Pulse Bruel

[MrReds]

hallo everybody

my company is evaluating to buy a Pulse system from B&K to realize sound measurement.
Please, does anybody utilizes it ?
Could anybody suggest me any alternative ?
Could anybody suggest me any link to see valid comments about this system ?

Thanks in advance !

 

[GregLocock]

Yes lots of people use it. I have briefly. It does what it says on the box. B&K instrumentation and signal conditioning is excellent gear. I haven't used their latest analysis stuff.

There are many alternatives, What are you looking for exactly?



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[MrReds]

Many thanks Greg.

We are looking for a device for realizing a sound measurement in a anecoic room & to realize vibration tests.
the method is to measure sound power.

Cheers

 

[GregLocock]

Yes, I meant which boxes are you looking for specifically? A complete measurement system or just the front end?

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[IceStationZebra]

I just bought B&K Pulse systems for two of our company sites, plus we already had one that is ~5 years old. The equipment works fine. I took my guys the better part of two months to understand the software enough to get some work done, which I think is deplorable. On the bright side now that they are over the hump there haven't been any problems. One of my guys had previously used LMS for a couple of years and said the software was buggy but the hardware was fine. I also happened to talk to a friend of mine today who made a comment out of the blue that LMS does not like to share data with other programs - they want you to stay "in the family."

One piece of advice is to factor the "maintenance" costs into your decision. I was shocked when I got the bill for next year!

ISZ

 

[fwcatr]

I have been using B&K hardware and software for almost 8 years now. For all the various applications I have used it for, the system has been great. I have used the system in our lab and at many customer sites, the portability was one main reason why I bought it. The system can be very complex or very simple depending on the application and users level of acoustics testing and/or ambition. I am still finding neat little software tools within the system.

The Pulse system is scalable, from a 2 channel simple PCMCIA connection to a ethernet cable connection with over 100 channels. It can be connected to a laptop or a desktop.

One nice feature that I use all the time is the time recorder. The system will record the current time siganl to the hard drive of the computer which allows you to replay that test anytime, in real time, and use many analysis tools for post processing. That comes in handy when pressed at a customer site with people watching over your shoulders, allowing you to setup the system to just take the data and worry about the post processing in a office after you are done.

Sometimes, customer trips are planned and when that happens, the system can be setup to facilitate easy viewing of what is going on, you can even generate a report through the software after you are done with each measurement.

Another nice feature is the hardware has a connection where you can input up to 16 voltage siganls that can be measured along with the acoustic signals. I use it all the time to input pressure and temperature signals.

Contact your local B&K rep, they can come to your facility and demonstrate their equipment for you.

You will find that the B&K equipment and software are more expensive than the competition, but it is worth it. The service is 24/7 if you need it. Once you become proficient with the hardware and software, you probably won't need that. Remember, you get what you pay for.

I could talk all day about how I like this, but at the end of the day, I would recommend the system for anyone.

Regards,
Fred

 

[Rob45]

I can also recommend Head Acoustics' "Artemis" analysis software and their various pieces of hardware: I have an older (8 years old) "SQLab" frontend set up for 10 channels (20 max) also the very fine, ultraportable SQuadriga pocketable 4-channel frontend with 2 tach channels and 1 GB memory, and the matching record/playback headset. Also the PEQ-V equalizer for listening tests.

I found that unlike the LMS and B&K systems, the Artemis is very intuitive, very easy to setup and get running. An hour or two on the telephone with the salesman is all you need to get up and running.

I also have an LMS system consisting of a SCADAS-Mobile frontend (8 channel plus teach inputs) and run their "Test Lab" software, which I have found to be horribly buggy and crash-prone - it crashes more per day than the Head Artemis system has crashed in 8 years!

But as they say, YMMV...

 

[INDAR]

Pulse system is a good equipment but it's very expensive. The B&K system is the best option for Sound measurement.
In the Vibration area, LMS is probably the best option with its Test Lab software (Experimental Modal Analysis).

Both systems are good in that areas; B&K is danish & LMS is Belgian. B&K is more stable than LMS.

One thing to take account is the actualization & maintenance cost per year. This is very important because you are going to pay a lot of money in this concep.

The best one you can do is to contact with your local B&K and LMS products. Another thing you should to take account imperatively is having offers of both systems and whis is the cost of actualizations and maintenance per year.

Best Regards,

 

[Rob45]

Two updates to my previous comments:
First, the latest release of LMS TestLab is far far more stable, very few crashes or lockups. It's still not easy to learn, but has lots of good features.
If you're persistent.

Second, maintenance on Head's Artemis software is not extraordinarily expensive.