Sonics VCX1500 - Manual (Page 9)

6
USING THE ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR
The speed control on an automobile, can, to a certain extent, be compared to an
Ultrasonic Processor. The speed control is designed to maintain the vehicles rate of
travel constant. As the terrain changes, so do the power requirements. The speed
control senses these requirements, and automatically adjusts the amount of power
delivered by the engine in order to compensate for these ever changing conditions.
The greater the terrain rate of incline and greater the resistance to the movement of
the vehicle, the greater the amount of power that will be delivered by the engine to
overcome that resistance.
The Ultrasonic Processor is designed to deliver constant amplitude. As the resistance
to the movement of the probe increases, additional power will be delivered by the
power supply to ensure that the excursion at the probe tip remains constant. Using a
more powerful power supply will not deliver more power into the liquid. Rather, it is
the resistance to the movement of the probe that determines how much power will be
delivered into the sample.
The AMPLITUDE control allows the ultrasonic vibrations at the probe tip to be set to
any desired level. Although the degree of cavitation required to process the sample
can readily be determined by visual observation, the amount of power required cannot
be predetermined. A sensing network continuously monitors the output requirements,
and automatically adjusts the power to maintain the amplitude at the preselected
level. The greater the resistance to the movement of the probe due to higher viscosity,
deeper immersion of the probe into the sample, larger probe diameter or higher
pressure, the greater the amount of power that will be delivered to the probe. Setting
the amplitude to 100% will not cause the maximum power that the power supply is
capable of delivering, to be delivered to the sample. For example, with the 1500 watt
Ultrasonic Processor, the maximum power that the power supply is capable of
delivering will only be delivered when the resistance to the movement of the probe is
high enough to draw 1500 watts.