Gage interfaces allow the data collected from several manufacturers' gages to be manipulated and used together.
The gage is from Company X, another gage is from Company Y and the software is from Company Z, yet they will not “talk” to each other. Before scrapping either of the gages or the software, explore the option of gage-interface systems.
A gage interface is actually two devices: a protocol converter that converts the proprietary output from a variety of gages to a standardized output, RS232, which is easily connected to any PC, says Dan Sternbergh, president of Midwest Flex-Systems Inc. (Flint, MI). The other component, he adds, is a multiplexer that takes more than one device at a time and converts the data to a single output.