Power Requirements

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The Vantage Power Supply operates between 100 – 250 VAC. It includes a worldwide AC input range that automatically detects the voltage and has built-in over-temperature protection (OTP), over-voltage protection (OVP), and over-current protection (short circuit protection). If an OTP or OVP condition occurs, the DC output is shut-off and the AC input will need to be reset to return to normal operation. During a short circuit condition the Power Supply enters a “hiccup mode” until the condition is removed, at which time the it will recover automatically and return to normal operation. These protection modes eliminate the need for replaceable fuses.

Powering Up

Power for the Vantage is provided by the Power Supply and the Power On/Off button located on the rear panel of the Vantage. Apply power to the Vantage by pressing the Power On/Off button on the rear panel of the Vantage.

Figure 4-15 Powering the Vantage

Immediately after pressing the Power On/Off button, all six colored indicators on the front of the Vantage light for a second and then go out. On the rear of the Vantage, the Laser and Power indicator lights and the System indicator flashes until the Start Up Checks are complete, and then remains lit.

The Power On/Off may be disabled, start TrackerPad and start Disable/Enable Power Button. If the Power On/Off is disabled, the Start Up Check begin as soon as the Power Supply is connected to power.

The Vantage continues with the Thermal Stabilization and Laser Stabilization. Apply power as soon as possible to begin the warm up. While the Vantage is thermally stabilizing, you can prepare other aspects of the inspection, such as programming or additional tooling.

Scheduled Power On

You can set a time to automatically power on the Vantage. Use the TrackerPad Scheduled Power On command and enter a date and time to automatically power on the Vantage.

Thermal Stabilization

Immediately after applying power, the Vantage System starts the “Thermal Stabilization.” During this time, the Power indicator on the back of the Vantage will blink and the Azimuth and Zenith motors may have slight resistance. The Vantage is taking this time to stabilize its internal temperature so accurate measurements can be taken in its current ambient environment.

The Vantage is an electromechanical device and will operate at an elevated temperature compared to the ambient air temperature. All laser devices are required to warm up to achieve their specified accuracy as the sources of heat in the unit are not uniform and during the warm-up cycle the axis structure can change shape until a uniform operating temperature is propagated through all the structural parts.

The accuracy of the angular pointing system is most greatly impacted during the warm-up process so it is critical that the Vantage is thermally stabilized before running any compensations. If a compensation is completed while the Vantage is still warming up (if Thermal Stabilization is skipped), the system can drift out of tolerance as the axis structure continues to change shape working to the operating temperature and the stable geometry that is desired.

FARO's patented Smart Warm-up greatly reduces the required time for the Vantage to achieve a stable operating temperature by monitoring internal and external temperature sensors and using the Vantage's motors as heat sources.

The Startup Checks dialog box shows a timer showing the remaining amount of time for stabilization. When the Thermal Stabilization is complete, the blue light on the back of the Vantage stops blinking. If measurement is required immediately, you can skip the Thermal Stabilization routine by clicking Skip Stability.

If the time to begin measurements is critical and Thermal Stabilization must be skipped, you must click Skip Stability in the first 2 to 3 minutes after powering on the system. Thermal Stabilization uses the internal motors as heaters and after 2 to 3 minutes, the heat generated from the motors will cause the geometry of the axis to change and can cause angular errors to exceed the system tolerance. The basic principal is to either skip thermal stabilization as soon as the system is powered on or let it run the full period. Thermal Stabilization has three sections of operation:

  1. The first section uses rapid heating of the system using the motors to raise the Vantage temperature to slightly higher than the target operational temperatures.

  2. The second section is relaxation where the heat is allowed to equalize in the metal parts to provide a uniform and stable geometry of the trackers axis system.

  3. If the Vantage is not started when thermal stabilization is complete, it will automatically enter the third section where the operational heat is maintained by the system by running the motors at a minimal level until the Vantage is started the motors are turned on for tracking.

A Vantage that is stored in an environment that is hotter or colder than the current measurement environment requires a longer Thermal Stabilization time than if the Vantage was stored in the current measurement environment. When the Vantage needs to cool down to reach operational temperature, it is often faster to allow it to soak in the environment for a period of time to cool off before powering on. While Thermal Stabilization will calculate the required time to cool down, the Vantage naturally generates heat and will slow down the cooling process.