Car-Systems DPM-816 User manual
Digital coating thickness tester
DPM-816
R2.1
USER MANUAL
UPDATED in March 2018
Car-Sys.com
Introduction
Dear owner of thickness meter, thank you for purchasing the
device designed and developed in Russian Federation.
We are confident that you will find it useful in and it will serve you
for many years.
We kindly ask you to go through this user manual to make get the
most out of your device.
The device has the following features:
- Precise measurements
- Wide operating temperature range
- Large FSTN display with backlight
- Pressure stabilization of the probe
- Automatic metal type detection
- Powered by 1.5V AAA battery
- Small and ergonomic body
- Automatic power and backlight off switch
Purpose
The device is used to measure thickness of various non-metallic
coatings (paint, primer etc) over metallic base (steel, iron, alloys,
copper, aluminum etc).
An example of case for use would be to measure paint layer
thickness of car body panels.
Device care information
Please keep in mind that the device is a high precision measuring
instrument. Avoid dropping or hitting the device. Handle it with
care.
The device is not waterproof. It cannot be submerged in water or
even be used under rain.
In case the surface of the device accidentally gets wet, wipe it off
immediately with soft and dry piece of cloth.
Do not use the device near strong magnetic fields or radio waves
emitting devices. It may influence the reading and accuracy.
Do not subject the device to extreme heat conditions for long
period of time. For example, do not leave it in a car under direct
sunlight.
Water condensation may form on the surface and inside the
device if it is brought from cold weather to warm room.
To prevent condensation, first place device inside a plastic bag
and wait for it to warm up to room temperature.
If you noticed that condensation has formed, do not use the
device. Let it all evaporate first.
Cleaning Instructions
Only use dry, soft piece of cloth to wipe any dust or dirt off the
device. Do not use any detergents containing organic solvents.
Storage Information
Store the device in a warm and dry place away from direct
sunlight. Take out the power element for long term storage.
Do not store the device in the range of strong magnetic fields or
near devices able to generate strong magnetic fields, such as
electric motors, power supplies or magnets.
Do not store the device in hot, dusty or humid places or near
corrosive chemicals.
Display
Even though FSTN type display used in the device has wide
operating temperature range, you may experience image refresh
lag at extreme low and high temperatures.
The probe
Do not attempt to remove the probe from the device and do not
distort it mechanically in any way. This may lead to faulty
operation of the device.
Device Controls
“MODE” Button:
- Measurement mode change
- Thickness increase during calibration
- Two-point calibration on-off
- 6-point calibration for ferrous metals
“PWR” Button:
- Device on-off
- Backlight on-off
- Next calibration point
- Save calibration
“UNIT” Button:
- Change of display units
- Thickness decrease during calibration
- Activation of zero correction
- Zero and two-point calibration reset
- 6-point calibration for non-ferrous metals
Included in the set
Please make sure the following items are all included in your set:
- Digital coating thickness gauge (the device)
- Aluminum calibration base
- Steel calibration base
- Calibration plate - 700 μm (27,5 mil) thick
- Calibration plate - 1000 μm (39,4 mil) thick
- User Manual
Getting started
One power element (battery) of type “AAA” 1.5V is required to
power the device.
Battery installation
Open the battery cover by pressing with your thumb and pushing
towards the direction of the arrow. Insert the battery respecting
the polarity (according to +/- contacts). Close the battery cover.
You will hear a click when the cover is fully closed.
Battery indicator
The device does not require much current and one battery will be
able to power the device for quite a long time.
Once the battery is actually drained and is not able to power the
device you will see an empty battery icon in the top right corner of
the display. Do not use the device when battery is drained.
Power element disposal
Power element contains corrosive chemicals inside. Do not try to
open the power element. Dispose it according to the procedures
of your country. When not properly disposed, the power element
is harmful to the environment.
Switching the device on
Press and hold “PWR” button for 2 seconds. Once on, you will
see “8888” on the screen and the device will begin the procedures
of auto-test and auto-calibration.
After 2-3 seconds, the display will show “----” which means that
the device is ready for use.
Switching the device off
To power off the device, press and hold “PWR” button for 2
seconds. There is also an auto power off feature. The device will
turn off automatically after 2 minutes of idle.
Backlight On/Off
The device comes with a backlight feature. To turn the backlight
on or off, press and quickly release the “PWR” button.
Operating modes
For your convenience, the device has 3 operating modes: “A”,
“M”, “P”. To switch between the modes press and quickly release
“MODE” button, this will let you circulate between the modes.
Current mode is displayed in the top part of the screen.
“A” - Adaptive mode. Normalizes the measurement results for
easier understanding (used in most cases)
“M” - Displays more detailed and more precise results of
measurement.
“P” - Display the result table of user calibration.
Units of measurement
For convenience of the end users from various countries, the
device is able to display the measurement results in few units.
To choose the units, press “UNIT” button once. This will switch
the displayed units and the current choice will be shown in the
bottom left corner of the screen. “mm”, “mil”, “μm” units are
available.
Measurement
Turn on the device and wait until auto-calibration is completed
(2-3 seconds). Once done, the will be “----” displayed on the
screen. Select required measurement mode and display units.
Firmly place the device so that the probe flat against the
measured surface. Do not move the device.
Once the measurement is done, you will be notified by a sound
and the device will display the result of the measurement.
Accuracy of the measurement depends on firm and flat contact
between the probe of the device and the surface.
For more precise measurement the device is equipped with
pressure stabilization sensor.
The probe has the sensitive part of just 2 mm in diameter.
Therefore, in order to get precise measurement, it’s required to
have only small area of the surface cleaned from dust and dirt.
This will allow you to make measurements of the body panels of
the car without washing the whole vehicle.
Please note that when you’re performing measurement or
calibration on the base metal included in the set, the
measurement must be performed in the center of the base plate.
Car body panel check
You can use the device to find car body parts that undergone
repair and repainting.
At manufacturing facilities of all car makers, each car is painted by
advanced automatic machines, which allows for paint layer
thickness to be quite uniform across the whole body of the car.
Though paint layer thickness may vary from manufacturer to
manufacturer, normally the coating thickness will be from 60 to
250 μms.
On 1 given vehicle, the paint layer thickness variation should not
exceed 20%.
If one or few body parts of a car have a paint thickness
measurement exceeding the average value times 2 that means
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