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Does anyone have any comments about the Dynatech Nevada (now Fluke, of course) medTester 5000? This bit of kit intrigues me, as it looks as though a complete testing system can be built up around it or interfaced to it (including, for instance, a database system). Obviously aimed at the US market (110 V etc.), I believe it is set up to meet AAMI specs. I note that in the latest Fluke catalogue it is listed as “not to be sold in the European Union”.

Has anybody had any joy with “internationalizing” this bit of kit, allowing it to work from 220 V and with various mains outlets, I wonder? Can it be re-programmed for testing regimes other than AAMI (IEC, DB-9801 etc.)?

Are there any other clever bits of test kit about, or do I have to think about making up my own? What I am looking for is a system that combines the maximum utility (combining all the basics, EST, ECG, temp, pressure etc. – plus, dare I suggest it, a multimeter), in the lightest, neatest, easy to carry about format. Perhaps Fluke are already working on such an instrument. If so, it’s about time.

...did I forget to add a stop-watch?

For those who may not have seen it before, here is a picture of this very nice piece of kit:-

http://www.faradidazma.com/equipment/dni_AT_1.asp

Meanwhile, here is another that points the way to the elusive paperless equipment inspections system using hand-held devices (“the future”, surely?):-

http://www.tiscor.com/web/SiteBuilder/TiscorISBv1r0.nsf/FLV/MedicalEquipmentManagementSolutions

Enjoy!

We have and I Use a Medtester 5000c. I enjoy having this piece of test equip. but would enjoy even more a class to further utilize all of its functions. It will, if you have all the necessary options, interface with several other pieces of gear for automation purposes. For instance the Impulse 4000 defib analyzer, or the 454A ESU analyzer. Really neat. If I were going to get a new safety tester, this is the one I would get. I say that having not paid for this one.

In conversation with one of the Wise Ones today, it would seem that the lovely medTester is now considered “yesterday’s news”, with zero chance of being of any use outside of the AAMI/110 volts mains areas of the world. Which, to me at any rate, is really a pity. See, this link for example.

My thoughts now turn instead to the use of PDA’s, and new generation test equipment like Fluke’s ESA601 . To me, the spec for this one appears to be a strange mixture of AAMI, IEC and VDE requirements. Any body had much experience with this bit of kit?

But the real issue as far as I’m concerned is to be able to reduce all the PM checklists, note-taking, phone numbers and addresses etc., etc. into the pocket PDA. Which one to go for, then? Anyone got very far with the “paperless system”?

When I first started out in electronics (some forty years ago now), people were getting all excited about the digital future. Some sort of Golden Age, with kit talking to other kit, and all the rest of that Dan Dare (Dick Tracy?)stuff. Well, it’s been a long time coming, but I reckon that all those promises have just about come to fruition now.

But what about us in the biomed arena? Has any progress been made with the "paperless system" yet? Have we reached the happy situation where I can stuff my Rigel 288, together with my SimCube (why no built-in multimeter?), into my tool case (more like a shoulder bag, in fact), with my Bluetooth device stuck in one ear and my BlackBerry (or iPod?) in the other, and sally forth into the wards? Can I now download my service reports and updated inventory data as I pass through the hallowed portals of the biomed workshop, without even batting an eye?

If not, why not? Discuss! Best get wired, Dudes.

iPod? Sorry, that's yesterday's news. Better make it an iPhone!

Andy Cross of Rigel was good enough to show me a 288 today. Yes, it’s a great piece of kit. A bit heftier than I had expected (for some reason), it comes complete with a Bluetooth dongle for your PC, so the idea of downloading the day’s work as you enter the workshop becomes a realistic possibility. Oh, Brave New World!

As I was previously assured, it does indeed appear to be as "future proof" as these things can be. Its built-in database permits a reasonable amount of tweaking, too. My only concern is the price tag. £ 3 k a piece might not be a problem for those having access to tax-payers’ money, but is more than enough for us Dark Side practitioners to have second thoughts!

Hi Geoff,
Good to read that you liked the 288. It sure is able to meet current and future requirements which makes it a safe investment for the next decade. Regarding its price tag, its considerably cheaper than most fully automatic safety analysers currently on the market (QA90 / 601Pro etc). And with its weight of 1.7 kg (<4lbs)a very handy tool for those requiring a portable safety analyser. The Rigel 288 sure is more forgiving when making those long journerys from the car park.

regards,
john

Hey John, what with all this free publicity I've been giving you, I would have thought you'd have tossed me a buck-shee one by now! After all, I only need a used one for, well you know, reverse engineering and moding etc.

Hi Geoff
Things will not be forgotten. I'll let you know when we have the first ex-demo's become available.
John