Magnetic Flow Meters - Large Meters Quick Start from AutomationDirect

Setting up the 1.5 and 2 inch flow meters is easy, but there are some things you need to be aware of to get the best possible performance. In this video we’ll setup a few parameters so you can see how to navigate the parameter menus and we’ll share some installation tips to help ensure you get the best possible results with these 1.5 inch and 2 inch Flow meters. In the next video we’ll walk through all of the parameters and offer some tips on how and when to use them. To configure the Flow meter, go to the Menu Chapter of the user manual. The first chart just says pressing the up down arrows will cycle the meter through the various display options from Gallons per minute, to gallons per hour to total gallons and fluid temperature. And that pressing the ENTER button from any of the displays will drop you into the parameter setting menu. All of these will fall back to the default display you select after 15 seconds of no button presses. By the way, I’m using the 1001 Flow meter in this video, the parameter chart for the 1002 uses the same basic flow, but some of the options are different because it has two analog outputs, where the 1001 has one analog and a configurable digital output. Once you have seen how this one works, you’ll be able to easily navigate the other one. Let’s do an example so you can get a feel for how parameters are set on this flow meter. One of the cool things you can do with these larger flow meters is you can simulate the flow. Press ENTER to drop into the parameters, then down arrow to the EF menu – that’s the extended function menu - Press ENTER to drop into that menu, then scroll down to the SIM menu and press ENTER to drop into that. To set the simulated flow rate, press enter to select it, then hold down an arrow button until it stops blinking – just a second or two. Now scroll to the flow rate we want and press ENTER to accept it. Then down arrow to the Temperature simulation, ENTER to accept that, hold down the arrow key until it stops blinking and change the temperature. Press ENTER to accept that. Arrow down again to the simulation time or duration, how long the simulation is going to last, ENTER into that parameter, hold down the arrow key to change that and ENTER to accept the change. Finally, down arrow one more time to the enable, ENTER to accept that, turn it on, and accept that. Now if we go back to the main menu we can see gallons per minute, the gallons per hour – the number we actually set, the total gallons adding up and the temperature that was set for the simulation. Notice that the word SIM pops up every now and then to remind us this is a simulation. All of the parameters are set the exact same way. ENTER to drop into a menu or setting, and arrows to scroll or change. There are a couple other things you need to be aware of before using this flow meter. First you can specify what you want the analog output to do in case of an error. It can go to a high value, low value or just output the measured value. The main thing to be aware of here is you need to make sure your equipment can hand currents and voltage outside of the normal 4-20 mA or 0-10V range before using these options. The orientation of the Flow Meter is very important. There are a bunch of diagrams in the user manual like this that show you the proper orientation, but the bottom line is you want to install the flow meter so that it never gets any air bubbles stuck in it – you need a solid stream of liquid to get accurate results. Flow Direction is very important. There is an arrow etched in the side of the unit. The display will show negative flow if you get it backwards but the outputs won’t do what you expect. On these 1.5 inch and 2 inch units you CAN reverse the flow in a menu setting and they units even come with a little arrow sticker you can put over the etched arrow in the housing. You can mount the unit upside down as long as the flow is in the right direction and there is even a parameter you can set to invert the display so it will be easy to read. You can lock out unintentional button presses by holding down the up and down arrows for 10 seconds. To get it back, just hold the same buttons for another 10 seconds. This will allow folks to look at all of the menus and parameters, They just won’t be able to change anything while it is locked out. This is a class three device so the power supply doesn’t have to be grounded, but the Flow meter itself DOES need to be grounded. So if you put this in line in a PVC pipe system for example, be sure to run a ground wire from the unit. AutomationDirect has a convenient ground clamp for this if you need it. That should be enough to get you started with the 1.5 inch and 2 inch versions of the Magnetic-Inductive Flow Meters from AutomationDirect. Chapter 8 of the user manual lists all of the parameters and even has a little examples of how to setup each one. You can jump straight to that to get going right now, or if you want a quick walk through of all of the parameters - along with some hints on how to use them - check out the next video. If you have any questions, please contact AutomationDirect’s free award winning tech support during regular business hours. They will be happy to help. And don’t forget the forums – there are lots of folks there that love to share their years of experience. Just don’t post and questions directed at AutomationDirect’s support staff there – they don’t monitor the forums on a regular basis.