Testing and Measuring

, .:'

The use of measuring Instruments

Instruments play an important part in electrical installation work, enabling us to

Measure electrical Quantities like Voltage, Current and Resistance.

Instruments in use today:

The moving-coil instrument

The moving-iron instrument

The digital instrument

The instruments listed above have certain advantages and disadvantages and the
most suitable instrument should be selected for any given task.

Advantages Disadvantages

Moving iron Cheap, strong, can be Uneven scale, affected by

used on a.c. and d.c.
Moving coil Even scale, very accurate,
unaffected by stray
magnetic fields.
Digital Robust, no moving parts,
accurate, easy reading.
heat and stray magnetic
fields
Fragile, expensive, can
only be used on d.c,
Requires regular battery
changes

R. Strahle Feb. 2005

 MOVING COIL INSTRUMENT

A coil of wire is suspended in a magnetic field, when a current flows in the coil a
force is exerted causing it to rotate. The moving coil is restrained by a pair of
spiral springs and the amount of deflection is dependent on the current flowing in
the coil. It will only be deflected by a direct current. The effect of alternating
current would be to produce an oscillation rather than a deflection, so the coil
current must be rectified for use in A.C. circuits.

_ - _... -- - Pointer

Guide Plates fOI .

-----y------ -- Magnetic Flux

-X.-~~--- Magnetic Core

~~~~~-Spiral Spring

~.~.,--
Moving
ceu :

nJ aclD24/6762movi
19/12196
 MOVING mON INSTRUMENT

In addition to the moving coil meter the moving iron instrument is often a useful
and more robust alternative. The principle is demonstrated by the action of the
magnetic flux on a piece of soft iron which in tum causes the spindle to rotate.
The movement is controlled by spiral springs and an air damping mechanism is
usually fitted to prevent the movement from swinging to and fro before settling
down at a point on the scale.

Moving iron instruments are suitable for both A.C. and D.C. measurements. The
main disadvantage is the non-linearity of the scale which means that the
instrument may not be easy to read throughout its range.

Softl,,-onVane

rslaclD24/6763iron
19/12196
 The digital Instrument

The theory of operation is too complex to deal with here and hence only basic
detail will be considered.

A digital instrument is basically an electronic voltmeter with four sections:

1 The power supply

2 The signal-conditioning circuit ( current, voltage, resistance)

3 The analogue-to-digital converter

4 The count-display module

uecimaJ
point
Range
switches -----------, I
I
I
I
I
I
I

AID
converter
O-2OOmV
.--_e....... voItJlleter

cflSplay
control

Input

Common ,,-------4I~------__60-_...J

R. Strahle 2 Feb. 2005

 Measurement of current and Volta~

The Voltmeter
The voltmeter measures the potential difference between two points in a circuit
And must be connected in parallel with the supply or component concerned.
The internal resistance of a voltmeter should be very high.

The Amperemeter

The Amperemeter measures the current in a circuit or in a part of a circuit and

must be connected in series with the circuit concerned.

The internal resistance of an amperemeter should be very low.

Both instruments use the force which is exerted between a current carrying
conductor and a magnetic field.

R. Strahle 3 Feb. 2005

 Current Transformer

This type of transformer is used extensively for taking measurements.

The most common form is the "bar type", where the bus bar forms the
primary (see diagram below).

Bus- txT ( primary)

Core wound with many

turns (secondary)

It is not practical and would be very expensive to build an Ampere-meter

to measure high currents. A current transformer is used to reduce the
secondary current to a level which can be measured by a standard
instrument.
An additional benefit is that it is easy to install this instrument at a remote
location, for example the instrument could be in a control room a long
way from the machinery.

If the instrument is removed from the circuit, the terminals must first
be shortened out. Failing to do this could lead to a high voltage
,which may be dangerous.

Current transformers are available in different ratio's - 50:1 100:1

R. Strahle June 2000

 ~easuremmenterrors

Errors are always introduced when using instruments to measure electrical

quantities. The errors most likely to occur are those due to :

A, the limitations of the instrument

B, the operator

C, the instnunent disturbing the circuit

A Error due to the limitation of the instrument

The calibration accuracy of an instrument depends on the-precision with

which it is constructed. Every ins1rument has a margin oferror. This is
expressed as a percentage ofthe ins1ruments full scale deflection (f.s.d)
For example, industrial grade instruments have an accuracy of + or - 2 %
f.s.d , If a voltmeter has a f.s.d, of lOOV and it indicates 40V say, then the
actual voltage may be anywhere between 38V and 42V.

B Error by the operator

It is easy for an operator to misread an instrument, especially with

instruments that have non-linear scales or multiple scales. When reading a
meter scale it should be viewed from an angle perpendicular to the surface of
the scale.

C Errors due to the instrument disturbing the circuit

Any instrument connected into a circuit will affect that circuit to spme extent
as meters require some power to operate. Incorrect positioning of ins1rumen
in a circuit can be a source of error.

._---1 V )00---_
(a) (b)
Measuring power and energy
A wattmeter is connected as shown in Fig. 3.26. It is basically a combination
of an ammeter and a voltmeter, and it measures the prod1lct of CUITent and
voltage:
P (watts) • I x V
An eM/lwY ,.., msimI8r to a wlUlilelei and its connections are the same.

It is famililr tit am (If DI II our "'Ie., me.

Howewr, it-it dIsipd to IIJow die IItIIIIber (If tiIowau bours of energy used.
~ 3~.
Current €EJIf

Supply
Load

Digital readout or cMrS

Double-insulated
'tails'

Black
From mains
 24

:J).-----­

L0 , c. u '0 t ," 0 h

Uo R u
;:-*
• L u ,. RxT r:? -;::. T r

R: 50'..1\.
--------., ----,:..------"
-12 V
~ V
4 V
o 0-----­
11 ~ V

VOj • -
R. I u= ~ XI r-<~ ~
L
.L ~
U
7[

J
 25

-.
1:,
....

----------­

,
• I~
-
..12..
I
lJ~

J
U2.
J
I-'f

j
Co c v l « lOY)