Doble DTA Pro vs Doble DTA Basic Software for the Doble M4000 / M4100 - Which One Do I Need?

Doble DTA Pro vs Doble DTA Basic Software for the Doble M4000 / M4100 - Which One Do I Need?
A lot of today's electrical test equipment is designed around being computer-driven, using a manufacturer's specific application software. If you are performing tests using the Doble M4000 or M4100, you will be using Doble Test Assistant or DTA software, and there's more than one version of it. DTA "Basic" would be more of a foundational version of the software with all of the essential functionality necessary for performing power factor tests. DTA "Pro" is a more feature-enabled version of the software with a few additional bells and whistles that could be critical time-savers. I want to bring an awareness to the differences between these two versions of software so that you can make informed decisions about what you might value in the way of features and which one of these software versions will be most useful for you.
The main difference between the licensed DTA Pro software and the DTA Basic freeware relates to access to pre-programmed test sequences. "I can't select an apparatus they they're all grayed out all except for miscellaneous." Well this is my first clue that a person is using the DTA Basic version when they were expecting the functionality and ease of use that would go along with using DTA Pro. Unfortunately what that could mean is that we're not able to perform the testing that we had hoped to accomplish because we don't have access to the pre-programmed set of tests for the apparatus that we're wanting to work on. To be clear, someone that has DTA Basic can perform power factor testing without having a pre-programmed set of test sequences for a specific type of apparatus; but on the other hand, if they're going to do so, it'll take a bit of time to set up those test sequences and a clear understanding of the insulation system for the type of apparatus that they're going to be testing. So the first difference between the two versions of DTA software relates to having pre-programmed test plans for the type of apparatus that they're wanting to test in the DTA Pro version of the software as opposed to having to take the time to build those tests in the DTA Basic version of the software.
Another difference between the DTA Pro and the DTA Basic is that when you make a specific apparatus selection, the software provides assistance in knowing how to make test connections for that test that you're wanting to perform. Since there are no options regarding the apparatus selection in the basic version of the software, there's also no specific guidance on how to make connections to the test equipment for the test that's being performed. It requires a bit more of an in-depth understanding of what's being tested and how to isolate the different components of the insulating system that you're working on.
Another difference that you will find between the basic and the pro versions is that the pro version offers FRANK- an acronym for First Response Analytics Knowledgebase. Yep, you're exactly right! Frank is a lot easier! Frank is a artificial intelligence that assists in analyzing the test results, and in so doing, it provides something of a grade for the test results at the completion of the test. The kind of information provided through Frank is based on industry standards, many years of empirical data, and scientific evidences, as well as historical trending and perhaps a number of other programmed parameters. It will also provide recommendations and explanations on what might be the cause for unexpected or deteriorated test results. It may even go as far as to offer suggestions relating to further investigation and next steps. The bottom line is that Frank isn't an enabled feature of DTA Basic and can only be accessed through DTA Pro software.
I hope that this short video is helpful when it comes to knowing the specific software requirements and expectations as it relates to the use of the Doble M4000 or M4100. do you need DTA Pro or are you good with DTA Basic? DTA Basic has the foundational features and components needed to access most of the capabilities of the M4000 power factor test set. However it doesn't provide many automated features and intelligence associated with the more feature-enabled DTA Pro version of the software. With regard to the DTA Pro, it offers some flexibility in apparatus selection, pre-programmed test sequences that are associated with those apparatus that you're able to select from, and also instructions on how to connect up leads for the test that you're performing. It does offer FRANK, which is an artificial intelligence to help in evaluating test results as well as providing some recommendations and explanations, and possibly even more. It's not been my intent to point out every difference between these two versions of software but to highlight some of the more glaring and impactful differences that could affect your time and ability to test.
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Pro Tip: Make sure you are getting the Doble DTA Pro software! ⚡⚡Comment below if you have any questions for Bret.