Multiple
Test Heads Mean More Versatility for the Technician
By Jack Sine
Field service technicians
are always looking for ways to reduce the amount of gear they need on the
job. After all, no one wants to make more trips back to the truck than they
have to and everyone wants to be able to put his hands on the right tool when
he needs it. A California based instrument manufacturer has gone a long way
to solving that problem.
Fieldpiece Instruments of Brea, California has introduced a line of kits that
includes all the instruments a technician needs to measure the parameters
he most needs to do his job. And the best part is that the largest kit is
the size of a briefcase and weighs only eight pounds.
Interchangeable test heads save a lot of space
“We’re the only hand-held instrument maker who designs specifically
for HVAC/R field service technicians, so we ask them what they need and make
it for them,” said Rey Harju, President of Fieldpiece. “One of
the constant complaints we heard from the field was how much gear they had
to lug around. Some would short-cut their testing if the proper instrument
wasn’t available. Several years ago we started looking at how we could
reduce their burden and, after some trial and error, we developed the concept
of accessory test heads.”
Fieldpiece’s solution was modularity. They designed special purpose
heads that slide onto a specially built, general purpose DMM. The heads are
dedicated measuring units much smaller than conventional instruments. They
later devloped an electronic handle that converts any of the heads into stand-alone
instruments.
Compact kits put everything in easy reach
Once we had developed the test heads they started looking for ways offer them
to the field service technicians. They eventually decided to offer them in
kit form. There are five Fieldpack kits in the line, four of them packaged
in a soft-sided bag the size of a briefcase and the other in a smaller version.
The most versatille is Fieldpiece’s model number HS35K31G. It contains a complete spectrum of measuring instruments and test heads. Three instruments serve as the foundation of the kit: a top of the line autoranging DMM stick meter, a data logger, and an electronic handle. Each of them accepts every one of the snap-on accessory heads.
The heads in this Fieldpack measure air velocity, air temperature, relative humidity, wet bulb, dew point, carbon monoxide, AC current, gas pressure, static pressure, vacuum (for evacuating a system), and microamps for flame rectifier diode circuits. An electronic handle makes every accessory head a standalone instrument.
The kit also includes several thermocouples specially designed for HVAC/R technicians: a pipe clamp thermocouple for taking suction line temperatures, a wet bulb thermocouple with a “sock” and alligator clip, and a beaded thermocouple with an alligator clip. The alligator clips keep the thermocouples in place during testing. All have a “wrap-tab” plug that makes it easy to store the thermocouple wire.
“It’s great to have virtually every instrument you need in a small bag,” said Scott Owen, HVAC instructor at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska. “I tell my students they would need a large dolly to carry the equivalent in other instruments.”
Versatile
multimeter
The centerpiece of this kit is the HS35 stick meter, a complete digital multimeter
that’s built for safety. This new meter features autoranging that automatically
changes range for best resolution. It measures volts, ohms, temperature, and
capacitance for motor start/run. For safety, it includes a non-contact voltage
indicator (beeper and LED) to let the user know when he's near AC voltage.
It works down to 24 VAC for thermostat wire. The meter also contains a high
voltage indicator (beeper and LED) that warns the user when he’s in
contact with a potentially dangerous voltage. For hard to reach measurements,
the technician can “remote” an accessory head by removing the
probe tips from the leads and connecting to the head.
The DL2 Data Logger stores 20,000 data points along with real time, not elapsed
time. The technician can change the total duration of the test from one second
to 999 days, and the time between each reading from one second to 999 hours.
Each series of readings can be “tagged” with a label for easy
identification later. Multiple data sets are easily recorded. It comes with
software and a PC link cable so that data may be downloaded for future study
and analysis. The best display resolution is 0.01. Maximum reading is 1999.9.
Programming and data acquisition are simple and fast. The technician simply
rotates the dial to select the task he wants to perform. The labels on the
dial are very easy to read and understand. Each time the dial position is
changed, a new data set starts. A technician can add a reading to the data
set anytime by pressing "RECORD.” Both that reading and real time
are recorded.
Response from the field
Tim Bridge is the service manager for Butler Mechanical Services in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
“We were looking for something to take super heat and carbon monoxide
measurements,” he said. “We went into Lute Supply in the city
and they had this Fieldpack on display, the big one. I asked what it was and
the guy showed me. I couldn’t believe how much you could do with it.
We bought it on the spot. That was five months ago and everybody loves it.
This is everything we need in a nutshell. We’ve used on every job since
we got it and we’ve used every feature at one time or another. To do
what this Fieldpack does you’d have to buy a hundred instruments. And
this kit was very reasonably priced.”
Owen agreed, “You can’t beat the price. Even without the discount
Fieldpiece gives to schools, the cost is substantially lower than buying individual
instruments from other companies.”
“You can tell these things were designed for field service guys, said
Bridge. “The stick meter and data logger have magnetic strips on them
and fasten onto anything metal so you don’t need three hands to do a
job. And the alligator clips on the test leads let you concentrate on your
job instead of trying to hold a lead in place.”
John Shamahorn is the director of operations for Chas Roberts Air Conditioning
in Tucson, Arizona and he agrees with Bridge.
“I discovered Fieldpiece at my wholesaler’s. I told him I needed
a new DMM and he held out a one of their meters and told me it was new on
the market. I asked him if was rugged enough for HVAC and he grinned at me,
threw it across the room, and bounced it off the coke machine. That was two
years ago and we’ve been using them ever since and recommending them
to our technicians. We even offer a payroll deduction plan to help them make
the purchase.”
It looks as if field service technicians will be able to save themselves a
few more trips to the truck.
Jack Sine is
a freelance writer specializing the HVAC/R market place. He is based in Beacon,
NY.
Fieldpiece
Instruments, Inc.
580 W. Central, Suite A
Brea, CA 92821
(714) 257-9060 FAX (714) 257-9069
fpinfo@fieldpiece.com
