Minimate Pro Operator Manual 10–1
10. SENSORS
10.1. Calibration Overview
10.1.1. Why Calibration is Important
Calibration is important to ensure the instrument is performing as it was designed to, and measures
accurately the true ground vibration and air overpressure. The recommended interval for
calibration of most measuring equipment including seismographs is one year. Across most of
North America and many parts of Europe regulatory authorities actually require vibration monitors
to be calibrated on an annual basis. This requirement has been or is being adopted by several other
countries around the world and some specific projects even require that seismographs be
calibrated every three or six months.
10.1.2. What the Calibration Certificate Means
Should an authority question your vibration records, a Calibration Certificate is the document that
provides proof of professional calibration. When your vibration monitor is calibrated at Instantel,
a Calibration Certificate is issued. To ensure the validity of each calibration, the reference
equipment used is also calibrated and is traceable to a nationally recognized standard, such as the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States, or the National
Research Council (NRC), in Canada. The calibration certificate also contains the model, serial
number, and date the instrument was calibrated, and who performed the calibration.
10.1.3. Importance of Manufacturer Certified Calibration
Using a manufacturer certified facility ensures that proper procedures are followed when
calibrating your vibration monitor. This removes any uncertainty associated with the reliability
and measurement accuracy of your monitor, and ensures the integrity of the measured record if it
is ever called up as evidence in a court of law. There are individuals and companies worldwide
that are not certified by the manufacturer to perform vibration monitor calibration, yet continue to
do so. It is in your best interest to have your monitor calibrated by the specific manufacturer or
their authorized agents. Using unauthorized facilities may cause problems in court if the reference
equipment is not traceable, or if the certification documents are incomplete.
10.1.4. Minimate Pro Sensor Check Feature
The only purpose of the Sensor Check feature on Instantel vibration monitors, is to ensure that
the sensors have been connected and installed correctly. If a sensor was not level, or was upside
down, the monitor would indicate a failed Sensor Check. The Sensor Check is NOT a
calibration check and cannot replace the annual calibration process. Sensor Check does not
compare the measured result against an external traceable reference sensor, nor does it test the
entire electronic circuit that is integral to the sensors response.
10.2. References to Minimate Pro4 and Minimate Pro6
The Minimate Pro6 monitor offers additional flexibility for compliance monitoring. On the
Minimate Pro6, a second Geophone may be connected to the channel labeled PRESSURE,
instead of a Microphone. On the Minimate Pro4monitor, this channel is labeled PRESSURE
and is solely used for overpressure monitoring using the Linear Microphone. These channels are
also labeled within the display and View/Edit setup file, dependent on which instrument you have
purchased.
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