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FAQ

Support when installing your Kimax

You may find general answers below to questions coming up while installing your Kimax Axle load meter

Display is blank even power is on?

For a Kimax 1, press the Menu Button for 1 second, when the display comes ON the unit is in Auto OFF mode.

Check VS setting (see page 13 in Kimax 1 manual) your axle load indicator might be auto OFF.

VS = 000 → Display blanks after approx. 2 minutes. Press “Rotate” button shortly and the display goes on again.

VS = 111 → Display never blanks.

For Kimax 1 wiring check page 9 and 10 in the manual. Circuit breaker might be broken, or power might be OFF.

You can blank the Kimax 2 display by pressing the “ENTER” Button shortly (Enter is the upper right button on the display)

Press the Enter button shortly one more time and the display goes ON again.

For Kimax 2 wiring check page 26-27 in the manual. Circuit breaker might be broken, or power might be OFF

Does reverse polarity of the supply wires harm the Kimax electronics ?

No, all the Kimax devices are protected against reverse polarity on the supply wires. Supply voltage range from 10 – 30 V DC covering both 12 V systems and 24 V electric systems on trucks and buses.

The displayed weight value shown on Kimax oscillates up and down

Different Lo and Hi values could be set at the same load on vehicle.

Training section for recalibrating Kimax 2 is shown in the Training center or (see page 21 in Kimax 2 manual).

Recalibrate the Kimax 1 system (see page 14 in Kimax 1 manual).

The display value shown on my Kimax is frozen

Check the air hose for leakage/cable from SG sensors defects. Make sure the 0,4 mm hole in the throttle is not blocked.

Identical values for Lo and Hi could be saved.

Recalibrate the instrument.

Kimax Display is flashing
Check the A1 setting (see page 11 in Kimax 1 manual)

When the value on the display exceeds the value set for A1 the display starts to flash on a Kimax 1 display.

When an axle LED is flashing on a Kimax 2 display, the actual axle weight exceeds the A1 alarm level saved for that axle under the alarm settings in the alarm menu

(see page 31 in Kimax 2 manual).

Why do I have to calibrate both LO and HI?
LO and HI needs to be calibrated specifically for your vehicle since this will teach the instrument to display the accurate weight at a given input from the sensors.

The reason that there are two menus for this is purely mathematics. The axle load indicator functions by calculating a straight line and to do this it needs to get two set of coordinates existing of (x, y), and that is what you tell the instrument through LO and HI.

Why do I have to calibrate each axle?

Each axle (or axle group) needs to be calibrated since every axle is unique. Both weight and the air bellows in your suspension can vary among the other axles.

Measuring each axle individually gives you a more accurate weight reading when you are off-road on uneven surfaces.

Are the Kimax systems able to measure properly axle load while the engine of the truck is stopped?
For air suspended spring systems proper air pressure must be present, typical same pressure as needed for unblocking the breaks. The engine is not needed to run.

Electric power must be present on all Kimax devices installed on the truck and installed on the trailer.

Are the Kimax systems able to be calibrated properly while the engine of the truck is stopped ?

No. Air suspended vehicles must be in normal driving condition, air pressure, electric power and released breaks is mandatory for properly axle load reading.

Trucks and trailers suspended by parabolic mechanical springs do not need full air pressure, even low air pressure  automatic apply the breaks.

The applied breaks can affect the accuracy of the calibration of the individual axles.

Why is the configuration and calibration not done by the manufacturer?

Kimax 2 instruments are pre-configured based on the information given to Sense-Tech Weighing Systems ApS, when the instruments are ordered.

However, the calibration cannot be done before the instrument is installed on the vehicle, since all vehicle types or brands are unique in their suspension.

All instruments are however factory calibrated as a part of the in-house testing procedures.

In the case of several identical vehicles, a basic calibration can be copied from one truck to the next.

Why are my measured values very unstable?

The weight values can be very unstable as an effect of a faulty calibration. The most common mistake is that the LO values were not stored while the vehicle was unloaded and the HI values were not stored while the vehicle was loaded. Find out which channel behaves unusually. Try to compare the AdL and AdH values for that particular channel. They will probably almost be identical. Try to recalibrate the vehicle like described on page 21.

It could also be a defect sensor. Look at the OAA value for the sensor. When the pressure on the sensor is increasing the OAA value must also increase.

How can I test my Kimax 1?

The Kimax 1 for air suspension can be tested and pre-calibrated by this setup:

Test setup for Kimax 1

  • Look up the axle load / bellow pressure diagram for your suspension system.
  • Identify the actual bellow pressure for your axle/axle group at “empty axle load” and look up actual bellow pressure for “loaded axle load”.
  • Adjust air pressure to “empty axle load” level and do Lo calibration at this pressure.
  • Adjust air pressure to “loaded axle load” level and do Hi calibration at this pressure.
  • You find calibration procedure on page 14 in the Kimax 1 manual.
  • Typical bellow pressure for a 3-axle trailer is 1,0 bar at 4 ton and 3,7 bar at 27 ton axle weight.

You may find answers below to questions coming up while installing your Kimax 1 axle load meter

HI value cannot be set lower than LO value setting

If you need to calibrate the HI value lower than your current LO value, you must first change your LO value to a lower value than your desired HI value.

LO value cannot be set higher than HI value setting

If you have to calibrate the LO value higher than your current HI value, you first have to change your HI setting to a higher value than your desired LO value.

Calibration is not possible, the display shows - - -, when "+"  or "-"  is pressed.

The unit is locked/protected from changes made in the memory.

(Check page 16 in Kimax 1 manual) for unlocking a Kimax 1 unit

(Check page 25 in Kimax 2 manual) for unlocking a Kimax 2 unit

You may find answers below to questions coming up while installing your Kimax 2 axle load meter

What are the OAA and in values?

The OAA and in values are sensor input values in percent (0.00-100%).

This value tells you if the sensor is working properly, when the load is increasing the OAA value must also increase. If not, the sensor could possibly be defect.

OAA values you get from Kimax SW families 3 and 4.

in values, you get from Kimax SW family 9

What are the AdL and the AdH values?

The AdL and the AdH values are sensor input values in percent ranging from 0.00-99.9%.

These values are the ones that the instrument is using when it calculates the axle loads. The values emerge when you calibrate LO and HI.

Why are the axle LEDs flashing?

When the measured weight for a given input channel rises above the stored A1 alarm value for the specific input channel, the axle LED(s) associated with the channel starts to flash.

The LEDs will stop flashing when the measured weight gets below the stored A1 alarm value or if a new A1 value (higher than the measured weight) is stored for the given input channel.

Why do I have to configure CH?

CH is a setting that turns the input channels of the instruments on or off. Furthermore, the axle LEDs are assigned to a specific input channel.

For instance if the SG-sensor (or Air pressure sensor) connected to the first input channel (CH1) is measuring the load of the front axle, then the first axle LED (LED1) is assigned to the first input channel. Now it will be visualized that the first sensor is measuring the weight of the front axle.

In the case of several identical vehicles, a basic calibration can be copied from one truck to the next.

What is HFA and why is it changeable?

HFA is a setting that tells the instrument whether it is a Master or a Slave instrument and if it is installed on a truck or trailer.

HFA is changeable, because a box can be mounted on either a truck or a trailer. A Master instrument must however be mounted on a truck and it has to be set to HFA = 0 or HFA = 1.

In the case of several identical vehicles, a basic calibration can be copied from one truck to the next.

Why is my Kimax 2 not responding, when I try to save new values?
If the Kimax instrument is locked, the display will show –L–, when trying to save values belonging to this instrument. The values will not be saved.

To unlock the instrument follow the description given on page 25 Kimax 2 manual.

Weight reading and axle LED’s from my trailer has suddenly disappeared
Check the cable for lighting between truck and trailer is connected and in good order.

Check the direction indicator light for left side and and the direction indication light for right side is working properly.

Make sure trailer light is switched on.

How can I test my Kimax 2?
The Kimax instrument can be tested like in the description given in the section Basic test setup Kimax 2 manual page 40

A typical  test setup for a Kimax 2 air suspended axle could be like this:

Test of Kimax 2