The recommended measurement procedures described in this guide are intended to provide performance-related measurements that can be reproduced under the specified test conditions using commercially available test instrumentation. These measurements indicate capabilities of sections of the ultrasonic examination instrument independent of specific transducers or examination conditions. Measurements are made from normally available connectors or test points so that no access to internal circuitry is required. Further, this guide is not intended for service, calibration, or maintenance of circuitry for which the manufacturer’instructions are available. It is intended primarily for pulse echo flaw detection instruments operating in the nominal frequency range of 100 kHz to 25 MHz, but the procedures are applicable to measurements on instruments utilizing significantly higher frequency components.

These procedures can be applied to the evaluation of any pulse-echo ultrasonic examination instrument which can be described as a combination of the electronic sections discussed in this guide.

Note 2—These procedures are not intended to preclude the use or application of equipment for which some or all of the measurement techniques of this document are not applicable.

An ultrasonic examination instrument that cannot be completely described as a combination of the electronic sections discussed in this practice can be partially evaluated. Each portion of the ultrasonic examination instrument that is evaluated must fit the description for the corresponding section.

This guide is meant to be used by electronic personnel to evaluate the electronic system components and not the ultrasonic system characteristics.

1.1 This guide describes procedures for electronically measuring the following performance-related characteristics of some sections of ultrasonic instruments:

1.1.1 Power Supply Sectionline regulation,battery discharge time, andbattery charge time.

1.1.2 Pulser Sectionpulse shape,pulse amplitude,pulse rise time, pulse length, andpulse frequency spectrum.

1.1.3 Receiver Sectionvertical linearity, frequency response,noise and sensitivity, and dB controls.

1.1.4 Time Base Sectionhorizontal linearity, andclock (pulse repetition rate).

1.1.5 Gate/Alarm Sectiondelay and width, resolution, alarm level, gain uniformity, analog output, and back echo gate.

1.2 This guide complements Practice E 317, and is not intended for evaluating the performance characteristics of ultrasonic examination instruments on the inspection/production line.

No access to internal circuity is required.