New HART communicator has calibration functions
GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies combines communication, configuration, and multi-function calibration in one instrument.
Peter Welander -- Control Engineering, 11/3/2009
 GE DPI 620 HART communicator/calibrator |
The hand-held DPI 620 advanced multifunction calibrator from GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies now incorporates full HART capability, which the company says now makes it the only combined HART communicator and calibrator currently on the market. The compact instrument is weatherproofed to IP 65 for field use. It incorporates the latest application software and contains a complete library of registered HART device descriptions to support more than 1000 sensors. Updates to keep the listing complete may be downloaded free-of-charge, from the GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies website.
"Unlike HART communicators which can only be used for configuration, commissioning, and maintenance, the new DPI 620 is also one of the most accurate and versatile calibration systems available," says Mike Shelton, product manager at GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies. "Plant engineers and technicians can now reduce the inventory of equipment they have to carry to perform maintenance and calibration tasks."
The new communicator/calibrator has a full-color, high-resolution touch interface and a large internal memory allowing it to store additional features such as procedure and data log files. These can be transferred using USB, WiFi, memory stick, or the instrument's memory card, which can be up to 4 GB. Features new to HART communicators include an integral 24 V loop power supply to energize HART devices and loops, and a menu-selectable 250 Ohm loop resistor, rather than a separate physical resistor, for use when a device is not connected or the loop is switched off.
The incorporation of a calibrator within the communicator means that there is no need to carry ancillary equipment such as multi-meters to measure mA when trimming sensors and there is naturally no need for secondary calibration equipment during sensor trim and device calibration, as the DPI 620 simultaneously sources and measures the primary variable, whether this be mA, pressure, V, mV, ohms, frequency, or temperature from RTDs or thermocouples.
The DPI 620 also has the capability to automate calibration procedures and document "as found" and "as left" results, and can analyze device trends to support preventive maintenance programs. It is available in a Windows CE version with standard Windows applications and file management and the computing power to view PDF files and jpeg images such as loop diagrams, data sheets, safety procedures, spreadsheets, and to create text documents.
-Edited by Peter Welander, process industries editor, peter.welander@reedbusiness.com,
Control Engineering Process Instrumentation & Sensors Monthly
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