Guide to OPKUD and OPBOX
Ultrasonic testing units
Software Revision 3.0 / 2003

OPKUD-01/100 is designed specially for ultrasonic measurements with the need of A-scan pictures as well as other kinds of measurements which employ mechanical scanning elements or multiplexed channels (the card is capable of controlling such devices) - where B or C-scans can be a result. Together with the pulser&receiver unit OPGUD-01 (placed in a small box), ultrasonic probe and software it could be used as complete ultrasonic testing device. OPKUD-01/100 is a short (8-bit) ISA card and can be installed in a standard PC computer. OPGUD card can be delivered mounted in a box, containing power supply and battery, that can be used with a portable computer, equipped with a centronics interface. This device is named as OPBOX. There are two versions of OPBOX: one version can be used with a normal OPGUD pulser&receiver, the second one contains additional electronics allowing to control the special version of pulser&receiver, containing additional amplifiers and filters. Both card and a box can be supplied with 8 channel multiplexer, where each channel can send and receive in any sequence (the same channel can send and receive too). Each channel of this multiplexer has the same features as OPGUD pulser&receiver.
  

 

Technical description of the OPKUD device
   

One of the most important features of the card is a precise synchronization between the trigger signal and the moment when the sampling of the input signal starts. This synchronization is significantly better than 1ns, that causes, that time of flight measurements can be made with accuracy better than 0.1ns.

It is particularly important in the case of scanning devices, since it allows to achieve a very small time skew between different positions (channels). 1ns would correspond to a clock frequency of 1GHz which is much higher than the actual frequency used, but is achieved with much cheaper electronics.

The basic version of our pulser&receiver circuit have the size of a matchbox and integrated amplifier. It is powered directly from our oscilloscope card and enable the adjustment of the transmitter voltage directly from a PC. This device is intended for use with our OPKUD card or OPBOX.
  

Pulser: Step pulser, 50V -360V in 8 levels (the voltage depends on the used transducer), 20ns edge falling time, separate, 

Amplifier: 40dB

Size: 40x85x25mm

Pulser circuit waveforms: The rising edge of the Trigger signal (described as Trig Inp) initiates the transducer charging process which takes about 3us. After this time a transistor switch which discharges the transducer is turned on (discharge time is about 20ns, but it can be longer, if the capacitance of the transducer is too large; the limit is reached, if the transducer is made from the standard ceramics, is 0.1 mm thick and has 8 mm 
diameter).

Because of the very low output impedance of the device (<1 Ohm) and short discharge time the pulse generated with thisdevice could be concerned as a real pulse answer for the most transducers. Transducers with a parallel matching inductance should not be used, since they do not allow the transducer to be pre-charged (the inductance causes a short-circuit).

Ultrasonic Testing Box
OPBOX-01/100

Price: 1900,- Euro, together with our standard 10MHz probe - 1999,- Euro.

The device contains in the box of the size of the notebook computer the OPKUD Ultrasonic testing card, pulser&receiver, interface and a separate power supply with own battery and could be connected to any computer with Centronics interface.

The device is well suited for ultrasonic measurements (Flaw detection, layer thickness measurements, TOFD etc.). It can be used with mechanical scanning elements or many multiplexed channels (the device is capable of controlling such devices). It can work in echo mode (with one transducer sending and receiving) and with two transducers (transmit mode, TOFD etc.). Software is included (Windows 9x, NT). The device can also work as standard oscilloscope.

¹ - software selected

- Two windows: RF signal in the main window, in the second optional: zoom, FFT, rectified signal, filtered signal;
- Software amplification, filtering and averaging (allows to work with very noisy and weak signals);
- Build in DAC and TCG curves;
- Three signal memories, each signal can be stored and compared with any other signal.

Optional it is possible to make software versions for the special needs of the user.
  

 
Technical description of the OPBOX device
    

The Pulser/Receiver is equipped with additional amplifiers and can be used only with modified version of OPBOX, containing an interface for controlling it. One amplifier is used for PE (Pulse-echo - one-transducer) mode and second one for TT (two-transducers or through transmit ) mode.

Gain range ofboth of amplifiers is 0 - 50 dB controlled with 0.2 dB step.

Front view of Pulser/Receiver

Diagram of connections of all parts of the system.

The "Diagram" shows how all parts of the system are connected. "T1" and "out1" serves in one-transducer mode, connecting additionally "T2" and "out2" you can work with two-transducers mode where T1 is sending transducer and T2 is receiving one.

The Pulser&Receiver is featured with switch able pass filter. It is 0.5 to 8 MHz or 0.5 to 15 MHz bandwidth.

Using this version of pulser&receiver the amplification on both channels (TT and PE) is the same and can be controlled from computer.
  

In order to use the Ultrasonic Testing Card OPGUD or OPBOX-01/100 with a described software, the following equipment is necessary:

Computer System: IBM PC 
Display Adapter: SVGA Adapter working in mode 640x480 or higher 
(recommended 800x600)
Operations System: Windows 95, 98, ME, XP or Windows NT or 2000.
Interface for OPBOX: Centronics with EPP mode
  

[F1] RUN / STOP enables / disables selected acquisition mode
[F2] Help About as…
[F3] Load settings… Load in a previously saved data file and restore the capture settings as they were when the data was saved
[F4] Save settings… This option creates one file that contains both the current settings and the current data. The setting saved are the same in the Save Settings option.
[F5] Print This option will create a hardcopy of the screen into IBM Graphics mode compatible printers. The printout will include everything currently on the screen.
[F6] Save data Save waveform with current settings
[F7] Open data Open waveform with settings
[F8] Protocol 
[F9] About us… Short information about OPTEL
[F10] Exit Exit to system

Filtr  - active Toggle on/off filtering of signal

Pulser[V] - Amplutide of Pulse

Gain[dB] - -20 to 40dB with 1dB step

Delay  - Begin of signal window

Range - Length of signal widnow

Offset - Voltage offset

Find First Echo - Search the first echo
<< >> - Search the next signal or the last before the signal that is displayed

Velocity [m/s] 

Time of flight [us] Time of flight

Thickness [mm] Thickness

This software package allows to measure time of flight.

For each measurement it is necessary to choose reference signal and compare it with the signal, coming from the measured medium (reflected or transmitted through it). This allows to use this software with almost any kind of samples, containments etc. For people using this software it is necessary to have some knowledge about such kind of measurements, physics of ultrasounds etc
  

Time of flight - Using white marker in the upper window the interesing part of the signal should be chosen (or signal from the first wall).

Thickness - Using blue marker in the upper window the signal from the second wall should be choosen.
  

Guide to OPKUD and OPBOX.pdf