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 ExTech Digital Thermometer
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Date Posted: May 27 2001
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Author: Joe
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Posting Type: Review
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Category: Thermal Management Reviews
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Page: 2 of 2
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Article Rank:No Rank Yet
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Note: This is a legacy article, imported from old code. Due to this some items on the page may not function as expected. Links, Colors, and some images may not be set correctly.
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ExTech Digital Thermometer By: Joe
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ExTech Dual Probe Digital Thermometer Review
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Yep you read it right folks.. Win 3.1 and Win95... NO win NT4 or W2K support ( BLAH! ).
It will work fine with Win 98 and ME
it installs an app called Thermo.exe on your computer. it works pretty darn well for an old app.
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The screen is cluttered cause I opened all the windows minus one ( record). To show you the different temp info it acquires from the
Thermometer.
T1 - Thermocouple 1
T2 - Thermocouple 2
T1-T2 - The Delta between T1 and T2
Then there are the associated graphs along with that.
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Recording
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Temp Display
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This is one of the most important features. it will dump once every second ( or slower if out want ) to an XLS file of your choosing.
This will allow you to run trend and benchmarks against temp changes at any given time in a time set. it includes both T1, T2, and T1-T2 temps
as well as a time stamp.
Just open up in Excel and you can graph away or manipulate the data anyway you need.
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This is just the general temp readout, this is where you can set High and Low alarms, and time settings.
Also you can select the Thermocouple type, and if you want Cdeg or Fdeg for the read out.
You also launch the Graph display here for this readout.
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This is a real time graph you can display. This is independent of the recording and isn't logged to an XLS file on its own.
you CAN print it though.
This is handy if you just want to be able to glance and see what is going on without having to break out excel of process the recorded data.
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As I did with the DD5 test I used a plate ( ceramic dinner type plate cause they wont flux in temp rapidly) to see how the accuracy of this device differs from
3 or 4 other temp gathering tools.
I will run the RayTech MT4 Temp gun ( reviewed here ) , MacPower DigiDoc 5 ( reviewed here ), and a CompuNurse against the ExTech 421508 Thermometer.
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Test 1 - Cold Plate test:
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Plate was placed in a freezer for 5Min, all thermoprobes were secured with the same tape across the face of the plate. Took Temp readings on
the 5 min mark.
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- DigiDoc 5 Temp : 0C ( cant go any lower)
- CompuNurse : -10.6C
- IR Gun ( Opened the freezer door a lil and reached my hand in and tool the temp) : -11.1 DegC
- ExTech Thermometer: -11.2
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Test 2 - Room Temp Plate test:
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Used a Plate sitting in the open atmosphere at room temp.
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- DigiDoc 5 Temp : 23.2C
- CompuNurse : 23.0C
- IR Gun : 23.8 C
- ExTech Thermometer: 23.3 C
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Test 3 - HotPlate test:
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Put a plate in the oven and took it out after 5 min being in there, and took the temp readings 5 min after it came out of the oven.
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- DigiDoc 5 Temp : 35.6 C
- CompuNurse : 36.1C
- IR Gun : 37.2 C
- ExTech Thermometer: 37.2 C
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I took the ExTech to a local Lab Supply company and used a calibration tool they have, and my ExTech is Dead on calibrated. As you can see
its rarely more then 1 - 2Deg away from the DD5, or maybe the other way around.
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Simply put, its amazing.
For me atleast. MOST people will have no use for something this high end for temp gathering. As you saw in the tests above, the temp difference is very little compared to the cheaper and easier to use temp devices.
For Geeks, or people who really want to get some accurate data/time gathering going, or just want a cool new toy, this is for you. Unfortunately there is
NO AC adaptor available for it so you cant run it forever. It runs off a 9v battery and should get 100 Hours of use out of that 1 9V.
If you are a webmaster or a review geek on the web, I think something of this quality is a must have. But it does come at a price.
This thermometer cost almost 150$ by the time it was at my door. That's 2x the cost of an 8 probe DD5, and 10x the cost of a CompuNurse.
All in all I think this is a GREAT tool for some serious people/geeks out there, other then that its just a cool toy, or not even useful for the rest.
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For a Guru Aka:Geek
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For a Game'n Freak
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For a Average Joe
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Pros & Cons:
Pros-
Rugged housing and holster included.
EL Backlit LCD makes it easy to work on in dark locations
RS232 interface to PC
Solid Software package included
Includes 2 K type Probes
Cons-
No AC adaptor
Replacement Thermocouples are 15 - 20$ a piece
Expensive in comparison to other tools for displaying temps.
Not practical for many people
Thermocouples are not insulated and you need to be careful of what and where you put them.
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| Random Forum Pic |
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| From Thread: all finished....after a very long time ;-> pics |
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| | ProCooling Poll: |
| So why the hell not? |
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I agree!
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 67%
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What?
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 17%
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Hell NO!
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 0%
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Worst Poll Ever.
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 17%
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Total Votes:18Please Login to Vote!
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