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Steps to take with test equipment that has been idle to ensure accurate measurements.
June 9, 2020 - Vista, California -
Axiom Test Equipment,
an electronic test equipment rental and sales company has published a new blog
post entitled "Getting
Your Lab Equipment Back up and Running" that offers steps or precautions that should be taken with instruments that
have been idle for some time, which is not unusual during this time of the
COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that they can provide the most accurate
measurements possible as you get back to work.
Since many of us have been
working only from home, projects requiring test equipment have been delayed and
the instruments in your lab have been left idle for a couple of months. Can
those instruments be expected to deliver the same levels of performance and
accuracy as soon as they are turned on? Axiom Test Equipment's latest blog post
delves into why it is best to take some quick and easy precautionary steps to
find out if your equipment is indeed within operating specifications and
therefore going to deliver accurate measurements.
For most companies, test
equipment represents a significant investment. Taking some time upfront to
perform preventative checks on your lab equipment is an efficient way to make
sure your work down the line is as accurate as possible.
Electronic test equipment is designed to deliver meaningful data concerning a
device under test (DUT), and most users assume they are achieving excellent
accuracy when they power up their instruments. But what if the test instruments
have been sitting on a shelf for some time (not unusual during this time of the
COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic)? Can those instruments be expected to deliver the
same levels of performance as instruments that are powered for use day after day
and perform regular measurement routines? Or should test instruments that are
being returned to regular use after considerable "downtime" be prepared in any
way for handling a regular workload once again? This blog post offers steps or
precautions that should be taken with instruments that have been idle to ensure
that they can provide the most accurate measurements possible.
Warm-up Time
Some instruments, such as digital multimeters (DMMs), are designed for
general-purpose, portable use and meant to be turned on and off as needed. There
is no "warm-up" time required. Similarly, portable analysis instruments such as
spectrum analyzers and digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) are designed to be
used shortly after being powered up and under a wide range of operating
conditions, such as operating temperature and relative humidity (RH). The same
is not true, however, for benchtop test instruments, such as signal or waveform
generators or vector network analyzers (VNAs) running on AC power. They provide
the most consistent performance after a certain amount of warm-up time and once
reaching a certain ambient temperature, surrounded by a nominal environmental
temperature of about +25°C or room temperature. The warm-up time may be only
one-half to one hour or even an amount of time specified in the owner's manual.
But without suitable warm-up time, a benchtop test instrument may not provide
the accuracy or repeatability specified in the owner's manual.
Rent or buy quality test equipment from Axiom Test Equipment - your source
for electronic test and measurement equipment. Axiom Test Equipment rents,
sells, repairs and accepts trade-in of test equipment to support your test &
measurement needs. If you would like help selecting any type of test equipment for your project,
contact Axiom Test Equipment's sales department at
sales@transcat.com,
call 760-806-6600, or browse Axiom Test Equipment's inventory online at
www.axiomtest.com.
About Axiom Test Equipment
Get Exactly What You Need. Rent - Buy
- Repair - Trade-In
Established in 2005, Axiom Test Equipment strives to continually improve itself
and offer the best value for its customers. We offer our customers several practical,
efficient and cost effective solutions for their business or projects' test equipment
needs. Whether you need to
rent &
buy test equipment, repair test equipment, sell or trade equipment, we are committed
to providing superior customer service and high quality electronic test equipment.
At Axiom Test Equipment we provide several services. We
rent electronic
test and measurement equipment. We also sell test equipment. If you have a piece
of malfunctioning or broken test equipment we also have an in-house repair lab.
For anyone seeking a way to offload their surplus or obsolete equipment, we offer
a trade-in program or we can buy the equipment from you.
We stock a comprehensive inventory of equipment and can use our extensive network
to find you those hard to get items. We believe in getting equipment to you quickly
and at a competitive price.
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