HV Testing (was:Re: Newbie's got a dead 386)

From: Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com <(Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com)>
Date: Thu Nov 19 09:04:41 1998

>>I'd recommend:
>>
>>1. Get one of those rubber holsters for the meter and allow only the
>>holster to touch the equipment.
>>
>>2. Make some test leads out of EHT wire. The sort of stuff that's used
>>for the anodes of CRTs and things. Maplin used to sell it (haven't
checked
>>recently), rated at 25 kV, and I'm sure other suppliers do too.
[...]

> I agree but that adds weight and bulk to an already overstuffed and heavy
> tool / parts case that I will not check through airline baggage. It is
> something that I have to do only a couple times a year so I realize I am
> taking chances and after the bite of 8Kv I tend to be even more careful.
I
> have some 40KV rated test lead which would work but it is bulky for use
on
> the road.
> Keep in mind that I used to be in 2 to 4 cities a week. 99% of the time
> with airline flights between each city. Weight and bulk is a BIG
> consideration then.
OK, point taken. EHT wire is lighter and no more bulky than test lead
wire, though, unless you want to measure currents bigger than about an amp.

FWIW my Fluke only comes out of its rubber holster when I need to change
the batteries (seldom) or the ammeter fuse (far too often!)

Besides, if I can fly all the way from Birmingham UK to San Jose CA with a
Tektronix 4052 (80 lb) in my baggage...

> The most important thing I was trying to point out with the first item in
> that post is NEVER assume the meter is correct. It will bite you.
Agreed 100% (as Tony would say). In the electricity industry, safety
procedures require you to test an EHT meter on a known good source before
_and after_ the measurement. While that's impractical if you're flying
around with no more test equipment than you can fit in a briefcase, a
useful principle to follow.

Philip.
Received on Thu Nov 19 1998 - 09:04:41 GMT