[volt-nuts] Traveling Standards

[gbusg]

Fred,

Do you know anyone at Fluke?

Fluke Calibration Services (Netherlands)
http://www.fluke.com/fluke/nlnl/service/kalibratie/default.htm

Incidentally, in the U.S., Fluke runs a 10Vdc round-robin service (DVMP Care 
Plan). I'm not sure if that service is available in Europe yet, but as 
defined it wouldn't meet your criteria due to higher cost and requirement 
that you have at least one Fluke 732A or 732B.

...Still, it might be interesting to know someone at Fluke Netherlands?

Fluke Direct Voltage Maintenance Program (DVMP)
http://us.flukecal.com/node/2137

-Greg


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Schneider" <pa4tim at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion of precise voltage measurement" <volt-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 1:20 AM
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] Traveling Standards


I am thinking about doing a bit calibrating as a sort of service and to earn 
some money to spend on calibrating my stuff ( p.e. the 731A transfer 
standard) with our national standard buro. so not to make money on it, just 
to cover expenses.

But he problem is I, have no clue what to ask and if there is. Market. I 
have a mint condition guildline cabinet with known documented history and 
from the first user. So I can, after the return of the transfer, compare it 
with my guildline and have a longtime stable reference. But a calibration 
here is not as cheap as in the states I think. A friend had a tek current 
probe calibrated, that was over 500 dollar. But i think most " customers" 
will have a 4.5 or 5.5 DMM and in that case my cells and calibrators are 
allready good enough.

I bought a new calibrated keithley 2000. As soon as It arrived I warmed it 
up and measured my cells and calibrators , that I allready had warm up, and 
documented that. The cells where less then 3 uV away from the last 
documented calibration and still spaced appart like they where then. So for 
a 5,5 digit i will be close enough. An old secondhand bought 6,5 digit will 
be closer then it was.
I have a the 4 cell guildline cabinet, 731A, 332, 750, 760, 720, philips DC 
volt/current calibrator, and. Fluke 5xx AC calibrator. Besides that a GPS 
controlled thunderbold Oscillator, a HP 5 MHz standard, counters connected 
to the 10 MHz ref upto 18 GHz so I can do counters too. Also have timemark 
en pulsgenerators for scope adjustment but that really is on scopes like tek 
7000 or 500 series very much labour if you do not have the calibration 
plugins. A normal scope is still about 10 hours work.

The problem is I have plenty of time but i am a bit disabled so I can not 
work long periods and that means two hours warming up, work an hour on the 
instrument and rest for an hour so it would take me days. The calibration of 
my 7704 , witch is rather complex took me two weeks. A simple 547 3 days. A 
letter plugin about 2 to 4 hours. A DMM like a fluke 8000 or HP3535 is done 
in about 2 hours, a keithley 199 doing the memory calibration is done in an 
hour or so but a HP3490 is many hours of work. (and there is the problem of 
shipping and risk invalved. There can be people trying to missuse your 
service by sending not functioning gear and telling you broke it or it gets 
dammaged or lost in the mail.)

Are there voltnuts how do such project to earn back a calibration. Are there 
other Dutch volt-nuts here ?

I do not know there is market for this in the Netherlands. Not much voltnuts 
around and we Dutch are famous for our cheapiness. I am very active on a 
very big electronics forum, there are about 4 other volt nuts there, who 
probably would spent 50 euro or so on a calibration. The rest ( about 80 % i 
think) use there holy 5 tot 30 bucks multimeter. A 50 euro model is 
considerd to be rreal expenive and overkill. Cheap is holy around here and 
being cheap made to an art.
Lot of topics about Rigol, atten and owen scopes asking if it is wise to buy 
because it is a lot of money and or if  someone knows a cheaper brand or 
model  :-(
But a calibrion is looking what the deviation is, most think a calibration 
is the same as adjusting it whitin specs. I do that with my own gear and for 
a lot of gear that is a hell of a job. And to do that for 50 euro does not 
sound tempting.
Fred PA4TIM