TEST EQUIPMENT FOR MRO AND SERVICING

Industrial-grade testing equipment for pros by pros? The Conrad Sourcing Platform enables customers to use one-stop shopping to purchase all the technical supplies their business needs, including a very comprehensive range of testing and diagnostic equipment. “People working in machinery and plant maintenance and networking need a basic set of reliable gear that delivers accurate readings,” explains Michael Schlagenhaufer, Senior Director and leader of the Product & Supplier Strategy at Conrad Electronic.  This is why the Conrad Sourcing Platform supplies selected quality brands that help service engineers get on with their everyday tasks, and that ensure user safety on-site at all times.  

Preventive Maintenance Using Thermal Imaging
“Using industrial-grade imagers is key when it comes to detecting faults in machinery and plant early,” Schlagenhaufer adds. “Because if you want to avoid downtime, fire hazards and other costly damage during ongoing operations, you need to be able to identify unusual temperature surges and critical heat spots reliably.” Maintenance of electrical plant also involves the use of thermography, for instance, to test switchboards, terminals and photovoltaics, and to detect rising temperatures in low, standard and high voltage electrical circuitry. Moreover, mechanical service engineers use thermal imagers to check out the degree of wear and tear of machinery, motors, bearings and drive shafts.  

Testo 883 Thermal Imager – Sees Everything. Thinks for Itself.
A piece of news “Made in Germany” concerning innovative test equipment specialists Testo who are based right in the heart of the Back Forest:

Testo’s latest 883 thermal imager providing outstanding image quality and automated image archiving is a widely welcome addition to the thermography sector. A temperature reading range stretching from -30°C to +650 °C and a thermal sensitivity of 40mK make the Testo 883 an ideal choice for service engineers. Switching the product to SuperResolution mode increases the already excellent IR resolution of 320 x 240 pixels to 640 x 480 pixels. This ensures a reliable detection of thermal abnormalities across machinery and plant.  The product comes with a manual zoom lens that allows taking close-ups at a distance of 10 cm, a detachable telephoto lens enables testing remote objects and outdoor structures. Moreover, Bluetooth connectivity enables embedding readings taken by moisture probes or testo 770-3 clam meters into the thermal images. And there are other digital features that assist users during important test-related tasks: Testo’s ScaleAssist option autoregulates the image contrast settings which helps identify weak points while comparing different images becomes more objective.  And thanks to Testo Site Recognition, you no longer need to spend hours manually sifting through and archiving the images on a PC – a QR code automatically pairs test object and test site.
 
Testo’s industrial-grade easy-to-use ITSoft software allows analysing the readings and creating reports. And the Testo Thermography app is a very important tool when it comes to further processing and forwarding these results, linking the imager to a mobile device such as a tablet or a smartphone, and turning them into Testo 883 remote controls. The imager itself can be operated both via touchscreen, or by using a joystick.

Fluke Networks: Accurate Cable and Network Testing
The Fluke Networks product line caters for building service engineers who install and maintain the wiring of network infrastructure all across the world. For instance, the LinkIQ™ cable and network tester is a very reliable instrument that employs FDR technology to determine the functionality and actual performance of twisted-pair copper cables used in 10GBASE-T systems. In doing so, the LinkIQ™ not only identifies the distance to fault (DTF) but, at the same time, comes up with a suitable wiring plan. Running a diagnostic test of the closest switch, the device detects the current data transfer rate, the name of the switch, the port identifier and collects a range of Wi-Fi-related information, all of which helps troubleshoot network problems. In PoE systems, a handful of components using different standards may already result in network issues. LinkIQ™ allows verifying the PoE classes 1 to 8, and carrying out a load test of both the connection and the switch. This reveals whether the wiring does indeed support the required power rating. All collected data can be stored and archived using LinkWare™ PC Cable Test Management Software.      

Fluke: Faster and Safer Measurements
Ever since the company was established in 1948, Fluke have been supplying industrial-grade equipment for installing, maintaining and servicing electrical and electronic systems. And now Fluke’s 378 FC True RMS clamp meter takes readings both faster and safer, as the built-in FieldSense™ technology makes having to physically touch electrical wiring redundant. The jaws of the current probe just need to be clamped around a cable after the black lead has been connected to PG. This simplifies taking accurate voltage and current readings, even in three phase power systems, with the data being displayed on an easily readable screen. The fact that the Fluke 378 is a such a stalwart at the workplace isn’t just down to its usability and readability. It comes with a range of smart features and functions and a set of useful accessories that keep service engineers safe and help them get the job done: included in the delivery is iFlex, a bendable probe adapter which boosts the meters reading range to 2500 A and makes it suitable for tasks in extremely confined space. And in the event of power supply issues, the Fluke 378 identifies whether the problem lies with the power cable, or is indeed based on faulting equipment. Moreover, the meter is compatible with Fluke Connect^® Software, an innovative tool that records the collected data digitally in real time and allows sharing them with the entire team.   

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