PAT320
Portable Appliance Tester
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Simple manual or automatic testing
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120 V 60 Hz operation
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User-selectable PASS/FAIL limits
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Fast test times selectable from 1 s
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Ground bond testing at 25 A, 10 A and
200 mA
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Differential, touch and substitute ground
leakage testing
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Tests power cords
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Full color QVGA display
PAT320
Portable Appliance Tester
DESCRIPTION
The PAT320 is a portable bench-top appliance tester for
testing the safety of electrical equipment by performing
a ground bond test, an insulation test, specific ground
leakage tests and operational VA tests to international
standards. It is a fully featured tester designed for customers
who do not need the complexity of a fully configurable
database of clients and results within the tester but require
a complete range of functions to allow automatic or manual
testing of the widest range of electrical equipment.
Simple push-button operation makes the PAT320 fast
and intuitive to use. All regulatory test requirements are
supported: Class I (grounded) and Class II (non-grounded)
equipment, IEC power cords and extension leads. An
automatic mode is available for Class I and Class II testing.
In automatic mode, the tests proceed sequentially through
bond, insulation and operation (VA), indicating a pass or
fail at each test. If a fail occurs, testing is stopped. When
manual testing, each test is preceded by a selection screen
where the test parameters are chosen, such as bond
test current, insulation test voltage or leakage test type.
These diagnostic buttons provide direct access to any test
individually, allowing single tests to be performed following
repair or a suspect result.
APPLICATIONS
The PAT320 is used on the production line for final
verification of electrical safety prior to general sale, or
export to the EU. When exporting to Europe, it is the
European importer’s responsibility to ensure imported
items are safe to European standards. However, any testing
performed at the destination can prove very costly for the
US manufacturer when faults are found.
Testing at the manufacturing plant ensures electrical safety
and provides the opportunity to fix faults and problems
prior to shipping and export. For example, a poor ground
connection would not normally be picked up during
operational testing, and the PAT320 provides an excellent
means of simple safety verification.
The PAT320 is also suitable for use in the repair shop.
Equipment can be checked on receipt in the shop before
the technician powers it up, so ensuring he remains
safe – the equipment could be in repair for any reason.
Additionally, it can (and perhaps should) be checked
prior to despatch to make sure the ground bond remains
good, and the phase connections remain isolated from the
chassis following repair. This maintains full integrity of the
repaired item before the customer receives it back.
PAT320
Portable Appliance Tester
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
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Simple push-button operation allows for direct access to
tests via the keypad; no hidden menu functions.
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User selectable PASS/FAIL limits quickens test and
simplifies results.
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Fast test times selectable from 1 second
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Combined bond and insulation lead thus reducing test
time.
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High and low current bond testing (25 A, 10 A and
200 mA) is selectable either by default or individually
per test
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Instant restart minimizes boot-up time when moving
locations.
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Individual test mode keys allows for performance of any
test by itself.
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Efficient bond transformer with heat dissipation increases
productivity without overheating under heavy use.
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Test lead null enables the use of extended test leads
without affecting the pass/fail limits or manually
accounting for the added lead resistance.
TYPE OF TESTS
Earth Bond and Continuity Tests
To verify the integrity of exposed metalwork on grounded
appliance (Class I). Test current of 25 A is passed via a
remote probe, returning through the ground pin of the
power plug.
Test currents of 10 A and 25 A are available for bond
testing. Where sensitive electronic equipment may be
damaged by high currents, 200 mA is selectable.
Insulation Test
To check equipment conductors are isolated from Earth 500 V dc. The live and neutral conductors are linked, and
the test voltage is applied between this link and the earth
pin. Where an appliance does not have an earth connection
(Class II), the remote probe is used to contact anywhere on
the external case of the equipment.
Where 500 V may damage sensitive equipment, the
PAT320 provides alternative methods of verifying insulation
integrity. A lower voltage of 250 V dc is selectable, or
alternatives such as a Touch-Current or Substitute Leakage
test can be performed.
Touch Current Test
This test powers the asset at the supply voltage as if it were
in use. The current passing down the earth conductor is
displayed. For Class II, the remote probe is used to contact
any accessible conductive parts.
Differential Leakage Test
Similar to the Touch Current test, during operation
the difference in current between the live and neutral
conductor is measured.
Substitute/Alternative Leakage Test
This test is performed in the same method as the insulation
test, i.e. between the earth conductor and linked live/
neutral. For Class II, the remote probe is used to contact
any accessible conductive parts of the asset.
A 50 Hz a.c. voltage (nominal 40 V) is applied and
the leakage current measured. As this is at 50 Hz, the
impedance of any leakage path is the same as that when
the asset is in operation.
Functional Load Test
Operational test to ensure that the asset works as it should.
Supply voltage is applied to the asset as in use.
Simultaneously, the VA value is displayed as an additional
check that the current drawn by the asset is as expected.
Extension and IEC Power Leads
Standard insulation and earth-bond tests are performed,
with an additional polarity test to ensure that the lead is
wired correctly.