Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd. (REIL) was established with the purpose of empowering and improving the lives of rural communities by bringing electronics to villages. REIL holds a significant position in the electronics industry of Rajasthan.
The company is a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Rajasthan, through their respective institutions. It received the status of a “MINI RATNA” from the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Industry, Government of India in 1997. The company has been ISO 9001 certified since then.
With the introduction of Solar Photovoltaic technology in the nation and its potential applications in rural areas, our company began exploring this field by producing SPV Modules in 1985. Alongside SPV technology, we expanded our operations to encompass the manufacturing of Solar Photovoltaic based application products, sub-systems, and integrated systems. Many of these innovations were developed internally. In the SPV sector, our Company produces SPV modules and application systems such as Domestic Lighting System, Street Lighting System, and Chargeable Power Packs for rural, telecom, railway, and defense sectors.
The company has a reliable in-house Government-recognized Research & Development Division. This division has allowed the company to make significant enhancements in the technologies they originally adopted. They have achieved indigenization of the Milk Testing equipment and have incorporated the latest State-of-the-Art microprocessor designs, replacing the initial and older LSI designs. As a result, they have added more features and developed new add-on equipment to offer integrated system solutions.
A strong partnership with the Department of Electronics (DoE) in 1990 resulted in the creation of the Rural Electronics Technology Centre. This prestigious collaboration was followed by an Excellence in Electronics award from the DoE in 1991, showcasing REIL’s accomplishments in the field of Rural Electronics. The company’s commitment to excellence has been consistently recognized, with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology presenting them with the Excellence in Electronics award in 2001. REIL currently has an authorized capital of Rs. 150 Lacs (US$ 0.33 million approx.) and a paid-up capital of Rs 125 Lacs (US$ 0.7 million approx.).
The Company achieved a turnover of Rs. 59.88 Crores (US$ 13.30 Million approx.) for the financial year ending on March 31, 2005. The Agro Electronics Division commenced its operations in 1982, coinciding with the establishment of the Company. Over the past fifteen years, the division has garnered numerous accomplishments. It initially began with the production of Electronic Milk Tester in collaboration with A/S Foss Electric of Denmark. The division assembled the Electronic Milk Tester (EMT) through semi-knocked-down (SKD) kits supplied by the collaborator.
The Company quickly adopted and incorporated the technology, effectively adapted the product for local use, and developed it with micro-controller technology to meet the demands of Indian customers. As a result, the auto-zero EMT was launched in 1990. The Company also successfully integrated these products into a versatile system called the Milk Collection Station, which was developed internally.
The plant has up-to-date equipment for various stages of production, such as component preprocessing systems, automatic and semi-automatic component insertion machines, a Wave Soldering machine, an Automatic Cleaning System, advanced testing equipment, fault locators, digital storage oscilloscopes, and soldering/desoldering stations. To ensure the appropriate temperature, cleanliness, and uninterrupted power supply, the plant also has centralized air conditioning systems and an air shower. Additionally, there is over 500 KVA of DG capacity installed on the premises.
The department has a facility for manufacturing products in an anti-static environment. QUALITY ASSURANCE: There is a Quality Assurance department that is equipped with various test and measuring equipment including IC testers, LCR bridges, digital storage oscilloscopes, frequency projectors, stereoscopic microscopes, 3-D Co-Ordinate measuring machines, product life testing machines, and an environment chamber.
The Quality Assurance Group has a test & measurement facility for sub-assemblies used in the communication sector, specifically for Rural Automatic Exchange. In addition, the Company’s Renewable Energy Division entered the Solar Photovoltaic industry in 1985. Initially, it established a manufacturing facility for SPV modules and has since expanded its operations to include the production of Balance of Systems for various applications using its electronics manufacturing facility.
After Dearing and zero setting, the measurement process can commence. The initial reading after zero check/zero setting should not be recorded as it will be slightly lower. Hence, it is advised to measure the first sample after zero check twice and record the second result. Gently invert the milk sample a few times. Position the sample below the milk intake area and firmly press the ‘MILK IN’ button. Carefully withdraw the sample without making contact with the milk intake tube. Position a clean mix beaker under the milk intake in order for it to fit into the notch on the side of the EMT. Press the ‘MIX OUT’ button completely to dispense milk and diluent into the beaker. Move the mix beaker to the mix intake tube and align it so that it securely rests in the notch.
To operate the homogenizer, move the handle up and down three times steadily. After pressing the handle down for the third time, allow it to rest at the bottom position and the result will soon appear on the display. Completely empty the mix beaker and it will be ready for the next sample.
To end the measurement, place a clean and empty mix beaker under the milk intake tube. Then, press the ‘MILK IN’ and ‘MIX OUT’ buttons twice alternately to fill the mix beaker with diluent. Position the mix beaker under the mix intake and repeatedly move the handle up and down six times to flush the cuvette. Turn off the EMT.
To deair the homogenizer, ensure that no liquid is present at the mix intake tube before raising the handle. This will prevent air from entering the homogenizer.
Place the mix beaker under the milk intake tube and press the ‘MILK IN’ and ‘MIX OUT’ buttons twice to fill the beaker with diluent. Then, position the filled mix beaker under the ‘MIX INTAKE’ tube and lift the handle. Loosen the blader screw located on top of the milk intake valve. Allow the handle to drop naturally and then retighten the blader screw. Repeat this process of operating the handle up and down three more times to ensure that all air is removed from the system.
A check for repeatability is a simple way to verify that the instrument is functioning correctly. Leaks and poor connections can impact repeatability. To conduct this check, obtain a large, well-mixed sample and measure it multiple times.
Press the REPEAT button to set two decimal places on display. Note down the results and make-up table. Calculate the average result for the obtained readings. Compare each result to the average and note the difference. The difference for any result should not exceed the prescribed limits.
CALIBRATION: The purpose of calibration is to adjust the instrument to provide accurate results across the entire measuring range. Calibration consists of two steps: ensuring correct linearity and obtaining correct results when compared to a reference method. When measuring milk samples with different fat content, it is expected that the instrument will display these results within a small tolerance. If all results are uniformly higher or lower, it indicates satisfactory linearity.
Then, test the known high fat reference sample on EMT and adjust the appropriate ‘ADJUST’ screw until the correct value appears on the display. If the high fat results are too low and the low fat results are too high, or vice versa, then linearity should be adjusted as follows: Take one sample of high fat content, denoted as A, which is the average result of half value. Take another sample, denoted as B, which is the average result of the full value. Calculate C by subtracting 2A from B. Then, calculate D by subtracting 3 from Cx. From B, adjust with the CURVE screw up or down by D. After that, adjust with the ADJUST screw down or up to obtain a value of 2A. To get the full value, measure the sample in a normal way. To get the half value, place an empty mix beaker under the milk intake and press both the ‘MILK IN’ and ‘MIX OUT’ buttons to fill the mix beaker. Then, place the milk sample under the milk intake tube and press the ‘MILK IN’ button.
The circuit illuminates LED2 to indicate reverse polarity damage. However, it lacks measures to protect the IC. A diode can be connected in reverse to the IC’s common terminal, but this decreases the available charging voltage by 0.7 volts. Ten 1N4007 diodes (D2-D11) have been connected in forward bias to estimate the battery voltage. LED3, connected across diodes D2, D3, D4, and D5, illuminates at or above 2.5 volts, which is equal to 2.8V when the battery is fully charged.
Here, the voltage drop across the four diodes causes the glowing, indicating a charged battery. If the battery voltage decreases from prolonged use, LED3 no longer glows since the drop across D2, D3, D4, and D5 is insufficient to illuminate it. This suggests a weak battery. Microswitch S1 permits testing at any time desired. In consecutive cloudy days, the battery cannot charge. Hence, a transformer and full-wave rectifier are included, using DPDT switch S1 to charge the battery. This is particularly useful in areas with irregular power supply; the battery can be charged whenever mains power is available.
