That is the same unit I have, it is made in china, but I have found it to be very reliable once it has been checked with good tests blocks.
Be certain you have the "C" penetrater installed. Put one of your harder tests blocks under it. I found that the tests blocks that came with the unit are actually pretty good as well, to get you in the ball park, but a really good tests block helped me out with my doubts. The anvil in the photo at your link page is a very wide one. I preffer the one that is around 2" in diameter that came with my unit.
Place your test block under the penetrater, turn the bottom lift screw until it makes contact with the test piece and then keep turning while keeping A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THE LITTLE DIAL WITHIN YOUR MAIN DIAL- the one with the little red dot. When the little needle is over the little red dot and the big needle is close to the 12:00 position -stop!
You have now applied your initial load, turn the big dial of your indicator until the big needle, wherever it may be, lines up with the centered "zero" position. you are now ready to apply the primary load. Grab the side lever neares the front and pull forward. This will release the load and you will see the needle on the dial move as the penetrator goes into the steel. You will also see the back lever onthe side slowly move toward you, this is how you realease the load- when that lever is done moving toward you (wait for all motion to stop) then push that back lever back to its original position.
When you do this and the primary load is lifted, the dial needle will rotate until it reads your actual Rockwell number. That is it!
You should have a reading.
Also be certain that your primairy load is 150kg for "C" scale, you adjust this with the round knob on the side, but above the others, it will have the numbers 100kg and 150kg written on it.
You can play with the works in the back of the unit all you want since it is nothing but weights and levers and a pneumatic piston, but DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST ANYTHING ON THAT DIAL, that is the only "super sensitive" part that I am very hesitant to mess with.
Forgive the all caps, I am trying to type this quickly and the bold function complicates matters. I have never payed any attention to that "denotes shouting" garbage, which always seems kind of juvenile to me. I Never intend for it to mean I am shouting at anybody
.
I checked out a metallurgy book from the library as well as poking around online and the word that kept coming up more than any when it comes to testing is "training, training, training." Unfortunately seems like a lot of user error could be built into these things. It'd be nicer if it was "push a button and let the robot do the rest..." Hopefully you figure it out. That's probably not a real nice toy to have sitting there doing nothing!
