Hooks & Associates, Inc.

  RTS is the premiere automated testing system for refrigeration. No other software package can compare with the functionality, flexibility and scalability of this system. More than ten years of development have made this system solid. We work closely with our customers to provide them with any necessary changes and additions to the software that they need. This close relationship has forged a powerful, user oriented and feature rich testing platform that is unsurpassed in the field.

  The core of the system is the RTS server application. This program can communicate with dozens of front end hardware solutions. National Instruments Fieldpoint, Agilent VXI and Yokogawa Darwin are only a few of the products supported by the system.

  The RTS server application also communicates with any number of manager applications simultaneously. Multiple users can access a single station simultaneously while the security features allow only a select few to change the test status and parameters.

  The new paradigm in test data storage is centered around the latest database trends. Entire files can be stored in the database for retrieval by anyone. No special access rights or user profiles need to exist to retrieve the data from the database. The RTSADO application provides RTS server with an access port to any database object Windows can support. RTS has been successfully linked to Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Access. Any ODBC compliant database can be used.

RTS Topography

  RTS utilizes existing LAN systems to deliver data from the test stations to the database as well as to the end users. End users can collect historical data directly from the database by using the Post Analyzer application. In this topography, test data typically flows up while control and user entered data flow down. In smaller installations, the RTS Server PC can act as the database server as well as the print server saving resources and bandwidth.

  From top to bottom RTS has the features you need to do business. Calibration is accomplished through linear interpolation and calibration data is stored for historical reference. Multiple filtering techniques can be employed for noisy data sets. The filter values are set by model but allow for adjustments for special tests. The real power behind the system lies in the test procedure scripts. These scripts describe how the data is collected and analyzed. This scripting language is a 4th generation language based on the popular BASIC language which is easy to learn. The scripts are also used to control room set points and door opening hardware.

  In a system with hundreds of hardware channels, some form of abstraction must exist between the hardware and the user. RTS provides a unique interface for assigning hardware channels to specific tasks. These “roadmaps” are called point files and they can be configured for specific tests and saved. The point file interface is available when setting up a test and allows the type of filtering to be altered as well as allowing the user to remove or add the point to or from the results and trends. Grouping of points is also supported for group averaging. RTS can use several different sets of rules to determine if a product is running, in defrost or is off. The “State Settings” allow the user to teach RTS what conditions are considered “ON” or “Defrost” making the system well suited for AHAM and ISO energy testing.

  Every RTS installation includes Post Analyzer for retrieving completed test data. This fabulous tool allows the user to not only retrieve file data but to pull files stored in the database. There are functions which allow the user to select power periods and run AHAM reports from historical tests The graphs can be zoomed in on as well as modified by adding or removing channels. Annotaions made to the trends while the tests are still running are visible in the historical data and are visible on the graphs.

  We know that the work is not complete when the test ends. Many approval tests may have to be run on a single unit in order to complete the testing. That is why we have the ability to chain multiple tests together. When one test ends, another can begin just as if a technician was there running the system. This valuable feature eliminates facility idle time due to tests ending after technicians have gone for the weekend.

  RTS has been used in laboratory environments as well as on the production floor. The software can be used to determine performance failures in production environments. It has been successfully employed in refrigerator manufacturing customer assurance labs as well as icemaker production lines. This software is flexible and powerful enough to operate electric heat stands, gas heat stands, refrigerator performance labs, dishwasher testing, range testing, commercial and residential HVAC systems, as well as full psychrometric chambers with the units under test.

Contact Us for your testing needs.