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Frequently asked questions
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Can I connect an external alarm or auto-dialer to the TV2?
Yes. The TV2 has a normally open, dry-contact relay that closes whenever an alarm condition is active. Run a two-conductor cable from the relay terminals to a sounder, strobe, building alarm input, or auto-dialer. Several monitors can share one star-wired run into the same dialer input.
The relay is rated for under 30 V and is fused at 0.5 A, so it switches a low-voltage circuit rather than powering a device directly. Alarms are enabled per sensor with a high limit, a low limit, and a delay so that a door opening or a defrost cycle does not trigger the alarm.
With the optional auto-dialer the TV2 can place phone calls that play a sixteen second recorded message to a list of people you choose.
How do I copy logged data from the TV2 to a computer?
Use the free TView software over USB or over your local network. TView finds monitors on the LAN, downloads the log, and draws a chart on screen. You can download on demand or leave automatic download running.
With automatic download enabled TView writes a new file each month for everything logged during that month, so backups accumulate without anyone having to remember to do it.
Downloading does not erase anything on the monitor. The log stays in non-volatile memory on the TV2 whether or not you ever connect a computer.
Can I archive and print the temperature history?
Yes. TView prints the chart or a numeric listing for any period you select, which is what most auditors and inspectors ask for.
Archived files stay in the encrypted TView format, so the record you print later matches the record that was logged. Keep the encrypted files as the archive copy and treat spreadsheet exports as working copies.
How accurate is the TV2?
Accuracy is a property of the sensor rather than the display. Digital and thermistor temperature sensors are ±0.3 °C, humidity sensors are ±3.0 % RH, and the differential pressure sensor is ±0.002 in wg.
Every sensor converts its reading to a digital value before sending it to the display, so the length of the cable does not degrade the measurement. Sensors can sit up to about 200 feet from the monitor and still read accurately.
On screen the TV2 shows 0.1 degree and 1 % RH resolution. Downloaded data carries more decimal places for analysis. Each sensor holds its own three point calibration table, and NIST-traceable certificates are available.
Can the sensors be calibrated in the field?
Yes. Every sensor carries a three point calibration table that the user can reach through the on-device menu. Recalibration can be done by a metrology lab or on site by comparing against a certified reference instrument.
PDL offers one-point (CB1) and three-point (CB-2) NIST-traceable calibration with certificates, plus a swap-out program so you are never without a sensor while one is out for calibration.
Is TV2 data secure, and how does it relate to 21 CFR Part 11?
Readings are written to non-volatile memory inside the monitor and cannot be edited there. Files downloaded to a PC are encrypted with 128-bit encryption and can carry an electronic signature, and TView shows an indicator confirming a file is still verified.
That combination is what sites rely on when they build a 21 CFR Part 11 oriented workflow around the instrument. Exporting to Excel deliberately breaks out of the encrypted format, so keep the encrypted file as the record and treat the spreadsheet as analysis.
Compliance is a property of your validated process rather than of any single instrument. Your quality team should confirm how the TV2 fits your procedures.
Can the TV2 be reached remotely?
The monitor lives on your own network. Plug it into Ethernet, or fit the WiFi option, and any PC on that network running TView can view current readings and pull the log.
Data is not sent to a vendor cloud, and alarms are raised by the monitor itself rather than by a remote server, so an internet outage does not stop the alarm from sounding.
For access from outside the building, work with your IT team using the network application notes below. Text and email alerts travel out through your own mail server.
Can logged data be viewed as a table or in Excel?
Yes. TView shows logged data as a chart or as a numeric listing, and it exports to Excel for analysis or for combining with other records.
Bear in mind that the exported spreadsheet is no longer the encrypted record. Keep the original encrypted file if the data supports a regulated process.
How much history can I see on the display itself?
Touch any reading and the screen changes to a chart of that sensor's history. No computer is needed.
At a ten minute logging interval the monitor holds roughly a year and a half of history per sensor. Zoom out to see long trends, zoom in on a single event, or use trace mode to step through individual readings and read off the exact time and value.
How many sensors can one TV2 handle?
Four. Each sensor plugs into its own socket on a wired TV2-202, or pairs with the receiver on a wireless TV2-201.
A combined temperature and humidity sensor occupies two channels because it reports two values, so a fully loaded monitor can show up to eight environmental values at once. Temperature, humidity and differential pressure sensors can be mixed on the same monitor.
Can data download to a PC automatically?
Yes. Once the monitor is on your network, TView can download on a schedule to a PC or a server, creating a fresh file each month.
Automatic download is also what enables text and email alerts, since those are sent by TView on behalf of the monitor. The monitor's own buzzer, screen and relay work whether or not a PC is running.
Can the TV2 be password protected?
Yes. The on-device menu system is password protected, so alarm limits, logging intervals and the clock cannot be changed by passers-by.
Logged data is encrypted when it leaves the monitor, which protects the record separately from the menu password.
How does the TV2 fit USP 797 and USP 800 monitoring?
Compounding areas need documented temperature, humidity and differential pressure. The TV2 measures all three, shows them at the door where staff can see them, logs them continuously, and alarms when a value leaves its range.
Logging every few minutes produces a far denser record than a once-a-shift manual reading, and the same data prints as a chart for inspection.
Mapping sensors and alarm limits to your specific USP procedures is work for your quality team. The IQ and OQ protocols below are written to support that.
Why are there different types of temperature sensor?
Range and response differ. Digital sensors (DDI) cover -40 to 125 °C at ±0.3 °C and suit refrigerators, freezers and rooms. Thermistors cover -20 to 80 °C at ±0.3 °C. Thermocouples reach far colder and far hotter, from cryogenic storage up to oven temperatures, at accuracies that depend on the thermocouple type.
Choose wired sensors when you can run a cable and want the fastest update. Choose wireless when running cable is impractical; the transmitter sits outside the cold unit with the probe fed through the door gasket.
Immersible probes can sit in a bottle of glycol so the reading reflects stored product rather than the air, which stops door openings from looking like excursions.
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