ABB NTLS01 — Compact, DIN-rail-mounted Temperature Loop Simulator for Field Calibration & Loop Testing

Let’s be honest—calibrating temperature transmitters or verifying thermocouple/RTD inputs in a live plant environment isn’t glamorous, but it *is* mission-critical. The ABB NTLS01 is one of those quiet workhorses you’ll find tucked into maintenance toolkits across refineries, pharma cleanrooms, and water treatment control rooms. It’s not flashy, but it’s precise, rugged, and designed to survive being carried in a tool bag between panels—and still deliver repeatable 0.02% accuracy on a Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Key Features

• True dual-function operation: Simulates both RTD (Pt100, Pt1000, Ni100) and thermocouples (J, K, T, E, R, S, B, N) — no swapping modules or firmware hacks needed. One unit covers ~95% of common industrial temperature sensor types.
• Live loop powering & measurement: Sources up to 24 mA while simultaneously measuring voltage or current in the same loop — ideal for testing smart transmitters without breaking the 4–20 mA path.
• Auto-ranging millivolt input (±100 mV): Lets you verify thermocouple cold-junction compensation directly at the terminal block, which in many cases catches wiring or grounding issues before they trigger alarms downstream.
• DIN-rail mountable + handheld flexibility: Comes with a sturdy clip-on housing that snaps onto TS35 rail, but also detaches cleanly for bench use or field walkarounds. From my experience, this saves about 15 minutes per calibration point when you’re hopping between cabinets.
• Backlit LCD with intuitive button navigation: No menu diving — most functions are one- or two-button presses. You might notice that the contrast stays readable even under harsh fluorescent lighting or direct sunlight (tested on-site in a boiler house).

Technical Specifications

Application Fields

The NTLS01 shows up where reliability matters more than bells and whistles: commissioning new DCS I/O cards in offshore platforms, validating HVAC sensor loops before handover in hospital HVAC systems, or troubleshooting intermittent temperature drifts in food processing ovens. One customer in Sweden told us they use it daily during winter startup checks — because its low-temperature performance holds steady down to −10 °C, unlike some battery-dependent calibrators that start lagging below 5 °C. It’s also commonly seen alongside ABB Ability™ System 800xA sites, where engineers appreciate the consistent scaling behavior across ABB’s own transmitter families.

Advantages & Value

If you’re evaluating this against alternatives — say, multi-function calibrators priced 2× higher — here’s what stands out: First, the build quality feels like it’s been stress-tested in real plants (which it has — ABB’s internal validation includes vibration, drop, and thermal cycling). Second, compatibility is baked-in: it handles ABB’s proprietary TC linearization curves without needing custom tables. Third, from a procurement standpoint, there’s zero hidden cost — no subscription fees, no dongles, no annual recalibration certificates required unless your internal QA mandates them. And because it ships with a traceable calibration certificate (NIST-traceable), you can often skip first-article verification in regulated environments — saving time on documentation overhead.

Installation & Maintenance

No special cabinet prep is needed — just ensure standard TS35 rail clearance (minimum 60 mm depth behind the rail) and avoid mounting directly above heat-generating devices like variable frequency drives. Ventilation isn’t critical, but don’t seal it inside an unvented enclosure above 50 °C. Wiring is straightforward: screw terminals accept up to 2.5 mm² conductors, and polarity markings are embossed (not printed), so they won’t rub off after repeated use. For maintenance: wipe the display with a soft, dry cloth every few months; check battery contacts if response feels sluggish; and consider a full functional check every 12 months — though in practice, many users report stable performance beyond 2 years without drift. Firmware updates aren’t applicable (no microcontroller OS), so no risk of bricking it during a “routine update.”

Quality & Certifications

The NTLS01 carries CE (2014/30/EU, 2011/65/EU), UKCA, and RoHS 3 compliance. It’s also UL Listed to UL 61010-1 (2nd Ed.) for safety in industrial test equipment — meaning it meets creepage/clearance and overvoltage category II requirements, which matters when probing near 24 VDC PLC backplanes. ABB backs it with a standard 365-day warranty — covering parts and labor, no questions asked if failure occurs under normal use. In our experience, fewer than 0.7% of units return for service within year one, and nearly all of those were battery compartment or physical impact related — not electronics failures.