Does Humidity affect Electronic Instrument Calibration?

Hershal

Metrologist-Auditor
Staff member
Super Moderator
#11
Actually they do grasp reality in at least one point: 20% as a low end cut off for electronic cal.

Want to keep on with calipers? No sweat go to 5%, there is no real influence, and in fact may be better as the corrosion potential is reduced.

For electronic, ESD aside, the results may well become unreliable, as electron flow through wires and BNC cables (BNC to a lesser degree) can be affected by magnetic and electrical fields, hence affecting the reliability of results. Below 20% there can be sufficient static build-up to produce the fields strong enough to affect results. And since you recorded 5.7% at one point, were I doing an assessment and saw that, I would want to see the uncertainty studies taking the electric and/or magnetic fields into consideration, and the validation that results were not affected.

I actually do understand your situation, as I was in a very similar one at my previous employer. We recorded down around 5-7% during Santa Ana conditions. My argument was very easy to make as lightwave calibration suffers tremendously during high static conditions, so we were able to get humidifiers. Scopes and meters are a bit better shielded, but the real potential for effect is in the wires/cables used.

Hope this helps.
 
Elsmar Forum Sponsor
R

rdragons

#12
And since you recorded 5.7% at one point, were I doing an assessment and saw that, I would want to see the uncertainty studies taking the electric and/or magnetic fields into consideration, and the validation that results were not affected.

Cool! Hershal wants to audit what I'm asking how to do. I'm asking for studies that prove verification/calibration is affected by humidity. How, in what way, and by how much.
 
R

rdragons

#14
3 ionizers are maintained in production at locations proven to be ESD sensitive. And a whole bunch of ionizers are in storage. Ionizers not an issue. Only lost 4 of 36 E4412A's at cost of $1350 each and only this winter. Ionizer cost from 1992 $550 each. Not cost effective to ionize all 36 locations to protect 4 sensors.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
E

Eric S. Dean

#15
Temperature is more of a factor regarding calibration variables while high humidity will effect ESD's. You need to control the environment for both temperature and humidity to maintain accurate calibration and prevent ESD's. Grounding straps are always recommended.
Eric
 
Last edited by a moderator:
R

rdragons

#16
I started this thread, so I feel I should conclude it. Lots of data crunching to learn.
1. First Fails vs Humidity (ESD Upset).
Conclude there is no difference in types of final verification tests failing or quantity of fails related to plant humidity.
2. Test Cycle SN (Calibration Interval) (Repair) vs Time vs Humidity (ESD latency).
Conclude product reliability (infant mortality, not wear out mortality) is not related to plant humidity. This conclusion includes the assumption that all the components in the final assembly were assembled at a similar humidity level, which is probably not 100% true (ie winter built PCB’s used in summer product).
3. Final Verification Measurements vs Humidity.
Conclude any contribution to production final verification measurements from humidity is insignificant when compared to process variation.

Path to justifying humidity control is ESD loss dry and human function reliability (temperature-humidity) wet. Not enough $ loss for ESD and not enough data for human reliability.

So we beefed up our Metrology production equipment fail records adding ESD inspection notes at equipment use location and will be installing a temp humidity sensor in an area with ATE's that generate about 2kW of heat. We'll see how may, june, july, and august go.

Bottom line, humidity does not affect our calibrations. We still can't justify humidity control, but we will keep trying.
 

BradM

Staff member
Admin
#17
I started this thread, so I feel I should conclude it. ...
:applause::applause:

Thank you. We need a lot more folks like you.:yes: It just makes for a better informational thread knowing the outcome, how it went, etc.

Feel free to jump in on any of the other threads, and help out however you can. :agree1:
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
J Controlling Temperature and Humidity in the CMM Room and does anyone use Artifacts? Inspection, Prints (Drawings), Testing, Sampling and Related Topics 8
B Does FDA Registration QSR need to cover non-medical devices for contract repackager? US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 0
lanley liao Does all of the suppliers need to integrated into the supplier list qualified of the company? Oil and Gas Industry Standards and Regulations 2
0 To which part of 13485 does this refer? ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 3
A Medical Device Contract Manufacturer - Does the CM need to register with FDA? 21 CFR Part 820 - US FDA Quality System Regulations (QSR) 3
J Records Control - Does each individual record need to be numbered? Records and Data - Quality, Legal and Other Evidence 2
lanley liao Does the customer`s trademark belong to customer-supplied property? Oil and Gas Industry Standards and Regulations 2
H How does a gas turbine work on diesel fuel? Oil and Gas Industry Standards and Regulations 12
G What does performance specification include? US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 1
W Where does a coatings and paint company fall in IATF? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 5
A How much does a complete biocompatibility test package cost? Other ISO and International Standards and European Regulations 1
B Does anybody know how to get older versions of Minitab to work in Windows 10? Quality Tools, Improvement and Analysis 9
M Does the ISO 9001:2015 standard require a disaster recovery plan or emergency response plan ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 16
C Does an accessory need an IFU if it use is discussed in the Parent device IFU? 21 CFR Part 820 - US FDA Quality System Regulations (QSR) 5
S How long does it take to register a product with MHRA? UK Medical Device Regulations 3
M Quality Manual - Where does Revision History Section go? Document Control Systems, Procedures, Forms and Templates 8
U Does *anyone* know a lab that will test to EN 455-4 Medical Gloves shelf life determination? EU Medical Device Regulations 1
A Brexit When does the UK responsible person need to be in place? UK Medical Device Regulations 10
M How does IEC-60601-1 apply to a non-medical device in the patient vicinity? IEC 60601 - Medical Electrical Equipment Safety Standards Series 1
N Does anyone have experience of GB/T 34986-2017? China Medical Device Regulations 1
Z Does anyone have experience with EN ISO 17664 ? IEC 62366 - Medical Device Usability Engineering 9
F Does anyone have an ESD quality/cooler talk to share? Training - Internal, External, Online and Distance Learning 4
A What does this line from MDCG 2020-3 (MDR art. 120 substantial change) mean to you? EU Medical Device Regulations 4
D Change Approval Requirements - Does every change need formal customer approval? Design and Development of Products and Processes 17
T What does AS9100 mean when it says you must establish a process to do X? AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 24
L Does a backdate form format can be changed if wrong revision is used? Document Control Systems, Procedures, Forms and Templates 8
B General Motors and Honda Alliance - What does this mean to suppliers? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 3
C ISO 13485 :2016 - CAPA - Does every CAPA need to be checked by regulations? ISO 13485:2016 - Medical Device Quality Management Systems 9
A Does ISO 9001:2015 cover all the requirements of ISO 10012:2003? ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 6
N FDA UDI - Label vs. Labeling - Does the insert need to include UDI? Other US Medical Device Regulations 1
A Does anyone have a checklist of API Spec 650 13th Edition? Oil and Gas Industry Standards and Regulations 0
D Does Manufacture can submit CE mark application under MDD with NB for his New product after May 2020? EU Medical Device Regulations 3
A What does this sentence "this symbol shall be used in the orientation shown" mean in ISO 780:2015? Other Medical Device Related Standards 4
L Turkish Requirements - Does the Software need to be translated? CE Marking (Conformité Européene) / CB Scheme 2
R Where does IATF 16949 address Process mapping? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 3
J Does Pakistan Medical Device Import License allows parallel import? Other Medical Device Regulations World-Wide 0
BeaBea Interesting Discussion Where Does Marketing/ Advertisement of Products fit in to ISO 9001? Process Maps, Process Mapping and Turtle Diagrams 39
P Does anyone have a API Q1 Documentation Package? Quality Management System (QMS) Manuals 1
N What is our product classification? (Does Unclassified classification still exists) Other US Medical Device Regulations 14
C Does a CE mark infer meeting all applicable standards? CE Marking (Conformité Européene) / CB Scheme 4
N Small Company - Internal audit process - Who does the audit? Internal Auditing 16
J Does anyone have an excel IATF 16949 Internal Audit checklist I could use? IATF 16949 - Automotive Quality Systems Standard 7
A Does AS9100 require traceability to operators performing the work? AS9100, IAQG, NADCAP and Aerospace related Standards and Requirements 4
I Does anybody use Detection in medical device Design FMEA? ISO 14971 - Medical Device Risk Management 18
A EN ISO 14971:2019 does not include the Annex Zs ISO 14971 - Medical Device Risk Management 4
Watchcat Does "Similar Device" = "Predicate"? EU Medical Device Regulations 7
C Document Control Stamps - Does anyone still stamp their documents? Document Control Systems, Procedures, Forms and Templates 24
Y Does Solidworks (2D/3D drafting modules) need validation? Other Medical Device and Orthopedic Related Topics 5
M Definition Open Audit - What does an Open Audit mean? Definitions, Acronyms, Abbreviations and Interpretations Listed Alphabetically 3
I Does training have to be written? ISO 9000, ISO 9001, and ISO 9004 Quality Management Systems Standards 14

Similar threads

Top Bottom