Directions:

1.Level instrument with the two thumb screws until bubble is centered.

2.Add necessary weights, located on left-side of instrument, to the loading rod.

In adding the weights to the loading rod to make up the required load for the test, note that the weight of the standard test rod supplied is 47. 5 g., the aluminum cone is 12.7 g. and aluminum plunger is 52.5 g. Additional weights are needed only for very viscous gels or when using flat plunger for compression of baked products.

3.Zero dial pointer manually using the zero adjustment nut located on bottom of depth guage.

4.Loosen chuck on loading rod. Insert cone or plunger at bottom of loading rod. Tighten chuck.

5.Center prepared sample on base under cone or plunger.

6.Adjust the height of the mechanism head so as to bring the point or the surface of the penetrating plunger exactly into contact with the surface of the sample. To adjust the height of the mechanism head, release the lock screw. Make a coarse adjustment by means of the coarse adjusting screw, (knob directly opposite the lock screw on the mechanism bead).

7.Make the final contact adjustment by means of the vertical micro adjustable screw.

8.Lock the head securely by means of the lock screw.

9.Release the test rod by depressing the thumb release lever located directly below the guage, allowing the penetrating plunger to descend into the sample. Hold it in its released i3osition-during the specified time required for the test. Use a stopwatch for noting the time. (For most foods 10-20 seconds penetration is adequate.)

10.Read the depth of penetration by pushing down the depth guage rod gently--as far as it will go. The narrow end of dial pointer now indicates the depth of penetration directly in tenths of millimeters. For example, if the pointer comes to rest at the fourth mark past the 270 point, the depth of penetration is 274 tenth-millin-ieters or 27.4 mm. Penetration measurements can be made to a total depth of 62 mm. on a single reading, On depths greater than 38 mm., the dial pointer moves past the zero position for a portion of another revolution. Merely add the fractional revolution to 380 to determine the total depth of penetration.

11.Return the dial pointer to zero by depressing thumb release lever and with lever released pull the depth guage and test rod up to the start position. If the origianl zero setting has been accurate, the dial pointer will return exactly to zero. If not reset zero (Step 3) .

REFERENCES

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´ ´ Updated: Wednesday, October 31, 2007. ´
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