Portable Oscilloscopes engineered for harsh environments

Fluke’s ScopeMeter 190 Series is a family of four-channel scopes designed to meet growing need for portable oscilloscopes in harsh environments

By Fluke Corporation February 17, 2011

Fluke Corporation produces the ScopeMeter 190 Series II handheld portable oscilloscopes, the first four-channel scopes designed for harsh industrial environments.

These portable scopes are the first safety rated for CAT III 1000 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 motor drives.

The Fluke ScopeMeter chassis is sealed from the environment with no cooling slots or fans to expose the instrument. It carries the International Protection (IP) -51 dust and drip proof rating so it’s reportedly tough enough to use—safely—on the factory floor and in the field. According to Fluke, the most high-performance oscilloscopes are not designed to withstand dirty, harsh environments, the ScopeMeter is built to deliver accurate results where ordinary portable oscilloscopes dare not go.

The Fluke 190 Series II oscilloscope meets the growing need for four-channel portable oscilloscopes 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 Fluke 190 Series II ScopeMeter, users can see more and fix more 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. With100 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 solve problems like:

  • 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.

Four channels are indispensable in testing variable speed motor drives and inverter power electronic technology used in green energy generation and transportation applications. Users can:

  • 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.
  • 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 conveniently store data to 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.

Fluke ScopeMeter series videos

www.fluke.com

Fluke Corporation

– Edited by Gust Gianos, CFE Media, Plant Engineering, www.plantengineering.com