Imperial Imanifold

[marc5180]

I had my digital gauges stolen out of my van this week and so im in the market for a new set.

I've been looking at the Imperial imanifold but wanted to see if anyone has used them or owns them and can give me their opinion.
Digital gauges seem to be going wireless now and so I want to jump on the bandwagon as well.

[Grizzly]

Hi Marc.
Judging by the picture of your backup transport above.
You may well be able to afford a set of digital / wireless Gauges.
Sadly as my backup vehicle is a grocery Delivery Bike (Old Fashioned Style with large basket on the front).
I am not in a position to give a truthful evaluation.
A bit late I know. But I was looking at an article in the Sunday Mags this weekend. Which featured a little Tag that could be attached to a key-ring. This then using the accompanying phone app was good for finding up to 2 miles away.
OK maybe not a help but hidden within the gauges it could prove useful in future. The deal was for 4 tags for £40.00 which I thought was not bad.
I was actually looking at them with my wife for my Father in Law who keeps loosing the household keys and because of the onset of early Altseimers (Spell check please!) can never remember where they might be.

Reading your post made me wonder!
Grizzly

[al]

Are they called Tiles Grizz? https://www.thetileapp.com/how-it-works

Marc, those imanifolds are a good looking bit of kit, plenty of reviews on that murican forum, wonder would the missus get them for me for our wedding anniversary...

[RusBuka]

Dont want to be betatester for money...prefer oldstyle testo like 556 560 with pt100 sensor.
Find on e-bay

[hookster]

Lazy mans tools! When your phone battery is flat and you drag that old set of analogue gauges out the bottom of your van. You will suddenly realise why a fool and his money are easily parted!

[marc5180]

Hi Marc.
Judging by the picture of your backup transport above.
You may well be able to afford a set of digital / wireless Gauges.
Sadly as my backup vehicle is a grocery Delivery Bike (Old Fashioned Style with large basket on the front).
I am not in a position to give a truthful evaluation.
A bit late I know. But I was looking at an article in the Sunday Mags this weekend. Which featured a little Tag that could be attached to a key-ring. This then using the accompanying phone app was good for finding up to 2 miles away.
OK maybe not a help but hidden within the gauges it could prove useful in future. The deal was for 4 tags for £40.00 which I thought was not bad.
I was actually looking at them with my wife for my Father in Law who keeps loosing the household keys and because of the onset of early Altseimers (Spell check please!) can never remember where they might be.

Reading your post made me wonder!
Grizzly

Hi Grizzy,
Unfortunatley my avatar isn't my car, maybe one day.My money is hard earned just as I imagine yours is.
I like the idea of that on your key ring, maybe if I'd had that on my Gauges that got stolen then I could have tracked them and got them back. I wonder what the range is.
Good idea!

[marc5180]

Lazy mans tools! When your phone battery is flat and you drag that old set of analogue gauges out the bottom of your van. You will suddenly realise why a fool and his money are easily parted!

Bit harsh don't you think? I've obviously hit a nerve.

The iManifold has won both the RAC industry Award "Air Conditioning or Heat Pump Innovation of the Year Award" and the National ACR awarded for "Ancillary Air Conditioning Product of the Year" in the UK so maybe take your head out of the sand and embrace the digital age.

I own 2 sets of analogue gauges as well as a set of digital gauges (or did) and I use my analogue gauges for day to day work.
However when trouble shooting on a system, setting SH SC etc then the digital gauges come in to their own. Much more accurate than analogues.

[hookster]

Bit harsh don't you think? I've obviously hit a nerve.
The iManifold has won both the RAC industry Award "Air Conditioning or Heat Pump Innovation of the Year Award"

Hah ha ha now you have really hit a nerve!! What a fantastic industry we have when we give an innovation of the year award to 'Advanced Engineering' for importing a product into the country!

As I say a digital manifold with no back up gauges on it, is useless when your phone battery is flat! How many times have we had flat phone batteries? At least it never stopped us doing our job! What about the sites that don't allow mobile phones?

To spend £900 - £1000 on a set of digital gauges that have no actual indication on them is as I said 'a fool and his money'.

Analogue gauges will not get stolen, left a set hanging on a compressor onsite and returned a few months later and they were still there. If you cant calculate superheat / sub -cooling yourself you are in the wrong trade!

I am not saying digital gauges are all bad as I have a Testo set for commissioning and have tried the imanifold. What I am against for these gauges is the lack of actual functional use when your app has been removed.

[hookster]

Another thing you mentioned is the wireless ability and yes I agree a full wireless set of gauges would be great but the imanifold is not full wireless. A pressure transducer on the LP / HP port transmitting on bluetooth etc. would have been an innovation i.e. no hoses.

[marc5180]

Hah ha ha now you have really hit a nerve!! What a fantastic industry we have when we give an innovation of the year award to 'Advanced Engineering' for importing a product into the country!

What does it matter if it's imported? Luckily the awards aren't solely for British products which in my opinion is a good thing. It's a big wide world out there you know!!

As I say a digital manifold with no back up gauges on it, is useless when your phone battery is flat! How many times have we had flat phone batteries? At least it never stopped us doing our job! What about the sites that don't allow mobile phones?

I wouldn't be using it with a mobile phone but on iPad so your argument is flawed. Plus I'm lucky enough to own a charger.
The thread is not title 'analogues vs digital'. Like I said, I have and use both, however when commissioning and troubleshooting 'I' prefer digital. Each to their own.

To spend £900 - £1000 on a set of digital gauges that have no actual indication on them is as I said 'a fool and his money'.

In your opinion.
My job is also my hobby so if I want to waste my hard earned money on them and get a little bit of satisfaction out of using them then that's my prerogative.

Analogue gauges will not get stolen, left a set hanging on a compressor onsite and returned a few months later and they were still there.

I've just had two sets and a set of digitals stolen from the back of my van?

If you cant calculate superheat / sub -cooling yourself you are in the wrong trade!

It isn't a question of not being able to calculate superheat it's accuracy that I'm looking for, for which digitals are far superior.

I am not saying digital gauges are all bad as I have a Testo set for commissioning and have tried the imanifold. What I am against for these gauges is the lack of actual functional use when your app has been removed.

Oh so you have used the Imanifold!! So rather than calling me a fool when you don't even know me, why not give me your experience of the Imanifold.

[marc5180]

Another thing you mentioned is the wireless ability and yes I agree a full wireless set of gauges would be great but the imanifold is not full wireless. A pressure transducer on the LP / HP port transmitting on bluetooth etc. would have been an innovation i.e. no hoses.

The Iconnect is full wireless which is made by the same company Imperial.
They also use standalone HP LP transducers that can even be used to take a water pressure as well as refrigerant pressure.
Bluetooth is old technology now days , they transmit using Zigbee signal, much stronger and farther reaching signal

[RusBuka]

My friend try to create wireless system based on radio signal. With SCADA and visualisation.

[hookster]

I've been looking at the Imperial imanifold but wanted to see if anyone has used them or owns them and can give me their opinion.

You asked for an opinion on these gauges and that is what you got! Don't get all wound up if there is a differing opinion to your own.

Yes you can then add the imanifold,iconnect, plus probes and don't forget your ipad that is +/- £3000.00 worth of kit to measure some pressures and do some basic calculations!!!!

The iconnect uses zigbee to transmit via line of sight with its probes and the imanifold uses bluetooth to communicate to the smart device, bluetooth still has its place is communication networks due to a much higher transmission rate. Zigbee protocol has a lower transmission rate but uses less power than bluetooth and has a longer line of sight range.

My opinion on the manifold was good until I actually got to use it, then found it cumbersome and with my hands full already with tools, the multiple journeys just added to my load plus the extra high value equipment onsite was a worry.

but have fun with your shiny tool, it is nice to play with new kit.

[joe-ice]

The main problem i have with digitals in general is waterproofing, already lost 2 sets to just rain showers. Kinda unavoidable when doing outside work. Also as happened to poster you dont know when some scumbag will break into van and have away with them.I think if i bought an i manifold i wouldnt let them leave the house haha.