Tidal Engineering, a leader in the design and development of embedded hardware and software for test and measurement and data acquisition applications, today announced a HALT and HASS testing configuration option for their Synergy(TM) Controller, making it the ideal choice for employment in OEM and retrofit applications.
The HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screening) and HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Testing) test methods, developed by QualMark, were designed to expose product failures quickly so they can be rectified prior to becoming costly field issues. The intent of HALT testing is to identify design defects and weaknesses in electronics and electro-mechanical assemblies, while HASS is the method used to find manufacturing/production process induced defects in these same assemblies. Tidal’s Synergy Controller with the HASS/HALT configuration option is precisely engineered to take complete command of the chamber’s temperature and vibration systems to further improve product reliability, reduce warranty costs and increase customer satisfaction. The controller, which utilizes the Microsoft® Windows® CE .NET 4.2 embedded operating system, is developed to retrofit the most popular chamberAdvertisement
manufacturers’ controllers/programmers.
The microprocessor-based, two-channel Synergy Controller may be confidently used in environmental testing applications in the broadest spectrum of industries and applications requiring the precise measurement and control of temperature, humidity, altitude, and now vibration. Among the most common are the electronics, aerospace, automotive, medical and pharmaceutical sectors, where controlled environments are essential for the testing, screening, and calibration of critical systems and components. Further, in addition to HALT and HASS chambers developed by QualMark, Tidal’s Synergy Controller is widely appropriate for use chambers from Envirotronics, Thermotron, Blue-M and Cincinnati Sub-Zero.

The device is available standard with either a front- or flush-mounted 320 x 240 (color STN) touch screen, and in addition to offering total programming of temperature, humidity, altitude, and vibration versus time, six event outputs are provided for special applications, and optional features. A 100-Ohm platinum RTD is used for temperature measurement, whereas a dry capacitance type sensor is used for humidity measurement. With built-in 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, RS-232/485, GPIB communications, and Web-based remote control, the controller offers the utmost in communications capabilities. The instrument weighs 5 lbs. and measures 9.50″ W X 6.75″ H X 5.50″ D.
Tidal’s Synergy Controller is a member of the Synergy Series of patent-pending hardware and software products designed to enhance the overall efficiency of the environmental testing process. The Series is comprised of the Synergy Controller, embedded Synergy Web Server Software, Synergy Manager Software, and Synergy UUT (Unit-Under-Test) data acquisition module.