I posted this on the old board a few years ago. Here are some pic's of a new accel I just recieved (hopefully you can see what I am talking about). The magnet is recessed @ .5-.75MM. To me this will affect the performance of the accel. because I don't have the nice flat (desired) mount but have a circular 2 pole mag (if that makes sense). I will voice my opinion to the manufacturer (again) about my concerns but would like to hear members of this forum's thoughts. The last one of these that I purchased had the same problem which the manufacturer argued with me about (but did fix). This time around I will fix my self (only because I am in bad need of the low profile).

I don't like it. I wouldn't trust it. I don't understand what they're thinking is about the design. The contact would obviously be limited to the circular ring unless you installed ferrous metal pads everywhere the same diameter as the magnet.........

Roy, is it made that way to mount on a stud or something? Just curious - I don't like magnets at all, but sometimes you have no choice.

Stan,
No its not for stud mount. It's easier for me with mag mounts here.
I've decided to send it back instead of fix it myself. After a little closer "look see" I found a crimp in the metal jacket. I tested it on a hand held shaker and everything seems fine, but at almost $400.00 for the thing, I want it to be in brand new condition. Don't want to broadcast the manufacturer here but maybe some of ya'll can throw me some names that make relatively inexpensive low profile accel's.

The easiest way to 'fix' this kind of problem is to use emery paper and a flat, not-metallic surface (phenolic pad, float glass, or heavy MDF) and 'lap' the contact surface with large, circular orbits (use emery paper, not the thin strips). This is also a good idea for any flat magnet, as well as 2-pole magnets, to get rid of any dings or burrs.

Roy,

I have 2 IMI accels, one looks just like the one in your picture but the magnet is flush with the ring. The other is called a swivler and you can put your own magnet on it, I use that one a lot. I don't think it would be a lot cheaper though. Anytime you get away from a straight gen. purpose accel the price goes up.

Jim,
Well you just won a cigar. I didn't want to post a manufacturer's name because IMI does have some good sensors. But your are right it's an IMI model #607m13/888cv. We were told that they have engineered them like that to eliminate damage caused by slamming the accel on the equipment instead of using the "rocking" (for a lack of better description)method. Explain that one to me. Thanks for the reply anyhow. I am sennding it back for them to either fix or repair. Like I stated earlier I also found a crimped spot on the metal jacket, which I'm sorry at $400 a pop I want brand new condition.
Kind regards,

Roy,
The next time you need to purchase an Accel, Cables, or any accessories check out CTConline.com. They are in NY and have top quality stuff at prices unmatched by any one. The also have an unconditional Lifetime warranty on all of their stuff.
800-999-5290. I started using their stuff several years ago because IMI, Wilcoxn, and CSI wanted so much for their Accels. I even burnt the jacketing off a cable taking readings on a turbine and they snet me a new one no questions asked.

I'm with you there Kelly. I'm an end user and have been changing over to CTC recently. I'm thinking of buying some accels from them. How do you find them compared to others?

Ron,
We have been using CTC sensors for several years and overall are quite pleased with them. What will you be using them for, permanent mount or walk-around? The straight AC102 and the low-profile AC104 have both been working well on our permanent mount stuff. For walk-around, look at the picture closely. The AC104 low-profile has an overhang. It doesn't matter on a larger 2 pole magnet, but it sticks out past the smaller rare earth magnets just enough to be an aggravation in tight spots. The AC116 is the solution for that though. The 100 mv/g sensors are rated at 50 g's, but I have noticed that they will overload a little sooner than the Wilcoxon 797. That's being picky though. Overall we are pleased with them.

David Eason

Thanks David. I'm mostly interested in the permanent mounting.

Just a warning....Spintelligent Labs is a CTC rep, so my opinions are somewhat biased.

In addition to CTC's lifetime, no questions asked warranty, they will also recalibrate accelerometers annually at no charge.

Does this mean you should send back all of your permanently installed accelerometers every year? No. Permanently installed accelerometers have life pretty easy - it's those used with portable data collectors that take all the abuse. They get dropped, slammed down on the magnet, dragged across the floor on the end of the cable, etc. These accelerometers should be calibrated at least annually, just to be sure that shock hasn't caused the crystal to crack. A cracked crystal can cause all sorts of things to happen....some signals in your measurement range may be amplied when the resonant frequency shifts....others may just disappear in antinodes. The result is bad either way. Work may be done on good machines when it looks like the levels have increased. Machines may fail when increasing levels aren't detected. The boss won't like it either way!

Jon
Spintelligent Labs