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SnapShock 4000

Peak G-Level, Date, & Time Recorder

Overview:

The SnapShock® 4000 is a compact, battery powered, single axis peak acceleration, date, and time recorder. The instrument measures and records the peak acceleration (shock or vibration) levels to which it is exposed, along with their date and times of occurrence. The user may also specify a recording threshold so that only those peak readings which exceed the threshold of interest are actually recorded into permanent memory. The SnapShock® 4000 utilizes a low power design, enabling operation for weeks at a time on a 9-volt battery.

Highlights:

• Peak Acceleration Recorder with Time Stamp
• Measures & Records Peak Accelerations, Date, Time
• Adjustable Trigger Levels to Conserve Memory
• Stores over 4000 Measurements
• Rugged, Water Resistant Housing
• Start/Stop Switch for Easy Manual Activation
• Battery-Powered, 60+ Day Operation
• Very Small Size: 1.5" x 3.2" x 1.5", 7 oz.
• Built-In Piezoresistive Accel, DC Response
• Programmable Low Pass Filters
• 10 Bit A/D
• 800 Hz Digitization Rate
• Built-In Infra-Red Data Interface
• Windows Software for Easy Setup & Data Download Analysis
• Low Cost

Applications:

The SnapShock® is designed for documenting dynamic environments such as moving vehicles, trains, planes, containers, ships, etc. The device is also useful in characterizing environments such as production and assembly lines of delicate electronics, IC fabrication, communications and computer components, as well as vibration-sensitive active pharmaceuticals.

Applications Include:

• Railcar Coupling/Humping Impacts
• Container Testing
• Aircraft Takeoff & Landing
• Concealed Monitoring
• Brake Testing
• Fragility Testing
• Transportation Monitoring
• Laboratory Drop Testing
• Crash/Impact Testing
• Machinery Monitoring
• Aircraft Turbulence Measurement
• Motion Detection
• Movement Detection

The Instrument:

The SnapShock® incorporates a single-axis accelerometer, microprocessor controlled data acquisition, user-selectable filtering and signal conditioning, solid-state data memory, and an external start/stop switch. For setup and data recovery the SnapShock® is used in conjunction with a host PC running IST's DynaMax™ Suite Software. The SnapShock® employs a two way infra-red (IR) data communication port for data communication. The SnapShock® is designed for use with IST's IR-Wand PC-to-IR interface module. During operation the SnapShock® can measure and record over 4000 time-tagged peak acceleration levels. The storage medium is non-volatile solid state memory, providing maximum data security even if the battery becomes discharged. Once activated the SnapShock® senses and records the peak acceleration levels that occur within adjacent "time bin" periods. The bin period is selectable from 0.25 second to over 24 hours. At the end of each bin period, the highest acceleration sensed within the bin is compared to the pre-set threshold and is stored if greater or equal. The SnapShock® then starts another bin period and continues until either the memory is full or the test period has ended.

The Sensor:

The SnapShock® is supplied with an internal piezoresistive (PR) accelerometer. Two standard measurement ranges are available: ±10g and ±100g. Other ranges are available on special order. The accelerometer is oriented for measurement in the axis perpendicular to the base of the unit. The recorder design employs digitally controlled offset correction upon initial activation of the unit. This feature "zeroes" the device for its initial measurement orientation with respect to earth gravity. As a result the unit may be mounted in any orientation, usually determined by the measurement objectives. The unit also provides automatic temperature compensation of the accelerometer from -4 to 131 deg. F.

Programmability:

The programmable parameters for the SnapShock® include the Bin Period, the Filter Frequency, the Recording Threshold Level, Maximum Number of Bins to Record, and Memory Mode (fill stop or wrap). These parameters are set using the DynaMax™ Suite software prior to field installation. Date and Time is set automatically during setup.

Data Reporting:

Data from the SnapShock® may be uploaded and displayed using the DynaMax™ Suite software package. This package supports communication to the SnapShock® for initial setup, as well as data recovery, uploading, processing, file archiving, exporting, and hardcopy printout. The report formats available within the software include tabular listing of bin number, date, time, and peak-g level as well as graphical display and histogram calculation and display.

Performance History:

The SnapShock® recorder has been in widespread use for several years. The SnapShock® has been the recorder of choice for most U.S. and Canadian railroads, as well as numerous transportation service providers in the U.S. and abroad. The recorder has also been widely used in various industrial test and measurement projects ranging from production line monitoring to automotive vibration level characterization.

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