FLUKE INTRODUCES TWO NEW MODELS TO ITS COLOUR SCOPEMETER® SERIES FEATURING INDUSTRIAL BUS HEALTH TEST

Fluke, the world’s leading supplier of test and measurement equipment has added two new models to its range of Colour ScopeMeter®s. As well as an Industrial Bus Health Test capability, the Fluke 225C (200 MHz, 2.5 GS/s) and Fluke 215C (100 MHz, 1 GS/s) include all the features of Fluke’s market-leading 199C and 199C Colour ScopeMeters, making these instruments the signal analysis tool of choice for engineers working on electronic and electrical systems.

The handheld Fluke 225C and 215C ScopeMeters are aimed at maintenance specialists who deal with industrial buses, networks and general electronics. They verify electrical signal quality on industrial buses including Profibus, Foundation, Modbus, CAN-bus, RS-485 and more. The new instruments feature easy signal validation of all the signal parameters, and floating and fully isolated inputs for true differential signal measurements. They allow users to verify the electrical integrity of bus and network, performing “physical layer tests” and getting answers quickly and easily.

Like the Fluke 190C Colour ScopeMeter Series, the 225C and 215C offer a wide range of test capabilities including FFT analysis for identifying individual frequency components contained in a signal. The TrendPlot paperless recording function helps uncover long-term trends and shows changes in any of the measurable parameters (like the rise-time of a signal); the ScopeRecord function allows long records of waveform recordings to be made, over a period up to 48 hours; a “Replay” function enables the user to take a closer look at any anomaly seen flashing by on the screen, by re-playing the last sequence of 100 screen images.

Bus Health Test

Bus Health Test analyses the electrical signals on the industrial bus or network and gives a clear “Good”, “Weak” or “Bad” validation mark for each relevant parameter, next to the actual measured value. Measured values are compared to standard values based on the bus type selected, or personal reference values if users need different tolerances.
The Fluke 225C and 215C can validate the signal quality as soon as electrical signals are passed along the network, without looking at data content. They help in finding errors like improper cable connections, bad contacts, incorrect grounding and missing or superfluous terminators.

Floating independently isolated input channels

The independently isolated input channels and the floating inputs mean that the ScopeMeters can take truly floating differential measurements from balanced 2-wire systems like RS-485 and CAN. One input channel can measure the voltage between the two signal wires, and the other can measure the common mode voltage over ground at the same time, independently.
The large colour screen of the 225C and 215C shows the individual parameters with validation, the actual measured value, the minimum and maximum values recorded over time, and the reference values used for the validation. The choice of parameters differs with the bus type and may include bias voltage, signal high- and low-levels, rise- and fall-times, in-band and out-band noise levels, jitter, pulse width, baud-rate, and more.

Activity indicators tell users that the data flow is ongoing, and stop flashing the moment communications come to a halt. In the eye-pattern mode, a waveform display is built over successive signal passes to give a visual indication of overall signal quality, noise levels and signal jitter.

Top-of-the-range ScopeMeters

All Fluke ScopeMeters allow users to perform the basic electrical tests like copper resistance and isolation tests on an electrical system or a cable. On top, the 225C and 215C give extensive network signal analysis capabilities. The isolated channel structure gives excellent immunity to common mode noise and disturbances, and can measure common mode voltages separately.
The Fluke 225C and 215C are available from Fluke authorised distributors. More details about these and other products can be found on the Fluke web site at www.fluke.co.uk.

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