A new platinum-based thermal convertor designed to measure AC current and voltages is being promoted as a new standard in accuracy.

Californian firm Precision Measurements has unveiled the EL-1000 series of thermal converters, with the new design "substantially" reducing the incidence of AC/DC transfer errors.

With the instruments used in a number of precision, high-accuracy contexts, the technology behind the thermal converters has to be exact.

The firm says that by using platinum leads in the device it has recorded a proven drop in AC/DC transfer errors.

Precision Measurements says it believes the new converter design is "a major contribution to the measurements world because of its high frequency current and voltage calibration that provides accuracies which have previously unachievable with traditional converters".

The device is designed to measure AC current and voltages up to a limit of 1mhz.