Attempting Speed Measurement with the Fnirsi SG-004A

[@kinsoncooper7333]

Nice video.... thanks.

[@three-phase562]

Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@mumbles1justin]

I had one of the mr.signal meters 3 or 4 years ago but I had constant issues with it staying calibrated after it was turned off for a few days. It almost caused a catastrophic incident when I was in the middle of commissioning a “Big Ass Fan” in an airplane hanger. When the mr.signal meter’s output sent an out of range value it caused the fans rpm to increase more than expected causing the fan blades to flex up almost 2 feet hitting a gas line. It did not damage the gas line. But I dont feel comfortable using Mr. Signal meters after that. I have a job coming up that has 8 optidrive VFD’s. Theres no hazard’s on this job. As well as I have a couple other process meters I know are stable. But I did just pull the trigger and ordered one of the SG-004a meters to play with. It should be here tomorrow. I was kind of on the fence going with the SG-003a. But I kinda wanting the ability to use with temperature probes.

[@three-phase562]

That's quite interesting because if anything I am finding the reverse with my two units. The Mr Signal unit, seems to be more consistent and stable that the Fnirsi SG-004A. Just been playing with a temperature puck with the units over the last two days and whilst both can do the job, the Mr Signal seems to be more stable. Really nice to have a small unit though that can output the temperature range and then measure the signal coming back.

[@mumbles1justin]

Maybe the new mr signal meters are running different firmware correcting the issues I was having. It was 3 or 4 years ago when I last had the mr signal.

[@mumbles1justin]

My SG-004A showed up this morning and Ive been playing with it for several hours now. I like the physical unit. But I only opted for the 4a over the 3a for the thermocouple feature but I cant get it to display properly in Fahrenheit. When calibrating all the other readings I did have to recalibrate everything multiple times before it seamed to level out and stabilize and calibrate properly. I think I am going to go ahead and send this unit back. At this point, I just want a Compact unit I can use for scaling 4~20ma, 0~10V, and 0~24v. Would you recommend the SG-003a or should I try the Mr. signal again?

[@three-phase562]

@@mumbles1justin I haven't used the Fahrenheit setting on mine really. I am testing a temperature puck at the moment so will give it a go with that. My SG-004A does seem to be more consistent with use. Maybe the internal reference needs to age? I do still see a fair bit of fluctuation with the last digit though, that I don't see as much on the Mr Signal. The SG-003A doesn't have the same accuracy or resolution as either the SG-004A or the Mr Signal units. It tends to be more stable, but I think that is due more to the lower resolution. It depends on what you actually want. There is the LB02 as well, but that cannot source and measure at the same time and it will only source up to 11V, but will measure up to 30V. I found that the LB02 was more accurate and stable than the SG-003A. If I was going to buy it again, I think I would go direct to Brightwin for it rather than a clone unit from Amazon. The units are a great concept, but they don't seem to have the stability of the higher cost big brand units available and I still don't know what the long term reliability is.

[@mumbles1justin]

After using the SG-004a in the field its actually quite usable. I think Im going to probably keep it. The process conversion feature was nice. I was able to use the SG-004a to take 4-20ma input signal and output 0-10v signal to determine I had a bad conditioner.

[@mumbles1justin]

Does Your SG-004A have an issue when using the 24V out not displaying mA value? Mine outputs 24v loop properly . But id wont display the mA loop current. Im pretty sure its because theres an issue in the 24V Range Output H. Mine wont allow me to change Output H from 00.00. I got a $160 off coupon for a MR9270S+HART so I ended up picking one up for $206. seemed like a decent deal so I got one despite issues I had with another one years ago. This one definitely seems better than the one I had a few years ago. Anyway, the 24 V loop current works and displays properly.

[@three-phase562]

Mine does display the mA reading in 24V output mode. An 1800 Ohm load across the output terminals give a current of 23.4mA. Mine is the same as yours though in that the Range Output H is set to 00.00 and cannot be changed from that. Good that you got a deal on the MR9270S. Mine has been okay and looks to be a bit more stable than the SG-004A.

[@mumbles1justin]

When I first put an 1.8k load on it and adjusted the Circuit calibration I did start to see a reading other than 0 ma. But that was the only reading that was displaying correctly all other loads were way off. But then ended up recalibrating using 2.4k ohm load to 10ma. So now its working as it should. Thanks for getting me a baseline and verifying the issue with Output H. At 1.8k shouldn’t the current read 13.33ma not 23.4?

[@three-phase562]

@@mumbles1justin Yes, it should have been reading 13.33 with the 1.8k Load. Not sure what I did last night as I can't repeat it this morning. It is reading 9.34mA when I test this morning. I haven't done anything with this function yet though, so likely that calibrating it will sort that out. Good that you are sorted.

[@mumbles1justin]

How does the over range setting effect readings? I noticed that you had over range disabled on the SH-004a and enabled on the MR9270s 4:00 over range is not checked. only Auto run is checked. 10:22 over range and Auto Run are checked.

[@three-phase562]

Yes, I noticed that whilst I was editing the video so went back and changed the setting and retested but it didn't seem to make any difference. Looking at the manuals it seems to lock the converted output range to the input range when it is unchecked. If it is checked then the converted output operates over its entire range. I thought that is what was giving me the issue, but when tested, it didn't correct the mismatch.

[@ozkarah]

According to the manual it can be controlled under MODBUS Slave mode and at the end of the manual there are tables of MODBUS functions. But, the manual does not describe how to connect the wiring. Does anyone know how to communicate and control this device using MODBUS (RS485) ?

[@three-phase562]

On my unit the RS485 connections are on a 3.5mm stereo jack, there is a label below that identifies the G, B and A terminals. I did get a 2 wire adapter lead with my unit as well. The manual states that you will need a driver unless you are using Windows 10.

[@JSMCPN]

The only firmware update they released (2022) fixes one single problem, changes the word ULSE to PULSE. But they didn't change CUTTENT to CURRENT. Poor quality, no bug fixes, and the firmware update tends to brick the device.

[@three-phase562]

I have heard that the have been issues with the firmware upgrade bricking the units. I haven't tried it on mine. They are of course very cheap units in comparison to what else is out there and unfortunately, support and development will likely be problematic. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@alexiseduardovazquezmorale1360]

Do you know how to communicate by Modbus? with instrument

[@three-phase562]

I have not set up the unit for Modbus. The instructions for it are at the back of the manual so along with some Modbus software it should be possible to talk to it directly over the USB. If not you would need a hardware adapter.

[@paulaltingvangeusau3202]

@@three-phase562 I made a detailed reply on my findings of Modbus on the SG-003A in the third post, hopefully it explains a bit more for.

[@three-phase562]

@@paulaltingvangeusau3202 Sorry, can't find any other reply of yours

[@mumbles1justin]

Well My SG_004A made it exactly 30 days of daily use before use before biting the dust and wont power up after charging it. Of course today was the last day of the return window. I haven't even removed the screen protector. 🙃

[@three-phase562]

That's bad news. If there is no success via the seller, then you could try contacting Fnirsi direct. They are a bit slow to respond but they have done to me in the past. They do send these out to KZbinrs as well to review, so I would have thought they would be happy to replace a failed one.

[@mumbles1justin]

I was able to end up sending the SG-004a back and they’re supposedly sending me two SG-003a’s in exchange. I know the SG-003a has less res than the SG-004a but I was finding myself using the SG-004a more for indicator leds, digital input and 4-20ma signal testing. so I think the SG-003a will be suitable for most of my testing I would otherwise use a PLC tools loop simulator for which has hardly any resolution and only outputs 10v and cost twice as much. Ill still be able to supplement other test equipment I have for those times I need to preform more in depth troubleshooting.

[@three-phase562]

@@mumbles1justin That is good news, hopefully the new units work for longer! They are really useful and practical for general fault finding and investigation work.

[@mumbles1justin]

another one bites the dust lol. SG-003a stopped working properly after about an hour worth of use. Now no matter what I do it only outputs 5v. The input on the other hand will output up to 25v when 24v power is enabled on the inputs. Ive finished out the day using the Mr signal to preform the same tests on the same equipment and it didn’t fail. So I don’t think there was any unseen hazards on the cables that caused the SG-003A to fail. I have one more SG-003a still unopened in the box. I don’t know if I should hold on to it and use it or try to sell it and recoup some money. Originally I had downed the Mr signal. due to past experiences, but this newer model is definitely better than the original model mr signal.

[@three-phase562]

@@mumbles1justin Bizarre why you are having so many failings. There seem to be a few of these units out there, but I suppose a lot of the KZbinrs just get them, do their video and don't really use them after that, at least certainly not in an environment that you do. Good to know that you are getting on well with the Mr Signal. I have certainly found mine to be more stable than the Fnirsi.

[@muppetpaster]

10:00 The fact that the SG-003 says "cuttent" annoys me like crazy....Nobody made even the slightest effort to translate things reasonably....

[@three-phase562]

Well they are consistent, the SG-004A is exactly the same if you switch from range to current, the input selection also has the same spelling error on both. Thanks for watching.