The waveform looks normal but the spectrum shows unexpected peaks. What are the most likely causes?
The most common causes are: (1) Electrical interference—peaks at line frequency (50 or 60 Hz) and its harmonics indicate electrical noise coupling into the signal, typically from unshielded or improperly grounded sensor cables near power conductors. (2) Structural resonances—peaks at fixed frequencies that do not shift when machine speed changes. (3) Vibration from adjacent machines transmitting through the structure. (4) Loosely mounted sensors resonating at a lower frequency than their rated resonant frequency. (5) Aliasing—if the sampling rate is not appropriate for the highest frequency of interest, verify anti-aliasing filter and sample rate settings.
How do I know if a bearing defect frequency peak is from a bearing fault versus electrical noise or a structural resonance?
Three diagnostic checks help distinguish a true bearing fault: (1) Confirm the peak falls at a calculated bearing defect frequency (BPFO, BPFI, BSF, or FTF) for the specific bearing. (2) Check for sidebands—a true bearing fault in the envelope spectrum typically produces sidebands spaced at running speed; electrical noise and resonances do not. (3) Check whether the peak shifts with machine speed—bearing defect frequencies scale with RPM, while structural resonances remain fixed regardless of speed.
How long does the system retain historical data, and how do I configure data aging?
InsightCM manages data retention through configurable aging strategies set on the Server Configuration page. There is no single fixed default retention period—effective retention depends on the aging strategy configuration, data collection rate, and server storage capacity. For typical systems, waveform data retention is on the order of months to over a year, while trend/feature data is typically retained for several years. Navigate to Server Configuration in InsightCM and select Aging Strategies to review or modify settings. Individual data files can be protected from aging to preserve records of significant events.
How do I export vibration trend data or waveforms from InsightCM?
To export trend or feature data, navigate to the relevant asset in the Data Viewer, select the features and time range to export, and use the export function to save the data as a CSV file. To export waveform files, navigate to the asset in the Data Viewer, select the data set of interest, and use the download option. For bulk export or automated reporting, refer to the InsightCM User Manual for historian integration options including the tag-based output for AVEVA PI Historian or MQTT for other historians.
Can the system monitor assets that run intermittently or at variable speed?
Yes. The system is well suited to monitoring intermittently operated and variable-speed assets. For intermittent assets, configure the operating state trigger so the system enters the running state only when the machine is operating. For variable-speed assets, InsightCM supports order-based analysis and speed-normalized features when a tachometer input is configured. If no tachometer is available, restrict trend comparisons to data collected within a narrow speed band by using operating state speed thresholds.
What is the difference between a trend alarm and a spectral alarm for vibration assets, and when should I use each?
A trend alarm monitors scalar feature values (such as overall velocity RMS, 1× amplitude, or a bearing defect band amplitude) and triggers when values cross user-defined absolute thresholds or deviate from a stored baseline. Use trend alarms for overall health indicators referenced to standards or asset baselines. A spectral alarm monitors energy across defined frequency bands and is more sensitive to localized frequency-domain changes. Use spectral alarms when you want to monitor energy at specific fault frequencies independently of the overall level. The recommended approach is to use both: trend alarms on overall level and key scalar features as the primary health indicator, and spectral band alarms on known fault frequencies as an early-warning layer.
Can I configure the system to send email notifications when an alarm triggers?
Yes. InsightCM supports email alarm notifications. To configure them, navigate to the alarm rule for the relevant vibration asset, enable the email notification option, and specify the recipient addresses and notification conditions. Ensure the InsightCM server has been configured with valid outgoing SMTP email settings in the Server Configuration section.
What does it mean when an asset shows an “Off” state, and will the system still collect data?
The Off state is entered automatically when the system determines the asset is not running, based on the operating state trigger configured for that asset. During the Off state, the device continues to collect data at the interval defined for the Off operating state, but vibration-based fault feature calculations are not performed. The system automatically transitions back to the Default (running) state when the trigger threshold is exceeded again. If an asset shows Off state unexpectedly while the machine is known to be running, check the operating state trigger configuration—the amplitude or speed threshold for the running state may be set too high, or the reference channel may have a fault.
What is a normal approach to setting up alarm thresholds for a new asset?
Start with fixed absolute thresholds based on ISO 10816/20816 overall velocity limits as a safety net. In parallel, collect baseline data over several weeks of normal operation and configure deviation-from-baseline alarms in InsightCM as the early-warning layer. Review and refine both sets of thresholds after the first few months of operation once the asset’s normal behavior is well characterized.