Consider the task of performing a capacitance test using an LCR meter or a good multimeter such as the Fluke 287 True RMS Multimeter. If the capacitor under test is an electrolytic or film-based device, the main measurement concern is often just ensuring the capacitor is not under power or doesn’t have a stored charge–electrolytics […]
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Things to know about multimeters
For years, ohmmeters have been integrated into the electrician’s multimeter. This is convenient, because ohms and volt are the most-performed measurements. Also, only a single instrument must be purchased and maintained. Multimeters are further subdivided into ac, bench-type multimeters and hand-held, battery-powered multimeters. The hand-held instruments are more convenient. Most often just grab your handheld […]
Shedding light on frequency and wavelength
Today, an advanced multimeter such as the Fluke 287 in volts mode accurately displays frequency. High frequencies are displayed in a bench-type frequency counter, which can read above 100 GHz. At still higher frequencies, measurements are made indirectly via heterodyning to down-convert the signal. Using a diode or similar device as a mixer, a frequency […]
What’s all this triplen harmonics stuff?
Unless your background is in ac power, it’s possible you haven’t run into the term triplen harmonic. Triplen harmonics have to do with the third harmonic. Even-numbered harmonics do not normally exist in power systems due to symmetry between the positive and negative halves of the ac cycle. It is the odd-numbered harmonics that engineers […]
Don’t touch that! Things they don’t teach you in circuits lab
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 […]
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 […]
Finding fiber-optic cable anomalies
Optical fiber is a form of waveguide. The lateral dimension of a waveguide depends upon the wavelength of the signal conveyed. A waveguide is not capable of carrying a wavelength much larger than its diameter. Optical fibers are characterized by their core diameters. In single-mode fiber, the standard core diameter is 9 μm. Standard multi-mode […]
Researchers get a charge out of measuring eels with battery powered oscilloscopes
Next time you find yourself swimming around with electric eels, try grabbing one and then put the leads of a battery powered oscilloscope on its head and tail. According to University of Central Florida zoology professor Will Crampton, you’ll probably measure a voltage in the 700-V range. Crampton and his associates went to the rivers […]
Checking power line quality with test instruments
The average homeowner probably doesn’t think about the quality of the electrical power coming out of household wall sockets. But that’s not the case for large industrial facilities where capacitive, inductive, and non-linear electrical loads can be large enough to distort the ac waveform. In those cases, electrical power quality becomes an important measurement. Electric […]
Fluke test tools and protecting against arc flash
Fluke Corp. has manufactured electrical test and measurement instruments for decades, and these instruments have been well-known for accuracy, durability and great user-friendly interfaces. Maintaining those qualities, Fluke is now emphasizing electrical safety. This emphasis is apparent in Fluke’s new line of electricians’ hand tools, which are designed and built with the idea that after […]
