Fluke 179 Fluke Multimeters - Anatomy of a High Quality Meter Application Note
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- Fluke 179 | Fluke Multimeters - Anatomy of a High Quality Meter Application Note - Page 1
for. Some cheap meters say they're adequately safety rated and they're not. Selecting the lowest-priced equipment may be a false economy. Treating severe burns from an on-the-job electrical accident will cost more. Look for category and voltage ratings of test leads and multimeters. Appropriate CAT - Fluke 179 | Fluke Multimeters - Anatomy of a High Quality Meter Application Note - Page 2
or ac-rms to ground) 600 V 1000 V 600 V 1000 V 600 V 1000 V 600 V Peak Impulse Transient (20 repetitions) 2500 V 4000 V 4000 V 6000 V 6000 V 8000 V 8000 V Test Source (W = V/A) 30 Ohm source 30 Ohm source 30 Ohm source 30 Ohm source 30 Ohm source 30 Ohm source 30 Ohm source Fluke Europe B.V. PO
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Application Note
You’ve heard the war stories. The
unexpected jolt that knocked
someone off his feet. The digital
multimeter that turned to toast
because it couldn’t handle the
measurement it was hooked up
to perform. The guy who reached
into a tight space to adjust an
alligator clip and came out with a
little less skin on his finger.
If your job is to measure
electricity, the truth is, you’re at
risk of injury. When it comes to
testing and measuring electricity,
all that stands between you and
a nasty shock or worse is the
quality of the test equipment you
use on the job and the safety
precautions you take.
The hazards of working with
electricity aren’t new, of course.
But as electronic and electrical
systems become increasingly
complex, the dangers of measur-
ing its flow have increased and
unprepared technicians can
suddenly be faced with a simple
job gone bad.
For example, it’s not unheard
of for an electrician to find him-
self the victim of a transient
power spike that knocks him flat
before he knows it’s coming,
thanks to a big motor kicking
on or off somewhere upline.
Occasionally an electrician may
end up working with more
voltage and energy than he real-
izes. Choosing the best digital
multimeter is critical when you
work in such environments. It
can help handle an unexpected
situation, even if you wander into
dangerous territory.
The key is selecting a meter
with a high level of safety capa-
bilities. Here’s what to look for
next time you go shopping for a
meter:
Appropriate CAT ratings.
That’s a fancy bit of rule-making
by the International Electrotech-
nical Commission (IEC) that sets
the safety regulations multimeter
manufacturers must adhere to if
their products are marketed and
sold in Europe. The IEC is your
friend. The IEC has set four cate-
gories of electrical testing activ-
ity, ranging from Category I
protected low energy circuits to
Category IV installations where
high-powered lines can be
exposed to outdoor environments.
Meters designed to the IEC
standards will carry a category
rating and certification label. Use
them within their rated cate-
gories, and they will be more
capable of withstanding the haz-
ards caused by transients and
other dangers in today’s electrical
systems. Always make sure your
test tool category rating matches
how you’re using it, even if that
means switching from meter to
meter throughout the day. Better
yet, invest in a good CAT IV rated
meter and use it exclusively —
then you never have to worry
about which CAT level you are
working in.
Anatomy of a
high-quality meter
From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library
Look for category and voltage ratings of test leads and multimeters.
Safety-rated fuses.
You don’t
want a meter that uses just any
old fuse. Specially designed
high-energy fuses dissipate stray
voltage before it reaches you and
are designed to blow in time to
get you out of harm’s way. Don’t
make the beginner’s mistake of
substituting inferior fuses once
you’ve taken the meter home,
and don’t ever disable the fuse
on a job. Ten is a good number of
fingers to have, and you’ll want
to keep them all. Use only high-
energy fuses approved by the
meter’s manufacturer.
Component spacing
. Proper
safety design in a digital multi-
meter begins deep inside each
tool. Adequate spacing between
internal components provides a
measurable margin of safety, but
can be hard to check. Look for an
approval sticker by an independ-
ent third-party testing laboratory.
The lab has taken that model
apart and stakes its reputation on
the fact that the meter is as safe
as its manufacturer says it is.
Independent verification.
Don’t trust the word of just any
laboratory, though. Look for those
whose analysis has stood the test
of time, such as UL, CSA, and
TUV. Beware of wording such as
“Designed to meet specification...”
Designers’ plans are never a sub-
stitute for independent testing by
a reputable laboratory.
Best value, not lowest cost.
The truth is, you often get what
you pay for. Some cheap meters
say they’re adequately safety
rated and they’re not. Selecting
the lowest-priced equipment may
be a false economy. Treating
severe burns from an on-the-job
electrical accident will cost more.