Shock and Vibration Measurement
Analog signal conditioning for accurate shock and vibration measurements
It’s not easy to collect valid data for shock measurements. The measurement system itself may contaminate the spectrally rich data. To avoid clipping, the amplifier must have sufficient gain for in-band signals while leaving headroom for out-of-band signals. The signal conditioner requires a suitable slew rate to avoid signal distortion on the waveforms’ sharp edges. The low-pass filter characteristics must be thoroughly understood so the filter can faithfully pass signals of interest, attenuate transducer resonances, avoid aliasing, and, ultimately, yield valid data for time-domain waveform analysis.
Orion shaker table, NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility
Using distributed gain to avoid clipping on accelerometer resonance
Precision Filters offers signal conditioners specifically designed to maximize accuracy when measuring shock and vibration. Three amplifiers—the 28144, 28304, and 28608B—all feature a high slew rate, wide bandwidth, and sharp programmable filters. Gain is distributed before and after the filter, so you can attenuate the resonant frequency of the sensor before amplification of the in-band signal. This optimizes signal-to-noise ratio for pyroshock measurements. Equipped with Precision’s Flat/Pulse filter technology, these amplifiers provide outstanding response for both time-domain and frequency-domain applications. REZCOMP™ sensor resonance compensation technology increases sensor bandwidth without affecting rise time.
Testing for shock is expensive, and you often have just one chance to get it right. Precision Filters builds confidence into your measurement system with automated tests that verify sensor and cable health along with real-time monitoring for pre-filter overload detection to ensure your shock data is valid and defendable.
Read on to learn more about the application of PFI technology to measuring shock.
Amplifiers for Shock and Vibration
Precision Filters’ suite of conditioning cards for shock measurement provides solutions for strain and bridge sensors (28144), charge and IEPE accelerometers (28304), and low-level voltage inputs (28608B).
28144 Strain/Bridge Conditioner
- 4 channels/card,
64 channels/system - Excitation: Balanced Constant Current™
or constant voltage - REZCOMP™ technology to extend frequency response of accelerometer, microphone and pressure sensor measurements
Quad-Channel Wideband Transducer Conditioner with Voltage and BCCTM Current Excitation and REZCOMP®
28304 Charge/IEPE Conditioner 28144 Strain/Bridge Conditioner w/ LDTEDS™
- 4 channels/card,
64 channels/system - Dual mode: IEPE or charge
- REZCOMP™ technology to extend frequency response of accelerometer, microphone and pressure sensor measurements
Quad-Channel Charge/IEPE Conditioner with Long Distance TEDSTM and REZCOMP® Technology
28608B Programmable Filter/Amplifier
- 8 channels/card,
128 channels/system - Input: balanced differential with AC/DC coupling
Octal Programmable Filter/ Amplifier
28000 Signal Conditioning System
The 28000 System makes it easy to manage a test with up to 256 channels of fully programmable transducer conditioning. Choose a mix of bridge, charge, IEPE w/TEDS, voltage (filter/amplifier), strain, thermocouple, RTD/potentiometer, frequency or other transducers.
- Mix up to 256 channels of fully programmable transducer conditioning
- Choose from 4- or 8-pole programmable filters
- Choice of 4-, 8- or 16-slot chassis
- Ethernet network interface
- Automated factory acceptance and go/no-go tests for system verification
Overview and Specifications