Mois : janvier 2006

BREA, Calif., April 14, 2006 — Fieldpiece Instruments, manufacturer of professional-grade instruments for the HVAC/R technician, has introduced an upgraded version of the company’s popular LT17 DMM. The LT17A features a bright blue backlight display; a magnetic hanger on the back for testing convenience; a temperature calibration pot on the face of the meter for easy ice bucket calibration; and a newly tooled case featuring a rugged front-overhang design and a protective rubber holster. The LT17A also comes with the new ACH4 current clamp that is designed to make it easy to separate and grab just one wire from a bundle. Removable tip test leads are included to connect with all Fieldpiece accessory heads.

“The LT17 has been an important component in our growing line of meters and the new features in the LT17A provide greater functionality for the HVACR technician when testing,” said Rey Harju of Fieldpiece. “For basic HVAC and electrical testing in the field, the LT17A is the biggest bang for the buck!”

In addition to volts and amps, the LT17A measures functions specifically needed by the HVAC/R technicians, such as temperature, MFD (motor start and run capacitors), ohms (motor windings), and microamps (flame rectifier diode circuit). Motor run and start capacitors are two of the most failure-prone components in an HVAC/R system. The LT17A features ranges not commonly available on digital multimeters priced below $129. The four millivolt ranges (200mV and 2000 mV AC and DC) enable the LT17A to use all Fieldpiece accessory heads. The AC and DC voltages cover ranges from 200mV to 600V with a resolution of 0.1mV. The LT17A measures temperature with a supplied K-type thermocouple (and other optional K-type thermocouples) for ranges from -30°F to 1400°F. The thermocouple plugs directly into the front of the meter.

The LT17A has a host of other features like Data Hold, Min/Max Hold, a continuity beeper, automatic shut-off and a low-battery indicator. The LT17A can be conveniently propped up with the built-in tilt stand or it can hang from a steel panel with the magnetic hanger. The built-in lead storage keeps the leads tidy when not in use.

The LT17A is priced at $129 and comes with the new ACH4 Current Clamp, ATB1 Thermocouple, vinyl deluxe leads with removable tips, and an ANC5 Case.

BREA, Calif., February 16, 2006 — Fieldpiece Instruments, a leading provider of hand-held instruments for field service HVACR technicians, has introduced model SDMN5 Dual Port Manometer. The SDMN5 is a standalone low-cost solution for gas or static pressure measurement. The SDMN5 is the latest development in the series of standalone products Fieldpiece Instruments provides for the field service tech, most of which are also offered as accessory heads.

The Dual Port Manometer has the ranges to measure gas pressure and the resolution needed to measure static pressure. Ideal for HVACR field service technicians, the SDMN5 can determine if the gas pressure coming into the house or out of the regulator are OK. The SDMN5 measures gas pressure up to 60″ water column (WC) with a resolution of 0.1″ WC. In addition, the unit measures both positive and negative pressure, which is used for measurement on vacuum control lines. The unit will take differential pressure readings and display the difference between P1 and P2 at all times in the lower right corner of the easy-to-read LCD. Four different measurement scales can be used: inches of water column, millimeters of water column, mBar, and PSI.

The SDMN5 also has a zero adjust to zero out the meter in different ambient pressures. It has a hold button to hold the currently displayed reading. The auto-power-off function conserves battery life, but can be disabled if desired.
In the static pressure mode, the unit can measure up to 2″WC with resolution to 0.010″WC, which enables a technician to measure small differences in air (or static) pressure.

“Now any technician can afford to conveniently measure static pressure because he can do it with his gas pressure measuring instrument,” says Rey Harju of Fieldpiece.

The SDMN5 Dual Port Manometer is priced at $139. The SDMN5 is housed in a rugged rubber boot and includes a clear front case, hoses, and a magnetic hanger for hands-free operation.

Brea, CA — Fieldpiece Instruments, Inc. has added a compact anemometer accessory head to its line of modular test heads. The Model AAV3 Anemometer Accessory Head was designed in response to specific requests from HVAC field service technicians for an easy-to-use air velocity and temperature measuring instrument. It measures air velocity from 60 FPM (feet per minute) to 5900 FPM. The AAV3 uses an air velocity sensor to measure the speed of air at heating or cooling vents and registers, and allows the technician to determine the air velocity and adjust the HVAC system accordingly.

The AAV3 can also be used to estimate CFM (cubic feet/minute). Just multiply the average air velocity times the size of the opening expressed in square feet. For example, if the free area is 1/2 foot by 1/2 foot, and the average air velocity is 500 feet/min, then the CFM is 500 X 1/2 X 1/2=125 CFM.

In addition to measuring air velocity, the AAV3 also measures temperature. The temperature range it measures is between –4°F to 140°F.

The AAV3 easily snaps on any Fieldpiece « stick-style » DMM or can be used as a stand-alone instrument when attached to the Fieldpiece Electronic Handle (EHDL1). When used as a standalone instrument, it’s still attractively priced.

The Fieldpiece DL2 data logger records readings from the AAV3, and also can be used to easily get the average air velocity over any grill or register. Just move the AAV3 to several different locations, typically nine points (3 x 3) on the grill, and press RECORD. When done, punch a button to display the average reading. For CFM, multiply that number times the free area expressed in square feet.

With the addition of the Model AAV3 to its line of accessory test heads, Fieldpiece now offers a broader range of test heads for HVAC than any other DMM manufacturer. Fieldpiece Instruments’ easy-to-use line of test heads offer maximum coverage of common field tests, compact size and weight, and require a minimum amount of training.

The AAV3 Anemometer fits in any of the new Fieldpiece Soft-Sided Cases and is priced at $99. For a standalone meter, add $24.95 for the EHDL1 handle. Or, for data recording plus easy averaging plus live data display, add $199 for the DL2 data logger. The DL2 works with all Fieldpiece accessory heads.