Plug a USB module on to the top threaded end of the KC gauge. A green light on the USB module indicates the USB module is turned on.

Using a standard USB cable, connect the USB module to the USB port on any PC . A blue light on the USB module indicates the KC gauge is connected to the PC.

On the PC : Open “Windows Explorer”. Place the pointer over the KC3 icon under “Computer” , where you would normally see a flash-drive. Left click on the KC3 icon. once the KC3 window pops-up; Double left-click on “KC3.EXE”.

The software program called “DashboardLite” should now be displayed. DashLite is the primary way to communicate with a KC gauge. DashLite allows the user to interrogate the gauge status, program the gauge recording mode, initiate recording, extract recorded data, and several other basic gauge data functions.

There are four ways to get a KC gauge to start recording data (logging):

2.1 USING A PC : Connect the KC gauge to a PC <link to diagram of set-up, fig-1>. Establish communication with the KC gauge is established using DashLite or DashPro. Ensure the Sample Rate (top right) matches the required rate. Click on the green arrow-head button <link to screen shot> near the bottom right of DashLite or DashPro. A small message should pop-up which says “Logging will commence upon USB detach”. Press the button “OK”, and the KC gauge will start logging (recording data) when the USB is disconnected.

2.2 USING USB MODULE (without a PC) : Plug a USB module on to the top threaded end of the KC gauge. A green light on the USB module indicates the USB module is turned on. Press the toggle-switch on the USB module in the forward spring position, hold it there to the count of three, and release the switch. The KC gauge will begin logging (recording data).

2.3 PRESSURE TRIGGER : In DashLite or DashPro, the KC gauage can be programmed to start logging (recording data) when a certain pressure value is exceeded. Ref: FAQ – “How does the pressure trigger work?

2.4 TIME TRIGGER : In DashLite or DashPro, the KC gauage can be programmed to start logging (recording data) when a certain time is reached. Ref: FAQ – “How does the pressure trigger work?

A new “Job File” is created automatically by the KC gauge each time the KC gauge starts logging (recording data).

There are three ways to get the KC gauge to start logging, without using a PC.

i) Use the USB module ( ref 2.2)

ii) Set the pressure trigger (ref 2.3)

iii) Set the time trigger (ref 2.4)

Attach the USB module to the top of the KC gauge. Press down on the trigger button. The blue LED light should begin to flash on and off, then after a few seconds, the blue LED will stop flashing and stay on continuously. Once the blue LED is on continuously, release the trigger button. The LED will turn green to indicate the KC gauge has stopped logging (no longer recording data), the job file has been ended, which means no more samples will be added to that file.

Disconnect the USB module from your computer, connect it to the gauge, and press the trigger. Release it when you hear a beep. The LED on the USB module will light up Green if the gauge is in standby mode (not logging) or Blue if the gauge is logging. For the next three minutes, the gauge will signal each time it takes a sample by blinking the LED and sounding the buzzer. After three minutes, the gauge will continue logging, but to save power, the blue LED will fade to green.

There are two ways to get the KC gauge to start logging, without using a USB module or PC.

i) Set the pressure trigger (ref 2.3)

ii) Set the time trigger (ref 2.4)

8.1 The recommended method is to connect the gauge to a PC with Dashboard Professional installed and running. To install Dashboard Professional, go to www.rty.ca/software and click the download link. Once you have it running and your gauge is connected, double click your desired file from the “Job(s) on Gauge” list box located at the bottom left.

Note: 
Each of the PC download methods will require you to connect the gauge to your machine via the USB module and cable. Upon making this connection, the windows “Autoplay” dialogue will appear. If you are using Dashboard Professional, you can ignore the Autoplay dialogue. Otherwise, click on “Open folder to view files” and you will be presented with the contents of the gauge memory.

Some PC users will have disabled Autoplay feature on their machine. If this is the case for you, click on the Start button (Windows icon) at the bottom left of your screen, then click “Computer” from the resulting Start Menu and  you will be presented with the contents of the gauge memory.

8.2 In the event Dashboard Professional is unavailable, KC series gauges come with a factory installed version of the gauge software called Dashboard Lite. To run this software, follow the directions in the note above, then double click the file called “KC3.exe”. This action will not install software on your machine; it is running from the gauge memory. Just as in Dashboard Professional, select your desired Job file from the “Select job” list box at the bottom left and double click to download.

8.3 Some IT policies strongly discourage the installation or even operation of third party software by field personnel without some measure of screening. Should this be the case, again, follow the direction in the note above to explore the gauge memory. Any file with an eight digit fame and the extension “XXXXXXXX.KC3” is a job file. You can use the windows file explorer to sort them by date to find the most recently created file or simply highlight them all and drag them to any desired location on your machine.

Caution!
 All standard file handling operations are allowed by this method. This means files can be deleted from the gauge memory just as with any other removable storage device. While the KC3 will disallow the deletion of any operational files: BOOT.HEX, CONFIG.DAT, HW_DIAG.TXT, KC3.EXE, deletion of job files, those with the file extension “.KC3” are allowed to be deleted in order to facilitate normal gauge function. Ensure you have downloaded all valuable data prior to deleting any file.

9.1 If you downloaded the data using Dashboard Lite which is the built-in software tool, your data will be stored in a directory called “C:\KC3 Data”. The file name consists of the three character serial number of the gauge, followed by a five character unique ID number, followed by a “.KC3″ file extension.

9.2 If you downloaded the data using Dashboard Professional, the data is stored in a database file and can only be accessed using Dashboard Professional. The tabbed panel on the left hand side of the software has a tab labeled “Manage Data”. Click on that tab label and you will see a list of all data downloaded from gauges using Dashboard Professional or imported from other data storage devices such as flash drives, smart phones, or from the  ”C:\KC3 Data” where data is stored if Dashboard Lite was used to download it from the gauge.

10.1 If you exported the data using Dashboard Lite which is the built-in software tool, your ASCII file will be stored in a directory called “C:\KC3 Data”. If you didn’t enter your own file name during the export process, the default file name will be the same as that of the original .KC3 file from which it was created and will consist of the three character serial number of the gauge, followed by a five character unique ID number, followed by a “.TXT” file extension.

10.2 If you exported the data using Dashboard Professional, you will be prompted to select a location during the process. In the event you have forgotten where that location is, you can either repeat part of the export process, canceling after the file selection menu pops up showing you the folder location to which the previous file was sent, or you can repeat the export process entirely and simply chose a new location.

Because the KC series gauges are designed to be recognized as flash drives by most USB host devices, such as laptop computers, the information stored in the gauge memory must be organized the way those USB host devices expect to see it. This enables operators to explore the memory of the gauge using only the operating system on their laptop, in the event corporate IT policies or lack of internet connection prevents the use of Dashboard Lite or the installation Dashboard Professional respectively.

In order to prevent previously downloaded data from being inadvertently overwritten, the file names of new data sets must be unique. The KC gauge automatically creates a unique eight digit series of characters each time a new file is created. The first three characters in the series are the same as the gauge serial number. This is done so operators can quickly identify which files came from which gauge. The next five characters are a unique sequence which starts at 00000 when the gauge is first tested in the factory and increments automatically every time a new job file is created.

In order to reduce the likelihood of a repeated value, the KC gauge employs a base 36 numbering system as opposed to the base 10, or decimal system most of us use in our day to day lives.

A five character sequence in a base 10 system, which uses the numerical characters {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8, and 9}, will allow only 100,000 unique combinations before rolling back to 00000 and potentially creating a duplicate file.

A five character sequence in base 36 system, which uses the numerical characters {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8, and 9} and the alphabetical characters {A, B, C …Z}, will allow over 60,000,000 unique combinations, dramatically reducing the already unlikely probability of a repeated file name.

Operators are of course free to rename the files, once downloaded, using their operating system’s file browser or the data management utilities in the Dashboard software. At which time, they are capable of deciding whether or not to overwrite any existing files bearing their chosen file name.

The KC series gauges have an ever active pressure trigger with a factory default setting, (recommended value) 30 psi (~200 kPa) but operators can set it to any value between the default value and the calibrated maximum pressure rating of the gauge. The sample rate and pressure trigger values are set / confirmed by the operator using the Dashboard software and then uploaded to the gauge by clicking the “Program gauge” button, located near the bottom of the Gauge Program panel on the right hand side of both Dashboard Lite and Dashboard Professional. Hover your mouse cursor over the buttons to see their names displayed. The program gauge button will put the gauge in standby; no samples are recorded while the gauge is in this mode.

When the gauge is in standby mode (not logging), it will wake up every 10 minutes to perform a pressure trigger test. The trigger is activated when a pressure value higher than the trigger value has been observed in two consecutive pressure trigger tests. This means the trigger event will occur no more than 20 minutes after the gauge is first exposed to pressure higher than the trigger value.

When the trigger has been activated, the gauge will start logging to a new job file according to the existing sample configuration.