The laws of thermal dynamics come into play, as well as the need to evaluate the temperature-control circuit operations sufficiently. It takes time for the incubator chamber to warm up (equilibrate) to the temperature control value set on the incubator controls. Once the chamber is at a uniform temperature (as evaluated by the four separate, but simultaneous, thermistor measurements), the temperature control-circuit operation can best be evaluated. It would be expected that the temperature be controlled within the accuracy band provided in the incubator manufacturer's specifications.

The INCU uses a hot-wire anemometer to measure air flow within the incubator. Since heat and enriched oxygen environments don't mix due to increased potential for flammability, evaluating the oxygen concentration should be done separately from the rest of the testing. Fluke Biomedical offers the max02 PLUS AE Oxygen Monitor, ideal for this type of analysis.

Although the INCU PC software wasn't originally designed to export data directly to EXCEL, this option does exist. The INCU Operator's Manual, Appendix C, contains the data file format for exporting INCU data to a database. Converting the saved INCU data file to a semicolon delimited file will help in importing the data into EXCEL. The process may take several steps.

INCU data format: