Cooper Instruments & Systems STX-1 Digital Strap Tension Meter - Manual (Page 3)

CF 124 1/19/12 3
6. VERSION. Instrument Model No. along with software version information can be viewed under SETUP and
then selecting Version.
7. CUSTOM CALIBRATIONS. Calibrations are password-protected to prevent unintended changes. See Section
7.0 for step-by-step instructions, or contact your Metrology Department or Cooper Instruments for assistance. If
you only want to verify your instrument’s accuracy refer to: How To Check Accuracy, Section 7.0.
8. CUSTOM CALIBRATION NAMES. Custom Calibrations (usually listed as Custom 0 - 9) can be renamed so
that the Main Display indicates your name for the calibration instead of Custom 1, 2, etc. From the Main Display
use the ↑ and ↓ keys until SETUP is selected. Press ENTER. Using the ↑ and ↓ keys select Custom Names.
Press ENTER. Next, using the ↑ and ↓ arrows select calibration number, or previous name you wish to rename.
Press ENTER. Using the ↑ and ↓ keys select the number, letter or character for the beginning of your new
name. Press ENTER. Follow the same procedure for each sequential letter or space of your new description.
Continue pressing ENTER until all spaces in the description have entered values. Once your new name has
been entered you will be returned to the SETUP screen. To select your new calibration follow the procedures
outlined in Sec.3.6.
9. MONITORING TENSION THROUGH THE ANALOG OUTPUT (Optional feature). Output values are: 0 – 5
VDC or 4 – 20 mA. Connect Analog Output Cable to receptacle located on the bottom side of instrument.
Connect output cable leads to the analog input of your measurement or control device. The RED lead is
Voltage +, the WHITE lead is mA, and the BLACK lead is ground. From the main display use the ↑ and ↓ keys
until you reach SETUP. Press ENTER. Next using the ↑ and ↓ arrows select ANALOG OUTPUT. Press
ENTER.
Using the ↑ and ↓ arrows select from: ANALOG TENSION CURRENT OR ANALOG TENSION
VOLTAGE. Once correct selection is made, press ENTER.
10. CALIBRATION OF ANALOG OUTPUT. (Optional feature) From Main Display press the ↑ and ↓ keys until you
reach SETUP. Press ENTER. Press the ↑ and ↓ keys until you reach CALIBRATE ANALOG. Press ENTER.
Using the ↑ and ↓ keys adjust display to show the value at which the instrument reads maximum current or
voltage. Press ENTER.
11. SERIAL DATA COLLECTION (RS-232 option). (Optional feature) Instruments outfitted with the optional RS-
232 feature (designated with a –E in the part number) support serial communications as follows:
A. The baud rate is 9600 with no parity bit, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit (9600 8N1).
B. Serial communications will work with most PCs with a cable up to 15 feet long.
C. Setting the dampening rate on the instrument to “1 Hz + Serial”, “2 Hz + Serial” or “5 Hz + Serial” will
cause the instrument to output the tension values at a rate of once, twice or five times per second,
respectively. The dampening rate can be set by going to the SETUP menu, selecting DAMPENING,
adjusting the value of the dampening rate with the ↑ and ↓ buttons and then pressing the ENTER button.
D. The units output serially will be the same units that are selected in the “Tension Units” menu. The currently
selected tension units (such as Lbs, Kilograms or Newtons) are also displayed on the main tension screen.
E. Perform the following steps in order to log serial data from the instrument using Hyper Terminal on a PC
and put it into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet:
1) Ensure that the dampening rate is set to “1 Hz + Serial”, “2 Hz + Serial” or “5 Hz + Serial”.
2) Connect the serial cable from the instrument to a serial port on your PC.
3) Go to the Windows® Start Menu and choose Programs->Accessories->Communications->Hyper
Terminal®
4) In the Connection Description dialog box that pops up, type in a name for the new connection (you can
use any name you wish to describe this file) and press the OK button.
5) In the Connect To dialog box that pops up next, go to the drop down menu labeled “Connect Using:”
and select the serial port you connected the cable to in step 2. It is most likely that you are connected
to COM1.
6) In the COMx Properties dialog box that pops up next, set the “Bits per second:” to 9600, the “Data bits:”
to 8, the “Parity:” to None, the “Stop bits:” to 1 and the “Flow Control:” to None.
7) Click the Apply button and then click the OK button.
8) You should now see tension values appearing in the Hyper Terminal window.
9) When you are finished collecting data, close Hyper Terminal.
10) To save the data in Microsoft Excel® format, use Microsoft Excel® to open the file you saved the data
log in and save it as an Excel® file.
12. UPLOADING LOGGED DATA (Optional Feature) via RS-232, SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS.
a. Refer to the previous section, Sec. 4.11, Serial Data Collection (RS-232 option) and configure
communication protocols as outlined. Note: Step c has no effect on transferring stored data and can be
adjusted to any setting.
b. To retrieve, or upload logged data from the instrument, send a lower case ’d’ .