Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
02-03 Introduction
04-05 Applications
06
Resistance
problems.
of
low
resistance
ohmmeters
and
Applications
There are many reasons why the
resistance of material is measured.
Here are a few.
Manufacturers of components
Resistors, inductors and chokes all have to
verify that their product meets the specified
resistance tolerance, end of production line and
quality control testing.
Manufacturers of switches,
relays & connectors
Verification that the contact resistance is below
pre specified limits is required. This can be
achieved at end of production line testing,
ensuring quality control.
Cable manufacturers
Must measure the resistance of the copper
wires they produce, resistance too high means
that the current carrying capability of the cable
is reduced; resistance too low means that the
manufacturer is being too generous on the
cable diameter using more copper than he
needs to, which can be very expensive.
Installation & maintenance of power
cables, switchgear & voltage tap changers
These require the cable joints and switch
contacts to be of the lowest possible resistance
RESISTANCE
Resistance
Volt
Resistance =
Amp
Volt
Current
Where:
I = Electrical
Current (Amperes)
V = Voltage (Voltage)
R = Resistance (Ohms)
V
R
PRINCIPLES OF RESISTANCE
MEASUREMENT
Ammeter Voltmeter method
This method goes right back to basics. If we use
a battery as our voltage source, a voltmeter to
measure the voltage and an ammeter to measure
the current in the circuit, we can calculate the
resistance with reasonable accuracy.
Whilst this method can provide good
measurement results, it is not a practical
solution to everyday measurement needs.
6
DMM
Test meter Terminals
R1
R3
R2
Connection resistance
R4
RX
DMM measures:- Rx + R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
TABLE 1
Examples of possible measurement errors
RX
Test lead
resistance R1 + R2
Connection
resistance R3 + R4
Rx measured at DMM
terminals = Rx + R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
Error
Error %
1000
0.04
0.04
1000.08
0.08
0.008
100
0.04
0.04
100.08
0.08
0.08
10
0.04
0.04
10.08
0.08
0.8
0.04
0.04
1.08
0.08
100 m
0.04
0.04
180 m
0.08
80
10 m
0.04
0.04
90 m
0.08
800
1 m
0.04
0.04
81 m
0.08
8000
100
0.04
0.04
m
Digital80.1
ohmmeters
8000
wire0.08
connection
Voltage measured
across Rx
Voltage measured
across ohmmeter
internal standard
RX
Rstd
Current I
Current I
Voltage measured
across Rx
RX
Constant
current
source
Current flow
P1
C1
Position of connection
when using Kelvin clips
Duplex Handspikes
Handspikes offer another very practical
connection solution particularly for sheet
material, busbars and where access can be a
problem. The handspike consists of two sprung
spikes enclosed in a handle. One spike is the
current connection and the other is the potential
or sense connection.
Current spikes
Potential spikes
P1
C
P
Current Connection
Potential Connection
P1
C1
C1
Duplex handspikes being used to measure busbar joint resistance
Position of connections
when using stacked leads
measurement between
C1
Potential
lead C
Measurement
point
P2
Cable clamps
10
Copper
Cold junction
= 20 C
Emf generated
Hot junction
= 30 C
No Emf generated
Hot junction
= 30 C
Nickel
Copper
Cold junction
= 20 C
Copper
V1
Vemf
V2
P1
C1
C1
P1
12
105
Resistance
Temperature influences
It is important to be aware that the resistance
of most materials will be affected by their
temperature. It may be necessary, depending
upon the accuracy of measurement required,
to control the environment in which the
measurement is made, thus keeping the
ambient temperature constant. This would
be the case when measuring resistance
reference standards which are measured in a
o
o
controlled laboratory at either 20 C or 23 C.
For measurements where controlling the
ambient temperature is not possible, the ATC
(automatic temperature compensation)
facility can be used. A temperature probe,
connected to the ohmmeter, senses the
ambient temperature and the resistance
reading is corrected to a reference
o
temperature of 20 C. Two of the
most
common materials measured are copper and
aluminium and their temperature coefficients
are illustrated opposite.
0.1
20 C
Temperature
30 C
13
Resolution
60
10 m
1 mA
1 m
10 mA
600 m
100
100 mA
60 m
10
1A
6 m
10 A
600
0.1
10 A
Measurement Current
Range:
The maximum reading possible at that setting
Resolution:
The smallest number (digit) displayed for that
range
Measurement Current:
The nominal current used by that range
Accuracy:
Uncertainty of the measurement over the
o
ambient temperature range 15 to 25 C
Temperature Coefficient:
The additional possible error below ambient
o
o
temperature of 15 C and above 25 C
When selecting the best instrument for your
application the following should be taken into
consideration:Accuracy can be better described as the
uncertainty of measurement, which is the
14
Accuracy @ 20 oC
C, 1 year
Temperature Coefficient / oC
40 ppm Rdg + 30 ppm FS
40 ppm Rdg + 30 ppm FS
40 ppm Rdg + 30 ppm FS
40 ppm Rdg + 30 ppm FS
40 ppm Rdg + 30 ppm FS
40 ppm Rdg + 250 ppm FS
Accuracy =
Resolution =
0.00001 digits ( 10
Measured
Values
1.000
2.000
3.000
4.000
1.999
1.000
Range up
Range up
Range up
19.99
2.00
3.00
4.00
2.000
Display reading
1.000
2.000
Range up
3.00
Range up
4.00
3.000
1.000
2.000
3.000
Range up
30.00
4.000
4.00
1.000
2.000
3.000
4.000
40.000
15
Temperature coefficient
The temperature coefficient of a measuring
instrument is important as it can significantly
affect the accuracy of the measurement.
Measuring instruments are normally calibrated in
an ambient temperature of 20 or 23 OC. The
temperature coefficient states how the
measured accuracy is affected due to variations
in ambient temperature.
Current Magnitude and Mode
Selecting an instrument with the appropriate
measuring current for the application is
important. For example, if thin wires are to be
measured, then a high measuring current would
heat the wire and change its resistance value.
Copper wire has a temperature coefficient of 4%
per OC at ambient temperatures, so for a wire
with a 1 resistance, raising the temperature by
10 OC will increase its value to 10 x 0.004 =
0.04. Some applications, however, benefit
from higher currents.
The measurement current mode can also be
important. Again, when measuring thin wires, a
short measurement pulse of current rather than
using a continuous current, will minimise any
heating effect. A switched DC measuring mode
may also be appropriate to eliminate thermal
emf errors, but for measuring motor windings or
transformers, a current pulse or switched DC
would be inappropriate. Continuous current is
required to saturate inductance giving the
correct measured value.
Automatic Temperature Compensation
When measuring materials with a high
16
TABLE
Ohmmeter selection chart
Ohmmeter
Automotive
Aerospace
Cable
Calibration
Labs
Calibration standards
Drivers and
electrical
machines
Distribution
Catalogues
Manufacturing
Utilities
electrical Gas
and Water
Military
17
APPLICATION EXAMPLES
The applications for resistance measuring
instruments are very wide ranging. Described
below are a few of the more common ones.
P
C
P1
Resistance element
C1
Rstd
101.00 m
P
C
18
Using a two
terminal DMM
measurement on a
four terminal
standard will give
large errors
P1
Rstd
C1
Ohmmeter 4 terminal
measurements
101.00 m
P1
P
C
C1
P1
Four terminal
measurements with
Ohmmeter current
and potential leads
crossed will give
errors
C1
Rstd
Ohmmeter 4 terminal
measurements
101.00 m
P1
P
C
C1
P1
Rstd
Current and
potential leads
correctly connected
for accurate
four terminal
measurements
C1
128.50 m
Current
P Potential
Potential P1
C1
Current
1 Meter
Influence of Temperature
All wires and cables have a temperature
coefficient; their resistance value will vary
according to the temperature. Some materials
have a relatively high temperature coefficient (e.g.
o
copper = 3930ppm/ C) and the measured
resistance value will depend upon the
temperature. This temperature is influenced by
the ambient temperature changes and the
heating effect caused by the measurement
current. The effect of ambient temperature
changes can be compensated for using the ATC
TABLE 3
Change in resistance with temperature
20
MATERIAL
TEMP. COEFFICIENT
Resistance @ 20 oC
Resistance @ 23 oC
Copper
3930 ppm / oC
0.001
0.01279
Aluminium
4100 ppm / oC
0.001
0.0133
Measurement solutions
Temperature rise
Resistance
22
Rhot - Rcold
Rcold (TC)
T=
1.7654 - 1.3245
1.3245 (0.003930)
= 84.702 C
TABLE
Cooling resistance measurement plotted agianst time
T=
23
24
Aircraft bonding
All metal parts installed in an aircraft must be
electrically connected together (Bonded). This
includes all parts of the airframe. This electrical
bonding of the airframe ensures that the Faraday
cage protection is complete. In the case of
lightning strikes on the aircraft, it will ensure that
all the current from the lightning strike will flow
through the aircraft outer skin only. This
safeguards the aircraft from the lightning current
flowing haphazardly though the aircraft and
damaging avionic systems essential to the
aircraft safety. Aircraft manufacturers have strict
procedures for measuring the bonding
resistance, both in production and maintenance.
Ohmmeters used to measure this bonding
resistance must be accurate, reliable, and able to
measure with long leads. Ohmmeters in the
Cropico range fulfill these criteria and are used
by major aircraft manufacturers and operators.
Name
Symbol
Factor
Name
Symbol
1015
1012
109
106
103
102
101
peta
tera
Giga
Mega
Kilo
Hector
deka
P
T
G
M
k
h
da
10-1
10-2
10-3
10-6
10-9
10-12
10-15
deci
centi
millo
micro
nano
pico
femto
d
c
m
n
p
f
TABLE B
Temperature
Required Temperature
Known Temperature
o
Celsius
Celsius
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit
Kelvin
Kelvin
C
C
o
F
o
F
K
K
Celsius C
to
to
to
to
to
to
Fahrenheit
Kelvin
Celsius
Kelvin
Celsius
Fahrenheit
F
K
o
C
K
o
C
o
F
Fahrenheit F
Formulae
o
F=(1.8 X oC)+32
K=oC+273.15
o
C=(oF-32)/1.8
K=(oF+459.67)/1.8
o
C=K-273.15
o
F=(1.8xK)-459.67
Kelvin K
100 C
212 F
373.15 K
Room temperature
20 C
68 F
293.15 K
0 C
32 F
273.15 K
Absolute zero
-273.15 C
-459.67 F
0K
25
TABLE C
Temperature coefficients conductivity and resistivity of resistance, at 20 oC
Material
Symbol
Nickel
Iron
Tungsten
Aluminium
Copper
Silver
Platinum
Gold
Zinc
Steel
Manganin
Constantan
Ni
Fe
W
Al
Cu
Ag
Pt
Au
Zn
FeC
CuMnNi
CuNi
Element
Element
Element
Element
Element
Element
Element
Element
Element
Alloy
Alloy
Alloy
Temperature ocoefficient
per C
Conductivity per -m
Resistivity -cm
0.005866
0.005671
0.004403
0.004100
0.003930
0.003819
0.003729
0.003715
0.003847
0.003
+/- 0.000015
-0.000074
1.43 x 107
1.03 x 107
1.89 x 107
3.77 x 107
5.95 x 107
6.29 x 107
0.96 x 107
4.55 x 107
1.69 x 107
0.502 x 107
0.207 x 107
0.20 x 107
6.93
9.66
5.28
2.65
1.67
1.59
10.5
2.21
5.92
16.62
48.21
48.20
26
TABLE D
Wire gauges and resistivity
AWG
Diameter
Copper
Resistance
Area
Approximate
stranded metric
equivalents
AWG
Diameter
(/1000 ft)
(inch)
Copper
Resistance
Area
Approximate
stranded metric
equivalents
(inch)
(mm)
(kcmil)
(kcmil)
(mm2)
0000(4/0
0.46
11.68
211.6
107
0.16*
0.049*
19
0.0359 0.9116
1.29
0.653
26.414
8.051
<24/0.2
000(3/0)
0.4096
10.4
167.8
85
0.2*
0.062*
20
0.032
0.8128
1.02
0.518
33.301
10.15
16/0.2
00(2/0)
0.3648
9.266
133.1
67.4
0.25*
0.077*
21
0.0285 0.7229
0.81
0.41
41.995
12.8
0(1/0)
0.3249
8.251
105.5
53.5
~0.3281
~0.1
22
0.0253 0.6438
0.64
0.326
52.953
16.14
0.2893
7.348
83.69
42.4
0.4*
0.12*
23
0.0226 0.5733
0.51
0.258
66.798
20.36
0.2576
6.544
66.37
33.6
0.5*
0.15*
24
0.0201 0.5106
0.40
0.205
84.219
25.67
1/0.5, 7/0.2,30/0.1
0.2294
5.827
52.63
26.7
25
0.0179 0.4547
0.32
0.162
106.201
32.37
30/0.1
0.2043
5.189
41.74
21.2
26
0.0159 0.4049
0.255
0.129
133.891
40.81
0.1819
4.621
33.1
16.8
27
0.0142 0.3606
0.201
0.102
168.865
51.47
0.162
4.115
26.25
13.3
28
0.0126 0.3211
0.160
0.081
212.927
64.9
0.1443
3.665
20.72
10.5
29
0.0113 0.2859
0.1285
3.264
16.52
8.37
0.1144
2.906
13.08
6.63
10
0.1019
2.588
10.38
5.26
3.2772
11
0.0907
2.305
8.23
4.17
4.1339
12
0.0808
2.053
6.53
3.31
5.21
1.588
13
0.072
1.828
5.17
2.62
6.572
2.003
14
0.0641
1.628
4.10
2.08
8.284
2.525
15
0.0571
1.45
3.26
1.65
10.45
3.184
16
0.0508
1.291
2.59
1.31
13.18
4.016
17
0.0453
1.15
2.05
1.04
16.614
18
0.0403 1.02362
1.62
0.823
20.948
196/0.4
0.8*
0.24*
1.5*
0.47*
2.2*
0.67*
126/0.4
80/0.4
30
(mm)
0.127
0.0642
268.471
81.83
0.2546
0.100
0.0509
338.583
103.2
0.0089 0.2268
0.080
0.0404
426.837
130.1
0.01
>84/0.3
31
0.9989
<84/0.3
32
0.008
0.2019
0.063
0.032
538.386
164.1
1.26
56/0.3
33
0.0071 0.1798
0.050
0.0254
678.806
206.9
34
0.0063 0.1601
0.040
0.0201
833
260.9
35
0.0056 0.1426
0.032
0.016
1085.958
331
36
0.005
0.127
0.025
0.0127
1360.892
414.8
>30/0.25
37
0.0045 0.1131
0.020
0.01
1680.118
512.1
<30/0.25
38
0.004
0.1007
0.016 0.00797
2127.953
648.6
5.064
32/0.2
39
0.0035 0.08969
0.012 0.00632
2781.496
847.8
6.385
>24/0.2
40
0.0031 0.07987
0.010 0.00501
3543.307
1080
50/0.25
7/0.25
7/0.15
1/0.25, 7/0.1
1/0.2, 7/0.08
The North American wire gauges (AWG gauges) refer to sizes of copper wire. This table corresponds
to a resistivity of = 1.724 x 10-8 ohm m for copper at 20oC
*the AWG system states areas of round copper wires in circular mils, which is the square of the
diameter in mils. 1 mil = 0.001. Conductors larger than 4/0 AWG are generally identified by the area in
thousands of circular mils (kcmil), where 1 kcmil = 0.5067 mm2
NOTE: Chart information is taken from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Tables/wirega.html
Resistivity equation
Where
P = RA
L
P = electical resistivity
R = resistance of conductor
A = cross sectional area of conductor
L
= length of conductor
ohm metre
ohm
metre2
metre
27
TABLE E
Wire gauge equivalent SWG/AWG
Number
Imperial Standard
Wire Gauge SWG
American
Wire Gauge AWG
Number
Imperial Standard
Wire Gauge SWG
American
Wire Gauge AWG
gauge
0000000 (7/0)
000000 (6/0)
00000 (5/0)
0000 (4/0)
000 (3/0)
00 (2/0)
0 (1/0)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
inch. dia.
0.5000
0.4640
0.4320
0.4000
0.3720
0.3480
0.3240
0.3000
0.2760
0.2520
0.2320
0.2120
0.1920
0.1760
0.1600
0.1440
0.1280
0.1160
0.1040
0.0920
0.0800
0.0720
0.0640
0.0560
0.0480
0.0400
0.0360
0.0320
0.0280
0.0240
0.0220
0.0200
inch. dia.
0.580000
0.516500
0.460000
0.409642
0.364796
0.324861
0.289297
0.257627
0.229423
0.2043
0.1819
0.1620
0.1443
0.1285
0.1144
0.1019
0.0907
0.0808
0.0720
0.0641
0.0571
0.0508
0.0453
0.0403
0.0359
0.0320
0.0285
0.0253
0.0226
0.0201
0.0179
gauge
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
inch. dia.
0.0200
0.0180
0.0164
0.0148
0.0136
0.0124
0.0116
0.0108
0.0100
0.0092
0.0084
0.0076
0.0068
0.0060
0.0052
0.0048
0.0044
0.0040
0.0036
0.0032
0.0028
0.0024
0.0020
0.0016
0.0012
0.0010
-
inch. dia.
0.0179
0.0159
0.0142
0.0126
0.0113
0.0100
0.0089
0.0080
0.0071
0.0063
0.0056
0.0050
0.0045
0.0040
0.0035
0.0031
0.0028
0.0025
0.0022
0.0020
0.0018
0.0016
0.0014
0.0012
0.0011
0.0010
0.00088
0.00078
0.00070
0.00062
0.00055
0.00049
28
Outside North America wire sizes for electrical purposes are usually given as the cross sectional in
square millimeters. International standard manufacturing sizes for conductors in electrical cables are
defined in IEC 60028.
IEC 60288 is the International Electrotechnical Commissions international standard on Conductors
and insulated cables.
Among other things it defines a set of standard wire cross-sections:
International standard wire sizes (IEC 60228)
0.5 mm2
6 mm2
70 mm2
300 mm2
0.75 mm2
10 mm2
95 mm2
400 mm2
1 mm2
16 mm2
120 mm2
500 mm2
1.5 mm2
25 mm2
150 mm2
630 mm2
2.5 mm2
35 mm2
185 mm2
800 mm2
4 mm2
50 mm2
240 mm2
1000 mm2
2
Vemf
V2
Where
Vx = Voltage across DUT without influence of thermal emf
V1 = Voltage across DUT with + current
V2 = Voltage across DUT with - current
Vemf = Thermal emf
29
No Current flow
ON
P1
P1
C1
C1
Measurement cycle
Measurement 1: V1 = Vemf
Measurement 2: V2 = VDUT + Vemf
V auto Zero = V2 - V1
RDUT + V auto zero
Thermal emf
30
DUT
DUT
OFF
Current flow
C
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Accuracy
Ambient temperature
ATC
AWG
American wire gauge, also known as the "Brown and Sharpe" wire gauge,
is used in the United States and other countries as a standard method of
denoting wire diameter, especially for nonferrous, electrically conducting wire.
Bonding resistance
Cable
Cable Clamp
Conductivity
Cooling Curve
A graph plotting resistance values against time. Usually used when testing
motor or transformer to determine the maximum temperature achieved
under full load conditions.
DMM
Digital Multimeter.
Duplex Handspikes
DUT
Earth resistance
Emf
Electromotive force is the rate at which energy is drawn from a source that
produces a flow of electricity in a circuit; expressed in volts.
Electric current
The rate of charge flow past a given point in an electric circuit, measured
in coulombs/second. The unit is the ampere.
31
32
Faraday cage
IEC
IEEE488
Is a short range digital communications bus. Originally created for use with
automated test equipment . Also known as GPIB (general purpose interface bus.)
Inductance
Unit of measure is the Henry (H) and is best described as the behaviour of
a coil of wire in resisting any change of electric current through it.
Kelvin
Kelvin connection
Kelvin clips
Similar to crocodile clips but with each jaw electrically isolated. Permits
both current and potential leads to be connected with a single clip.
Microhmmeter
Milliohmmeter
Ohm
Ohmmeter
Potential Leads
PLC
ppm
Precision
Range
Resistance
Resistivity
The electrical resistance of a uniform rod of unit length and unit crosssectional area : the reciprocal of conductivity.
Resolution
RS232
The RS232 interface is a serial port for transmission of data in serial bit
format.
Rx
Scale length
The largest value a measuring instrument can display for the range
selected.
SI units
Source Leads
Stacking lead
A measuring lead with 4mm banana plugs and 4 mm socket allowing one
lead to plug into the other.
SWG
Thermal emf
Thermocouple
Temperature coefficient
Wire
33