[Encyclios]

Mechanical Limits

When using instruments equipped with mechanical components (rods, gears, linkages, racks), jerky or jerky readings may be encountered. The most likely cause of these behaviors is a manufacturing defect or damage to the instrument; however, when working with very sensitive instruments, it may also indicate that the instrument is working at the limits of its mechanical capabilities. Under these conditions, one can already see the effects of friction, elastic deformation and inertia that prevent the mechanics involved from “following” the variations in the measurand.

As already mentioned, a rigorous evaluation of these limits to resolution would require a specific analysis by a specialized laboratory. Fortunately, normally these limits are an order of magnitude smaller than the others, requiring only a quick check of the response of the display to changes in the measurand to ensure that this problem is irrelevant.

If the problem is significant, the resolution of the reading is defined as the maximum ” trigger” or ” bottleneck” detected.