Product overview and engineering role
The SimtoLink thermocouple multi-channel scanning unit reads type K, N, S, and R thermocouples on a multiplexed or parallel front end. Cold-junction compensation and open-circuit detection are built in, and the millivolt signal is turned into an engineering value in ℃. Typical jobs are temperature-uniformity surveys on heat-treatment furnaces, multi-point audits in cold stores, and archiving kiln process curves.
Scan rate, filtering, and the alarm policy can be set. Isolation between channels depends on the model. SimtoLink supplies a compensation-wire selection table, a recommended installation torque for the thermocouple, and a field template for furnace TUS reports, so a heat-treatment plant can assemble the data trail a Nadcap-style audit expects.
Reliability and field fit
On electrical safety and EMC, the scanner has passed the related CCC test items. Each port has surge and reverse-polarity protection. Reinforced grounding and a partitioned layout reduce ground-loop and common-mode risk. Outdoor or coastal sites can take a higher ingress rating and a corrosion-resistant coating.
Parameters can be loaded in a batch, thresholds can be set, and models that include it can store event video or a waveform. Configuration and firmware update over the air. Acceptance on site is a power-on self-test, time sync on the communications link, and a sample check. For metering or safety use, SimtoLink helps with a submission to a third-party metrology institute and supplies the type-test file.
Key hardware parameters
The table is a typical build of this scanning unit, for selection and for a technical clause in a tender. A wider range, redundant power, or an intrinsically safe version is quoted separately; ask SimtoLink for the hardware specification and the installation and commissioning guide. Order codes in the family can differ slightly. The nameplate and the papers shipped with the unit govern.
| Parameter | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Channel count | 8 strain | Differential or single-ended |
| Resolution | 24 bit | No missing codes |
| Sample rate | Up to 200 kS/s | Simultaneous sampling |
| Input range | 0～20mA | Programmable gain |
| Accuracy | ±0.039 %FS | Calibrated at constant temperature |
| Isolation | Channel-to-channel isolation | Withstand 1kV |
| Clock | NTP | Sync error <1 μs |
| Communication | RS485 remote | SCPI/Modbus |
| Trigger | External TTL | Pre-trigger depth |
| Power consumption | <14 W | Typical at full load |
Typical applications
These are the forms this scanning unit usually takes on a job, so a buyer can compare options and judge the result:
Heat-treatment and annealing furnaces
Multi-zone thermocouples in the chamber are scanned together. Time-stamped zone curves go out for process compliance and for energy use per unit of output.
Cold stores and cold-chain validation
When points are dense and cable runs are long, cold-junction compensation sits in the scanner, so the site needs fewer terminal boxes.
Battery formation and drying kilns
High-temperature and low-temperature probes share one layout and report together to the MES for batch release and for holding a batch that looks wrong.
Installation, grounding, and maintenance
- Before power-up, confirm the supply range and polarity. When needed, check bus voltage and breaker rating with a multimeter.
- Run the communications cable as shielded twisted pair, ground the shield at one end, and do not lay it for a long run bundled with high-power cable.
- On the first connection, prove bidirectional read and write and a threshold trip against the platform in the lab, then move the unit to site.
- Outdoors, give the enclosure a drain path and a way to breathe. Inspect the seal face on rounds. Lightning-protection earth resistance has to meet the local code.
- On a unit that stays in service, take a sample check and archive the logs every 12 months.
Ordering, documentation, and support
SimtoLink can supply the hardware specification, outline drawings, a wiring table, and an example project for this scanner. Volume orders can include a sample review and inspection at the factory. Warranty and calibration follow the contract and the papers shipped with the unit.