The domain of most electronics engineers these days is confined to voltage levels ranging from microvolts on up to a few hundred volts. But when electronic equipment fails or there’s a problem with facility wiring, these same engineers may, in a pinch, be called upon to do basic troubleshooting of power levels far beyond their […]
Meters & Testers
Grounding considerations for renewable power generation
It pays to know the difficulties that can arise when testing and evaluating ground systems for solar panel arrays and wind farms. Jeff Jowett, Megger Industrial wind turbines are typically 280 ft high and getting taller. Their height makes them prime targets for lightning strokes that peak in less than 10 µsec while producing tens […]
Looking for ghostly goings-on with a milligauss meter
Tune in to TV shows that are purportedly about ghost hunting and you’ll often see people wandering around in the dark with an instrument called a milligauss meter. A milligauss meter detects changing magnetic fields. (It won’t detect static fields as from a bar magnet.) When a milligauss meter shows a reading during a ghosting […]
Benchtop optical power meters handle optical light measurements
The Newport 1938-R and 2938-R Benchtop Optical Power Meters are the next generation of the popular 1936-R and 2936-R instruments. Combining the advanced functions of their predecessors with an up-to-date CPU, touch screen, Android OS, and high-bandwidth electronic design, the single-channel 1938-R and dual-channel 2938-R are ideal instruments for advanced high speed, modulated light measurements. […]
Review: Using the Fluke 438-II motor analyzer
Fluke has come out with another superb electrical measuring instrument. It is the Fluke 438-II Motor Analyzer. Owners of the previous Fluke 435-II Power Quality Analyzer can download an upgrade that will add Motor Analyzer functions to their existing equipment. Full documentation including specifications and owner’s manuals for both of these members of the oscilloscope […]
The difference between an electrometer and a Geiger counter
In 1895 William Roentgen observed X-rays although he could not explain their mechanism. The following year Henri Becquerel demonstrated that certain compounds of uranium emitted radiation that resembled X-rays. He showed this activity differed from the phenomenon of phosphorescence. The radiation seemed to be emitted continuously from the uranium. Did this violate the well-known principle […]
Non-contact voltage true-rms ac/dc clamp meters measure voltage, current simultaneously
The new Fluke 377 FC and 378 FC Non-Contact Voltage True-RMS ac/dc Clamp Meters are the only clamp meters that make accurate non-contact voltage measurements without test leads. The Fluke 377 FC and 378 FC True-rms clamp meters use Field-Sense technology to make testing faster and safer, all without touching a live conductor. You get […]
DMM/AFG/Scope/power-supply instrument suite targets teaching labs
A portfolio of Smart Bench Essentials (SBE) lab bench products deliver the power of four unique instruments, including a triple-output power supply, an arbitrary function generator, a digital multimeter and an oscilloscope, through one powerful graphical interface offering integrated data management and analysis capabilities. Keysight’s SBE lab bench products are reliable and capable instruments developed […]
Clamp meter optimized for photovoltaic system tests
A solar clamp meter can measure up to 2,000 Vdc and 1,500 Vac (using PVHV leads) during installation, maintenance, monitoring and testing of photovoltaic systems and standard ac or dc electrical equipment. The DCM1500S can also measure ac and dc current up to 1,500 A and offers a true RMS reading on the ac range […]
Kit verifies isolation effectiveness of RF shielded enclosures
The JRE TVK Isolation Tester can help verify the proper shielding isolation of RF enclosure test set-ups. This test combination, consisting of the STA-1, a sensitive handheld spectrum analyzer, and the HPSS-1, a high power 2.45-GHz test signal source, can easily and quickly measure enclosure isolation down to less than -100 dB. The TVK Isolation […]
