Equipment Check Out and Use Count

activating | barcode scanning | frequency by use | status check

Use the Equipment Check Out feature to quickly issue out items while automatically creating an audit trail, tracking Use Count or Days, linking the Person, and connecting to a work order.

Quick Start Video

Watch a quick video to learn how to check-out Equipment in Calibration Control (our Calibration Management Software).

Activating the Check Out Dialog

Select the Check Out feature icon from under the Common tab of the menu ribbon.

Or right-click on the Equipment record from the Tool Browse grid and select 'Check Out' from the quick menu. This way the Equipment ID will be automatically generated in the Check Out dialog.

Check Out (Basics)

To issue out Equipment, select the 'Out' checkbox, enter a valid Equipment ID, and click the [Submit] button.

Enable the checkboxes next to optional fields to track the Person, Work Order, or Status Change related to the current Equipment Check Out.

Confirmation of Check Out will appear in the Response Area of the dialog:

Check In (Basics)

To return the Equipment, select the 'In' checkbox, enter a valid Equipment ID, and click [Submit]. Confirmation of Check In will appear in the Response Area of the dialog:

Check Out by Equipment System Name

Equipment System Names can be used in place of an Equipment ID only if the Equipment System Name is NOT all numeric, making it appear like an Equipment Master ID, and it does NOT have the same name of an Equipment ID.

Check Out with Barcode Scanner

Enable the checkbox for "Use Scanner" to enable barcode label scanning. Using scanner for field input will disable manual entry.

Using Scanner for Barcoded Equipment ID

The default barcode used in Calibration Control is the Equipment Master ID (a unique sequential number for each Equipment).

However, the Equipment Master ID can be overridden in barcode labels for an Equipment ID or Equipment System Name using the following format:

Upper Case A-Z (Capital Letters)
Integers 0-9 (Numbers)
Special Characters: Plus (+), Minus/Dash (-), Period (.), Forward Slash (/), Space ( ).
Note: Barcodes must begin and end in alpha-numeric form, surrounding special characters.

Barcode Recognition Order

Sometimes scanning barcodes in Check Out can reveal data conflicts, so it is helpful to know the barcode recognition order in Calibration Control. When a barcode is scanned, Calibration Control performs database tests to determine what information (string) the barcode contains. The string is searched for in the following order:

Is it an Equipment Master ID? (Default in Calibration Control)
Is it an Equipment ID?
Does the string appear in the Barcodes field of an Equipment record?
Is it an Equipment System Name?
Is it the ID of a Person? (if a Person entry is required)
If none of the above, the string will be placed in the Work Order field.

Equipment Use Count or Use Days

Some equipment or tools require calibration after a certain number of uses or days used, as opposed to a time interval (e.g., by units of months or years). We refer to tools with this kind of Calibration Frequency as Equipment Use Count or Equipment Use Days.

Tracking Uses: The Increment field in the Check Out dialog only affects Equipment Use Count and Equipment Use Days, and only if its Next Calibration date is not overridden.

Increment Value: By default, the Use Count Increment during Check Out equals zero (0), and Check In equals one (1).

Manual Override: Increasing the Increment that automatically appears in the Check Out dialog will override the default values to apply the new value to that Equipment Use Count.

Default Increments in Check Out

The Response Area of the Check Out dialog will recognize Equipment Use Count / Days.

Equipment Use Count (+1 per Use)

The default Increment during Check Out is zero, increasing the Use Count by nothing. Equipment Use Count updates during Check In to increase by one (1), the default value. In other words, return the tool or check it out again (if applicable) to add one count of usage in the Equipment record.

Equipment Use Days (+1 per Day)

Check In increases the Use Count (Days) by one (1) Increment for each day the Equipment was checked out. The nature of this calibration frequency is time -sensitive so tracking days of usage also occurs during Check Out and may update the Use Count (Days):

If the tool is checked out multiple times (before Check In), then Calibration Control will apply its automated algorithm to count the number of days this tool has been out and used.
If the previous Check Out occurred on another date, then the Use Count (Days) adds one Increment for each day, just like Check In would.
If the previous Check Out occurred on the same date, then there is nothing to change.
Note that if Check In occurs on the same day as Check Out, by default, it counts as one day of usage.

Options: Admin settings to prevent (multiple) Check Out before Check In is located in Options.

Verify Check Out Status

Current Status: In the Equipment dialog, select the Other tab to verify the current Check Out status with the Person (if applicable) and date. The Use Count is also visible, which resets to 0 after calibration.

Override Count: This area can also be used to manually alter the Use Count or Check Out Status.

Check Out Activity: All Equipment Check Out activity is automatically logged in the Notes tab of the Equipment dialog. Double-click any note to view or edit.