Portable Engine Balancing: Solving the Small Jet MRO Capacity Crunch
Introduction As the business and regional aviation sector continues its rapid growth, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) providers are struggling to keep up with demand. Portable engine-balancing technology allows maintenance teams—even less experienced staff—to perform precise vibration assessment and rapid, oneshot balancing onsite. Business Jet Fleet Growth Outpaces MRO Infrastructure The business aviation market has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, with an increasing number of companies and private owners investing in small business jets for both personal and corporate travel. Increases in fractional ownership models and charter services are also helping drive growth. According to recent industry reports, [...]
Enabling Intelligent, Automation-Ready Electrical Safety Testing in Modern Production
Application Note: Enabling Intelligent, Automation-Ready Electrical Safety Testing in Modern Production Introduction As manufacturing environments evolve toward Industry 4.0, electrical safety testing can no longer operate as a standalone, manual process. Modern production lines demand seamless automation integration, high throughput, traceable data, and uncompromised measurement integrity. Hipot testing—critical for verifying insulation strength and operator safety—must now function as a synchronized element within fully connected manufacturing ecosystems. The Vitrek 95X Series Hipot Testers and Vitrek V7X Series Hipot Testers are engineered specifically for this environment. With programmable sequencing, rapid execution speeds, and native automation interfaces, these platforms transform traditional [...]
Piezoelectric Signal Conditioning with MTI Charge Amplifiers: From Portable 55CA/41CA to Rack-Mount CA1800 Solutions
Piezoelectric sensors deliver critical data for turbine balancing, structural health monitoring, and vibration analysis, only when paired with proper signal conditioning. Extracting clean, phase-accurate signals in environments with electromagnetic interference, temperature shifts, and cable effects remains a persistent challenge. Signal conditioning bridges the gap between the sensor and the measurement system. MTI Instruments offers a comprehensive portfolio of charge amplifiers designed to address the challenges of piezoelectric signal conditioning challenges across diverse applications. From the portable 55CA and 41CA units engineered for field turbine balancing to the multi-channel CA1800 rack-mount system for laboratory testing, MTI's line-up provides scalable solutions for [...]
Accelerometer Signal Conditioning: From Charge to Voltage Conversion Explained
A piezoelectric accelerometer generates a tiny electrical charge when it vibrates. That charge, measured in picocoulombs, contains valuable information about machinery health, structural integrity, or performance characteristics. But here’s the problem: you can’t measure it reliably without proper signal conditioning. One of the fundamental challenges lies in the nature of the signal itself: high-impedance charge outputs generated by piezoelectric sensors versus the low-impedance voltage signals required by data acquisition systems and analyzers. Without proper signal conditioning, even the most accurate accelerometer can produce distorted, noisy, or unstable results. This creates a challenge for engineers working with vibration measurement systems. In [...]
Standard Capacitance Probes
P/N Model Measurement Range Min. Range Stand-Off Resolution Spot Size Interface Type Request Info 8100-0001-000 Capacitance Probe: ASP-25M-CTA 25µm (1mil/s) 1.27µm (0.05mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 10x @50Hz: 0.2nm (0.008µin) – @5kHz: 1.5nm (0.06µin) 1.09mm (0.043in) SMA connector CTA Request Info 8100-0002-000 Capacitance Probe: ASP-50M-CTA 50µm (2mil/s) 2.54µm (0.1mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 9x @50Hz: 0.3nm (0.012µin) – @5kHz: 3nm(0.119µin) 1.55mm (0.061in) SMA connector CTA Request Info 8100-0003-000 Capacitance Probe: ASP-125M-CTA 125µm (5mil/s) 6.35µm (0.25mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 10x @50Hz: 0.8nm (0.032µin) – @5kHz: 7.5nm (0.296µin) 2.49mm (0.098in) SMA connector CTA Request Info 8100-0004-000 Capacitance Probe: ASP-250M-CTA 250µm (10mil/s) 12.7µm (0.5mil/s) [...]
Accumeasure Probes
High resolution, low cost sensors to measure gap and displacement in industries such as semiconductor, electronics, R&D applications and many more. For grounded targets MTI offers standard capacitance probes. For ungrounded or poorly grounded targets MTI offers push/pull dual sensor probes. Both types of probes are available in stainless steel construction or flat and flexible polyimide construction. Polyimide flat probes are perfect for gap applications or confined spaces. How Probe Sensors Work Standard capacitive sensors require the target to be electrically grounded (for position, gap and vibration measurement applications). Current flows from the probe face to the target and back [...]
Radio Astronomy Measurements Using a GaGe RazorMax Digitizer
Radio Astronomy Measurements Using a GaGe RazorMax Digitizer Introduction Radio astronomy relies on highly sensitive measurements of weak electromagnetic emissions originating from cosmic sources, including galactic hydrogen clouds, star-forming regions, pulsars, and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). These emissions typically fall below 10 GHz, spanning the radio-frequency (RF) and microwave bands. In many cosmological studies—particularly those investigating early-universe star formation—signals of interest are concentrated well below 300 MHz. In the application described here, a customer is monitoring astronomical RF emissions centered near 100 MHz, originating from extremely distant sources. At [...]
Hipot Tester Promotion: Order a Vitrek Hipot Tester & Receive a Free TL-115X!
V7X & 95X Hipot Testers Engineered for Accuracy — Built in America TL-115X NEMA 5 POWER SOCKET TEST ADAPTER LEAD SET TL-115x Test Adapter Lead Sets are compact accessories designed for seamless use with Vitrek’s hipot electrical safety testers and are available in two configurations to match different testing needs. The TL-115-1 provides a standard 115 V NEMA 5-15 power-socket interface for efficient dielectric (hipot) testing of corded devices, while the TL-115-2 adds integrated ground bond test capability, allowing both tests to be performed using a single adapter set. The TL-115-3 [...]
Testing Energy-Efficient Washing Machines with the PA900 Power Analyzer
Application Note: Testing Energy-Efficient Washing Machines with the PA900 Power Analyzer Introduction Today’s consumers demand home appliances that use less energy and water. Washing machines are no exception. Manufacturers must meet strict energy labeling standards and provide proof that their products are truly efficient. This means accurate, repeatable measurements of electrical power and energy use throughout a full wash cycle are essential. The Vitrek PA900 Power Analyzer is an ideal tool for this task. Testing Challenges Testing a washing machine for energy efficiency isn’t as simple as reading its average power draw. Wash cycles can last over an [...]
Push/Pull capacitance probes
Model Specifications: Push/Pull Capacitance Probes P/N Model Measurement Range Linearity Min. Range Stand-Off Spot Size Interface Type Request Info 8200-2104-420 PP Probe: ASP-250MD-ILA/PP 250µm (10mil/s) 0.02% FSR 25µm (1mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 7x 9.45 mm SMA connectors ILA Request Info 8200-2114-420 PP Probe: ASP-250MD-ILA/PP Ext 250µm (10mil/s) 0.02% FSR 25µm (1mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 8x 11.58 mm SMA connectors ILA Request Info 8200-3104-420 PP Probe: ASP-250MD-ILR/PP 250µm (10mil/s) 0.02% FSR 25µm (1mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 7x 7.11 mm SMA connectors ILR Request Info 8200-2109-420 PP Probe: ASP-350MD-ILA/PP 350µm (14mil/s) 0.02% FSR 35µm (1.4mil/s) Max. Range Extension: 7x 11.58 mm [...]






