Rusty,

It is my understanding that the Commtest VB3000 comes with a laser tachometer, not a "Speed Sensor". I'm not sure about note codes.

Hurt (like the Steelers),

The x key moving through the harmonics and sidebands is truly priceless. I work with Odyssey also and that is probably my biggest complaint about it. It takes forever to identify harmonics. (Hopefully someone will come along and tell me what I am missing in Odyssey.)

Danny,

The "H" key turns harmonics on and off. The "S" key the same for sidebands.

D

Dave,

I just put that computer away, so I can't look now, but does "H" key move you through all the sets of harmonics found in the spectrum or just change the sursor setting?

You coming to town next week? How bout you come to the house and I'll grill us something good? I can show off my office that I bought at a yard sale.

See ya,

Danny

Danny,
Yes, it just turns the cursor on. As far as stepping through them, I just move the cursor. Usually don't have that many to check. Same with sidebands.

Yes, I'll be in town next week. I'll call you Monday (or e-mail or something).
I like grillin. SPecially if someone else is doin it.

D

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RRS_Dave,

Dave,

You're on.

I still have that copy of Machinery's Handbook if you still have that $2.

Danny

Danny,

DO you take PO's or CC's?

D

Do you have credit references? I mean good ones.

Danny

Hi Danny - I am the Commtest guy that came by to see you. Thanks for the endorsement!

I won't go into it here, but if anyone wants clarification about the Commtest product let me know.

Cheers!

Paul

Paul,

I'm sure you didn't mean any harm, but I just want to be clear-I don't "endorse" any products. Endorsement implies some monetary compensation and that is not the case here.

I'm just stating facts about your product as you ably represented them to me. The facts speak for themselves.

Good Luck,

Danny

Prizmman8, when Commtest says "Laser speed sensor for automatic capture of machine
running speed"... what does that mean exactly? Do you have to have 'tape' on the shaft? An exposed key or keyway? Or will it simply pick up the movement (with no obvious trigger point) as CSI's SpeedVue sensor does?

Also, I see no mention of "note codes" on the Commtest website. Do the VB units allow for field codes, especially for user-defined notes, in the field?

I want to thank all of you who contributed to this thread. We have made a decision based on your information and our own research. We are now in the process of making a purchase, getting training and setting everything up. I know a lot of you are wondering why not stick with CSI and avoid the hassle of starting from scratch. Well, we found out that the new unit can utilize software that takes all of our routes and loads them into Omnitrend, saving us a great deal of time. I believe we have made the right decision since now we will not be spending money equivalent to buying new analyzers every 4.9 years. CSI makes a wonderful unit, but it seems that their goal is not so much to dominate the analyzer market as it is to generate money by taking more and more bread from the very people who put it on their table to begin with! Thank you CSI for your help and services over during the past few years. Goodbye CSI,...

Nate, I felt pretty much like you did about CSI. But when my 2120-2 developed a 'glitch' on the input (my 2nd problem in 11 years) I decided to go ahead and upgrade to the 2130. Part of my decision was due to the enormous amount I've data that I've collected that I didn't want to lose. Maybe that really wasn't an issue as you seem to have found a way around it.... are you saying your existing databases are going to convert to your new software?

As for CSI's upgrade strategy, things do become obsolete. The 'death' of the 2120 is more the result of just not being able to get parts anymore. It's that way with most everything. If you have a laptop or a digital camera that's more than a couple of years old, you can't get it repaired anymore.

I understand that we want to hang on to something that works -- I'm not a big 'upgrader' -- but sometimes we have to move forward. Are you still using Microsoft DOS? Lotus 1-2-3? Wordstar?

I've been using the 2130 for a couple of weeks now, and my conclusison is that -- other than some of the key layouts -- it really is significantly better than the 2120. I have already noticed a significant time savings. If I amortize the cost over 5 years, it costs me about $400 a month which is not bad for a tool that makes my living.

That said, if I were buying several units instead of just one, I might feel differently. Each situation is different. Sounds like you made the best decision for your situation. But that's not to say it's the right decision for everyone. My advice to CSI users is not to "kick CSI to the curb" without carefully weighing the real costs of switching to something else. Be careful that you don't confuse 'cost' with 'value.'

Hope you all have a prosperous -- and reliable -- New Year.

Rusty-
Only our routes themselves will be entered into the Omnitrend- not the data. Too bad, but my feeling is that the new analyzer's data and our old 2120's data won't give us an apples-to-apples comparison anyway. I'm sure it would give us an idea of what's going on as far as trending goes, but only with a couple of readings would I feel confident as far as making a call on something. Getting rid of CSI in general won't amount to a "good riddance" situation so much as a "sad farewell". The 2120/RBMware has done its job and has done it well. We feel, however, that it is time to move on to something that is going to do the same job at a lower cost thereby giving us greater value. We are jumping the fence and going to graze in Ludeca's pastures. We have contacted other companies and listened to their spiels and watched their demos. We have asked questions, listened to answers and have gone through the process again and again. This is our choice based on OUR needs. It may not be right for everyone, but we feel confident with our decision as far as our own needs. We are not here to plug any one company over another- we came here for help and feedback and this message board has served us well. I thank you Rusty, and everyone else for helping us make an educated decision.

Rusty seems committed to his investment with CSI. Others have suggested other products. My company uses several different boxes (including CSI) and software, even different service providers, at our various locations, but we are a big company.

Is there a feeling that CSI is not keeping up with the innovations, quality, or service of other manufactures? Is it value for money? How many have actually ‘dumped’ CSI; they still seem to be a big player?

If money were no object, would you go with CSI or someone else (Of course to some degree or another money is always an issue.)? How important is staying with the same manufacturer; is this good money after bad?

I like the 2130, and my experience with CSI has been positive. Like Bill we are a big company so we have some of everything, but of all the systems I have tried I like CSI the best.

But that is just my opinion, take for what it is worth...

Bill raises some good questions as always. Part of my decision is that I am almost 50 so I am only making a 10 year commitment to CSI at this point. If I were a lot younger I'd look a lot harder at the other options.

Also, though I've not tried it yet, the 2130 seems to be set up very well to work with ME'Scope which I hope to start using more. I'm going to need to get away from so much "route work" and into something less physical as I near semi-retirement. Modal analysis fits the bill I think.

When it comes to tools -- any tool -- I don't worry about the cost as much as when I was younger. Once heard someone say, "Never be afraid to buy the best... you'll always be happy with it." I can't ever recall saying to myself, "Man, I wish I'd bought that cheaper whatever. This top-of-the-line tool just works too well and is lasting too long."

Have a good one...

Rusty,

I hear you about the route work. Fortunately for me, I have two sons, Tote and Climb. Climb has been working for me for over a year now and I have forgotten what the 17 flights of stairs to the catalyst plant fans is like. Soon Tote will be out of school with a degree. Both are pretty smart guys, so the thinking part should go pretty well, too. I think I can cover the ice plants in the Carribean pretty well by my self, though.

Commtest will, for a reasonable fee, merge your data history into their program. They cannot merge your setup information, so all that would have to be redone. I've never tried it or talked to anyone who had a story (success or otherwise) about it. That's just what their salesman, (Paul Berberian, who has posted on this topic) told me.

Danny

Just to clear up a question. Commtest does allow for notes in the analyzer that can be assigned while taking data.

quote:

Originally posted by Danny Harvey:
Rusty,

Commtest will, for a reasonable fee, merge your data history into their program. They cannot merge your setup information, so all that would have to be redone. I've never tried it or talked to anyone who had a story (success or otherwise) about it. That's just what their salesman, (Paul Berberian, who has posted on this topic) told me.

Danny

In 2002 I asked commtest to transfer some data history, I sent them the data and when it came back I personally couldn't tell the differece afterwards.
Why not Commtest to convert just one folder or route instead of a whole database and judge for your self
Happy new year to all
Mike

While I certainly respect everybody's opinion who have opted for CSI all the way, I still question some of their business practices as unethical.

I agree, Rusty, that it costs money to upgrade and improve, etc, but I didn't notice that major an improvement in the use of RBMware when I upgraded. Maybe it's just me, but for the price all of us are paying we should be able to use windows right click shortcuts or drag and drops by now.

Also, back to pricing, what the heck is the deal with the $865 "reactivation fee" if your 2120 is out of maintenance agreement more than a couple months? That's not business, that's not keeping up with the Jonses, that's flat out extortion. $2815 for a one-year maintenance agreement renewal? PLUS $500 for a NIST cal??? BOHICA!

Besides, CSI claims to have enough spare parts for 2120's till 2010.

If money was "not a problem," I still could not go the CSI route. I think I would seriously consider partnering with one of the smaller competitors and develop/improve an affordable alternative for when the 2120 can no longer be supported.

Well, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.