FLUKE ii900 and ii910 Firmware Update: New Acoustic Imaging Features for Leak Detection and Maintenance
FLUKE has released new firmware and features for the FLUKE ii900 and FLUKE ii910 Acoustic Imagers, helping maintenance teams detect compressed air leaks, identify mechanical issues and inspect partial discharge more efficiently.
The ii900-Series Acoustic Imagers allow users to visualise sound using SoundMap™ technology, making it easier to locate leaks and ultrasonic sound sources during routine maintenance inspections.
This latest FW5.0 release adds new functionality for the FLUKE ii910, including MecQ™ Mode for mechanical inspection, enhanced PDQ Mode™ features for partial discharge testing, and improved annotation tools for both the ii900 and ii910.
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VIEW THE FLUKE ii910
Why Acoustic Imaging Matters for Maintenance Teams
Compressed air, gas, steam and vacuum leaks can be difficult to locate using traditional inspection methods. They are often hidden, hard to access, or impossible to hear in noisy working environments.
The FLUKE ii900 and ii910 help maintenance engineers scan hoses, fittings, valves, conveyor systems and electrical assets to pinpoint issues before they become costly problems.
Acoustic imaging can support:
- Compressed air leak detection
- Gas, steam and vacuum leak detection
- Conveyor system maintenance
- Mechanical issue screening
- Partial discharge inspection
- Predictive and preventive maintenance programmes
- Energy-saving and uptime improvement projects
By making sound visible, FLUKE acoustic imagers help teams identify where a problem is coming from, capture evidence, prioritise repair work and improve reporting.
How Much Can Compressed Air Leaks Cost?
Compressed air leaks can be a major hidden cost for manufacturing, processing and facilities teams. A plant with compressed air can waste a significant amount of its total compressed air production capacity through leaks, increasing energy usage and reducing overall system efficiency.
Leaks can also reduce system pressure, make air tools work less efficiently and place additional demand on compressors. Over time, this can increase running costs, shorten equipment life and create avoidable maintenance problems.
Finding and repairing leaks can help maintenance teams:
- Reduce wasted compressed air
- Lower energy consumption
- Improve system pressure and performance
- Reduce unnecessary compressor load
- Support ISO 50001 energy management activity
- Lower carbon emissions linked to compressed air generation
With LeakQ™ reporting, FLUKE acoustic imagers can also help estimate leak volume, leak cost and CO2 impact, making it easier to prioritise repairs and demonstrate the value of a compressed air leak detection programme.
VIEW THE FULL ACOUSTIC
IMAGING CAMERA RANGE
New ii900-Series Features in the FW5.0 Release
The FW5.0 firmware release introduces several new features and product improvements across the FLUKE ii900-Series Acoustic Imagers.
MecQ™ Mode
MecQ™ Mode is available for the FLUKE ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager and is designed to help locate potential mechanical issues, particularly in conveyor systems and rotating assets.
It gives maintenance teams a contactless way to scan equipment, identify areas of interest and schedule further inspection or repair before unplanned downtime occurs.
PDQ Mode™ Enhancements
The firmware release also adds new on-device PDQ Mode™ features for the FLUKE ii910, helping users inspect and document partial discharge more effectively.
- On-device classification of partial discharge type
- On-device visualisation of real-time PRPD on the main display
- Creation of a PRPD Plot image
Additional Improvements
- Action annotation for both ii900 and ii910
- Automatic saving of leak type annotation for LeakQ captures
- Translation improvements and updates
- Visual light camera performance improvement in low ambient light conditions for ii910
MecQ™ Mode for Mechanical Inspection
Mechanical inspection: on-device feature to detect potential mechanical issues.
The FLUKE ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager with MecQ™ helps maintenance teams locate potential issues in conveyor systems and other mechanical assets so they can be investigated during planned maintenance.
MecQ™ is designed for fast, contactless inspections where users need to scan large areas, identify unusual sound patterns and document the source of potential mechanical deterioration.
- NEW: MecQ™ Mode
- NEW: Pre-set MecQ™ frequency modes for optimised mechanical detection ranges
What Is FLUKE MecQ™ Mode?
MecQ™ Mode enables users to identify and localise areas of potential mechanical deterioration. It uses a similar user experience to LeakQ™ and PDQ Mode™, but is specifically developed for mechanical inspection applications.
By scanning a series of identical mechanical assets or components, the FLUKE ii910 with MecQ™ can help visualise potential anomalies and highlight areas that may need further investigation.
This makes the ii910 useful for first-line inspection of conveyor systems, rollers, bearings and other mechanical assets where early detection can help reduce unplanned downtime.
How Do FLUKE MecQ™ Modes Work?
Through simple-to-use MecQ™ sub-modes, the FLUKE ii910 offers more flexibility than traditional airborne ultrasonic tools that are usually limited to a single frequency.
MecQ™ offers predefined and customisable frequency bands, allowing users to filter and trend dB-level data at different frequency ranges while still seeing an image that pinpoints the source location.
FLUKE MecQ™ Offers 3 Different Capture Modes
| Capture Mode |
Description |
Image |
| Mode 1 |
30kHz mode, pre-set at a frequency of 30kHz only. |
 |
| Mode 2 |
User selection from 2-100kHz using a selectable frequency range slider. |
| Mode 3 |
Fixed multi mode with pre-set frequency bands at 15, 20, 30, 40 and 60kHz, with the option to toggle individual frequency bands on or off. |
FLUKE MecQ™ Tagging for Maintenance Reporting
MecQ™ includes a dedicated Mechanical tagging section, helping users document findings clearly and support follow-up maintenance decisions.
| Tagging Variable |
What It Records |
Image |
| Component Types |
Drop-down list including a variety of component types. |
 |
| Speed (RPM) |
Open numeric field to manually enter the speed in revolutions per minute. |
| Severity |
Drop-down list to select Low, Medium, High or Undetermined. |
How MecQ™ Helps Maintenance Teams
MecQ™ is designed to make mechanical inspection quicker, easier and more consistent for maintenance teams working across large sites or production environments.
Deployability
- Suitable for the wider maintenance team
- Supports preventive and reactive maintenance strategies
- Can be combined with leak and partial discharge inspection workflows
Uptime
- Helps reduce the risk of unplanned downtime
- Supports early identification of potential bearing failures
- Helps reduce Mean Time to Repair KPI
Efficiency
- Helps teams order spare parts before failure occurs
- Allows quick scanning of large areas of interest
- Supports energy efficiency by helping identify mechanical issues that increase energy consumption
- Helps reduce consequential damage through earlier intervention
Safety
- Supports contactless inspection
- Helps reduce the need for close-proximity checks in hazardous areas
On-Device PDQ Mode™ for Partial Discharge Inspection
With the introduction of FW5.0, FLUKE has brought PDQ Mode™ classification directly to the screen of the FLUKE ii910.
This helps electrical engineers, high-voltage maintenance teams and test engineers inspect partial discharge and document potential electrical faults more efficiently.
- NEW: Discharge type, including likelihood percentage
- NEW: Real-time PRPD pattern
- NEW: PRPD Plot image
What Is On-Device PDQ Mode™?
PDQ Mode™ helps users classify, visualise and document partial discharge findings directly on the FLUKE ii910.
| Feature |
Benefit |
Image |
| Classification |
On-device classification adds the partial discharge type, including likelihood percentage, directly to the FLUKE ii910. The identified discharge type is automatically saved in the Tag menu. |
 |
| Real-time PRPD |
Real-time visualisation of PRPD pattern is shown on the main screen of the FLUKE ii910 using data from live operating environments. |
 |
| PRPD Plot |
Following a PDQ Mode capture, the imager creates a PRPD Plot image which can be accessed from the imager memory, PC file explorer, online reporting tools and FLUKE Connect Desktop. |
 |
Action Annotation for ii900 and ii910
Action annotation is available for both the FLUKE ii900 and ii910, helping users document what needs to happen after an inspection.
This is especially useful when leak detection, mechanical inspection or partial discharge captures need to be passed to another engineer, planner or maintenance manager.
- Action required: Yes, No or Undetermined
- Action priority: Low, Medium, High or Undetermined
- Action notes: Open text field for additional comments
Action Annotation features help users document and communicate the urgency of required follow-up actions.
FLUKE ii900 vs ii910 Feature Comparison
The FLUKE ii900 and ii910 both support acoustic imaging for leak detection, while the ii910 adds enhanced features for partial discharge and mechanical inspection.
| Feature |
FLUKE ii900 |
FLUKE ii910 |
| LeakQ™ |
| Dedicated LeakQ™ Mode for optimised leak detection and localisation |
✓ |
✓ |
| On-device classification and quantification of leaks |
✓ |
✓ |
| PDQ Mode™ |
| Dedicated PDQ Mode™ for optimised partial discharge detection and localisation |
N/A |
✓ |
| Real-time PRPD Plot |
N/A |
✓ |
| On-device partial discharge classification |
N/A |
✓ |
| MecQ™ |
| Dedicated MecQ™ Mode for locating potential issues in mechanical equipment such as conveyor systems |
N/A |
✓ |
| Camera resolution |
Approximately 1.2MP |
5MP |
| Frequency range |
2-52kHz |
2-100kHz |
Who Should Use the FLUKE ii900 and ii910?
The FLUKE ii900-Series Acoustic Imagers are useful for maintenance and engineering teams who need to find problems quickly without shutting down production.
The FLUKE ii900 is well suited to teams focused on compressed air, gas, steam and vacuum leak detection.
The FLUKE ii910 is the more advanced option for teams who also need partial discharge inspection, mechanical inspection and wider frequency range capability.
Typical users include:
- Maintenance engineers
- Facilities managers
- Compressed air specialists
- Electrical test engineers
- High-voltage maintenance teams
- Manufacturing and production maintenance teams
- Conveyor system maintenance teams
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the FLUKE ii900 used for?
A. The FLUKE ii900 is used for acoustic leak detection, helping maintenance teams locate compressed air, gas, steam and vacuum leaks by visualising sound on-screen.
Q2: What is the difference between the FLUKE ii900 and ii910?
A. The FLUKE ii900 is focused on leak detection, while the FLUKE ii910 adds wider frequency range capability plus advanced features for partial discharge inspection and mechanical inspection.
Q3: What is MecQ™ Mode?
A. MecQ™ Mode is a FLUKE ii910 feature designed to help locate potential mechanical issues in assets such as conveyor systems, bearings and rotating equipment.
Q4: What is PDQ Mode™?
A. PDQ Mode™ helps users inspect partial discharge by visualising ultrasonic sound sources and supporting on-device classification and PRPD reporting on the FLUKE ii910.
Q5: Can the latest firmware be used by existing FLUKE ii900 and ii910 customers?
A. Yes. The FW5.0 release includes features and improvements for existing and new FLUKE ii900-Series users, with MecQ™ and enhanced PDQ Mode™ available for the FLUKE ii910.
Q6: Can acoustic imagers be used for compressed air leak surveys?
A. Yes. Acoustic imagers such as the FLUKE ii900 and ii910 are widely used for compressed air leak surveys because they allow maintenance teams to quickly locate and document leaks, even in noisy industrial environments.
Looking for the Latest FLUKE Acoustic Imagers?
The FLUKE ii900 and ii910 remain widely used for compressed air leak detection, mechanical inspection and partial discharge testing. For customers looking for the latest generation of FLUKE acoustic imaging technology, the current range includes:
The ii500, ii905 and ii915 build on the acoustic imaging technology found in the ii900-Series while offering the latest generation of FLUKE acoustic imaging capabilities.
If you're comparing acoustic imagers or replacing older equipment, our team can help identify the most suitable model for your application.