EPOCH 1000 Series Software Update New Feature Overview July 2012

EPOCH 1000 Series Software UpdateNew Feature Overview

July 2012

• Olympus NDT has announced a new release of EPOCH 1000 Series Operating Software that includes several new software features and options.

• New Software Features/Updates Include:– Conventional UT B-scan (see separate presentation)

– Backwall Echo Attenuator (BEA)

– PA Element Check Tool

– Enhanced S-scan Aperture Control

– Weld Overlay Asymmetry Enhancement

– Quadrature Encoder Fix

– Advanced PA Settings Menu

– Data Logger File Sorting

– Other bug fixes and improvements

EPOCH 1000 Series Software Update

Backwall Echo Attenuator(BEA)

• Purpose:

– The Backwall Echo Attenuation (BEA) option allows the operator to apply an independent gain level to the A-Scan after the Gate 2 start position.

– BEA allows the operator to reduce the amplitude of the backwall echo when high gain levels are being used to find small flaws.

• The high general gain setting makes internal reflectors easy to see and the BEA gain setting allows the operator to observe the peak of the backwall signal for variation.

• Backwall variation could be the result of flaws that scatter sound energy or reflect sound energy away from the transducer.

– Suppressing the backwall signal can also enhance detection of defects close to the backwall echo by allowing visibility of the defect and backwall peaks even when the two signals overlap at the baseline.

– Ordering Information: EP1000-BEA (U8140155)

Backwall Echo Attenuation (BEA) Option

• Operation:– The Backwall Echo Attenuation (BEA) option is activated in the

function menu [F3] and by toggling BEA to “On” [P1].



• Operation:– When BEA is activated and the operator returns to the live screen

the following changes have been implemented:• Gate 2 will automatically be turned on

• The BEA flag appears on the right side of the display

• BEA gain is initially set to the same level as the general gain.

• Operation:– The operator may adjust the BEA gain independently to suppress

the backwall echo.– Gate 2 Auto XX% may also be used to position the backwall at a

reference level (i.e. 80%.)– Measurements and alarm conditions under Gate 2 are based on

the attenuated echo.


• Notes:– When BEA is activated, the Gate 2 start position can only be set to

a value greater than the end of Gate 1—they cannot be overlapped.

– BEA must be positioned manually by the operator in all modes. – BEA is compatible with the TVG Table function. The TVG table

must be set up prior to activation of BEA.– BEA is compatible with DGS/AVG. The DGS/AVG function must

be activate and set up prior to BEA activation. – BEA is not compatible with the Interface Gate option.


PA Element Check Tool

Element Check Tool

• Beginning with software version 1.3.1.0, element check capability is included on all EPOCH 1000i instruments.

• This allows you to verify the phased array probe element performance by looking at each element’s ability to transmit and receive ultrasonic energy.

• When turned on, the element check will automatically set up a zero degree linear scan with an aperture of 1

• You can then scroll through each of the elements in the probe to check the signal response for that isolated element.

• NOTE: Exact details for how to perform an element check may be detailed in your inspection procedure. The following is a simple example of one way to perform an element check.

• To perform an element check:1. Remove the wedge from

the PA probe

2. Select PA Probe > Elem. Chk = On

3. Turning on element check will erase any currently active calibrations. Press [CHECK] to confirm.

Element Check Tool (cont.)

4. Adjust the settings so you can see a backwall reflection from an appropriate calibration block at all focal laws

5. Press [ANGLE] and scroll through each of the elements to find the element with the highest amplitude signal

6. Set the highest element signal to 80% FSH

7. Scan through all the elements and note the amplitude responses. The amplitude received from each element should be approximately the same.


• Below are some general guidelines for phased array transducer element performance. Refer to your specific test procedure for exact details and additional information.– Any element that does not produce a signal is considered dead. There

should not be two dead elements next to each other.

– Any element that produces a signal more than 6dB less than the maximum element response is considered defective. No more than 25% of the elements should be defective.

– When a new phased array probe is received, it is strongly recommended that an element verification test be performed and documented for each element to establish a baseline.


S-scan Aperture Enhancements

S-scan Aperture Adjustment

• Beginning with software version 1.3.1.0, the user can now make adjustments to two key aperture parameters while setting up a Sector Scan:

– Aperture size

– First Element Start Position

• These important adjustments allow for more dynamic control of a phased array S-scan

• These controls are especially important when creating a S-scan from a large probe, such as the 5L64-A12 probe

S-scan Aperture Adjustment (cont.)

• When setting up a sector scan in the Beam setup menu, a new control box of parameters appears near the bottom left corner of the screen

• This control box allows the user to adjust the aperture size used to create the swept angle S-scan for any probe

– Available aperture sizes: 1, 4-16 elements

• This control was previously only available when setting up a Linear scan (paid option)


• Also in the sector scan setup menu is a control for selecting the first element to be used when creating the defined S-scan

• This control is especially important when attempting to creating a S-scan with a large probe (example: 64 element probe)– In previous software, a S-scan created with a 16 element aperture was

forced to begin at element 1 of the PA probe

– When using a 64 element probe for weld inspection, this set up made 1st or 2nd leg inspection of a weld virtually impossible for the entire volume of the weld


– By adjusting the first element position to element 25 (using elements 25 – 41 to create the S-scan), 1st and 2nd leg coverage of the entire volume of the weld is easily accomplished

Weld Overlay Asymmetry

Weld Overlay Asymmetry

• Weld Overlay is a standard inclusion on the EPOCH 1000i, providing a visual reference of a weld profile on the PA display.

• Asymmetric weld profiles are available beginning with version 1.3.1.0 of EPOCH 1000 Series firmware.

– Previous version of firmware will only allow for symmetric weld

geometries.

Weld Overlay Asymmetry (cont.)

• To create weld template1. Choose Display Setup > Image Overlay, select Weld Overlay,

and press Setup

2. Highlight Overlay Name and press Add

3. Name the overlay and press [CHECK]

4. Select the Weld Type

5. Set the Symmetry• Symmetric or a weld

that opens to the Left or to the Right.

6. Enter the weld geometry parameters for the chosen weld type

Quadrature Encoder Fix

Quadrature Encoder Fix

• In previous versions of the EPOCH series, the software has not utilized the full capability of the quadrature encoders available on the PCB

– This includes EPOCH III, EPOCH IV, EPOCH XT and EPOCH 1000

• This incomplete usage of the available hardware resulted in the requirement in PA C-scan for the operator to use ¼ of the stated encoder resolution for any encoder

– Example: Mini wheel encoder states 12 steps/mm, but EPOCH 1000 required 3 steps/mm to properly use encoder.

• This issue has been full corrected in version 1.3.1.0 of the EPOCH 1000 Series!

Quadrature Encoder Fix (cont.)

• The table below provides the most recent recommended encoder resolution settings for each EPOCH instrument that utilizes encoding.

PA Advanced Settings Menu

PA Advanced Settings Menu

• A new menu has been added in software version 1.3.1.0 that allows advanced PA beam settings.

• The features in this menu are intended for very specific applications or uses, and may not be applicable to the majority of EPOCH 1000i customers.

• These advanced settings include:

– Global Delay Offset

– Element Deactivation Tool

Global Delay Offset

• The Global Delay Offset feature allows the user to dynamically control a single Zero Offset value that is applied to all focal laws

• Once this feature is turned on, the standard CAL ZERO calibration tool (which calibrates a discrete zero offset for each individual focal law) is replaced by the global delay offset control

Global Delay Offset

• When the Global Zero value is adjusted (in microseconds), this same zero offset (wedge delay) is applied to every focal law

• This approach simplifies the process to calibration a single focal law for distance measurements, and has several advantages:

– Allows fast calibration of the zero degree focal law when using a -30 to 30 degree S-scan for zero degree inspection

– Allows the user to calibrate for distance even if reference reflections are not available across the entire scan range

– Commonly used in angled inspection of stainless steel, where material properties cause attenuation variations, and calibration across all focal laws is rarely possible

Global Delay Offset

Element Deactivation Tool

• The Element Deactivation Tool is a simple tool that allows the user to selectively deactivate individual elements on a PA probe to simulate operation with dead elements.

• This selective deactivation of elements is most commonly used during performance demonstration qualifications of the instrument for a particular inspection or procedure

– Allows the user to show detection and sizing thresholds when the Element Check tool shows that certain elements on the PA probe are low in sensitivity or completely dead

• This tool is not commonly used and not recommended for most EPOCH 1000i operators


– Enter the Advanced setup menu and highlight Element Deactivation Enabled

– Press P1 [Setup] – a list of all probe elements is displayed

– Use the knob to highlight each element that should be deactivated

– Press the CHECK key to deactivate / activate the highlighted element

– When done, press the ESC key to exit

• To use the Element Deactivation Tool

NOTE: A checked box indicates the element is active.


• The images below show the results of selective element deactivation– NOTE: These results are shown using the Element Check Tool

Important: Element deactivation settings are NOT saved with files. Any reset of the instrument or change to the focal laws will reset the element deactivation. This is to avoid unintentional deactivation of elements during inspections.

Data Logger Sorting&

Other Changes

Datalogger File Sorting

• You can now choose how stored files are listed in the Open menu• Files stored in the instrument datalogger can now be sorted by one of

three parameters– Name– Type– Date (default setting)

• To sort the datalogger files:1. Enter the Files > Open menu

2. Press Sort By to bring up the sorting options

3. Select the desired sort parameter

4. Press [CHECK] to switch from descending sort to ascending

5. Press [ESCAPE] when complete

Custom Item Protection

• Weld overlays and custom PA probes/wedges are now protected in the EPOCH 1000.

• Once a weld overlay or a custom probe/wedge has been used in a saved ID, you cannot delete or modify it

• This protection is to ensure that:1. You will not accidentally delete an overlay or probe/wedge that is

required by a file in memory

2. You will not lose an overlay or probe/wedge setup when transferring a file from one unit to another.

• If you try to delete or modify a saved overlay or custom probe/wedge, you will receive an error message

Additional Color Palettes for RF Applications

• Grey and Color palettes that normalize image to show any high amplitude (negative or positive) as the same color

• Allows A-scan to be in RF without image mapping colors as negative or positive

• The Polarity palette provides different color mappings from 0 to +100% and from 0 to -100%. This allows the user to visualize the polarity of the signal in the A-scan and image

• Positive polarity is displayed as white-yellow-orange-red

• Negative polarity is displayed as white-green-blue

Additional Changes and Updates

• The PA Probe and Wedge library has been updated to reflect proper part numbers for probes and wedges

– SA10P wedges added in addition to SA10 wedges

– AWS probes updated to AWS1

• A warning has been added when the user exceeds the “impingement angle” while operating in CSC mode

– To avoid confusion when the depth measurement disappears

• deltaVk values have been added for 4L16-DGS1 and 2L8-DGS1 probes in the DGS/AVG setup menu

• AWS RefB values is now saved with each file, as well as when the unit is power cycled. This allows the user to avoid recalibration of AWS RefB when turning the unit on/off in between inspections.

Documents

EPOCH 1000 Series Software Update New Feature Overview July 2012