Portable 4-channel oscilloscopes for harsh environments

Fluke ScopeMeter 190 Series II are a family of hand-held portable oscilloscopes designed for harsh industrial use and are safety rated for CAT III 1,000 V / CAT IV 600 V environments. The four-channel scopes can perform differential floating measurements and have a fast sampling rate, up to 2.5 GS/sec and 400 pico second resolution.

March 21, 2011

Fluke Corporation now offers its ScopeMeter 190 Series II hand-held portable oscilloscopes, which it says are the first four-channel scopes designed for harsh industrial use, safety rated for CAT III 1,000 V / CAT IV 600 V environments. The four input channels are fully isolated from each other to perform differential floating measurements, a critical consideration for troubleshooting fixed-installation, three-phase power electronic devices like variable speed drives.

The unit’s chassis is sealed from the environment with no cooling slots or fans to expose the instrument. It carries the IP-51 dust- and drip-proof rating so it’s designed for safe use on the factory floor and in the field. Given that most high-performance oscilloscopes are not designed to withstand dirty, harsh environments, Fluke says the ScopeMeter is built to deliver accurate results where ordinary portable oscilloscopes dare not go.

Applications for four-channel oscilloscopes are growing in industrial environments. Power electronics are used increasingly in solar and wind energy generation and to maximize efficiency or reduce power consumption especially in heavy-duty electro-mechanical applications. With the new devices, users can see more and fix more situations using all four channels.

Their fast sampling rate, up to 2.5 GS/sec and 400 pico second resolution, helps users capture electrical noise and other disturbances to diagnose exactly what is going on. With 100 MHz and 200 MHz models, they deliver the bandwidth needed to cover both today’s needs, and tomorrow’s. With four channels, users can inspect input signals, output signals, feedback loops, or safety interlocks simultaneously to diagnose situations such as:

  • Signal amplitude or shape variations, induced noise or disturbances across critical circuit nodes;
  • Signal timing measurements and synchronization issues;
  • Attenuation, fluctuation, drift as a result of impedance issues or environmental impacts;
  • View and measure harmonics, transients, and loads in three-phase power systems;
  • Troubleshoot dc to ac converters for faulty insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and control circuits; and
  • View and measure pulse width modulated waveforms (PWM) for reflections and transients.

High-performance Li-ion battery technology keeps the Series II ScopeMeter on the job for up to seven hours. An external charger and easy-access battery door makes it simple to swap batteries and extend usage. Two USB ports, electrically isolated from measurement input circuits, make it easy to capture and share waveforms. Users can store data on a USB memory device or easily connect to a PC via the USB port and transfer waveforms or screen images for data analysis or archive.

www.fluke.com

Fluke Corporation