General Tools and Instruments IRTC50 - Manual (Page 6)

Note that in this mode, called SCAN mode, the temperature shown on the front
panel display tracks the surface temperatures (in °F) of the objects scanned,
with fast response time of 0.5 seconds. Also note that when you release the
trigger, the display holds the last scanned temperature.
Note: To conserve battery life:
• 15 seconds after you release the trigger, the display’s backlight goes off.
• 60 seconds after you release the trigger, the instrument automatically powers off.
Repeat this procedure while looking closely at the display. Note that when you
press and hold the trigger:
• You hear two beeps.
• The display backlight comes on.
• The SCAN and “REF——” icons illuminate.
• A temperature reading is displayed in °F. (To convert the reading to °C,
momentarily press the green “C/F” button below the display).
• To power off, hold the green button for more than two seconds, the instrument
will sound two beeps and power off.
• There is a pointer at the bottom left of the display above the word “OFF”
stenciled on the front panel. This indicates that the set-point is not activated.
Using Reference Temperatures and Setpoints
Once you learn how to make basic temperature measurements, it’s easy to
move on to using the IR Thermal Scanner the way the pros do. In many applica-
tions—such as detecting thermal leaks in a house or a batch of undercooked
food—tracking the absolute temperature of a surface is less important (and
more time-consuming) than sensing how hot or cold that surface is, relative to
the surfaces around it.
The IRTC50 supports operation in this advanced “temperature differential”
mode. First, you define the expected, “normal” temperature of a surface as the
reference temperature. Then, you define the maximum deviation from the refer-
ence temperature that can be tolerated under specific environmental condi-
tions. This maximum deviation is called the setpoint band. Typically, a narrow
setpoint band (1°F/0.5°C) would be used to monitor temperature in processes
requiring precise quality control (food preparation, for example). A wider band
(10°F/5.5°C) would be used to detect deviations from normal that are more
tolerable (a tiny heat leak through a crack that would be too expensive to
repair, for example).
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