Clare HIPOT Testing

Safe

HIPOT Testing

from Clare
The Horizon II, the latest generation of wiring analyser from Clare Instruments, incorporates several new features and capabilities which extend its range beyond validation testing of cables, connectors and harnesses up to 1500 DC/1067V AC.

The all-in-one high voltage wiring analyser meets the requirement for an easy-to-use, fully integrated and flexible data management tool offering virtually unlimited data storage and reporting capabilities.

A new label printing capability allows the user to control fonts, logo, columns, barcode serialisation and user-defined fields such as test results, custom strings, product name, date/time, operator ID, batch/lot no.

Remote control via TCPIP (internet) allows the instrument to be server-controlled so that test information and results are stored, launched and printed from a central server, while a remote desktop capability allows test engineers to access it from a PC using Windows standard networking setup.

An expanded I/O (up to 11) for use in an integrated PLC-controlled assembly environment enables Horizon to become a ‘slave’ to an automated process or system where multiple I/O is needed for ‘start’, ‘stop’ ‘pass’, ‘fail’, ‘re-test’, ‘select test’, ‘pause/continue’ and other control commands.

A text-to-speech capability allows Horizon to ‘speak’ to an operator by calling out test status (pass/fail) and operator instructions while an enhanced serial number generation capability through user-defined scripts eliminates conventional restrictions tied to alfa-numeric only serial number generation methods

Product features a powerful built-in PC with flash memory and comes with three standard I/0 and a facility to add a further eight for a total of 11 I/0.

Up to 128-point testing can be carried out with the Horizon II while the product’s versatility enables expansion up to 1024 points, with the capability of switching 1A and HiPot testing up to 1500v DC and/or 1067V AC. It also performs advanced parametric tests such as measurement of passive components and semi active components such as varistors, thyristors, MOVs, zeners and relays.

Electrical Safety Test Equipment Repairs - Insulation Testing - Earth Bond Testers

Clare SwitchSmart

An improvement in the connection of high current or high voltage electrical test equipment to multiple test points or products is provided by Clare’s modular switch scanner, SwitchSmart.

SwitchSmart’s used for the simultaneous and automated testing of units such as transformers, motors or electrical system devices, which require earth/ground bonding or high voltage HiPot/flash dielectric testing.

It has been designed to interface directly with Clare’s high performance Elite electronic product safety testing system or operate independently within larger system integration/automation applications.

Product features 16 switching ports type SPST (NO), making the instrument flexible enough to handle the requirements of safe high voltage or high current electric testing. An easy-to-read, front mounted LCD display, housed within an impact resistant 4U 19 inch case shows the real-time status of each switch port.

The number of points that can be connected is almost limitless due to SwitchSmart’s modular concept (can be daisy chained), while it can be controlled by either RS-232 serial interface or digital control port. Maximum switching voltage is 3Kv AC, while the maximum switching current is 32 Amps AC.

Clare manufacture hipot testers - wiring analyzers & ground & earth bond testers

Safetest Luminaire Lighting Tester

The Safetest Luminaire Lighting Tester is an electrical safety lighting & luminaire tester from the UK's leading manfacturer of test products - Clare.

Meets all the requirements of “The Lighting Association Code of Practice” and international standard IEC 598 (incorporating BSEN 60598) and UL1598.

This innovative tester really is the complete solution for manufacturers of lighting products which need to meet electrical safety requirements.

Clare also manufacture Hipot Testers, production line safety equipment & flash testers.

Balfour Beatty use Clare Instruments Testers

Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES), is using an advanced tester from Clare Instruments to improve the electrical safety testing of its power installations.

The Power Systems division of the company focuses on the power industry and is a leader in the design, manufacture, installation, test, commissioning, and turnkey project management of EHV transmission and distribution substations including all associated civil work.

The company has replaced its previous electrical safety tester with a new HAL Combi to improve the accuracy and reliability of its product commissioning procedures.

The HAL can undertake a wider range of electrical tests on the substation control and protection panels produced by BBES and then provides detailed analysis of each individual panel including performance and outputs.

Stuart Glennie, supervisor at BBES based in Aberdeen, was impressed by the HAL’s safety features. He added:

“We opted for the HAL Combi as it proved to be far safer, and a much more compact test set than the one we were using before.”

This is an excerpt, read the full story here.

Useful Links

Clare Homepage

Contact Clare

HAL Combi HIPOT Tester Product Page

What is a HIPOT Tester?

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Hipot is an abbreviation for High Potential.

A hipot tester is an electronic device used to verify the electrical insulation in a device or other wired assembly that has the potential to fail & shock someone. It generally consists of:

1. A high voltage source.
2. A current meter.
3. A switching matrix used to connect the high voltage source and the current meter to all of the contact points in a cable.

Hipot testers may also have a microcontroller and a display to automate the testing process and display the testing results.

In normal conditions, any electrical device will produce a small amount of current leakage due to the nature of the product (voltage & internal capacitance). If the insulation within a product fails (due to a design flaw or fault), the current leakage can reach dangerous levels resulting in injury or even death to anyone who may come into contact with the product.

Hipot testing is used to test the integrity of the insulation of the product & a Hipot tester is the device used to provide this information.

In a typical Hipot test, high voltage is applied between a product's current-carrying conductors and its metallic chassis. The resulting current that flows through the insulation, known as leakage current, is monitored by the hipot tester.

Useful Links

Wikipedia page on Hipot & Hipot testing

Clare, part of the Seaward Group are the UKs leading manufacturer of high quality Hipot Testing equipment