[volt-nuts] What really gets calibrated?

[J. L. Trantham]

Joe,

I agree with your analysis of 'calibration' and 'adjustment'.  However, if a
piece of equipment was able to meet a higher specification, I would suspect
the manufacturer would have claimed that.

The benefit of the 'as found' and 'as left' measurements is that it tells
you not only whether the unit is 'in spec' but also where it is in the
range.  Might be useful.

All of this, of course, is dependent of the 'quality' of the 'standard' that
is used to compare with.  That is probably where the price goes up and the
'metrolophilosophy' comes in.  In other words, do you trust your 'cal lab'?

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On
Behalf Of Joseph Gray
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 5:16 PM
To: volt-nuts at febo.com
Subject: [volt-nuts] What really gets calibrated?

I recently had it explained to me that "calibration" is really just checking
a piece of gear against a known standard, to see if it meets the
manufacturers specification. If it is outside specified values, then it gets
"adjusted", not "calibrated".

I can see that on the part of the calibration lab, it is easier and faster
to simply check that a device meets spec and not have to spend time
adjusting anything. It should also be less expensive for the customer.

My question is, is just meeting spec good enough? If an instrument is
capable of exceeding spec, shouldn't it be adjusted to the best standard
available? In other words, if spec says 2 ppm, but it can be adjusted to 1
ppm, wouldn't you want to do that?

Joe Gray
W5JG
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