Technology at Work

Now you see itFrom a factory in Missouri to the streets of Portland, OR, USAmodern magicians are solvingproblems that once were invisible.

With Fluke tools andFlukeView Forms software,todays technicians can call on anelectronic assistant to help withan almost limitless range of troubleshooting, monitoring andprocess documentation jobs.

The ability to log detailedmin/max and event data is builtinto many Fluke measurementtools, including the Fluke 180Series, 87 V and 89-IV digitalmultimeters (DMMs), Fluke 53-IIand 54-II thermometers, theFluke 45 Bench Meter and Fluke789 ProcessMeter. The Fluke189 meter, for instance, can logand time-stamp up to 995 read-ings and keep on recording up to72 hours.

Those readings come alivewhen theyre downloaded anddisplayed through MicrosoftWindows-compatible FlukeViewForms software. FlukeView Formsturns simple time and event datainto accurate graphical reportsthat have more uses than ducttape. You can even display read-ings from up to eight differentmeters on the same graph toshow the links between whatshappening in multiple processes,events and locations.

Bringing data to lifeKevin Willer had a problem. AFlukePlus member, Willer ismaintenance supervisor at theGates Rubber Co. plant inColumbia, MO, USA, whichprocesses cord and manufacturesrubber used in making automo-tive belts and hoses.

Logging and analyzingevents with FlukeViewForms Software

We couldnt get good read-ings by just watching themonitors, Willer adds. Thespikes within the system wouldbe so quick that the readout onthe front of the thing wouldnteven pick it up. I actually had tograph it with the (FlukeViewForms) software so I could goback and see what it was doing.

Willer connected his Fluke 189DMM to read the 4 to 20 mA sig-nals generated by four ControlInstruments Smartmaxx VOC

Monitors were detecting ran-dom spikes in volatile organiccompound (VOC) levels in asealed enclosure containingtoluene, a toxic and flammableindustrial solvent. Each time themonitors sensed the excessivelevels, they would stop the pro-duction line until the concentratedVOC could dissipate, causingdowntime. We knew it was hap-pening, says Willer, but wedidnt know the frequency orseverity of it.

monitors in the enclosure. Signalvoltage is directly related to thelevel of VOC the sensor headencounters, and Willer logged thedata for four hours.

He then graphed the signalvoltage over time usingFlukeView Forms software. Thegraph enabled Willer to deter-mine that dead pockets ofconcentrated vapor were formingwithin the enclosure and causingthe spikes that hampered produc-tion. Adjusting the flow of aircured the problem.

Recirculation air being sup-plied to an enclosure will developa steady path, he says. Cornersand other obstructions can pre-vent good air movement. With

2 Fluke Corporation Logging and analyzing events with FlukeView Forms Software

the use of dampers and diverters,you can alter the path to rid your-self of dead spots.

Today FlukeView Forms has apermanent home in Willers toolcrib.

We use it for all kinds of stuff,Willer laughs. Ive got in on mylaptop, and whenever we run intoan intermittent problem Ill justhook it up and leave it so we cango back later and see how oftenstuff is happening. Everybody inthe department uses it at one timeor another. Its been handy.

According to Chuck Newcombe,product planner for FlukeCorporation, the ability to trou-bleshoot intermittent problemslike Kevin Willers is a key use of

FlukeView Forms. Newcombesays other top applications arecharacterizing or monitoring sys-tem behavior over time, anddocumenting processes or proce-dures.

FlukeView Forms comes withstandard analysis and reportingforms, graphs, and tables you canmodify for your specific needs.The software can record and dis-play data from every function orparameter the meter is capable ofmeasuring, like volts, amps,ohms, frequency, capacitance,temperature, diode testing andmore. You can port informationstored in FlukeView Forms toother common applications, suchas Microsoft Excel, for furtheranalysis and display.

The Fluke 189, 89-IV and 54log events and interval datainternally. For these tools,FlukeView Forms is the only wayto extract and view the detailedmin/max and event data from themeters memory. And FlukeViewForms is the only way to changethe 189s event threshold fromthe default of 4 percent.

FlukeView Forms makes datatransfer fast and easy through aninfrared (IR) serial interface.FlukeView Forms is meter aware,so there arent any configurationproblems. Using the supplied IRserial cable, the software willautomatically recognize yourmeter and transfer the data. Asan alternative, you can wire themeter directly to your PC andactively monitor events withFlukeView Forms.

Charting the way to professionalismFor Jared Struse of StrusePlumbing and Air, Inc., Hereford,AZ, USA, system performancedata gathered with the Fluke 189and displayed through FlukeViewForms has helped his firm docu-ment situations before and after,cementing their reputation forprofessionalism and honesty.Lets face it, says Struse, aFlukePlus member. When youput it on paper, the customer maynot understand everything, butthey do understand integrity.

15 second voltage intervals graphed in FlukeView Forms from a Fluke 189 DMM by automotiveinstructor Tony Martin.

In the Portland, Ore. area,FlukeView Forms is producinghard dollar savings for TriMet,operator of the citys buses andits MAX light rail system. Foryears weve used Fluke 83 multi-meters, working in tractionpower substations for light railelectric railways, says mainte-nance engineer Stephen Budahl,also a FlukePlus member.However, we also used $5,000to $10,000 chart recorders anddata acquisition equipment.

We recently bought someFluke 189s and found that withthe 189 and FlukeView Forms,were gathering the same data ina much more compact and easyto use format saving money inthe process.

At Lord Corporation inCambridge Springs, PA, USA,senior engineering specialistJack Gregory uses Fluke 54 datalogging digital thermometers totrack temperatures through thecuring cycle of Lords moldedrubber products. For rubbermanufacturing, digital data-log-ging thermometers haveimproved the methodologies theindustry uses, created greaterefficiencies and freed engineersto do more important work thanmanually recording data, saysGregory.

Automotive technologyinstructor and FlukePlus memberTony Martin uses a FlukeViewForms chart to show his studentsat the University of AlaskaSoutheast how an engine coolanttemperature (ECT) sensorresponds as a Jeep Wrangler testvehicle comes up to temperature.

3 Fluke Corporation Logging and analyzing events with FlukeView Forms Software

The graph even depicts the volt-age fluctuation that results whenthe vehicles thermostat opensand closes.

If you have a sensor thatsacting funny in certain parts of itsrange, its important to spot thoseanomalies, Martin says. Wehook the Fluke 189 up to thetemperature sensor, measure thevoltage with the key on and theengine off, then start the vehicleand bring it up to temperature.

(The 189) creates a newrecord every 15 seconds of thehighest and lowest voltage dur-ing that interval. If theres adropoff in any one of those 15-second intervals, you can see it.On a scope, you might not.

The unique way Fluke testtools record data delivers highefficiency and keeps you in con-trol. The Fluke 189, for instance,can log and time-stamp up to995 individual events as briefas 50 milliseconds. The meterdoesnt log continuous readings that would just waste memoryand battery power by recordingdata when nothing unusual ishappening. Instead, it logs dataonly when the input signalexceeds the threshold you set.When such events take place, themeter records the minimum, max-imum and average of readings.You can also configure your log-ging session to take readings atspecified intervals (for instance,every five minutes).

Testing at Cow ContactFor dairyman Chuck Untiedt ofLakefield, MN, USA, FlukeViewForms literally helped save thefamily farm.

Incorrect wiring was directingstray voltage into his milking par-lors. When a water pump turnedon, cows standing on the con-crete floor to drink from a plasticwater tank would get shocked.The animals became sensitizedand ultra-cautious about anyelectrical current. Milk productionwas down, and some cows diedfrom shock.

But testing with his Fluke 89-IV DMM and graphing the resultson FlukeView Forms enabledUntiedt to start untangling hisfarms electrical problems. Forinstance, FlukeView Forms helpedhim document voltage spikes inpower from his local utility. Heinstalled surge arrestors, and thespikes disappeared.

The ability to just let thatmeter sit there and run allowedus to define the problem, Untiedtsays. Without the software, wewouldnt have the ability to dothat.

Without Fluke, to be veryhonest, we would not be here.Theres no question, we wouldbe out of business. They allowedus to find the problems, docu-ment the problems, and thenwork on getting everythingsolved.

Fluke CorporationPO Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206

Fluke Europe B.V.PO Box 1186, 5602 BD Eindhoven, The Netherlands

For more information call:In the U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or Fax (425) 446-5116In Europe/M-East/Africa (31 40) 2 675 200 or Fax (31 40) 2 675 222In Canada (800) 36-FLUKE or Fax (905) 890-6866From other countries +1 (425) 446-5500 or Fax +1 (425) 446-5116Web access: http://www.fluke.com

2004 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.Printed in U.S.A. 8/2004 2386842 Pub-ID 10900-eng

Fluke.Keeping your worldup and running.