On 10/3/2013 10:59 AM, SteveB wrote:
On 10/1/2013 10:31 AM, dpb wrote:
On 10/1/2013 12:07 PM, SteveB wrote:
I just finished a course in vibrational analysis. Very interesting,
although it showed me how much I had forgotten from previous schooling.
Hope to test and be certified soon, and until then, it's study, study,
study. The industrial world is finding out that by monitoring vibration,
they can extend the life of machines, and minimize down time by
replacing failing machines before catastrophic failures and collateral
damage.

Well, much of the "industrial world" has been aware of that for 30 or 40
yr or so...

Which vendor are you using/following/training from?

One "former life" was with CSI, Knoxville, a leader; in their new
products group. There we developed the first commercial wireless
vibrometer which won a "Product of the Year" award back in early 90s...

VAI, and they use CSI stuff exclusively. The new field gathering sensors
that are as big as an Etch-A-Sketch are $30k. But, brother, do they ever
give you some data that will go through a FFT and give you answer. They
are light years ahead of five years ago, and the owner has a patented
process that also moved things along a couple of light years on its own.


Indeed stuff changes rapidly...I've still got pieces-parts of the
original wireless vibrometer in its early stages -- it was about the
size of a coffee mug in the end...the circuit board was eight
double-sided sections hinged to fit around the outer perimeter w/ the
battery pack in the center...a nightmare to keep all that crap from
shaking around to the point it wouldn't totally wipe out the response of
the DUT. But, in the end it worked pretty well for a new kid on the
block...

But, they've now done what we told 'em should've done to begin with but
were told wasn't acceptable back then -- put the electronics in a
separate box and use an umbilical to the accelerometer. DOH!!!

I've not been back to CSi in 10 yr now; the last tech and engineers I
worked closely with left not terribly long after I did and the three
principals/founders that are my contemporaries that I knew well before
CSi was CSi when they were still at UT-K and/or TEC have also all now
retired I believe.

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