MTS Series 793 Application - Manual (Page 393)

Temperature Control Process
MTS MultiPurpose TestWare® External Control Process Descriptions 393
Temperature Control Process
About the Temperature Control Process
The Temperature Control process provides setpoint programming to external
temperature controllers cabled to your test system.
Depending on how your hardware is configured, you may be able to:
• Use temperature feedback from a single thermocouple to maintain a
specified temperature tolerance for a specified amount of time.
• Use temperature feedback from multiple thermocouples to ensure that the
desired temperature “soaks into” the specimen.
Note Typically, one thermocouple is placed in the chamber, and a second
thermocouple is attached to the physical specimen.
When you define a Temperature Control process, you must specify the desired
end level (temperature), a transition time to the specified temperature, and the
amount of time you want to maintain that temperature.
Note The external temperature controller must be properly cabled to your
controller in order for this process to work correctly. For cabling
information, see the Controller Setup or Programmer Setup manual that
accompanied your test system.
High and low
rate channels
The Model 793.00 System Software supports normal and “low-rate”
programming channels. Since temperature controllers do not require frequent
setpoint updates, they are often configured as low-rate channels.
By default, low-rate channels operate at a command rate of 25.6 Hz (1 Hz for
Eurotherm temperature controllers connected to the TestStar IIs J51 serial-port
interface). For more information on low-rate channels, see the MTS 793 Control
Software manual that accompanied your test system.
Note If a process includes both normal (high-rate) and low rate channels, the
channels will start and stop together. However, they may not stop at the
same level. They may be off in phase as much as one low-rate tick.
How to program
multiple channels with
your controller
Since low-rate channels do not require as much processing power, you can
program a temperature controller on a low-rate channel and a servovalve on a
normal-rate channel at the same time.