General Tools and Instruments FHT - Manual

Instruction Manual
Thank you for your selection of
this Fruit Hardness Tester. To
ensure that you get the most
out of the instrument, we
strongly recommend you read
and follow the instructions in
this manual carefully.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
!
*
held compact penetrometer for
f r u i t f i r m n e s s a n d s o m e
vegetable hardness testing, the
universally accepted measure
of ripeness.
* The FHT series is the growers'
indispensable tool for knowing
when to pick and ship.
* The FHT Fruit Tester measures
t h e f o r c e r e q u i r e d t o p u s h a
The Ripeness Tester is a hand-
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
MULTIPLE DISPLAY UNIT-KG, LB, N & Pa
EASY ZERO ADJUSTMENT.
ACCURACY VERIFICATION
Fruit Hardness Tester
Accurate Fruit Testing Requires:
Controlling tip penetration.
Providing a means to verify
gage accuracy.
Controlling the speed of tip
penetration.
1. FEATURES
General operation precautions
WARNING
2. A GUIDE TO SELECT THE
MODEL
the model of FHT Fruit Testers
to chose from 3 models is used
with specific size penetrometer
t i p s f o r t e s tin g r ip e n e s s o f
specific fruit.
FHT-801
(3.5mm) Small Fruits, Soft Fruits,
FHT-802
( 3 . 5 m m ) S m a l l & L a r g e
Fruits, Firm Fruits,
Hard Fruits
FHT-803
(7.9mm) Larger Fruits, Firm
Fruits ,Hard Fruits
(11.1mm) Apple, Firm Fruits
Small Fruits: e.g. Strawberry,
Cherry, Grape ,
Berries
Soft Fruits: e.g. Peach, Banana,
A p r i c o t , P l u m ,
M e l o n , C i t r u s ,
Persimmon
Firm Fruits: e.g. Pear, Nectarine, Kiwi
Hard Fruits: e.g. Avocado
Display 4 digits,10 mm LCD
Range:
Model FHT-801
2 0.2-5.0 kgf/cm
Tip size 3.5mm
Model FHT-802
2 0.5-15.0 kgf/cm
Tip size 3.5mm
Model FHT-803
2 0.2-11.0 kgf/cm Tip size 11.1mm
2 0.4-22.0 kgf/cm Tip size 7.9mm
Tip size can be interchanged
after tip size is chosen.
Resolution:
0.01 if reading<10
0.1 if 10<reading<99.9
1 if reading>100
Unit conversion:
2 kgf (kgf/cm )
2 lbf (lbf/cm )
2 N (N/cm )
Pa
2 Accuracy: ± (1%H+0.1)kgf/cm
Power supply: 4x1.5 AAA size
3. SPECIFICATIONS
3-1 Display
3-8 RS-232C interface
3-9 Battery compartment
3-2 Power key (Multifunctional)
3-3 Unit conversion
3-4 Tip selection (FHT-803 only)
3-5 Max hold key
3-6 Zero
3-7 Plunger tip
reading on the display should be 0.
If not, depress the 'ZERO' key to
make the FHT tester display '0'.
E. Hold the fruit against a hard
s u r f a c e a n d f o r c e t h e t i p
vertically into the pulp at a
uniform speed (take about 3
seconds).
F. The tip should consistently
penetrate to the break in tip
diameter or to the scribed line on
some tips.
G. Record reading on the display.
H. If a maximum reading is needed,
just press the key 'MAX' till the
mark 'Max' shows on the display
before taking measurements.
The appearance of mark 'Max' is
controlled by the key 'MAX'.
I. To take the next measurement, just
depress the 'ZERO' key and repeat
steps from E to G.
J. Unit conversion is controlled by
depressing the key 'UNIT'.
K. For the model FHT-803, make sure
the plunger tip is in accordance
5. MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES
Larger Fruits
A. Select an appropriate plunger tip
for the commodity to be tested.
See “A GUIDE TO SELECT
THE MODEL”.
B. Select a random sample of 10 to 15
fruits of uniform size and the same
temperature or 3% of the lot to be
sampled. For best results, suggest
one person should test the lot.
C. Remove a disc of skin on
opposite cheeks of the fruit
midway between the stem and
bottom on sun and shade sides.
Then proceed with puncture test.
D. Zero adjustment
Hold the FHT vertically with the
plunger tip hanging in the air, the
plunger tip of specified size
into the fruit pulp. The force
reading assists in determining
the appropriate picking time or
m o n i t o r i n g f r u i t s o f t e n i n g
during storage.
* Because of the number of fruit
a n d v e g e t a b l e v a r i e t i e s ,
g e o g r a p h i c a l l o c a t i o n s a n d
o t h e r v a r i a t i o n s , t h e
a p p r o p r i a t e f i r m n e s s f o r
harvesting will vary. Therefore
F H T u s e r s m u s t c o m b i n e
experience and expertise to
establish the firmness value
that applies to their specific
variety and locale.
* Automatic power off to conserve
power.
* Can communicate with PC for
r e c o r d i n g , p r i n t i n g a n d
a n a l y z i n g b y t h e o p t i o n a l
software and cable for RS232C
interface.
Power off : 2 modes
Manual off at any time
A u t o p o w e r o f f a f t e r 5
m i n u t e s f r o m l a s t k e y
operation
Operating conditions:
Temperature : 0-45℃
Humidity : below 90% RH
Dimensions:
204x62x33mm or
8.0x2.4x1.3 inch
Weight:
230g (not including batteries)
Standard accessories included :
Carrying case ………………1 pc.
Operation manual………… .1 pc.
Optional accessory:
Cable and software for
RS232C and USB
4. FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS
3-5
3-4
3-3
3-2
3-6
3-8
3-1
3-7
3-9