Issue #109, November 2016
The team at The Modal Shop and I would like to welcome you into the Holiday Season!  If you are new to our newsletter, please enjoy this short communication, share it with a colleague and have a look at the issue archive, where you will find all the back issues with a wide range of topics on calibration and use of dynamic instrumentation.  
 
We're glad to have your attention and appreciate it!
Evaluation of Accelerometers for Pyroshock Performance in a Harsh Field Environment
By PCB Piezotronics

If data quality is poor when measuring mechanical shock, it is common to blame the accelerometer. However, there are other contributors to this lack of success that need to be considered. These include: poor mounting surface for the accelerometer, improper accelerometer coupling, large transverse acceleration inputs, cable, improper signal conditioning and data acquisition, extraneous environmental inputs coupling into the measurement system, and many more. In addition, at times the environment that is attempted to be measured may be just too harsh for the accelerometer to operate in reliably...

Read the full paper
 
Tip of the Month

Validate the performance and traceability of all calibration equipment used for measurements with appropriate recalibration intervals, established and maintained based upon manufacturers' recommendations and historical trend data showing the stability of the reference.

Blast from the Past:
Accelerometer Calibration Simplified

Recently, I read an article titled "Motion Sensors De-Mystified" which talks about the basics of MEMS accelerometers and rate sensors. The topic of simplification got me thinking about the perceived complexities of accelerometer calibration, along with the mystery that goes with sending off your hardworking accelerometer to the "cal lab" for its "annual checkup." This month we'll cover a quick Q&A for the top 5 calibration questions  we hear from customers... 
 
Thanks for joining us for another issue of Dynamic Sensors & Calibration Tips. As always, please speak up and let us know what you like. We appreciate all feedback: positive, critical or otherwise. Take care!

TMS 25 Years
Sincerely,
Aaron Goosman - Eric Seller -  Mike Dillon - Patrick Timmons - Shannon Henize

Calibration Team
The Modal Shop, Inc.
A PCB Group Company
calnews@modalshop.com
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