{"id":4505,"date":"2019-12-31T15:06:04","date_gmt":"2019-12-31T23:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/4505"},"modified":"2025-07-23T11:49:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T18:49:46","slug":"4505","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/4505","title":{"rendered":"Go Direct Structures &amp; Materials Tester (GDX-VSMT) Troubleshooting and FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-structures-and-materials-tester\/\">Go Direct<sup>&reg;<\/sup> Structures &amp; Materials Tester<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-VSMT<\/nobr>)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"\/manuals\/GDX-VSMT\">Specifications and User Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/product.gdx-vsmt._hero.001-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<p><strong>General: <\/strong>Press the power button on the sensor to turn it on. Connect your sensor as described in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/get-started\/go-direct\">Getting Started instructions for your device<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Force Sensor Primary Test:<\/strong> Does the sensor read near zero when no force is applied? Does the sensor read a positive value when pulling, and a negative value when pushing?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Force Sensor Secondary Test:<\/strong> Attach an eye bolt to the force sensor. Lift the entire Go Direct Structures &amp; Materials Tester by the eye bolt. The force sensor should read approximately 65 &#8211; 70 N.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Displacement Sensor Test: <\/strong>Note the location of triangle mark on the wheel. Zero the displacement sensor. Turn the wheel one complete rotation. The displacement should read 0.159 cm. Rotate the wheel back to its original position. Verify that it again reads 0.00 cm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\">Assembly Instructions: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vernier.com\/gdx-vsmt-assembly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.vernier.com\/gdx-vsmt-assembly<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3457\/\">Is the tackle kit for Vernier Structures &amp; Materials Tester (VSMT-TK) able to handle 1000 N of force?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3463\/\">Why is my VSMT force sensor stuck at a high reading (>1000 N)?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3595\/\">Truss Tester Accessory for Structures &amp; Materials Tester Troubleshooting and FAQs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3704\/\">Can I use my Structures & Materials Tester to conduct 3-point and 4-point flexural testing?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/4296\/\">Can I use the Structures Tester for the Science Olympiad Boomilever event?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/8339\/\">How do I get the Beams to Bridges e-book?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/10533\/\">Do I need to send the entire unit in to repair my Go Direct Structures & Materials Tester?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/11391\/\">How can I use my Structures & Materials Tester with Graphical Analysis Pro?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/12902\/\">I'm missing parts to fasten the endcaps onto my Go Direct Structures & Materials Tester. Can you send me replacements?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/14496\/\">Why does the wheel on my Go Direct Structures & Materials Tester not pull the force sensor down?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/22338\/\">Can I use the Structures &amp; Materials Tester to test plastic films?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Specifications<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Force (Load Cell)<br \/>\u26ac Operational Range: 0 to 1,000 N (positive stop to prevent sensor damage)<br \/>\u26ac Resolution: 0.1 N<\/li>\n<li>Displacement (Encoder)<br \/>\u26ac Range: 0 to 7 cm<br \/>\u26ac Resolution: 1.0 \u03bcm<\/li>\n<li>Dimensions<br \/>\u26ac Overall: 45 cm x 50 cm x 20 cm<br \/>\u26ac Weight: 22 lbs<\/li>\n<li>Tackle Kit Threaded Connections: \u00bc \u2013 20 thread<\/li>\n<li>Connections:<br \/>\u26ac Wireless: Bluetooth<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> v4.2 (wireless range 30 m unobstructed) <br \/>\u26ac Wired: USB 2.0 full speed<\/li>\n<li>Battery: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/product\/go-direct-650-mah-replacement-battery\/\">650 mAh Li-Poly<\/a><br \/>\u26ac Battery Life (single, full charge): ~10 hours continuous data collection<br \/>\u26ac Battery Life (lifetime): 2 \u2013 5 years (typical)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Calibration<\/h3>\n<p>Calibrate? No. The Displacement sensor cannot be calibrated. The Force sensor generally does not require calibration; however, a 2-point calibration can be done for more accurate results. For more information, see <a href=\"\/til\/4011\/\">How do I calibrate my sensor?<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Battery Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the sensor won\u2019t tur<\/span>n when on its own, but does when connected to a USB power source, try charging the sensor for at least 2 hours using a known-to-work USB cable.<\/li>\n<li>If you continue to have trouble<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, try swapping the battery with a working sensor to see if the problem follows the battery or stays with the sensor.<\/span><br \/>\u26ac If the problem stays with the sensor, the battery is probably not the issue.<br \/>\u26ac If the problem follows the battery, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the battery has likely reached its end of life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the battery is indeed at the end of its life, the battery should be replaced. <\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-650-mah-replacement-battery\/\">Go Direct&reg; 650 mAh Replacement Battery<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-BAT-650<\/nobr>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li>See <a href=\"\/til\/4014\/\">How do I remove or replace a Go Direct battery?<\/a> for more information.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Rechargeable batteries are covered by a one-year warranty.<\/strong><\/span><br \/>Batteries <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">should last two to five years in typical use. <\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Products<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/micro-usb-to-usb-c-cable\/\">Micro USB to USB-C Cable<\/a> (<nobr>CB-USB-C-MICRO<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-charge-station\/\">Go Direct<sup>&reg;<\/sup> Charge Station<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-CRG<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/truss-tester-accessory\/\">Truss Tester Accessory<\/a> (<nobr>VSMT-TRUSS<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/downloads\/godirect-bridge-competition-software\/\">Go Direct\u00ae\u00a0Bridge Competition Software<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/materials-testing-beams-to-bridges-with-go-direct-structures-materials-tester\/\"><i>Materials Testing: Beams to Bridges with Go Direct<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Structures & Materials Tester<\/i><\/a> (<nobr>GDXVSMT-BB-E<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Replacement Parts<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-650-mah-replacement-battery\/\">Go Direct&reg; 650 mAh Replacement Battery<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-BAT-650<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/micro-usb-cable\/\">Micro USB Cable<\/a> (<nobr>CB-USB-MICRO<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/vsmt-tackle-kit\/\">VSMT Tackle Kit<\/a> (<nobr>VSMT-TK<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Specifications and User Guide Troubleshooting General: Press the power button on the sensor to turn it on. Connect your sensor as described in the Getting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86433,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1526,456,2472,6080,720,465,5672,5671,464,463,460],"class_list":["post-4505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-beam","tag-bridge","tag-engineering","tag-gdx-vsmt","tag-maintil","tag-material","tag-strain","tag-stress","tag-structure","tag-tester","tag-vsmt"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86433"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4505\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}