Warm-Up Time

The warm-up time is the period that must elapse after a measuring device is switched on before it can reliably and accurately display measured values within its specified accuracy.

For some devices, this time is only a few seconds and may not be documented separately in the device’s manual. In such cases, it’s usually sufficient to wait for the device firmware to start, as no components need significant thermal stabilization.

However, the warm-up time can extend to several minutes if certain components require specific thermostating or if there is a major power consumer within the device that acts as a source of waste heat. In these situations, it is necessary to wait until thermal equilibrium has been achieved between all components.

Ignoring the warm-up time can lead to considerable measurement errors.