Calibration Software
How it all Fits Together.
We are always hearing the question, "What calibration software products are available from On Time Support and Fluke, and how do they fit together?" This page provides a quick summary of the products and how they fit together, with links to other pages that describe each product in more detail. We have other products under development that are not listed on this page so keep an eye on our site for changes in the future.Applications Available
for MET/CAL® Plus
Software Programs currently available
MET/CAL® Plus
The Fluke MET/CAL Plus software provides a Sybase SQL Anywhere database and
applications for configuring the database, manually updating the database, writing test procedures, and running test procedures. Crystal Reports 10 is also included for creating reports. There are many types of databases available, but the Sybase SQL Anywhere database is one of the best available. In our opinion, this database is superior to Microsoft Access, Paradox, DBase, and any other shared file system available.
SQL (Structured Query Language) is really designed to operate in an environment that guarantees a higher degree of reliability. Have you ever had a database crash in the middle of an update, and the system became corrupted? If the database and client computers are configured correctly, Sybase is one of the most reliable systems available. Each client computer is installed with a database communication module utilizing ODBC (Open Database Connectivity).
If you are not familiar with ODBC, think of it as the universal translator for database applications.; Our experience with Sybase has seen large and small systems operate with good performance. How big is a big system? That's hard to say, but we have seen systems in excess of 80,000 assets with 10 years of history.
When you purchase the MET/CAL Plus system, you will have to purchase individual licenses for accessing applications that communicate with the database. These licenses are concurrent, meaning that if you have 3 licenses and 10 stations, only 3 stations will run at a time. Fluke offers the following licenses:
- MET/TRACK license - allows the user to manually update the database and run reports.
- MET/CAL license - allows the user to edit IEEE and manual test procedures and to execute the test procedures. MET/CAL is covered in more detail later.
- 5500/CAL license - allows the user to edit and execute procedures for the Fluke 55XX multifunction calibrators via serial communication. IEEE capability is not available. Many of our customers use this license for creating and executing manual type mechanical and process procedures.
Fluke has literature with details on MET/CAL Plus, or you can access their web site at http://www.fluke.com.
MET/CAL
MET/CAL is the application for actually performing a calibration. The MET/CAL language has roots that are actually older than DOS and under continuous development by Fluke. It is possible to take a procedure developed in 1977, transport it to the PC, and run it. The original language was written for the Fluke instrument controller, until it was moved to the PC in 1990. The MET/CAL language is written for metrologists.
It is not Basic or C, but a structured language that allows the procedure writer to control IEEE-488 and serial based instruments and also create procedures requiring manual data entry. The main feature of MET/CAL is its flexibility and the ability to make sure each calibration is performed in the same manner each time. If a procedure is written correctly, different operators should obtain consistent test results.
As stated earlier, MET/CAL is not only for electrical calibration. It works great for mechanical and process calibration. We have several customers using it for mechanical instruments like micrometers. After a calibration is successfully completed, the data is automatically written to the database and associated with the calibration record. When data is stored by MET/CAL, the calibration record and results are stored and can be viewed at a later time. MET/CAL can be configured for a simple type of system, or it can be tweaked for a high degree of automation. On Time Support has also written procedures for the calibration of VXI based instrumentation. We only work on site when implementing these procedures. Give us
a call if you are interested in VXI.
At On Time Support, we have over 40 years of experience with the MET/CAL language and are availableto provide customized procedures for your system. You can also get more information from the Fluke web site at http://www.fluke.com.
Most
of our customers have described Barcode Magician as a time saver. Barcode Magician is a product created by On Time Support and is available from On Time Support and Fluke. This software product can make redundant updates to the MET/CAL Plus database. For example, if someone drops off 20 instruments to be calibrated, then someone will probably have to change the status of each instrument to show it is awaiting calibration.
This is time consuming. Instead, by using Barcode Magician, the instruments can be checked into the lab at the same time by either typing the asset numbers or using a Barcode scanner to enter the instruments. Barcode Magician will update the fields at one time in the database for each asset. The instruments must already exist in the database when using arcode Magician Basic. Barode Magician Plus adds many new capabilities including the ability to add assets to the database.
Location records have become very important in recent years because of ISO9000. Companies utilizing tool cribs rely on Barcode Magician to accurately record location and inventory information. Barcode Magician utilizes "Action Codes" to define the process of how to store data. Think of an "Action Code" as a type of MET/TRACK macro.
Barcode Magician consists of several programs including System Configuration, Action Code Editor, User Editor, Run Time Module, and Workstation Configuration Module. Barcode Magician is licensed per workstation or current licensed. Contact On Time Support or Fluke for pricing. You can also get more details on Barcode Magician here.
Change/Log - Change Management
Change/Log is a product from On Time Support and is available from On Time Support and Fluke. The standard MET/CAL Plus database does not have the capability of easily recording changes to inventory records or record deletions of data in history records. There are several applications that can make changes to the database. How do you record these changes in a consistent manner? Change/Log answers this question with an application that is integrated into the database. Change/Log creates new tables in the database for monitoring these changes and recording them, and will record these changes regardless of the application that changes or updates the database. There is no front end program to configure. Crystal Reports is used to report changes and updates. On Time Support provides the application, documentation, and example reports for the user to get started. Companies that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will especially benefit from this application. You can learn more about Change/Log here.
EMail Notification is a product from On Time Support which allows you to schedule the delivery of EMail to your customers or other personnel. Messages may include notifications of various metrology activities such as the notification that instruments are due for calibration, escalation reports, instruments significantly out of tolerance, instruments due for pickup, customer feedback survey. These messages are automatically sent via a schedule which you determine using a simple web-based interface. EMail Notification utilizes On Time Support's METDaemon technology designed to deliver a wide range of new applications. The program is installed on the MET/TRACK server and there is no client installation.
