ITTSB Blog - Quick test of FlukeView Forms 3.8 with CNX 3000 / Fluke Connect

[Kiriakos GR]

ITTSB Blog - Quick test of FlukeView Forms Software 3.8 (Full version) with CNX 3000 / Fluke Connect 


As is known all ready by older testing and comments of ITTSB Blog, this Fluke CNX 3000 concept of tools came with mediocre PC software, and this killed all the fun.

Regarding expectations I would be more forgiven if most limitations were limited to tablet / mobile phones version of this software.

At windows PC version, this Fluke CNX SW3000 software, or an actual copy of this named as Fluke connect software, found to have significant practical limitations.
The concept of both is based in the direction that the user will be able just to view on screen multiple readings coming from the wireless modules of this KIT, and this was all.
The expectation of the user that he can use those wireless modules by the use of the PC software for instant recording off all modules simultaneously was never fulfilled.

This limitation is tremendously significant, because the user have pay all ready the price for getting several wireless measuring modules, and the software looked like sabotaging the idea of combining all that hardware modules with it,  so this to work also as power quality data logger / Recorder.

CNX 3000 PC Software & Fluke Connect PC software is one and the same software, with different compatibility presets, for example Fluke Connect does not accept to collaborate with CNX 3000 USB Bluetooth stick and vice versa.

Within 2014 Fluke added in their FlukeView Forms Software (which is not a free product) compatibility for both CNX 3000 / Fluke Connect.
And personally I thought to test this software too, in order to discover if this has anything more to offer?
And I did tested FlukeView Forms Software full version, and not the Basic one.

The bad news is that even this software it did shown also as poor in comparison with Fluke Free SW3000 software.
Personally I have no major interest at importing data log recordings in to a paper sheet, and the potentials of Viewing Forms (software) is not what I was up to so to evaluate.
My major interest was to see the software engine which controlling all those wireless modules and my findings are very disappointing.

a) This wireless modules review window is more ugly that standard SW3000 software.

b) Despite the number of connected wireless modules this FlukeView Forms (Full version) it can record only one of them at a time.
This translates that three phase voltage or current recording simultaneously is not possible.

c) FlukeView Forms software has a poor graphic interface even as single module recorder.
This translates that you have much lower quality as visual representation compared to graph view mode of standard SW3000 software.
     

d) What this software helped me to further understand is that all wireless modules (excluding the multimeter) have their own calendar function and that their date-time stamps it can be updated or corrected.
This should be made at every batteries replacement, and I am unaware if standard SW3000 software does that too but silently?
I would expect that even SW3000 software will have at module setup properties window this option too, so the user to manually activate this synchronization between modules calendar with PC time and date.
This specific detail is undocumented in both CNX 3000 / Fluke Connect (supplied software).


Today that is June of 2015 and this is almost a three years time of official release of CNX 3000 series, by exploring all available Fluke software from past and up to date, all that I can say is that Fluke corp. acted with unbelievable amateurism.

These wireless modules does not come for cheap and neither this Full version of this FlukeView Forms Software which I had to beg so to acquire it as loaner just for this test.

What fellow electricians should keep in mind from my verdict is that if your major need is three phase power recording, you should look else ware.   
         
Additionally if you do the math of time needed so to extract and import in to a Fluke view form these logged measurement’s of three current clamp-on modules, you will discover that even this is a time consuming process.

The fact that causes more sadness to me as owner of ITTSB Blog which from the start my key role was to offer feedback so this to motivate new corrections, is that Fluke received also comments from other sources as for example EDN & EETIMES and it did ignored us all.

Keysight technologies acted a bit better and improved significantly the software interface of their Keysight Handheld Meter Logger (Software).
But this is still untested by ITTSB Blog in the regard of simultaneously recording of all wireless modules.
 
Bellow is some screen shoots of FlukeView Forms Software 3.8
 

[Kiriakos GR]

And few more.