L6-TGN-071

BRIDGES & POTENTIOMETERS INSPECTION GUIDELINE

Contents
1) PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................................... 1
2) APPLICATION ............................................................................................................................. 1
3) INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 2
4) INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ............................................................................................. 3
5) CHECKLIST .................................................................................................................................. 3
6) PREPARATION FOR SHIPKMENT ......................................................................................... 4
7) APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS ..................................................................................................... 4
8) GUIDELINE HISTORY .............................................................................................................. 5

1) PURPOSE

The purpose of this guideline is to assist with the Third Party Inspection of Materials or Equipment at manufacturing
locations, in order to determine if the Materials or Equipment meet the Client’s expressed needs, expectations,
Purchase Order, call off, etc. placed on the manufacturer.

This guideline shall be read in conjunction with the specified revisions of applicable national or international Codes
and Standards; the Client’s specifications; the Manufacturers’ procedures; the Quality Plan and/or any other related
documents pertinent to the order.

This document assists Inspectors in completing the inspection in accordance with the Client’s prescribed scope, it
does not determine the minimum or maximum range or scope of the inspection to be carried out. Hence elements of
the guide may not be applicable in all cases.

It is also intended to ensure that all relevant information is included in the Inspection Report in such a way that all
the issues relating to the Purchase Order, Contract, Manufacturing and Client requirements are correctly addressed
and documented.

Inspection reports will serve as the principle record of information relating to Quality, Status of the Purchase
Order/Contract/Material and Equipment.

2) APPLICATION

This guideline is applicable to the inspection of new and refurbished equipment. The level of inspection also depends
on the complexity of the equipment involved. Hence, it is the responsibility of the Inspector to check the sections
described herein are relevant to their work.

Inspection during field installation of the fore-going equipment is outside the scope of this Technical Guidance Note.

This document is considered CONTROLLED when obtained directly from the IMS section of the Applus Velosi SharePoint.
Any copies which are saved, exported or printed are deemed UNCONTROLLED and as such due care should be taken during their use.

Rev No. 1 Date 06-Mar-2014 Page 1 of 5

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BRIDGES & POTENTIOMETERS INSPECTION GUIDELINE

3) INTRODUCTION

Mandatory Requirement
This procedure has been prepared as a general guide for the inspection of Electrical Bridges & Potentiometers in
conjunction with industry specifications.

Description of Equipment
Bridges and potentiometers: form a group of measuring equipment which provides the accurate measurement of
electrical parameters based on the principle of comparing an unknown quantity with known standards.

Bridges use a mill detector to indicate when a balance condition exists between the arms of the bridge. This enables
the unknown quantity, which forms one arm of the bridge, to be determined from the mathematical relationship with
the known values of the remaining arms. Bridges in common use are classed as DC (used mainly for resistance
measurements) and AC (measuring AC network parameters such as capacitance, inductance, impedance, admittance,
etc.).

Potentiometers are used principally to measure voltages by comparison with the EMF of a standard cell, either
directly in the case of small voltages (less than 1V) or proportionally when a voltage divider is employed.

AC potentiometers are available which enable the magnitude and phase of an alternating voltage to be determined.

DC Bridge Networks: The most common form of this bridge is the Wheatstone Bridge which enables an unknown
resistance to be determined in terms of three known resistors using a DC supply as the voltage source. The balance
condition is dependent only on the ratio of the resistors but is independent of the voltage applied. These bridges
offer high precision over the range 1 OHM to 100 M.OHM for small resistance measurements, a modification of the
Wheatstone Bridge, called the Kelvin Double Bridge, can be used.

AC Bridge Networks: This class of bridge employs an AC power source, usually a fixed or variable frequency signal
generator (oscillator) or a screened, power frequency instrument transformer. The null detectors used range from
galvanometers to electrode devices. The bridge arms are often designed such that built in (switch selectable) or plug
in components may be inserted to achieve the balance condition. Many types of AC bridge are available as
commercial instruments for power frequency applications, these include:

 Maxwell-Wien Bridges (for inductance measurements).

 The Modified de Santy B (for capacitance measurements).
 The Schering B (for capacitance and loss angle measurements at low and high voltages).
 The Wien Bridge (for frequency and AC resistance).

Universal bridges employing the inductance ratio-arm type of measurement principle are used for a wide range of
frequencies up to 100 MHz. In this bridge the arms of the bridge are connected to the detector by means of the
coupled windings of a transformer.

DC Potentiometers: This type of potentiometer is used to measure a direct voltage by comparison with the known
proportion of the electromotive force (EMF) of a Weston Standard cell. This proportion is determined by successive
approximation to the balance condition using a slide wire type resistance, cascade connected decade resistance boxes
or opposed magneto motive forces (MMF) between matched windings and current ratio resistors (known as a
comparator potentiometer) where mutually coupled inductive arms are used.

DC potentiometers are used where accurate voltage measurement of voltage is required. Typical applications are the
calibration of Voltmeters, Ammeters and Wattmeters (in conjunction with 4-terminal resistors and shunts voltages can

This document is considered CONTROLLED when obtained directly from the IMS section of the Applus Velosi SharePoint.
Any copies which are saved, exported or printed are deemed UNCONTROLLED and as such due care should be taken during their use.

Rev No. 1 Date 06-Mar-2014 Page 2 of 5

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BRIDGES & POTENTIOMETERS INSPECTION GUIDELINE

be measured) and temperature determination by measuring the thermal EMF from a thermocouples. High precision
is possibly limited only by the uncertainties of the standard cell.

AC Potentiometers: This type of potentiometer is used to measure the value of an alternating voltage and its
phase displacement relative to a reference source. The operation of this type of potentiometer is sensitive to
harmonies in the waveform and it is normally restricted to measurements of sinusoidal waveforms confined to a
single frequency. The unknown quantity is determined from the circuit characteristics in the null condition.

4) INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

General
This list of standards is provided for guidance only and is not intended to be comprehensive. It is included to assist
the Inspector in selecting relevant sources of information where a Client’s specific requirements do not exist.

Technical Standards

• BS 229 Flameproof enclosure of electrical apparatus.

• BS 1259 Intrinsically safe electrical apparatus and circuits for use in explosive atmospheres.

• BS 1852 Marking codes for resistors and capacitors.

• BS 4417 Semi-conductor rectifier equipment.

• BS 4584 Metal-clad base materials for printed circuits.

• BS 4683 Electrical apparatus for explosive atmospheres.

• BS 4727 Glossary for electro technical power telecommunications, electronics, lighting and colour
terms.

• BS 4789 Ceramic components for use in envelopes for electronic tubes.

Packaging and Marking Standards

a) BS 1133 Packaging code.

b) BS 2540 Silica gel for use as a desiccant.
c) BS 2541 Activated alumina for use as a desiccant.
d) BS 3482:1-9 Methods of test for desiccants used in dynamic dehumidification equipment.
e) BS 3523 Silica gel, cobalt chloride impregnated.
f) BS 4672:1/2 Guide to hazards in the transport and storage of packages.
g) BS 4826:P1-P14 Methods of test for complete, filled transport packages.
h) BS 4853 Tensional steel strapping.

5) CHECKLIST

Visual Checks

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BRIDGES & POTENTIOMETERS INSPECTION GUIDELINE

The visual checks may include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Marking: Manufactures mark, voltage, current, frequency, range, accuracy, operating temperature.
b) Material correct as ordered (type, quantity).
c) Workmanship and finish.
d) Tools and accessories.
e) Protective covers, dust seals, etc.
f) Make and type of power source/standard cell.
g) Auxiliary power sources and supplies.
h) Plugs, sockets, connectors and terminal.
i) Calibration certificates and seals.
j) Component identification/assembly list.
k) Operating manuals, instruction sheets, drawings and documentation.
l) Inscriptions and labels.

Mechanical Checks

Mechanical checks may include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Physical weights and dimensions.
b) Mounting provisions.
c) Mechanical operation e.g. smooth and free operation of switches, selector and buttons.
d) Interchangeability of accessories.
e) Operation of connection terminals.

Electrical Tests
The electrical tests may include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) Earth continuity.
b) High voltage isolation.
c) Insulation resistance.
d) Functional insulation test (checks leakages inside potentiometer).
e) Isolation of quantity circuit selector switches.
f) Accuracy of measurement.
g) Intrinsic error limits.
h) Limits of repetition errors.
i) Storage temperature test.
j) Auxiliary supplies.

6) PREPARATION FOR SHIPKMENT

If required by Purchase Order or specification, Inspector must ensure the identification of equipment and that
shipping marks, tag numbers etc. are clearly visible to avoid confusion at site. Equipment must be adequately sealed
and protected when overseas shipment is required.

7) APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Sr. No. Document No. Name of Document Retention Period

1 L5-FMT-008 Stamp Register 6 years

This document is considered CONTROLLED when obtained directly from the IMS section of the Applus Velosi SharePoint.
Any copies which are saved, exported or printed are deemed UNCONTROLLED and as such due care should be taken during their use.

Rev No. 1 Date 06-Mar-2014 Page 4 of 5

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BRIDGES & POTENTIOMETERS INSPECTION GUIDELINE

2 L5-FMT-045 IRC 6 years

3 L5-FMT-046 Inspection Report 6 years
4 L5-FMT-049 NCR 6 years
5 L5-FMT-054 Assignment Nomination Form 6 years
6 L5-FMT-058 PIM Report 6 years
7 L5-FMT-060 Flash Report 6 years
8 L5-FMT-062 PIM Checklist 6 years
9 L5-FMT-075 PIM Agenda 6 years
11 L5-FMT-080 AMIS Inspection Assignment 6 years
12 L5-FMT-082 Client Kick-off Meeting Report Form 6 years

8) GUIDELINE HISTORY

Rev. Date Section Outline of Change Generated By Authorisation

00 30-Sep-13 All First Issue C. J. Bandick M. Coles

01 06-Mar-14 All Minor grammatical & formatting
changes made only.
B. Upton M. Coles
Note: Track changes removed for
legibility.

Note: The above is for information only.

The Client’s Purchase Order/Procedures/Specifications have precedence over this Procedure

This document is considered CONTROLLED when obtained directly from the IMS section of the Applus Velosi SharePoint.
Any copies which are saved, exported or printed are deemed UNCONTROLLED and as such due care should be taken during their use.

Rev No. 1 Date 06-Mar-2014 Page 5 of 5

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BRIDGES & POTENTIOMETERS INSPECTION GUIDELINE

Various Electrical Potentionmeters/Bridges

This document is considered CONTROLLED when obtained directly from the IMS section of the Applus Velosi SharePoint.
Any copies which are saved, exported or printed are deemed UNCONTROLLED and as such due care should be taken during their use.

Rev No. 1 Date 06-Mar-2014 Page 6 of 5