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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1
 
              INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT AND REPORT ON SCHEDULE
 
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders
of Phase Metrics, Inc.
 
   
     We consent to the use in this Amendment No. 4 to Registration Statement No.
333-48817 of Phase Metrics, Inc.; Air Bearings, Incorporated; Applied Robotic
Technologies, Inc.; Helios, Incorporated; and Santa Barbara Metric, Inc. on Form
S-4 of our reports dated October 14, 1998, with respect to the consolidated
financial statements of Phase Metrics, Inc. and September 6, 1996 with respect
to the financial statements of Air Bearings, Incorporated appearing in the
Prospectus, which is a part of this Registration Statement, and to the
references to us under the heading "Experts" in such Prospectus.
    
 
   
     Our audits of the financial statements referred to in our aforementioned
report dated October 14, 1998 also included the consolidated financial statement
schedule of Phase Metrics, Inc., listed in Item 21(b). This financial statement
schedule is the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility
is to express an opinion based on our audits. In our opinion, such financial
statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic financial
statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the
information set forth therein.
    
 
DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
 
San Jose, California
   
October 14, 1998