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Manufacturing Equipment for Sale

Alpha Metals Omega Meter 600R Contamination Measurement System

Picture shows the Omega Meter model 600R...very nice unit!.

Description

Model 600R

The Alpha Metals Omega Meter is microprocessor controlled ionic contamination test system. It is designed to perform cleanliness testing on printed circuit boards and/or other parts. The Alpha Metals Omega Meter is used to determine the quantity of ionic contamination on a specimen under test, typically a printed circuit board (PCB).

The fabrication of printed circuit boards and the subsequent assembly of printed wiring assemblies includes numerous processes whereby corrosive ionic materials are introduced to the board and assembly package. Examples of corrosive ionic elements include Chemical Etchants, Plating Salts, Chemical Metal Cleaners, Solder Fusing Chemicals, Soldering Fluxes, Human Perspiration and Hand Lotion, Chemical Products, and Environmental Fallout.

Ionic contamination represents one of the most significant factors causing degradation and failure of electronic assemblies. Very small residual quantities of ionic contamination from numerous and varied sources, alone and/or combined, affect reliability and can cause catastrophic failure of components and circuits. Residual ionic contamination can cause surface electrical leakage and chemical, galvanic and electrolytic corrosion.

The key to reducing failures due to ionic contamination is in the cleaning. But how does one determine that a board, component or printed-wiring assembly is, in fact, clean? That is what the Omega Meter is for.

The electrical resistivity of a known volume of an aqueous solution represents the direct measurement of levels of ionic contaminant present in the solution. Quantitative measurements of ionic contamination on parts can be made by measuring the electrical resistivity of a known volume of rinse solution used to extract and remove the ionizable contaminant off the known surface area of a sample being tested. The extract solution must be of an extremely high level of purity.

The Omega Meter System is an automated process of the recommended manual test procedure as outlined in section 4.8.3 of MIL-P-28809, "Military Specifications Printed Wiring Assemblies." A wash solution of 75% by volume of ACS reagent grade isopropyl alcohol and 25% by volume of distilled water is measured into the test cell through a set of D.I. columns to achieve a resistivity exceeding 20 megohm centimeter. Other formulations of alcohol and water including D.I. water alone may be used to comply with special test requirements.

A sample (component or assembly) is submerged into the clean test solution and the solution is agitated to promote removal and solubilization of all ionic residues from the test sample. The change in resistivity is continuously monitored and displayed on the LCD display on the console. Knowing the area of the sample in inches, the volume of solution in millimeters and the resistivity in megohms, the system automatically calculates the contamination that has been added to the solution in "micrograms" of equivalent Sodium Chloride per square inch. When the test is completed, the test parameters are printed along with the total contamination extracted from the test sample.

Contaminated test solution is regenerated through the D.I. columns to obtain the required purity for reuse in subsequent tests. The closed loop Omega Meter System may be used for many months of testing with minimal addition of fresh solution.

Typically the contamination on the PCB would be process residues left over from the fabrication of the circuit board, or left over from the board assembly process. You want to measure this contamination to be sure that your cleaning steps in making the PCB or assembling the PCB are doing a good job and removing the chemical residues due to these processes.

You perform this test by placing the PCB specimen in the "Test Cell" (the large Plexiglass container on the top of the unit). Then the system fills the Test Cell with an isolated volume of IPA/Water test solution (not included). This solution is heated and agitated and removes any contamination on the PCB. The ionic contamination is then determined by monitoring the resistivity of the test solution.

The Omega Meter then provides a printout of the results using the embedded printer located on the front panel.

This type of equipment is normally used in a manufacturing facility to measure printed circuit boards contamination as part of printed circuit board fabrication and/or assembly operations.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Alpha Metals
Model	600R
Serial Number	06894
Test Cell	18 x 24
Voltage	110-120v AC
Cycle	50/60Hz
Amperage	5.1 Amps
Electrical Connection	line cord with standard USA 115v Plug
Size	38" W x 29" D x 54" H (965mm x 737mm x 1372mm)
Weight	650 lbs (295 Kg)

Condition of this Unit

The item is in very good shape. The item was powered up the unit on Oct 03, 2008, by pressing the POWER button (Red button located at bottom center of the control panel). The unit powered up and it passed the initial diagnostics. I then pressed the CLEAN-FILL button (Green button, upper right), and the tank started to fill with fluid from the reservoir. I pressed the CLEAN-FILL button again and the filling stopped....so far so good. I performed a RAM test, and it passed. I pressed the PAPER-FEED button (yellow button, lower left) and the paper advanced. I used the keyboard to print the contents of the data bank, and it printed 32 lines of data. I used the keypad to performed a resistivity measurement on the small sample of fluid I had in the tank, it measured about 6.5Mohm-cm. I then pressed the RESET button (green button, upper left), and the system reset to the power-on state. I then pressed the DRAIN button (yellow button, lower right) and the tank drained the fluid back to the reservoir located in the bottom of the unit.

To use the unit you will have to put in new cleaning fluid; 75% by volume of ACS reagent grade isopropyl alcohol and 25% by volume of distilled water.

This unit is very clean and always well maintained.

Test Cell measures 18 x 24 and has no cracks or chips....also very good contition.

We have seen similar units sell anywhere from $2500 to $8500.

History of this Item

We purchased this unit several years ago
It was refurbished about 2 years ago.
It was used only a few times. It was used for a short time as a spare, as we have another unit.
We no longer require it as a spare
We have been very happy with this unit and it is in very nice condition.
We recently powered it up, and it passed the diagnostic tests, as previously indicated.

What you get

This sale consists of the following items:

1. Alpha Metals Omega Meter 600R as pictured
2. 120V AC power cord - attached to the unit
3. We do not have the manual for this particular unit, but will provide you with a copy of a manual for the model 600SMD which is similar and useful as a guide.

The pictures shown here are of the actual unit that you will get.

Front View

Back View

Front panel of Omega Meter 600R


Close up of printed paper


Back inside view...very clean inside!


Close up of back inside view.


Front inside view - very clean inside!


Close up of front inside view


Product label with part number and serial number


View showing 18x24 Test Cell size

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