Fluke has introduced the ii1050 and ii1030 Acoustic Imagers, handheld cameras the company calls its "most capable" acoustic imagers to date. Each weighs 1.2 kilograms and is approximately 40 percent smaller than the previous generation.
The main hardware change is the microphone array. The new models carry 202 microphones, up from 64, which Fluke says lets them detect fainter sounds and pinpoint smaller, more closely spaced sources with greater precision. Fluke's ii1050 product page lists a 2kHz to 100kHz frequency range and detection up to 150 meters (492 feet), depending on ambient conditions. A 13-megapixel visible-light camera supplies the image overlay.
The display stays the same size as before. On the ii1050 it is a 7-inch touchscreen, now with an anti-glare coating. The housing is rated IP54, and an integrated flashlight is new. Storage is 128GB on the ii1050, and the on-device reporting covers asset tagging, notes and action prioritization.
That last feature matters most to reliability and maintenance engineers. The imagers run Fluke's LeakQ algorithm, which estimates leak rate and the associated energy cost, so a technician can rank compressed air repairs by dollar impact before leaving the floor. Fluke says the LeakQ and PDQ algorithms are both enhanced in this generation.
PDQ Mode identifies partial discharge sources, estimates discharge probability and displays real-time PRPD patterns. MecQ Mode targets mechanical faults such as bearing defects, friction and turbulence, which Fluke says it can flag before they show up as vibration, heat or audible noise. The imagers also locate gas and vacuum leaks.
"Maintenance is increasingly less about responding to failures reactively and more about preventing them," said Tako Feron, Senior Product Manager, Acoustic Imaging, at Fluke.
The cameras support the new TC03A plug-in thermal camera, which adds thermal imaging to the same inspection workflow. The ii1050 ships in a base configuration with a hard case, two RRC2040 battery packs and a 65W charger kit. Thermal configurations add the TC03A and a TP01 tripod, and Fluke also sells ii1050 kits with the SB140 SoundBeacon. That 40kHz source works with Beacon Mode to locate sealing defects during air-tightness inspections. Premium Care plans are available with one- or three-year coverage.
