Everett Engineering is a Level 4 certified facility for testing bollard pull, as well as winches, spoolers, and other line tension applications. Dan Martin, owner of Everett Engineering, explains: "We hook up a 400,000 pound load cell to the tug's wire, then measure and certify the total bollard pull generated during the test. Along with ABS certification we can also provide a readout showing how much they pulled and when during the test they pulled it." However, Everett Engineering's portable test apparatus was at the end of its useful life and getting increasingly finicky. "Plugs and wires had to be connected and disconnected just right or they'd break, the battery charging system was beginning to cause voltage fluctuations, and the darned thing was just too awkward to set up over and over again. We'd go out to the test site and start piecing things together, and I'm sure clients would take one look at that old beast and begin worrying about how accurate a reading it was going to give them."

Once the decision was made to build a new portable testing unit, Dan had no trouble finding a company that would do it right - he called Measurement Technology NW. At the heart of Everett Engineering's new testing unit is our rugged LCI-90 display. It's bright electroluminescent screen, 9-18VDC or 18-36VDC power configuration, and multiple input/output capabilities made it the perfect candidate for the job. Easy-to-use calibration menus are accessible through five sealed front panel pushbuttons (once an LCI unit has been installed the operator has no need to access the rear of the display), and the LCI-90's heavy-duty stainless steel face and epoxy-potted Lexan window hold up to even the toughest conditions. The LCI-90 is sized to be a drop-in replacement for the now-defunct LM-2000 displays, and is available in several configurations including: Standard (line speed, payout, and tension), Drum Counter (line speed and payout, using sensors at the winch drum), Dual Tension (two tension readings), and Quad (two tension readings plus line speed and payout).

For tugboat bollard pull certifications and winch/spooler tests, Everett Engineering selected our Standard LCI-90 display.

"I'm completely happy with the job", said Dan, "The LCI-90 screen is bright and easy to read even in full sunlight, it's accurate, well-protected, and it looks and performs a whole lot more professionally than our old system ever did. Measurement Technology NW added an extra serial plug to interface with our Fluke meter, and made sure the final product was built to work the way we work. I could have gone elsewhere, but I'm glad I didn't. MTNW put together a top-quality piece of equipment for us, and I give them the ultimate compliment - I'd use them again!"

Measurement Technology NW produces a wide range of precision line control products, including the LCI-90 and LCI-100 series, WinchDAC, and more. To learn how we can help your company improve the odds of success, contact us at 206-634-1308, or send an email inquiry to lci@mtnw-usa.com.

Measurement Technology NW
4211 - 24th Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98199

www.mtnw-usa.com

"We had built the monitors ourselves many years ago when a search of commercially available products failed to turn up anything that met our requirements. While they worked, they didn't always work well. Troubleshooting usually meant disassembly, and when we finally reached our pain threshold and revisited the commercial market, Measurement Technology NW was there with the LCI-90."

The LCI-90 is an advanced winch line control display that accepts analog signals from force transducers and count signals from either a pair of proximity sensors or quadrature encoder. Force transducers can be any number of devices including load pins installed on overboarding sheaves, tension links or instrumented clevis pins. External sensor signals are converted into engineering units and displayed locally (via the LCI display), and, if desired, broadcasted to remote monitoring devices via an RS-485 serial communication link. All LCI-90 programming functions required to set or change units, alarm limits, silence external alarms, wrap angle corrections and reset payout readings are available through the five front panel pushbuttons. Even raw diagnostic information is available in this manner to the winch operator - there is no need to access the rear of the display.

Impressively rugged and reliable, the Measurement Technology NW LCI displays installed on NOAA's Pacific Marine Center research fleet travel from the poles to the equator in some of the harshest environments on earth. Their heavy-duty 316 stainless steel front panels and sealed membrane pushbuttons, bright, high-contrast electroluminescent displays, and intuitive English language menus provide unmatched strength, visibility, and ease of use - something NOAA has come to appreciate.

"The LCI-90's are a huge improvement over what we had," confirmed Larry. "They're very rugged, take lots of abuse, and work great with minimal maintenance. I think the display itself is the best in the business, with terrific visibility in all conditions - day or night. Installation was super easy, and their calibration menus are a breeze. I would certainly recommend the LCI-90. There is nothing else on the market that compares, and we are very happy to finally have a winch instrumentation system we don't have to worry about."

Measurement Technology NW produces a wide range of precision winch line control products, including the LCI-90 and LCI-100 series, WinchDAC, and more. To learn how you can get rid of the maintenance headaches and hidden costs of old equipment, call us at 206-634-1308, send an email inquiry to lci@mtnw-usa.com, or check us out at www.mtnw-usa.com.

Measurement Technology NW
4211 - 24th Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98199

www.mtnw-usa.com