Veriteq Data Loggers Monitor Space Center Calibration Lab

A space center that calibrates electronic instruments for NASA has chosen Veriteq's viewLinc Monitoring & Alarm solution to monitor ambient conditions in its calibration laboratories.

Space center metrologist Kirk Foster says that viewLinc has resulted in an increase in their lab's calibration quality, improved efficiency in data collection and reporting, and reduced maintenance costs.

The space center, located near New Orleans, LA, installed eight Spectrum 2000 data loggers and Veriteq's viewLinc software to monitor temperature and humidity in its measurement standards and calibration laboratories. The SP 2000 loggers replaced the lab's outdated mechanical chart recorder system.

Foster says the viewLinc system greatly improved the center's ability to monitor , record and report on laboratory conditions, especially in the dimensional lab, where temperatures are required to stay within 0.5°F of 68.0°F.

"The quality of our calibrations has improved because changing conditions can be monitored more accurately and calibration can be stopped to allow stabilization," says Foster. "In our dimensional area the Veriteq loggers are so responsive that I can tell you how many people are in the room!"

Foster says viewLinc has also made it easier for the center to quickly check the condition history in each laboratory. "We used to have to service several chart recorders," he says. "It meant changing the paper every week and calibrating the recorders every three to six months. Now it is all done electronically in half the time."

"Because they're connected to our existing LAN, the loggers enable remote monitoring of conditions in our laboratories," Foster says. "Our technicians can view ambient conditions on their PCs, without leaving their benches. The charts that we used to have to change weekly have been replaced with one document that shows temperature and humidity graphs from all the labs."

Foster notes that viewLinc and the SP 2000 loggers were easy to set up. "Installation was a breeze," he says. "In most cases, it took less than five minutes per PC. With auto-startup capability (temperature and humidity are automatically displayed when a PC is turned on), the average use is painless."

With viewLinc, users can display data from the Veriteq loggers on the screens of their PCs. They can choose which loggers to display and how to view the data. In addition to its monitoring function, viewLinc provides immediate visual, e-mail or cell/pager alarm notification of out-of-compliance conditions.

The space center purchased the loggers and viewLinc software after carefully investigating alternative products. "Other solutions were researched, like built-in-room HVAC [Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning] building automation systems, but calibration presented a problem and the cost was nearly three times that of the Veriteq system," Foster says. "Veriteq had the most accurate, least expensive solution to our needs. Couple that with the remote monitoring capability and the combination couldn't be beaten."

Foster says the system's remote monitoring feature has improved the lab's response time when conditions go out of specification. "In most cases, the problem with the HVAC equipment can be identified before the conditions get too excessive," he says. "As a result, calibration downtime in the labs has been reduced."

The calibration laboratories at the space center where Foster works provide calibration services to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), other government agencies and several nuclear power plants. "Basically, our laboratory standards of performance are written to include environment variables to insure accurate calibrations of the highest quality," Foster says. "And we are regularly audited by the government and our customers to ensure we conform to the highest standards."