Cirris 4200 - 2 Testing Basics; Types of Tests

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Cirris 4200 Series User Manual
2. Testing Basics
2.1 Types of Tests
The 4200 Series allows you to customize which tests you want to run on a cable. While the tester will always perform a
low voltage test, you can choose to include a high voltage or intermittents test.
■ Low Voltage Test
Low voltage testing catches errors such as shorts and opens by applying current to a wire and measuring the voltage. The
wire will have a current aected by several factors including resistance and components. If the wire is connected correctly,
the test will read low resistance. That means current is owing through the wire as expected and reaching the required
connections. If the tester reads high resistance it means something is impeding the current from reaching its destination.
This could be caused by a number of errors:
● Open error: meaning the connection isn’t secure and the current can’t reach the destination.
● Miswire error: The wire is connected to the wrong point.
● Incorrect test setting: A test setting is set to an incorrect value or has another mistake.
■ High Voltage Test
A high voltage or hipot test checks for good isolation. Having good isolation helps to guarantee the safety and quality of
electrical circuits. If the points are isolated, no current will ow between points where there should be no current. A hipot
test takes two conductors that should be isolated and applies a very high voltage between the conductors. If too much
current ows the points are not well isolated and they fail the test.
Hipot tests are helpful in nding:
● Nicked or crushed insulation.
● Stray wire strands or braided shielding.
● Conductive or corrosive contaminants around the conductors.
● Terminal spacing problems.
● Tolerance errors in IDC cables.
All of these conditions might cause a device to fail.
There are three common high voltage tests.
● Dielectric Withstand Test: Determines that a cable can withstand voltage for a certain amount of time.
● Insulation Resistance Test: Determines that cable’s insulation is sucient.
● Dielectric Breakdown Test: Determines how much voltage the cable can tolerate before it fails. Once the cable fails,
it is usually damaged or destroyed. Cirris testers do NOT perform this type of high voltage testing in any shape or
form.
■ Intermittents Test
Since intermittent problems are just that--intermittent--they are much more dicult to nd than solid defects. Intermittent
errors are usually caused by a mechanical change: temperature, mechanical vibration, or physical exing, which changes
(temporarily) the electrical characteristics of the cable. The Intermittents Test allows the user to check for potential defects
by moving the cable while the tester continuously checks continuity. If any failure is detected—even momentarily, the test
will fail.