• • • TEST & MEASUREMENT • • •
Tektronix releases results of its Global Engineer Survey 2021
T
o keep pace with rapid advancements in technology, today’s test and measurement engineers seek longer lasting products and
more technical support, according to a global survey of nearly 1,300 professional test and measurement engineers conducted by Tektronix. Designed to provide greater insight into the technologies, challenges and opportunities faced by engineers, the results showed what engineers want and need from test and measurement manufacturers, and the quality and attributes they demand from their instruments.
Engineers want a long lifetime from their
instruments, according to the survey conducted between April and May 2021. Over a third of respondents (approximately 36 per cent) expect equipment to last more than ten years, while around one fifth (roughly 21 per cent) demand a lifetime of more than five years, backing up findings that engineers place a high value on instrument reliability. Engineer respondents say they want to protect
their investment and get continued value from their purchase, which is in-line with organisations offering continuous service and technical support. Tektronix offers various warranty lengths by product type. Calibration and repair support for each product typically continues for a minimum of five years after production ends. When asked about the services
they value the most, the technical support offered by a vendor came out on top (cited by 72 per cent of respondents). Tektronix says that it strives to
support engineers’ needs by offering new ways of working, including remote control capabilities such as
its TekScope and TekDrive, which enable cloud- based software defined engineering, that have grown significantly in importance over the last 18 months. Appreciated by Tektronix’s customers is also the provision of support through a dedicated technical Pan-European support team; as well as a European multilingual ‘Centre of Excellence’ (CoE) team. Solutions such as virtual online product demonstrations have been very popular with customers throughout the pandemic, the company added.
Other key factors that survey participants said
they value from their vendors included: • good user manuals (69 per cent), • good supply of accessories and probes (50 per cent), and
• applications’ notes (43 per cent). Post-sales support such as calibration, repair
and training were also mentioned as of significant value to today’s engineers. Tektronix has a comprehensive network of repair and calibration services for any brand of test and measurement equipment and also offers asset management and factory service plans. The company also provides online training resources, including application notes, training videos and webinars.
Clamp meters for solar power installations with CAT III / 1500 V safety rating
F
luke has launched a new clamp meter designed to measure solar installation voltages at the new standard of 1500 V, while
offering high safety specifications and being easy to use in congested solar combiner boxes. The Fluke 393 and 393 FC are said to be the world’s first True-rms solar clamp meters to be rated at CAT III / 1500 V DC according to the latest safety standard for clamp meters IEC/EN 61010-2-032:2019. The clamp meter is capable of
measuring up to 1500 V DC compared to standard instruments for this application, which are restricted to 1000 V DC. This makes the Fluke 393
suitable for the installation and maintenance of utility scale, large industrial and commercial scale solar farms. With solar generation growing in importance to meet renewable energy demand, the new clamp meter is a major addition to Fluke’s range of instruments for solar applications, such as the insulation multimeters Fluke 1577/1587 or the IP67 rated multimeter Fluke 87V MAX.
30 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • OCTOBER 2021 A high level of safety for users is said to be
guaranteed through the use of CAT III rated insulation at 1500 V. According to Fluke, it’s the only solar clamp meter to offer this level of protection for solar installation technicians and engineers. The meter’s insulated test leads are rated to CAT III 1500 V, while the meters offer CAT IV protection to 600 V AC.
The instrument’s IP54 rating makes the Fluke
393 clamp meter suitable for testing solar installations in a variety of climates and a wide range of weather conditions, protecting the instrument from both dust and rain ingress. The ability to make quick, easy and accurate
measurements allows maintenance technicians to keep solar installations producing energy. The challenge is that solar combiner boxes are often small and congested, making it difficult to attach meters to make measurements. The Fluke 393 meets this challenge with a 25% thinner jaw than previous Fluke clamp meter models, making it easier and faster to take measurements in restricted spaces. The 393 FC offers
connectivity to Fluke Connect, eliminating the need for handwritten notes. Fluke Connect allows maintenance technicians and service staff to document values and share them with their team. Up to 65,000 data points can be recorded and uploaded.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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