Brake testing Instrumentation
Turnkey Instruments Australia
On road and Off-Road Brake testing
At Turnkey, we have steadily built a reputation for accurate, practical and user-friendly brake testing equipment.
Our very first product was the Simret 3000, an off-road brake tester that was developed in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It quickly became the standard for instrumented brake testing in the UK and is widely used today in Australia, the UK and worldwide over twenty years later.
Since then, we have developed our range of off-road brake testing equipment to offer a comprehensive choice of brake testing solutions. All of our brake testing instruments have been designed, developed and manufactured in-house. We don’t supply any third-party testing instruments, so our expert engineers understand every aspect of our equipment.
Our brake testers are straightforward to use. Results are stored and, depending on the device, can be printed directly at the touch of a button. Results can also be downloaded to a computer for collating and printing, or to a mobile device if preferred. With our range of options, you can select the device and software or accessories that meet your specific requirements.
Simret 3000 Brake Tester
The Simret 3000 brake tester was Turnkey’s first product. Designed for testing the braking performance of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) this piece of equipment was developed in conjunction with the British Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Portable, straightforward to use and accurate to within 0.5%, the Simret 3000 has become the de facto standard for the brake testing of heavy vehicle and machine braking systems to ensure compliance with health and safety standards.
Heavy vehicle accidents are often caused by the deterioration of brakes, so regular brake testing is important in the prevention of accidents. The Simret 3000 can be used regularly to identify early deterioration of brakes, so that action can be taken before it’s too late: crucial to reducing brake failure-related incidents.
The Simret 3000 can be used in a range of conditions and environments because it will deliver accurate results regardless of ground conditions, vehicle speed or gradient. This has led to its wide use in mines, quarries and rail traction environments globally.
A foot pad is strapped to the brake pedal, and the user-friendly controls can be used to set the vehicle ID.
The test results are displayed on the backlit LCD screen and can be instantly printed by the vehicle driver if a printed version is required, giving immediate hard copy evidence for the specific test. All tests are time-stamped.
Up to 50 brake tests can be stored in the Simret 3000’s memory, and test results can also be transferred to your computer for reporting, storing and analysis using our WinSim software.
The Simret 3000 comes as a complete ready-to-use kit and includes a leather case for the tester and all its accompanying accessories.
We recommend that the Simret 3000 is recalibrated once per year, or earlier if the instrument self-test warns of a calibration fault.
Simret 4000 Brake Tester
The Simret 4000 is designed for testing the braking performance of off-road vehicles. It is compact and lightweight, with a large,
backlit screen and detachable printer.
The instrument is ideally suited to the brake ratio method of testing, which is recommended as best practice for rubber-tyred vehicles in quarries, open-cast coal sites and mines.
The Simret 4000 records average brake ratio, test incline, speed and stopping distance, and because the brake ratio is measured independently of gradient and speed, tests can be carried out in different environments and conditions.
How it works
The latest addition to our range of HGV brake testers, the Simret 4000 is the world’s first Bluetooth-enabled heavy vehicle brake tester. So there are no cumbersome wires or cables to worry about.
It is straightforward to use, with a clear user-friendly menu and single-click control. The pedal pad is simply fitted, by sliding its clip or wrapping its Velcro strap over the brake pedal.
A pass or fail light will be illuminated following the test, and more detailed results are displayed on the large, backlit screen. A printed record of the average brake ratio, test incline, brake delay time, stopping distance, and speed when braking was initiated, along with a brake ratio/time graph, can be produced straight away on the accompanying wireless printer. The Bluetooth-enabled printer can also communicate with other Turnkey instruments.
The Simret 4000 has a 4 MB internal memory, giving it the capacity to save up to 99 test results complete with graphs. It can also be used with an optional 2 GB SD memory card to provide even more data storage. The device memorises up to 99 plant descriptions, 16 test conditions and 4 brake types. All results are date stamped and annotated with test conditions, operator and plant description.
We recommend that the Simret 4000 is recalibrated once per year, or earlier if the instrument self test warns of a calibration fault.
BrakeSafe
The BrakeSafe testing unit is our portable brake tester, which comes complete with a built-in printer.
BrakeSafe is suitable for use by garages and authorised test facilities around the world. It is DVSA-approved by the GEA.
Compact and easy to operate, it
can be used to measure brake efficiency in cars, LGVs (large goods vehicles), HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) and PSVs (public service vehicles). The BrakeSafe also offers an HGV trailer testing mode.
Versatile and user-friendly, it can be used for testing on different classes of vehicles, making it ideal for organisations carrying out fleet testing and monitoring, as well as MOT centres and government traffic authorities.
- Equipment Identification Number: EINCBD10863A1019133
The BrakeSafe measures peak and mean fully-developed deceleration quickly and accurately (better than ±2 %g). For standard brake testing, the BrakeSafe does not need to be connected to the vehicle and can simply be placed wirelessly inside it.
For standard testing, the portable tester can be located anywhere in the vehicle. It is self-levelling, so will automatically align itself with the vehicle’s direction of travel, making it quick and easy to use as it does not need to be accurately aligned. This can save a lot of time if testing large volumes of vehicles in a test centre, or testing whole fleets.
To measure pedal force and delay time, the BrakeSafe can be connected to the brake pedal with a transducer.
The instrument has pass and fail lights to quickly demonstrate the status of the vehicle. The pass/fail threshold can be adjusted by the user depending on their specific testing requirements.
Test data can be printed instantly and saved with the date, time, vehicle identifier and operator ID. The BrakeSafe is equipped with a 2GB SD memory card, as well as an internal memory of 4MB, so data can be transferred directly from the BrakeSafe to a PC, or transferred later from the card.
microBrakeSafe
The microBrakeSafe testing unit is our smallest portable brake tester.
DVSA approved, it is suitable for use by authorised test facilities around the world.
The microBrakeSafe measures mean fully developed deceleration quickly and accurately (better than ±2 %g) which means results generated by this tester meet the latest standards for the EU and the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
Compact, self-contained and easy to use, it can be used to measure brake efficiency in cars and HGVs (heavy goods vehicles). The microBrakeSafe also offers an HGV trailer testing mode.
Versatile and user-friendly, it is ideal for organisations carrying out fleet testing and monitoring, as well as government traffic authorities.
DVSA approval number: EINBD10860A0211014
How it works
Wireless with Bluetooth connectivity, the microBrakesafe does not need connecting to the vehicle. If required, it can be used with Turnkey’s Bluetooth transducer to measure pedal force and delay time.
The device is self-aligning, so can simply be placed in the vehicle and will detect the direction of travel. It has a user-friendly menu and is operated with a simple single-click control. A pass or fail light illuminates to make the outcome of the test instantly visible to the user. The threshold for pass and fail can be adjusted by the user to meet specific requirements.
All test data is saved with date, time, vehicle & operator identity and more. These can be transferred directly to a PC, or transferred later from its SD memory card, for analysis or printing for a hard copy record.
The instrument can be preloaded with 99 vehicle names, 70 trailers, 16 test conditions, 4 brake types and 8 examiner names. It comes with a 4 MB internal memory and a 2 GB SD card for storing multiple test results.
BrakeSafe Classic
The BrakeSafe Classic is a practical, user-friendly device ideal for brake testing of fleet vehicles.
DVSA approved, the portable tester is popular and is suitable for brake testing of all types of road-going vehicles. The BrakeSafe Classic comes with its own built-in printer and has the memory capacity to store up to 50 tests complete with graphs.
Small and compact, it comes in a sturdy case with a karabiner to conveniently attach to a belt loop when not in use.
- VOSA-certified for MOT testing, all classes excluding I & II
- Suitable for all cars, HGVs and PSVs
- Measures and prints brake performance
- Portable and easy to use
NSN (NATO Stock Number): 4910-99-432-6857
How it works
The BrakeSafe Classic can be located anywhere in the vehicle and is self-levelling, so will automatically align itself with the direction of travel of the vehicle making it quick and easy to use as it doesn’t need to be accurately aligned. This can save a lot of time if testing large volumes of vehicles in a test centre, or testing large volumes of fleet vehicles.
It accurately measures mean and peak deceleration (better than ±2 %g) and the time to stop. The BrakeSafe Classic also evaluates the test speed, stopping distance and straightness of stop – it will clearly show if a vehicle is pulling to the left or right.
To measure pedal force and delay time, the BrakeSafe Classic can be connected with a transducer to the brake pedal.
Once the test has been completed, the results will be clearly shown on the device and can be printed straight away using the built-in printer. All results are date- and time-stamped and show the vehicle ID and test conditions.
The BrakesSafe Classic is equipped with a 2 GB SD memory card, as well as an internal memory of 4 MB, so data can be transferred directly from the BrakeSafe to a PC or transferred later from the card to a PC for further analysis or record keeping.
g-meter
The g-meter is one of our most popular and most straightforward brake testers.
g-meter is the ideal choice for garages and test centres. It is DVSA-approved by the GEA, It is also TÜV Rheinland certified.
the g-meter is practical, reliable and straightforward to use. It can also be used for testing heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)
Small, lightweight and self-aligning, it will automatically detect the vehicle’s direction of travel. This makes it quick and easy to use, as it doesn’t need to be accurately aligned – ideal if testing large volumes of vehicles in a test centre.
The g-meter measures peak and mean acceleration, as well as stopping time and calculating the stopping distance. Braking efficiency can be measured in %g or in m/s2.
The test reading is shown on a bright LED display. It is clear and easy to read, even in bright sunlight. It also retains the results of the most recent test in its memory. This data will be retained even if the instrument is turned off and will display until it is used to carry out a new test.
If you would like to record more than one set of test data on the device, Enquire about the g-meter plus.