Equally important to the dollar budget is the error budget, which is often overlooked or determined de facto by cost constraints. For optimum system performance, each individual system element needs an acceptable error allocation. In determining system error budgets, "repeatability" is often confused with "reproducibility".

The accepted definition of "repeatability" is the closeness of agreement among a number of consecutive measurements of outputs for the same input where this input is approached from the same direction after a transversal of input across the full-scale span.

The accepted definition of "reproducibility" is the closeness of agreement among a number of repeated measurements of outputs for the same input where this input is approached from any direction and these measurements are made over a period of time.

The subtle difference between "repeatability" and "reproducibility" is as follows;

(a) Repeatability includes neither drift errors (since consecutive measurements over a period of time are too short for drift to be a
factor) nor hysteresis,

(b) Reproducibility includes drift (repeated measurements over any length of time), hysteresis, and repeatability. Note reproducibility includes repeatability.

All measurements are made within the test unit’s allowed range and operating conditions.

Dataforth does 100 % sample test on each signal-conditioning module; thereby, ensuring that "reproducibility" is contained within their specifications. Moreover, all of Dataforth's signal conditioners ship to you with a TEST DATA SHEET. This factory record is serialized, dated, and tied to the serialized signal conditioner! It is THE Dataforth record of performance. In other words, it is a baseline reference for any future calibration check and it is the paper trail necessary for your own ISO 9001 certifications.

As with any quality instrument you purchase, you should receive a calibration certificate. Dataforth believes your signal conditioners should receive the same NIST* traceable calibration certificate. And we provide this TEST REPORT certification free of charge! More than you'd expect - low cost and high performance!

Dataforth's TEST REPORT is evidence to its conservative designs and published performance specifications. For good reasons, Dataforth proudly refers to its signal conditioners as "Instrument Class(tm)" products. See for yourself...

A sample of Dataforth's Signal Conditioner TEST REPORT (79KB pdf)

Remember, our Application Engineers can assist you with signal conditioner selection over the phone or via fax and email. Call us at our manufacturing facility in Tucson at 520-741-1404 (fax 520-741-0762) or Email us at techinfo@dataforth.com.