Batteries are the Life Force

Batteries have become ubiquitous in our life. Without batteries our activities will (to use a term the youth is quite familiar with) "suck". Imagine being without Facebook. That is the end of the world. No tweets. That’s it. Call Elon Musk (SpaceX founder) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon and Blue Origin) to reserve a seat on the next flight to Mars (Moon could be a cheaper option). Seriously batteries are the life force of our consciousness. This is Zen battery speaks.

The best way to keep sanity around us is to keep the batteries functioning. Before you reach for replacement batteries you need to check the batteries. It makes sense to invest in battery tester digital technology irrespective of the type of battery.

What does the battery tester check? A differential amplifier in the circuit tests an active constant current by comparing the voltage across its path with a relatively constant reference voltage. This tech speak is not Greek or Latin. You can compare it being akin to taking the temperature of your body with a digital thermometer or to take a serious view is to do an electro cardio gram of your heart sorry of the batteries being tested. It does not matter whether you are testing small batteries (even less than 1V) or big batteries (12 V monsters). Just set the selector switch on the battery tester to the voltage rating of the battery and the result will be displayed. A quickly decreasing voltage will tell you that the end is near. It is important the battery tester is also tested by a calibrator to check its efficiency.

To understand the power of batteries Elon Musk (Tesla) is building the world's largest battery manufacturing factory in Nevada, America. The factory is called Gigafactory and will produce enough batteries to power half a million Tesla cars. Of course battery tester digital technology is automatically built in. 

Steps to Make Batteries Work Efficiently

Power as energy is a finite resource. As far as South East Asia is concerned alternate energy sources like wind, solar, bio-gas power generation has not been a focus in governments that are coming out of recession. The case of Indonesia is a telling example; from a net exporter in the halcyon days of the 1970s Indonesia today is a big importer of fossil fuel to power its automobiles and industries. Homes and industries have resorted to battery power in the form of inverters and UPS systems to power their needs of lighting and charging devices.

Battery technology is witnessing innovation in the measurement and testing sphere. Battery tester digital technology is at the forefront for two reasons; one it is very affordable; and second the accuracy of measurement has prolonged battery life. Batteries are expensive and it is important that monitoring the status of the battery gives it a long life and justifies the expense. A good digital battery tester will also work as a calibrator so that optimum efficiency of a battery can be put to use. It is tweaking the battery by monitoring the state of health of the battery; the analogy is akin to the human body; timely monitoring and being aware keeps the human body functioning efficiently and for a long time.

All batteries have battery cycle; it is directly proportional to the charge-discharge cycles. This is a finite number. So is overcharging and undercharging. These factors are easy to monitor and keep the battery at its optimum working efficiency.

Spectrum Analyser Basics and Uses

A spectrum analyser is an instrument that shows signal amplitude or strength as it changes by signal frequency. The amplitude is displayed on the vertical axis while the frequency is displayed on the horizontal axis. It looks like an oscilloscope.

A typical application of a spectrum analyser is to determine whether a wireless transmitter is working according to specifications laid down for its use by the sanctioning authority. If the output signals differ from the recommended frequency they will appear as vertical lines on the display. Government regulators usually use a handheld spectrum analyser to quickly monitor a wireless transmitter. It can also be used to find out competing frequencies that are acting as interference to wireless networking equipment like Wi-Fi routers. The electromagnetic signals from the interfering transmitter can be found out by a technique called panoramic reception. Designing with Bluetooth or interference hunting is a task best suited for RF analysers. There are USB spectrum analysers and benchtop real time analysers in the market. Handheld analysers can detect in the frequency range of 10 kHz to 6.2GHz. Advanced analysers are used to detect android device microphone by frequency detection. 

The costs of spectrum analysers has dropped low enough that affordability is no more an issue. In normal use these analysers check the measurement of bandwidth of modulated signals and also the efficiency of filters and networks. In that sense the use of the analyser is a powerful tool for other measurements like RF network analyser, frequency counter and power meters.

Monitoring Air Quality Indoors

The quality of air in an indoor environment is assuming greater importance considering the increased pollutants in the air; in South East Asia countries like Indonesia are constantly affected by wild fires and the debris in the air constitute a health hazard. Airborne particle counters help in determining the state of the air for health as well as environmental hygiene is concerned. Particle sizes from 0.1 to 100 micrometers can be detected.

Basically a particle counter is what it means; counts the number of particles; the methodologies used are by light scattering (for smaller sized particles); amount of light that is redirected by a particle when subjected to a light passing through it in a given area. The redirection is called light scattering. This technique is also utilized in monitoring ultrapure water in semiconductor fabrication. Light blocking method is another technique in measuring particles. This method is used to find contaminants in hydraulic fluid and results help in reducing downtime and costly breakdowns due to hydraulic system failures. The third technology in detecting particles is direct imaging; a cell is illuminated by laser where particles are passing the cell.

A typical particle counter use is maintaining a clean room; continuous monitoring by an array of sensors and connected to a remotely facility monitoring system with programmable logic controllers can immediately signal when the air quality of the given area crosses a predetermined threshold. Hand held particle counters are being increasingly used in monitoring indoor office and school environments that are stressed.

Thermometer Calibration Services by Tridinamika

Indonesia has depended on Tridinamika for the past 14 years in terms of its test and measuring equipment servicing needs, including thermometer calibration.

Thermometer Calibration, Significance and Standards

Thermometer calibration is a procedure that ensures accurate results provided by the temperature-measuring instrument. At the core of the process is a comparison between a thermometer’s actual temperature and national and international standards. The instrument is placed in a normally temperature-stable environment, and the standard reading is compared with the reading from the thermometer. The difference becomes the basis for the calibrator to make adjustments, so that both data are consistent with each other. To ensure optimum performance, thermometers and all other test and measurement equipment must be tested regularly (at least once a year). At Tridinamika, calibration is provided with proper documentation in line with the ISO 9000 and ISO 17205 calibration programs.

Relevance of Thermometer Calibration

Various industries rely on precise data. When the instrument used is not properly calibrated, it can give the wrong information, leading to the wrong actions taken. In a restaurant, for example, certain foods have to be cooked at certain temperatures. If the food thermometer’s readings are false, a chef could end up serving under cooked or overcooked dishes. Accurate readings are more critical in the medical care setting, where wrong data can compromise the health and even the lives of patients. In Indonesia, different companies and organizations in various industries rely on Tridinamika’s expertise in thermometer calibration. The company only employs skilled technical engineers and provides expert-controlled environments, not to mention state-of-the-art technologies to ensure quality calibration of thermometers and other test and measuring equipment. 

Spectrum Analyser Types and Form Factors with Tridinamika

Tridinamika is Indonesia’s main supplier of spectrum analysers, boasting a whole range of brands from different regions of the globe. Spectrum analysers are instruments that determine the amount of input signal against frequency throughout the instruments’ entire frequency range. Their main purpose is to determine how much power known and unknown signals of the spectrum have a useful aspect in the characterization of electronic devices.  

Types of Spectrum Analysers

Spectrum analysers can be classified as a certain type by considering the methods that are used for getting a signal’s spectrum. Basically, there are two types of spectrum analysers – swept-tuned and FFT-based. A swept-tuned spectrum analyser makes use of a superheterodyne receiver for down-converting a certain part of the input signal spectrum (this can be done with a mixer and a voltage-limited oscillator) into a band-pass filter’s center frequency. On the other hand, an FFT spectrum analyser calculates the Discrete Fourier Transform, otherwise known simply as DFT, a mathematical process which converts the input signal’s waveform into its frequency spectrum’s components.

Spectrum Analyser Form Factors

There are four form factors spectrum analysers may fall under, namely networked, handheld, benchtop, and portable. Networked spectrum analyzers don’t come with a display, but they are capable of linking the analyser to a network and keep track of various devices simultaneously. Handheld versions are obviously suitable for scenarios where the tool needs to be small, light and compact. Benchtops come in handy for applications in which the device must be plugged into an electric socket (such as in production areas or laboratories). Finally, portable spectrum analysers are those that must be used outdoors or must simply be carried around during use. Discover Tridinamika spectrum analysers today. 

Different Types of Particle Counters from Tridinamika

Tridinamika, Indonesia’s leading dealer of test and measurement equipment, offers a whole range of particle counters for various applications. These instruments mainly detect as well as count particles in different tested substances.

How Do Particle Counters Work?

Particle counting is possible through any of three routes – scattering of light, obscuration of light and direct imaging. Particles are illuminated by high-intensity light, normally halogen light or a laser, as they pass through a detection vessel. When light is redirected, it is captured by a photo detector. In direct imaging, illumination is provided by halogen light while a high magnification camera captures images of the traversing particles. Computer software is then used to analyze the data. In obscuration or light blocking, loss of light will be detected. The device will measure how much light is scattered and blocked, and the particles are counted.

Types of Particle Counters

There are three types of particle counters – aerosol, liquid, and solid. Aerosol particle counters assess the quality of air by analyzing suspended particles. The purpose is usually to know how many particles are present in a building or in ambient air, or to obtain a precise evaluation of a controlled environment’s level of cleanliness.  Liquid particle counters determine the quality of fluids, like cleaning solutions and drinking water, or the cleanliness of sensitive items such as injectable drugs. Solid particle counters determine the amount of dry particles for various industrial applications, such as assessing the size of rocks that have been put under a crusher in a mining quarry environment. Explore these particle counters and more at Tridinamika.

Power Quality Analyzers

Engineers often come across complicated issues related to power distribution. When a device or machine does not work to its optimum or a circuit keeps tripping under load, one of the suspects when the usual possibilities are ruled out is the quality of the signal. 

Power quality analyzers from Fluke or other manufacturers are used to study various electrical parameters such as flicker, inrush current, imbalances between current and voltage. These devices are also excellent tools to measure harmonic currents, voltage value swells and dips, amperage and most importantly the voltage. The huge amounts of data collected by the technician will help him point to a cause of the problem and take necessary remedial steps.

Power Quality Analyzers from Fluke are usually inbuilt with several safety features. Vendors such as Tridinamika have an excellent selection of analyzer devices for all kinds of use and serve most of Indonesia.

There is a lot of planning involved before the actual analysis is undertaken. An experienced engineer will usually make a sketch of the circuit and mark out the measurement points. The data need to be read and interpreted accurately; else the entire exercise will be futile. Usually the data can be transferred to a device such as laptop for a detailed analysis later. The latest generation of power quality analyzers come with several inbuilt features that help the engineer identify many issues immediately. It is important that the technician exploits all the features of the device to get the best analytical result. 

Multifunction Calibrator

Calibrators are great scientific tools that can be used to calibrate an amazing range of parameters. They can measure and calibrate signals ranging from temperature, electrical frequency, pressure and so on. A multifunction calibrator is usually a hand held device and is very compact. 

Usually these devices come with simple to operate buttons and knobs, and menus that are easy to understand and use. Some of the leading manufacturers of quality calibrators such as Fluke, Agilent, Tektronix, Comsys, Cometech and Kanomax are available with Tridinamika, among the leading suppliers of measuring and testing instruments in Indonesia.

If the calibrator is intended for field use, you need to check if the device of your choice will be suitable for continued hand held use, provided the range of calibration parameters and features you are looking for are limited. Else, you might need to opt for bench calibrators that have much more features, but may not be suitable for outdoor or hand held use. Based on the end application, you will have a variety of choices. 

Without a multifunction calibrator, most of the current generation of high tech devices will not work optimally. With Indonesia being among the leading base for high technology manufacturing in Asia, you will find that multifunction calibrators are in high demand across the country. With dealers such as Tridinamika capable of supplying these devices in most of the cities within the country, the manufacturing industry in Indonesia has been thriving. Indonesian products are now in great demand across the globe. 

Fluke Clamp Meter

A clamp meter can be used to measure the current passing through any circuit. Fluke clamp meters with its rugged design can measure even difficult to access circuits using the clamp with the help of flexible coils. Even closed areas and bundled wires can be measured with fluke meters. The device has a jaw. When clamped on to an electric circuit (eg wire), the current passing through is measured without disconnecting the circuit.

Fluke clamp meters have several applications and is a must have accessory for electricians, HVAC technicians, repair engineers and maintenance engineers. With a clamp meter, engineers can work on electro mechanical systems and undertake preventive maintenance as well as scheduled maintenance. Electricians also use fluke meters during installation and also to monitor work of trainees.  These devices are an excellent tool in trouble shooting and now many choices are available from reputed vendors such as Tridinamika. 

A clamp meter often tells in addition to a volt meter why a machine is not working properly. Fluke meters are good at measuring surges while starting a machine and cancel the noise, giving valuable information to the engineer. He will be able to tell if the surge is within the operating range with the help of a clamp meter. 

With several built in safety features, most of the current generation devices will ensure that the user has minimal interaction with a live circuit. With test tools, the data can be relayed wirelessly to the user’s smart phone, an important feature to have if the user would like to share the data with a remote diagnostic team.