LLC “PKF Geotekh”

Software manual for

ACM-6 version 5.5.14.xxxx

Neftekamsk
2017

1
 Content.

1. Set of programs ......................................................................................................... 3

2. Basic information about the program ..................................................................... 3
3. Installing the USB port driver ................................................................................. 4
4. Working with program ACM-6 ............................................................................... 5
5. The order of replacement of batteries ACM-6....................................................... 9

2
 1. Set of programs
- PrACM6.exe – main program;
- GeotekhApp.exe – viewer and processing of GST files;
- DriverFTDI – the directory with the driver for USB port;
- Documents – the documentation directory.

2. Basic information about the program

The program PrACM6.exe is designed to work with self-contained depth and wellhead pressure
and temperature gauge ACM-6 production company LLC "PKF Geotekh" (including ACM-6WPL
with indication and ACM-6WPLR with the possibility of data transmission via radio).
List of tools:
 ACM-6 (depth tool standard)
 ACM-6B (depth tool with a water holdup)
 ACM-6G (depth tool for the boreholes with a gas ratio)
 ACM-6T (depth tool with an external temperature sensor)
 ACM-7 (depth tool with an accurate pressure sensor)
 ACM-7G (depth tool with an accurate pressure sensor for the boreholes with a gas ratio)
 ACM-7T (depth tool with an accurate pressure sensor with an external temperature sen-
sor)
 ACM-7TG (depth tool with an accurate pressure sensor for the boreholes with a gas ra-
tio and with an external temperature sensor)
 ACM-6W (wellhead tool standard)
 ACM-6WPL (wellhead indicating tool)
 ACM-6 WPLT (wellhead indicating tool with an external temperature sensor)
 ACM-6WR (wellhead tool with a radio communication)
 ACM-6WPLRT (wellhead indicating tool with a radio communication and an external
temperature sensor)
 ACM-7W (wellhead tool with an accurate pressure sensor)
 ACM-7WPL(wellhead indicating tool with an accurate pressure sensor)
 ACM-6WPLRT485 (wellhead indicating tool with a radio communication, an external
temperature sensor and a communication protocol RS485)

The program PrACM6.exe allows you to control the tool ACM-6 (start, stop, configure), read
the resulting data for later viewing and analysis in GeotekhApp.exe in the digital format *.gst. Using
the program PrACM6.exe you can calibrate the tool and recalculate the saved data ADC using the cal-
ibration coefficients.
The program PrACM6.exe runs under the Windows operating system.
Recommended minimum screen resolution is 1024x768 pixels. You must have a USB port in
the computer.

3
 3. Installing the USB port driver
The driver can be installed in 3 ways:
a) During the process of setup the software for ACM-6 tool
Setup using the file DriverFTDI\CDM21224_Setup.exe included on the CD disk (this file is
run automatically when you install ACM6_setup.exe) both before the tool connection with PC and af-
ter it.

Fig. 3-1. Window driver installation.

b) During the process of tool connection ACM-6 to computer;

 Connect the tool ACM-6 with USB port of the computer. When you see the message
“found new device”, you must specify a folder to search for USB driver installation. By
default, it is located on the CD supplied (folder DriverFTDI).
 After installing the driver in the hardware properties of the Windows there will be a new
device USB Serial Port (COM***), which is a port of the ACM-6.

Fig. 3-2. New FTDI device.

c) Automatically
The drivers will be installed automatically if Windows7/10 has access to the Internet.

4
 4. Working with program ACM-6

When the program is run the screen displays a window with tabs: "Start", "Read information",
"About tool", "Calibration", "About".

a) b)

c) d)
Fig. 4-1. The program's appearance. Tab "Start": a) without tool; b) with the tool in the mode "Standard"; c) with the tool in
mode "Precision"; d) with the tool in the mode "Fast".

Start

On the tab "Start" you can connect the tool to the USB port of your computer. The sequence of
actions of the user connecting the tool is as follows:
 Using the cable connect the tool and the computer. The cable is included in the package.
 Choose the tool you want to connect to, using the drop-down list of tools. If the tool is
not listed, then you should click on the "Find" button.
 Click the button "Open". The tool will connect with computer. The status message dis-
plays "ACM-6 №.xxx Open" and "Connected ACM-6хxx". If there is no connection,
then the status message displays "Tool not responding".
 Disconnecting from the port occurs when you click button "Close" or close the program.

5
 Note: It is possible to connect several tools. In this case, select a specific tool in the drop-down
list "Tool select" and after pressing the button "Open" work only with it.

Press the button "Start" to turn on the measuring mode of the tool with cycle time that is speci-
fied in the field "Restart with write cycle, sec" (1 to 99 seconds). By default, the tool after filling all
the memory begins to write "circle" gradually erasing old data. If you want to stop recording once the
tool memory is filled, you need to set the checkbox "Stop write when the memory is filled". The field
“Programs of tool working” displays the operation mode of the tool: either cyclic rewrite or stop writ-
ing overflow. Just above it also displays the information about estimated average amperage (depends
on the type of the tool, the type of the battery and the cycle time), estimated battery life (depends on
the type of the tool, the type of the battery and the cycle time) and the time of filling the memory
(depends on the type of the tool and the cycle time).

There are three modes of operation:

 standard (Fig. 4-1, b);
 precision (Fig. 4-1, c);
 fast (Fig. 4-1, d).

"Precision" mode: you can manually set the slider to the required ratio "Economy/Quality".
Quality refers to the maximum ADC resolution pressure and, accordingly, the minimum noise level.
But when improving the quality of measurement the level of current consumption increases. The ex-
treme left slider position "Economy" corresponds to the mode "Standard". In this mode, current con-
sumption is minimal. The resolution to pressure is about 0.01 kgf/cm2. The extreme right position of
the slider "Quality" leads to the resolution of the pressure up to 0.002 kg/cm2, but the current consump-
tion increases by approximately 5.7 times.
"Fast" mode is used in the cases when measurements need to be held for a very short period of
time. In this case, write cycle can vary from 23 milliseconds to 999 milliseconds. The threshold pres-
sure, the write cycle time and the start delay are set by the user.
For tools capable of data transmission via radio (ACM-6WPLR) on the "Start" tab it is provid-
ed the ability to set the cycle of data transmission via radio (1-8000 sec). This characteristic specifies
the time interval to send packets of data from the tool on the receiving antenna (on computer).
Press the button "Stop" to turn off the measuring mode of the tool.

Read information

On the tab "Read Information" you can watch the data from sensors of tool: ADC values and
the calculated physical values (pressure P, temperature T and voltage U) in real time. For this you need
to check the field "View" of the region "ADC data view" (Fig. 4-2). Button "Set null" is needed to ad-
just the zero pressure of the tool. During the operation a zero value of the pressure sensor can move
within a small range (max 5 kgf/cm2). You can set a zero value of the pressure sensor by the button
"Set null". The tool needs calibration, if the deviation of the pressure sensor is more, than 5 kgf/cm2.
You can also set a zero value of the pressure sensor by changing coefficient KBP in the tab “About
tool”.

6
 Fig. 4-2. View data of ACM-6 in real-time.

Fig. 4-3. Read the data.

To read information from the tool you have to press the "Read" button (Fig. 4-3). This button
will be active, when you have connection the computer with the tool and uncheck the field “View” in
the region "ADC data View".
You can select the directory and name of file to write. Manually typed the addition information
in the table (for example: well number, area, customer, etc.). This information will be written to a file
*.gst. If you change the cells of the column "Header" all changes will save. The number of rows in the
table isn't more than eight.
The time start and time end reading should be in the time range between the start time and the
stop time of the tool. If the tool is not stopped, the time of end will be the current time.
Tool’s point of record makes sense if you use depth data and tool ACM-6 is connected with
other tools. In this case, tool’s point of record is defined as the distance from the pressure sensor of
ACM-6 to point accepted for "zero". When converting in the depth formats the tool’s point of record
will be taken into calculation of the depth shift of the curves of pressure and temperature of ACM-6
tool.
To save data from the tool to the file *.gst you have to press the "OK" button.

7
About tool

The tab "About tool" shows tool information: tool type and number, start time, record cycle,
tool status (it is writing or stop), tool options (the mode of operation, stop writing overflow), calibra-
tion coefficients, tool ranges of pressure and temperature, power configuration, tool maximum temper-
ature and service data (Fig. 4-4). The cell BATT shows the value of the estimated rest capacity of the
battery (%). You can also save the coefficients of the pressure (KAP, KBP, KCP), internal temperature
(KAT, KBT, KCT), external temperature (KATT, KBTT, KCTT, KDTT) in a text file for the archive.
If necessary, you can import the saved coefficients back into the tool. Coefficients of the external tem-
perature may be absent (if the tool does not have an external temperature sensor).
To edit calibration coefficients you need to press the key combination “Alt+P”. On the tab there
will be the button “Apply”. If you press this button, you can record changed calibration coefficients on
the tool.
The button “BackUp coeff” allows to restoring the calibration coefficients. The initial factory
coefficients are kept in the tool memory. After pressing button “BackUp coeff” initial factory coeffi-
cients are written to the table and in the tool instead of the old calibration coefficients. On the comput-
er screen a window will appear with a confirmation to overwrite the calibration coefficients. The user
must confirm or cancel its decision.

a) with external temperature sensor b) without external sensor

Fig. 4-4. Information about the tool.

8
 5. The order of replacement of batteries ACM-6

One of the features of this modification of tool is using the internal counter of the energy con-
sumed batteries. It is efficient as used in the tool lithium batteries have almost flat discharge character-
istic (practically constant voltage on the battery up to almost fully discharge). So, we can’t exactly
control the battery capacity by voltage.
The main tab "Start" displays the calculated average current consumption, which depends on
the time cycle recording and the selected mode of operation of the tool. Based on this and calculated
values of the rest battery capacity an estimated time of tool operation is calculated in days (see Fig. 5-
1).

Fig. 5-1. The estimated average current consumption and the estimated battery time.

Fig. 5-2. Voltage and the estimated battery.

9
 On the tab "Read information" after set "View" there is the ability to check voltage on the bat-
tery of the tool. In the example above the battery voltage is equal to 3.64 V. The capacity of the battery
94.9% is a calculated value.
When calculating the capacity it is considered that 100% corresponds to the capacity of the bat-
tery of 1000 mAh. So, to determine the correct resource tool for power you have to ensure that the new
battery has a capacity of no less than 1000mA/h.
The ratio Q=50.8 shows the calculated consumed energy from the battery in mAh.

Fig. 5-3 Viewing the rest of capacity of the battery of the tool

The coefficient Rst=0 shows the number of restarts of the tool firmware and shows the quality of
its batteries. When you restart recording coefficient Rst will reset. If Rst coefficient is not equal to 0,
this indicates that since the last start of the tool, there have been cases of power failure (for example,
when changing the battery) or the battery requires replacement.
In the case you need to replace the battery you must go to the tab "About tool" (Fig. 5-3) and
press the key combination "Alt+P". You'll see "Replace battery" button. Click on this button and set
the desired value of the battery capacity in the appeared window (Fig. 5-4). If you install a new bat-
tery, it must be set to "100". If you want to install the previously used battery (in case of loss of power)
there must be installed prior value of the battery capacity. Click "Set".

Fig. 5-4. Window «Set capacity of power supply».

Check for the tab "Read information" (by checking the checkbox "View") the battery voltage
(should be at least 3.5 - 3.6 V) and installed capacity (Fig. 5-2).

10