Page 21 - EngineerIt January 2021

PANEL DISCUSSION

Where does the NLA SA Calibration and calculation a conundrum?
fit in?
Stephen Plumb said that it is surprising how few of their customers actually do
Steve Sydney: “We are the calibrate regularly. Obviously, some of the military customers and those who have
representative organ of 350 requirements in terms of contracts, tend to be fairly good about it. But what's
organisations that have a need for being interesting is how many customers don't calibrate. Whether it is software-defined or
representative in a collaborative sort of a box instrument, it still needs to be calibrated - whether it's hidden in a box behind a
way. So we're a traditional association, defined instrument panel or whether it's hidden in a PC in the form of an NI PXI
we're a not for profit organisation. We calibration, requirements don't go away. What we have experienced is that if you
have an independent board. We recently look at traditional box instruments, you might be tabulating readings on a piece of
established a council, which is paper, then capturing that into Excel and doing your calculations to come up with an
designed to provide strategic input into answer. One of the main differences that the software approach is giving is the
the board. Our members are divided into ability to automate that process and maybe make things a little bit faster. But where
two areas - measuring and testing we've seen a lot of issues is not so much in calibration, but more in terms of the
laboratories which do routine calculation. Potentially one of the dangers of a software-defined approach, or a
testing work, mainly for what is known software-centric approach, is that if your math is wrong, you might come up with bad
as conformity assessment and results. For the most part, it's less of an issue as long as the raw data is stored so
calibration laboratories. you can correct those faults. n

Listen to the full podcast now available on www.engineerit.co.za for the full discussion,
including how the international SI system works.

EngineerIT | December 2020 / January 2021 | 19