The Calibratin Software

ZX-101C Portable

Octane Analyzer

Calibration Software Manual

Version 2.0

This manual provides you the information needed to use the provided calibration software and create your own calibrations.

ZELTEX, INC.

130 Western Maryland Parkway

Hagerstown, Maryland 21740

USA

Phone: 301-791-7080

Fax: 301-733-9398

E-mail:

Table of Contents 2

Setting up the ZX-101C 3

System Requirements 3

Installation 3

Connecting to the ZX-101C 3

Using the Calibration Software 4

Collecting Data 4

Statistical Analysis 5

Creating/Restoring a Backup File 6

Downloading Saved Samples 6

Transferring Data to an External Spreadsheet 7

Creating your own Calibration 8

Step 1: Obtain samples with Laboratory Analysis. 9

Step 2: Create a Constituent File for the lab analysis. 9

Step 3: Create a new product setting the number of readings per sample. 9

Step 4: Create an Optical Data file and run calibration samples on the ZX-101C. 10

Step 5: Merge the Constituent File and the Optical Data file. 11

Step 6: Run a Zeltex Regression Analysis to determine Calibration Constants. 11

Step 7: Load the K Values into the ZX-101C. 13

Step 8: Check the accuracy and make any adjustments if necessary. 14

Glossary 15

File Extensions and Meanings 16

Setting up the ZX-101C

System Requirements

· Windows™ 98 through Vista

· 32 MB RAM

· 1 serial com port or 1 USB port with a USB to Serial adapter

· CD-ROM drive

Installation

Before installing the software, make sure you have closed all open applications.

1) Insert the Calibration Software CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2) If the Setup Wizard does not start automatically, select Run from the Start menu and type x:install.exe (where x is your CD-ROM drive letter).

3) Select the ZX-101C and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Zeltex recommends using the default options throughout installation.

Once the installation is complete, you can access the ZX-101C software by selecting Programs from the Start menu, then selecting Zeltex then ZX-101C Calibration Software.

Connecting to the ZX-101C

1) To connect your computer to the ZX-101C, simply connect the RS232 cable from the ZX-101C to a free serial port on your computer. If your computer does not have a serial port you may use a USB to Serial adapter which can be purchased directly from Zeltex or many electronics stores and websites. The ZX-101C Calibration Software is designed to automatically locate the ZX-101C.

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Using the Calibration Software

Collecting Data

When using the Calibration Software to collect data you collect the actual optical data collected during a measurement.

1) From the File menu select New then Optical Data (or you can add samples to an existing data file by selecting Open from the File menu).

2) Select Collect from the Data menu. The following questions will appear:

“Predict a product from the instrument to the screen?”

If you wish to see the calculated results of a product that has already been calibrated, click “Yes” and choose the product that you wish to read. Otherwise, click “No” and you will get the next question:

“Predict a product from a KS file?”

If you wish to see the calculated results using a KS file that is stored on your computer, click “Yes” and the following dialog will appear. Enter your product name and then select up to three KS files for predicting results. Otherwise, click “No” to continue.

3) The following dialog will appear:

Note: Clicking on the “Options” button sets the COM Port. As stated in Connecting to the ZX-101C the Calibration Software will select the proper port automatically.

4) Enter a sample ID number. This must be a number between 1 and 32767.

5) Press “Collect”.

Follow the on screen instructions. They will tell you when to press ENTER, insert the sample, etc.

Once the reading is complete a graph of the optical data will be displayed. You will be asked to save the data then the “Collect” dialog will reappear.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical Analysis is used for checking the accuracy of the calibration. This is where one would determine if an adjustment is needed.

1) Obtain samples of the calibration in question that have lab analysis data.

2) Read these samples with the ZX-101C using the method described in Collecting Data, answering “Yes” when asked to “Predict a product from the instrument to screen?”

3) Once the product listing is downloaded, select the product in question.

4) Read all of the samples. Write down the predicted results displayed at the top of the screen.

5) Once all of the samples have been read, select New from the File menu and then select Statistics.

6) Enter the data into the spreadsheet portion of the Statistics window. Enter the laboratory values under the “Lab” column. Enter the predicted values from the ZX-101C under the “Zeltex” Column.

7) The Statistical Analysis will be displayed in the upper right hand column. A graph of the data will be displayed on the bottom.

8) Examine the Statistical Analysis. You will see a section that looks similar to this:

If it is recommended that you make a Slope and Bias adjustment, use these values.

If it is recommended that you make only a Bias adjustment, use this value.

9) It is recommended that a backup file be made before making any adjustments to the ZX-101C. Refer to Creating/Restoring a Backup File for instructions on creating a backup file.

10) Once you have created your backup file, refer to the User’s Manual on how to make a Slope and/or Bias adjustment to the ZX-101C.

Creating/Restoring a Backup File

Creating a Backup File

Any time you make an adjustment to a calibration or create a new calibration it is recommended that you create a backup fie.

1) From the File menu select New and then Instrument Settings.

2) From the Instrument Edit menu select Download From Instrument.

3) Once the download is complete, select Save from the File menu. Enter a filename to describe the file (the date of the backup, for example) and press OK.

Restoring a Backup File

If for any reason the product data stored in the ZX-101C becomes corrupt or invalid you will need to restore a previously saved backup file. The original backup file for the ZX-101C is located in the Data directory on your Calibration Software CD.

1) From the File menu select Open.

2) Under List files of type: choose Instrument Settings (*.zbk).

3) Find the backup file you wish to restore and select OK.

4) From the Instrument Edit menu select Upload to Instrument.

5) Answer Yes to the warning to begin the upload process

Downloading Saved Samples

Optional firmware gives the ZX-101C the ability to store the Optical Data and sample ID’s for 25 samples in battery-backed RAM. The Calibration Software can download these saved samples for further analysis.

1) From the File menu select New then Optical Data

2) From the Data menu select Download Saved Samples.

3) Enter your COM Port number and click OK. If you are unsure of your COM Port number, the software will search for it automatically.

4) Enter a file name for the downloaded samples. The filename can be up to 8 characters long. Click OK.

5) The software will download the saved samples and display them. Once downloaded, the saved samples are erased from the instrument’s memory.

Transferring Data to an External Spreadsheet

If you would like to copy the optical data into an external spreadsheet program for further analysis follow these simple steps:

1) With your optical data file open, from the Data menu select Grid View. A window similar to the following will open:

2) If your file has less than 200 samples in it, click on the plain gray box in the upper left corner to select the entire file. Otherwise, click and hold on the first sample number that you wish to copy, and then drag your mouse down highlighting the samples you wish to copy (only 200 at a time).

3) From the Edit menu select Copy.

4) You may now paste the data into your spreadsheet program.

Creating your own Calibration

The ZX-101C comes pre-calibrated with any product you order. But there may be some cases where you wish to create your own calibration. To do this, follow these 8 simple steps:

Step 1: Obtain samples with Laboratory Analysis.

The more analyzed samples that you can run through the ZX-101C, the better the calibration will be. Zeltex recommends at least 75 samples that cover the range of interest, but 100 to 150 samples would be best. If you are unable to obtain enough samples, contact Zeltex for further assistance. This analysis should be from a lab you trust, as the calibration can never be more accurate than the lab values. Enter the lab analysis information into the Zeltex Calibration Numbering Setup Manual that came with your instrument. Use the numbers assigned in the Calibration Numbering Setup Manual during calibration.

Step 2: Create a Constituent File for the lab analysis.

A Constituent File contains all of the laboratory information about your product. This file will be merged with the Optical Data File which is created in a later step.

1) From the File menu select New and then Constituent Data.

2) From the Data menu, select Insert. Alternatively, you can simply press the Insert key on your keyboard.

3) Enter the sample ID number that you assigned to the first sample (found in the Calibration Numbering Setup Manual). Then enter the constituent Data for that sample.

4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each sample for which you have laboratory analysis.

5) From the File menu, select Save and give this file a name that you will remember.

Step 3: Create a new product setting the number of readings per sample.

You must now create this new product and set the number of readings per sample.

1) Create a backup file as described under CREATING/RESTORING A BACKUP FILE.

2) Select an empty product and enter your new calibration’s name.

3) Click on the button under Con 1

4) Place a Checkmark next to each Constituent that you enter. Check the AVG box if you wish to calculate (R+M)/2 in Con 3.

5) Enter the name for this constituent and press OK.

6) Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each constituent that you wish to analyze.

7) From the File menu, select Save and give this file a name. Then from the Instrument Edit menu select Upload to Instrument.

8) Close the backup file. Deactivate all other products and activate the new product on the ZX-101C (see the User’s manual for activating products).

Step 4: Create an Optical Data file and run calibration samples on the ZX-101C.

Now you must run all of your analyzed calibration samples (remember to use the sample numbers from the Calibration Numbering Setup Manual). Create a new Optical Data file and analyze each sample as described in the section Collecting Data. There are a few things to keep in mind during this step:

1) The samples do not all have to be run the same day; the file can be saved and additional samples added later.

2) Temperature variation during a calibration is very important. Because of temperature variations in the field, you vary the instrument temperature during the calibration

To vary instrument temperature, place heating pads, set on high, around the instrument for about 30 minutes or until the instrument temperature reaches a temperature that will reflect the highest temperature expected during normal use. (See “To check instrument temperature” below.) Remove the heating pads and continue running samples.

At another point in the calibration, wrap the instrument with plastic and surround it with ice packs for 30 minutes or until the instrument temperature is lowered to a temperature that will reflect the lowest temperature expected during normal use. (See “To check instrument temperature” below.) Remove the ice packs and continue running samples.

To check instrument temperature, collect data from a sample and allow the graph of the sample reading to appear. The bottom of the window lists the instrument temperatures in ºC.

3) The shapes of the sample curves are very important. The easiest way to tell if the instrument is functioning properly or if the sample that was just analyzed was good is to observe the curves. They should generally curve gradually rather than peaking sharply. To view all of the curves at the same time, select Overlay from the Plot menu. Observe the following examples:

Example 1: In this example, all curves shown are similar in shape and are acceptable.

Example B: In this second example, the highlighted curve is clearly bad. This is usually caused by operator error. Delete this sample and run it again.

Step 5: Merge the Constituent File and the Optical Data file.

Once you have analyzed all of your samples over varying temperature ranges it is time to merge that data with the laboratory values stored in the Constituent File.

1) With your Optical Data File open, select Merge Constituents from the Data menu.

2) Select your Constituent File and click OK. Your data will be merged and saved automatically.

Step 6: Run a Zeltex Regression Analysis to determine Calibration Constants.

The Zeltex Regression Analysis is used to determine the constants that calculate the final results (RON, MON, etc.). You must do this for each constituent in your calibration.

1) With the Optical Data File still open, go to the Data menu and select Reduce. The following dialog will appear: