Fluke service manual Calibrating the 5700A/5720A Series II Calibrator

Introduction and Specifications 1

Calibrating the 5700A/5720A Series II Calibrator

1-16. Calibrating the 5700A/5720A Series II Calibrator

The traditional practice of returning a calibrator to a standards laboratory at regular intervals for a full calibration is time consuming, expensive, and disruptive to the task to which the calibrator is being applied. Moreover, it leaves gaps in confidence. You must rely on manufacturer’s specifications to determine if a calibrator will perform acceptably in an operating environment outside the lab. Also, you must assume that drift is predictable enough so that performance is within limits between recalls.

The 5700A/5720A Series II Calibrator makes use of Fluke design breakthroughs in the use of internal check standards and measurement systems. As a result, it can be completely calibrated in place to full specifications using a small number of convenient, portable, environmentally tolerant standards available from Fluke. As you will see below, this procedure is traceable to military standard requirements.

When manufactured, each calibrator is calibrated and thoroughly verified with process metrology and calibration standards traceable to the U.S. National Bureau of Standards. A certificate of calibration is included.

A calibration verification procedure described in the 5700A/5720A Series II Service Manual is recommended every two years, or as required by your established policies. This procedure involves no adjustments. It simply ensures internal processes are in control, and establishes parallel external traceability paths for internal functions such as ac transfers that are never adjusted or corrected.

Figure 1-1 illustrates the time and money that can be saved by using the 5700A/5720A Series II calibration support plan recommended by Fluke. Depending on your policies, you may initially decide to perform calibration verification more often. The calibrator makes this unnecessary and offers you a practical way to collect data unavailable with a traditional calibrator design about performance between calibrations.

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