Installing monitoring systems into laboratories and clean rooms can be difficult because of the need to run cables and the disturbance and contamination this causes
It is often impossible to install monitoring systems into areas where long-term experiments are being carried out and the cost involved in lost productivity and decontamination can be high. These problems have been solved through collaboration between Tascomp, developer of Prodigy monitoring and control software, and data logger manufacturer Signatrol.
A completely wireless system is now possible using Prodigy software and the Signatrol SL400 radio telemetry system.
A typical system comprises of a base station, permanently connected to a personal computer running Prodigy software and up to 200 remote monitoring stations each having up to four sensor inputs, giving a total of 800 channels per site.
The PC and base station can be situated at any convenient location to provide centralised site wide data reporting and analysis.
Prodigy can also be networked to provide distributed access to the system wherever it is needed.
The compact remote units can be quickly and easily attached to just about any surface and will operate up to 300 metres away from the base station in a normal building application or up to 1000 metres with clear line of site.
The SL400 range includes dedicated versions for temperature, relative humidity, differential pressure, light level, ultra-violet, process signals, and volt free contacts.
A pan-European licence free transmission frequency is used and maintenance of the remote units is minimal with a battery life of approximately five years depending upon the sample rate.
To preserve data integrity if the PC is turned off the base station has battery back up and can hold up to four days of collected data, which is automatically downloaded to the computer when it is switched on.
Prodigy provides all the tools needed for data recording, analysis, reporting and alarms.
Because of its secure data encryption capability Prodigy has been used for monitoring sensitive experiments for several years and the software is now fully compliant with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 with enhanced facilities for user security, audit trails and file encryption.
Prodigy is easy to upgrade making it possible to start with a limited system and expand it as and when required simply by changing the software licence.
This protects your initial investment, as there is no need to replace the whole system when you expand it.
The sheer flexibility provided of easy installation or relocation without disturbance makes this type of system particularly suited for use in laboratories, clean rooms, pharmaceutical and food manufacture, hire systems or anywhere where running cables is difficult or impossible.
