Unwell Fluke 1652
- Thread starter JohnW2
- Start date
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Why must it be safety related ?
One possible reason is that they are going as far as they can down the road of 4 point measurements - at least the split socket could allow them to measure/compensate for contact resistance between socket and lead (and also PCB track resistance etc).
Indeed - it might just be a revenue-creating ploy
(don't forget, it's very probable that my old 1652 is in perfectly good working order, other than it thinks leads are not connected, an MK want ~£430 to 'repair' it {'by replacement}). I can think of just one thing that might conceivably be thought of as vaguely 'safety-related'. If one were measuring IR and was daft enough to notice that the (L and PE) leads were not connected, one would get an 'off the top of the range' reading (e.g. >500M), regardless of what the IR of whatever one was testing actually was! With anything other than IR, one would simply get no meaningful result (or, in the case of RCD testing, it would think the RCD was faulty).
I must be dim, because I can't see why that would be a reason for having a 'leads present' test. What am I missing?
Kind Regards, John
Not being conversant with your tester, is not the point of it to tell the meter where the actual lead is plugged in, so it can only do relevant tests to the lead position,ie not test current or test voltage with the leads in wrong hole
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No. There is only one set of 3 'holes' (L, N & PE), regardless of what sort of test one is doing, and the power-on-test refuses to allow the machine to work if it thinks (rightly or wrongly!) that the L and/or PE leads are not plugged in.
Kind Regards, John
Well if you are going to do a 4 point measurement, then you really want to know that your sense leads are actually connected.
But it could be nothing more than "we can do that, so we will do that"
Indeed. However, as I said to Rocky, there are only two leads which are tested (L and PE) - and if either of those is not connected, you're not going to get any 'measurement'!
Yes, possibly, although I have offered a more cynical suggestion! They might at least offer an option to turn off this 'functionality' for those who didn't want it!But it could be nothing more than "we can do that, so we will do that"
Kind Regards, John
Thing is, you might get some sort of reading, just not one that relates to the actual resistance being measured. The unit could driving a current through the load, but without sense connections it may well get erroneous readings - it all depends on the input circuitry as to what it'll do with an open circuit input.
As I say, it's only one possibility for why they've split the sockets like that.
I'm still a bit confused by whatever you're suggesting. This machine obviously does not offer 4-point testing. It has just two leads used for measuring ('low') resistance, and when they are plugged in the two halves of each split socket are shorted together by the inserted metal 'pin'. If one plugs in something (anything conductive and 4mm diameter will do!), but does not connected it to anything, then the display one gets is simply ">2000Ω".
Are you perhaps suggesting that the split sockets could be (but aren't!) used for 4-point measurement? One could certainly devise a plug which would allow a pair of probes to be connected to each socket, but I can't see how it would work, since everything about the 'socket' is totally symmetrical and the plug/pin is free to rotate, so it would be pot luck as to which of the probes got connected to which half of the socket.
Maybe (if/when I understand what you're suggesting!). However, simple answers are often the right ones, and the simplest answer would probably be that they split the sockets so that they could test to see whether the leads had been plugged in (for whatever reason!)!
As I said before, the one situation in which failure to plug in the leads could cause misleading (and potentially 'dangerous') results would be when measuring IR - since an apparently reassuring display of ">500MΩ" could simply mean that one had forgotten to plug in the leads - and I suppose there is also a danger if one used the machine to 'test for dead' on its voltage range (without 'proving' it) without leads plugged in! With any other measurement, there is no 'danger' - low resistance ('continuity') would display ">2000Ω" with no leads connected and attempts to measure loop impedance or to undertake RCD tests without leads connected merely results in the machine beeping at you!
Kind Regards, John
Do you plug these leads in prior to powering up, i read elsewhere it starts different if they are plugged in, as opposed to them not plugged in which i read is flukes preferred start method.
I assume you still do it the same way as you have always done without this problem.
I assume you still do it the same way as you have always done without this problem.
I can't say that I have ever noticed any difference. If one powers up with both L and PE leads connected (it doesn't test for the N one), it just works. If one powers up the machine with the L and/or PE leads not plugged in, it just displays "LEAd" and won't let you do anything else with the machine. However, if one then plugs in the 'missing' lead(s), it then starts working as normal.
Kind Regards, John
I take it thats what its meant to do and now it stays on LEAd.
Apparently the start sequence is internal so you wont have noticed and in the Manual it says power up with no leads in.
without reading 146 posts i assume you have tried starting it with NO leads in
Yes, I qas describing what a normally functioning 1652 does. As you say, with my old one the "LEAd" would just not go away, even with leads plugged in.
I'm pretty sure that will have been one of the first things I tried, but I'll try again when I have a moment, jsut to be sure!
Kind Regards, John
Just done that and it shows all the display figures, then clicks and shows LEAd.
Also, noticed, if you turn the dial, it goes to the relevant display screen but maintains the LEAd showing.
I don't know what that proves apart from it's "working" but waiting for the leads to be connected.
I don't know what that proves apart from it's "working" but waiting for the leads to be connected.
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