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Supporting New Calibrators with Existing Equipment
Steven G. Haynes
Staff Engineer
Industrial Group, T-Cal Business Unit
Fluke Corporation
Everett, Washington
Abstract
New calibrators are being introduced not only with new functions and better performance, but
also with expanded output ranges. These calibrators can present some new challenges for the cal
lab. Resistance up to 1G , capacitance up to 100mF and AC current to 30kHz can be measured,
but at what cost? This paper will present one approach to making these tests without huge
investments in capital equipment. Data presented will demonstrate that, with a modest
investment, you can extend the capability of your existing instrumentation to get the performance
necessary to test state-of-the-art calibrators.
Introduction
For many cal labs, calibrating the calibrator requires expensive equipment that is difficult to
justify, both in terms of cost of acquisition and maintenance costs. Recently, new calibrators
have been introduced with expanded output ranges that exacerbates this problem, requiring new
equipment for a handful of calibration and verification points. However, resistance up to 1G ,
capacitance up to 100mF and AC current to 30kHz can be measured inexpensively, probably
with equipment that is already in your lab.
First, this paper will present a very accurate method for measuring capacitance from 100