Watlow Temperature Control Box

The Watlow Temperature Control Box Handbook

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© GDS Instruments Ltd

Introduction

The Watlow temperature control box (generally referred to as the Watlow box) is a temperature control device with the capability capable of monitoring up to 4 devices at the same timesimultaneously. These devices can be a mixture of local PT100 instruments and heating pads.

Data transfer from the box to GDSLab is via RS232 serial communication using a PC comm port.

Quick Start Guide

1. Connect the included power cable to the Waltow box and the mains supply.

2. Communications

   1. Using an RS232 converter: connect this USB device to the computer for this system and then connect the RS232 25M pin side to the Watlow box and the 9F pin side to either port of the converter.

   2. No RS232 converter: connect the RS232 directly to the port on the computer.

3. Devices

   1. To connect a PT100 temperature probe, there will be a circular open port on the front of the Watlow box for you to connect the device to. If a PT100 is being used, the heating pad thermocouples cannot be connected to slot 1 (the upmost slot) on the rear of the Watlow box as this slot is reserved for device 1, which is the PT100.

   2. Connect the heating pads to the extension cables with the label of the socket and plug facing upwards. The connection should feel snug but do not force the connection as they may be in the incorrect orientation.

   3. When connecting the extension cable to the Watlow box, make note of the copper prong, and ensure this is orientated correctly for the socket, the connection should feel snug but do not force the connection as the thermocouple may be orientated incorrectly.

4. A P100 temperature target can be set using the display by pressing the up and down arrow keys. This will control the heating pads appropriately to reach and maintain the target set for the PT100.

5. Selecting the correct initialisation file for GDSLab:

   1. An .ini file is required for GDLab to create a station with each component of the system. The .ini file specifically for the Watlow system can be found within the USB/CD inside the GDSLab folder.

   2. Once GDSLab is installed, a folder is created on the computers (C:) drive named “GDSLab”. Copy the .ini file inside the GDS USB/CD into the GDSLab folder.

   3. When creating a station, select the .ini file copied from the USB/CD. Once selected, navigate to the “Object Display” window, found within the “Management” tab in the bottom left-hand side of GDSLab. The system may look something like the picture below.

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d. The intro letter included with the system also has instructions on how to do this. If any modifications to the system are required, please contact us at http://gdsinstruments.helpserve.com/.

Serial Communication Settings

To receive temperature readings from sensors and set targets, the following communication settings will need to be input. To confirm these settings are correct and the device is sending information select the “Read” button in the top left-hand corner of GDSLab. If you are receiving values in Red, try and change the com port if you are using an RS232 converter. We have a helpsheet on how to find the available com ports here. If you still have issues reading temperature values from the device in GDSLab then please contact us at http://gdsinstruments.helpserve.com/.

Temperature Control Settings in GDSLab

Using the Advanced Loading test module, temperature control can be enabled by clicking “Settings” in the top left hand of the test window, then, the “Set Allow Temperature Control TRUE” option will have to be enabled.

After proceeding from the initial “Triaxial Test Setup” window, the temperature control options window will be presented. The example below shows a specimen temperature ramp to 10Cº in 60 minutes and a constant cell temperature target of 50Cº.

Navigating the EZ-ZONE PM PID Controller Display

Keys and Displayed Messages

The Watlow EZ-ZONE PM PID Controller has many menus to navigate through with various submenus within these. The image below lists each key on the interface and its function for the range of Watlow controllers supplied by GDS Instruments. For the Watlow heating box, the control unit used it the type 1/16 DIN (PM6) is used.

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as shown below:

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If the system has an issue, an error message will be displayed on the screen. If you are unable to resolve this issue, please do not hesitate to contact us at http://gdsinstruments.helpserve.com/.

The full table of error troubleshooting can be found in the document below.

The Operations Page

The operations page contains functions for Watlow heating box to perform.

The full table of every menu option and their description for the Operations Page can be found in the document below.

The Setup Page

The setup page contains the configuration settings for how the Watlow box performs its operations.

The full table of every menu option and their description for the Setup Page can be found in the document below.

The full manufactures document can be downloaded below.