CableEye Tester Calibration:
Why, When, & How
Index
- Before You Ship
- Shipment Preparation | Calibration Service Shipping Checklist
- Lead Times
- Other Information
- Why is calibration necessary?
- There are no embedded resistors in our cables. Can we skip calibration?
- How is a system calibrated?
- How do we install a calibration file?
- Do you offer As-Found calibration data service?
- Our QC department wants us to verify the tester is within calibration each month. Can we do that?
- How frequently does the unit require calibrating?
- Can we calibrate CableEye testers by ourselves?
- Can we arrange for a multi-tester calibration contract?
- Other Service
How do we order Calibration Service for our CableEye Tester?
Before You Ship | Calibration
When shipping from an international location where we have a representative, please contact your local distributor first.
1 - Call CAMI Research at 978-266-2655 or your region's international distributor to arrange for return of your unit. We will:
- confirm the S/N of the tester being returned.
- confirm the name of your company's technical contact person for your CableEye tester/s.
- confirm your company's address and phone number.
- schedule the return.
- subsequently email you a Return Material Authorization (RMA). CAMI reserves the right to reject a shipment that arrives without this prior authorization.
When shipping from an international location where we have a representative, please contact your local distributor first.
2 - We will confirm the cost of the calibration, either by phone or by sending you a quote. Be sure to mention whether As-Found data service is required.
3 - Your purchasing department must email us a PO in advance
of shipping the unit to us. Your company pays transportation in both
directions. We will accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express
if that is more convenient. Be sure to specify the method of
return shipment you want us to use (Ground, 3rd day, 2nd Day, Overnight).
Notes:
- Return shipment options for International customers are FedEx or UPS (Priority or Economy), or DHL. Customer must supply a shipping account for DHL.
- Do not send equipment by freight service. It is unnecessary and would add additional time and cost to your service. Return of shipments that arrive by freight will be the sole responsibility of the sender to make the appropriate arrangements including re-crating.
Shipment Preparation | Calibration
4 - When you're ready to ship the system:
- Check that every item in "Before You Ship" has been completed as described above.
- Review and circulate this preparation Shipping Checklist to your packing/shipping department. It is important that you check that every item is completed. Be sure to click through from the checklist to the packaging instructions.
Lead Times | Calibration
5 - As long as the above "Before You Ship" and "Shipment Preparation" instructions have been followed, and the unit is not found to be in need of repair, we will generally complete the calibration and return the equipment to you within the lead times listed here under Service (Calibration, Repair, Upgrade). The time of round-trip transportation will, of course, depend on the shipping method you choose.6 - For testers under a Product Support Subscription, we offer an expedite option for a fee which must be pre-approved:
- With expedite service, CAMI will prioritize the service, beginning work immediately the tester is received.
- For low voltage testers up to 1024 Test Points, CAMI will carry out best effort to complete calibration and to ship it back the same day. While all other systems will take longer, service on the expedited system will be completed and return shipped as soon as possible.
- If repair is found to be needed, there will be a delay according to paragraphs 5 and 6 of Repair Service description.
- Contact us at least one week in advance to request and book this service.
- Your RMA email will explicitly state expedite service and a scheduled date, if approved.
- Next day in bound and return shipment is required: You must arrange for your tester to arrive here by 10:30am EST the morning of the scheduled date, and specify next day air service or one-day ground return shipment on your PO.
Other Information
Calibration Reminders
As a service to our customers, one month before your equipment reaches its recalibration anniversary, we will automatically send a letter to the person whose name is on record as the contact individual at your company advising this fact and the cost and procedure for recalibration.
Your next step is to contact us to order the Calibration Service.
Note 3: Serial port models M3 and M3A are obsolete and can no longer be serviced.
Unexpected Repair
If our technicians discover that a repair is needed, the tester will be set aside while you are contacted for approval to repair and (if either the repair is not covered under the warranty or if the tester is not under warranty) to charge for the repair. If you do not respond to a quotation within 10 business days, the product will be returned 'As-Is'. Repairs will be scheduled into the service queue as soon we receive your written approval. Calibration will be performed once the tester has been repaired.
Calibration Documentation
The equipment will be returned with a new calibration sticker and an installation drive. The installation drive contains the calibration data file and, if you also renew your Product Support Subscription, the latest software release. Replace your existing calibration file with the new one. Customers will find installation instructions at Customer Support.Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
+1 978 266 2655
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | Calibration
Why is calibration necessary?
To ensure that resistance measurements remain accurate, we suggest yearly calibration. Certain components within CableEye Models M3 series, M4, and HVX series are analog components whose characteristics change slightly over time. This aging is a natural phenomenon common to all electronic components and may cause resistance measurements to gradually deviate from normal. Calibration compensates for this natural variation in component values between devices, and over time, as compared to ideal design values.
Companies interested in quality product and maximum yield will ensure their testers are calibrated. Those with quality certifications such as Six Sigma or ISO9000 will be required to calibrate.
A tester that is out of calibration will give inaccurate results. Some (maybe all) resistance measurements will be incorrect. Consequently, it may Pass what should Fail and, conversely, Fail what should Pass. In other words, product yield will be contaminated due to unreliable quality.
Note 1: When is Calibration NOT Required?
- Recalibration is not required for testers being used solely for light-guided assembly (first or second-sided pinning).
- Calibration does not apply to M2 series testers.
The resistance-measuring feature of the testers is used when measuring the quality of the connection and the quality of the non-connection … as well as measuring any embedded resistors. While your products may not have embedded resistors, there is still every reason to measure the quality of the connections and non-connections, thus resistance measurement is necessary.
Dual threshold set-up is required to check for connection quality. If your testers are set up for dual threshold then, by default, they are set up for resistance measurement.
If they are not set up for dual measurement, we would recommend you do so, otherwise your tester tells you when your intended connection is connected (passing a simple continuity check), but not whether that connection is compromised by something that affects the total resistance of that connection - perhaps, for example, because of poor soldering. This is explained in this article and in Chapter 4 of the Manual, sections 4.1 and 4.2.
In short, resistance measurement capability within a tester is not simply for measuring the values of resistors and you need to calibrate your tester even if there are no embedded resistors in your cables.
How is a system calibrated?
We calibrate testers digitally using special software developed by CAMI Research. It does not involve adjusting trimpots or any other mechanical adjustments. Instead, the calibration software makes precise measurements under known conditions and computes a set of "calibration constants" within a defined tolerance for each test point. The resulting calibration file is generated at the end of the procedure and provided to the customer to install according to these instructions. When the CableEye application starts, it looks for this file and uses its data to compensate for slight variations in the semiconductors.
Calibration ensures that tester measurements fall within an allowable range of error with respect to a NIST reference standard. Those reference standards are a precision digital multimeter (for all Models) and precision capacitance decade box (for Models M4 and HV-seris with Advanced Measurement Option only) which themselves calibrated against National Bureau of Standards sources.
The calibration process is only truly complete when the new calibration file has been installed on the tester's computer at the end-user's location e.g. the production floor.
How do we install a calibration file?
Customers will find these instructions at Customer Support.
Do you offer As-Found calibration data service?
Yes, it is a non-standard calibration service option, and it may add up to one business day to your overall calibration service. If this is a requirement, be sure to mention it when you call for your calibration quotation and to include it on your PO when you book your service. It is imperative that your purchasing department email us this PO in advance of shipping the unit to us. See above for complete ordering details.
In addition to possibly providing false test results, contaminated header connectors will spread dirt. oils, and conductive debris to any connected test fixture.
Because of the risk of cross-contamination, we are unable to provide As-Found measurement of systems with excessively soiled tester connector pins.
The PO must be emailed to us in advance of shipping the unit.
Our QC department wants us to verify the tester is within calibration each month and whenever the unit is returned from service. Can we do that?
You can verify 2-wire resistance calibration if you purchase our optional Resistance Calibration Verification board viz. item 780A.
If your tester is fitted with the 4-Wire Kelvin Measurement Add-On option, you will also need the 4-Wire Calibration Verification Board (item 782).
If your tester is capable of measuring capacitance, you will also need the Capacitance Calibration Verification Board (item 788).
NOTE: Calibration kits are not required when using these verification boards.
CAMI Research has some of the best customer support and response times of any of our vendors, and I want you to know that this is truly and sincerely appreciated.
William Rathbun
Roanwell Corp.
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How frequently does the unit require calibrating?
New systems that require calibrating are calibrated just prior to shipment. We recommend annual calibration and quarterly calibration verification checks. You may choose to verify calibration on initial receipt of your system and after return from service. Calibration is always required after expansion modules are added (or subtracted), and after some other upgrade and repair services.
You will find the Functional Verification and Preventative Maintenance schedules in the Appendix of the Manual on the tester flash drive. It is also accessible from our Support page at the bottom of which is a button to enter the log-in area of our website. This area of the website is reserved for those with active Product Support Subscriptions (PSS). New systems ship with a two-year PSS (which is subsequently renewable annually) and the log-in credentials are provided with the documentation that accompanies the tester or subsequently with the documentation that is issued on renewal of the PSS.
Can we calibrate CableEye testers by ourselves?
Yes, if you purchase a Calibration Kit/s:
The Low Voltage (LV) kit is required for every tester (except the M2 series for which calibration is not applicable). It includes a calibration board with precision reference resistors, reference boards, special software, cables, and a procedure. In addition, you will need your own benchtop Digital Multimeter that resolves to 0.1mV and is calibrated to NIST standards. We recommend a calibrated 6-digit benchtop DMM like the Keithley Model 2000, or equivalent from Keysight, Agilent, or Rigol. Hand-held DMMs do not offer sufficient precision and cannot be used.
If your tester is equipped with a capacitance measuring capability, then you will also need a Precision Capacitance Decade Box that is calibrated to NIST standards. We recommend Item 717C or an equivalent device.
To calibrate HVX-series testers, order a LV kit together with an appropriate High Voltage (HV) kit. HV kits include further software, a procedure, and special voltage-divider switch box/es.
See How is a system calibrated? for information on the calibration process.
In the unlikely event that the calibration software computes constants that lie outside of the predefined tolerance, the software stops, fails the calibration, and notifies the technician, asking whether they wish to retry. If the calibration fails again, the equipment will need to be repaired by CAMI personnel.
Regardless of annual Product Support Subscription status, Technical Support is billable for issues resulting from improper use of the calibration procedure. A minimum charge applies. Such support includes, but is not limited to, email, online chat, phone support, Skype, and TeamViewer and any consequent service such as repair and recalibration.
In general, if your company has two or more CableEye testers and intending to calibrate yearly, it may be worth the cost and technician time to purchase the calibration kits. However, for HVX series testers in particular, we highly recommend you return your tester to us for factory calibration once every couple of years in order to benefit from the general inspection and cleaning described in Note 2 above.
The calibration process is only truly complete when the new and verified calibration file has been installed on the tester's computer at the end-user's location e.g. the production floor.
Note 4: In addition, you will need your own benchtop Digital Multimeter that resolves to 0.1mV and is calibrated to NIST standards. We recommend a calibrated 6-digit benchtop DMM like the Keithley Model 2100, or equivalent from Keysight, Agilent, or Rigol. Hand-held DMMs do not offer sufficient precision and cannot be used.
If your tester is equipped with a capacitance measuring capability, then you will also need a Precision Capacitance Decade Box that is calibrated to NIST standards.
Note 5: When self-calibrating an HVX series model, the unit will not benefit from the services of 'Note 2' above.
The reliability of the equipment allows us to provide our customers with the best possible products. We've also found that the customer service and response time from CAMI Research to be excellent. All in all a company I would highly recommend using.
Eric Lutz, VP Production
Galaxy Wire and Cable, Inc.
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Can we arrange for a multi-tester calibration contract?
Yes. For customers with multiple CableEye testers, save on individual renewal pricing and simplify management of your testers by setting up a yearly support contract for all of them — to include calibration, Product Support Subscription renewal, or both.
Eliminate the hassle of continually renewing individual testers as they expire at different times through the year. Contact us for details.
Other Service
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CableEye ® Automation-Ready Cable and Wire Harness Test Systems
CableEye testers are highly versatile, expandable and upgradable diagnostic and Pass/Fail check Cable and Harness Test Systems that are PC-based. They are used for assembly, prototyping, production, and QC of standard or custom wire cables and harnesses The entire suite of products is powered by the same easy-to-use operating software and, with the help of its signature easy-to-interpret color-coded graphics, instantly identifies not only when there is a fault, but what type of fault and where.
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Low Voltage M4 Series
For all of the above plus precision resistance (4-wire), and capacitance (twist wire relationship, length of cable, length to break, capacitors).
Low Voltage and High Voltage HVX Series
For all as described for M3 plus HiPot (dielectric withstand voltage and insulation resistance). 4-Wire Kelvin Measurement and Advanced Measurement Options (capacitance, twist wire relationship, length of cable, length to break, capacitors) are available.
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