Note: Proper connection to a Bently Nevada system requires a special signal adapter. Contact Datastick for details.

The Datastick VSA 6-series (models ending in 6) and 7-series (models ending in 7) products will work with Bently Nevada panels. This note covers setting up the VSA and connecting to the Bently Nevada system. Instruments covered in this note are: VSA-1216, VSA-1217, VSA-1226, VSA-1227, VSA-2216, and VSA-2217.
To avoid accidentally triggering the alarms on the Bently Nevada system, please read this entire instruction before connecting the VSA to the Bently Nevada panel.

Displacement Measurements

On all Datastick VSA systems, displacement is normally calculated from accelerometer input. However, the VSA 6- and 7-series also enable displacement to be measured directly from the Bently Nevada panel by changing the Sensor type to Displacement as shown in the screen shot below left.

Datastick Spectrum default calibration value is 100 mV/mil. If the driver being used has an output voltage of 200 mV/mil then change the sensitivity by tapping on the Calibration: Value button on the Input and Display dialog box and entering 200 in the Value field, as shown in the screen shot above right. The displacement value will be converted to mils by the software.

Most Bently Nevada systems buffer the sensor output, so cycling the VSA power on and off should not have any effect. However, accidentally tripping the alarms can be very undesirable. For that reason Datastick recommends the following procedure when first connecting to the panel to assure all residual charge is bled off the output capacitors and cables.

Turn Sensor Power Off

To use the VSA 6- and 7- series products with the Bently Nevada system you will need to turn the VSA system’s sensor power off by using the controls in Datastick Spectrum software on the handheld computer.

The Datastick Spectrum User’s Guide supplied on the Installation CD describes shutting off sensor power and other configuration settings that are not determined by the configuration settings. The two screens below show how to change sensor power settings. Uncheck the Enable ICP Sensor Power check box to disable ICP Sensor power.

The recommended sequence for connecting to the Bently Nevada panel is as follows:

1. Do not connect the VSA until the following is done:

a. Turn on the handheld computer
b. Turn off the ICP power, following the instructions above
c. Tap on the PWR button on the lower left-hand corner of the main screen
d. Wait 30 seconds

2. Connect the VSA to the Bently Nevada system with a BNC-to-BNC cable via a special adapter. (Contact Datastick for details)
3. Take Measurements (can be one or multiple measurements)
4. Remove BNC-to-BNC cable from the Bently Nevada system
5. Turn off the VSA system

Note: The DC gap voltage cannot be measured by the VSA system. An inexpensive digital multi-meter can be used to measure the DC voltage when setting up the sensor and the VSA can be used to provide initial measurements.