Issue #97, October 2015
Welcome to the October edition of Dynamic Sensors & Calibration Tips. We'll start this month with a short Public Service Announcement... Fall is here and if you live in the United States, Daylight Saving Time is fast approaching. Remember to adjust your clocks Saturday night if you are based in the US. (We hope our friends in Europe enjoyed their extra hour of sleep last Sunday night! Did you know that Germany was the first country to implement Daylight Saving Time 99 years ago?)

Moving from clock calculations to sensor calibration, we have something new for you this month. With our continuing goal to bring you quick and valuable content, we are exploring a new medium: a video article. Let us know what you think - we are hoping to deliver more video content to you in the months to come!
Basics of Vibration and Shock Calibration
By Mike Dillon, Calibration Product Manager

Why do we calibrate accelerometers the way we do? Click below to view a short video on the fundamental purposes of accelerometer calibration. Mike Dillon will discuss two common accelerometer calibration techniques and the failure modes they are designed to detect.

Click to watch the video
Reducing Harmonic Distortion in Vibration Calibration
By Bryan Butsch, Electrical Engineer

In the field of calibration, we are constantly working to minimize or eliminate any phenomena that contribute to measurement uncertainty. There are simple things that can be directly managed, like sensor mounting and cabling techniques. There are other uncertainty contributors such as noise and harmonic distortion that are often beyond the control of the calibration technician. The Modal Shop has recently designed an algorithm to help minimize the amount of distortion present in the system. This article will explain how the algorithm works and the impact that it has on reducing the harmonic distortion in the sensor signal.

Click to read the full article
Tip of the Month:

Industry standards ISO 16063-21 (Vibration Calibration) and ISO 16063-22 (Shock Calibration) are frequently used in tandem to detect common accelerometer failure modes and also to calibrate the sensor in an environment similar to its application.

Blast from the Past:
Why Calibrate?

A good friend of mine always says, "Calibration is like getting a teenage boy to brush his teeth... They are always looking in mirrors and may comb their hair a hundred times a day, but never want to take the time in the morning to brush their teeth."  From my observations, even in the business of test and measurement, it seems that appearances get all the attention and the sound practices of calibration, verification and maintenance are often an afterthought...

 Click to read the full article
Thanks for joining us for another issue of "Dynamic Sensors & Calibration Tips." As always, please speak up and let us know what you like. We appreciate all feedback: positive, critical or otherwise. Take care!

TMS 25 Years
Sincerely,
Mike Lally signature
Michael J. Lally 
The Modal Shop, Inc.
A PCB Group Company
mike.lally@modalshop.com
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