404 powers down, all settings are saved to the internal memory, and will restore the next time the GK-404 is turned on.
Note: The times mentioned above are approximate.
Factory default settings can be restored by pressing and holding the Cfg and Pos buttons when powering on the GK-404. The factory default settings are:
Position: B
Mode: Dg
Backlight: Off
Contrast: 50%
Power-off Time: Five minutes