Personal Profile
Many of you have already met our latest employee, Craig Walkup. Craig was born and raised in the small West-Central Ohio town of Wapakoneta. He is a 1999 Graduate of Wapakoneta Senior High School. Growing up, fascinated by computers and electronics, his natural next step in his life was to attend college and learn more about these topics.
Craig enrolled at DeVry University in Columbus Ohio and graduated in May of 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology. After college, he spent some time working in industrial automation, and even some time working for a commercial real estate company. Eventually, Craig wanted to get back into the computers and electronics field and back to using his degree, which brought him to A.G.T..
In his spare time, Craig travels around Ohio, playing the drums in a rock cover band called The Staples. He is also a die-hard sports fan, and can usually be found watching his favorite teams, The Ohio State Buckeyes, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Craig also enjoys golfing and attending concerts.
New Website Launched
Last month we launched our newly redesigned website located at www.AdvGauging.com. The redesign includes easier navigation, archived copies of our previous newsletters, information about all of our services and products, customer testimonials and more. A special feature is our new interactive customer map. Located in the international section of the website, the customer map shows locations of all of our North American customers.
A special addition to the website will be our new online store. Launching in the first quarter of 2012 the A.G.T. online store will feature all of our hard to find gauge parts for obsolete and outdated Gamma, Loral, DMC and Weston gauges as well as parts for our state of the art AGT400 thickness gauge & S.P.C. reporting system.
UPS Functionality Checks
Clean electricity is essential for your gauge to operate in peak condition. Blackouts resulting in the gauge system being turned off suddenly are the most common problem. However brownouts, or sags in voltage, can be just as devastating to the electronics in the gauge. A.G.T. ships an industrial Uninterruptible Power Supply, or UPS, with every gauge we sell to help eliminate these power issues (part # UPS-400). A UPS is not just a battery backup in case of power loss. It is also a line conditioner which blocks spikes in voltage and increases power to boost sags in voltage. This helps provide a clean and healthy supply of electricity to the gauge.
As with any battery operated device, the batteries eventually need to be changed out. The optimum operating temperature for a lead-acid battery is 25 Deg C (77 Deg F). Elevated temperature reduces longevity. As a guideline, every 8 Deg C (15 Deg F) rise in temperature will cut the battery life in half. A battery which would last for 5 years at 25 Deg C (77 Deg F), will only be good for 3 years if operated at 33 Deg C (95 Deg F). Keep in mind that the battery temperature inside your UPS will always be warmer than the ambient temperature of the location where the UPS is installed.
A.G.T. performs a functionality check of the UPS during our semi-annual visits however care should be taken to monitor the functionality of the UPS between visits. When a UPS malfunctions, customers may try to bypass it and plug the gauge electronics directly into the AC outlet. While this may work, short term, to get the gauge up and running, protection is lost which can result in costly repairs at a future time and should not be a long term solution.
If you think that there may be a problem with your gauge’s UPS or that it might be time to have the batteries replaced in your UPS please contact us so that we can assist you. A functional UPS system is a lot like insurance: Better to have and not need, then to need and not have.
Customer Testimonial
“We purchased our first AGT400 thickness gauging unit in 1999 and since then we have purchased an additional three units for our other processing equipment. Advanced Gauging’s product has proven to be reliable, easy to use, and has continually delivered accurate results. In addition, the staff at A.G.T. have been knowledgeable and have provided us with uncompromising service throughout the years.”
Luis Ponte – Operations Manager – Samuel, Son & Company Ltd.