Simpson 505 Instruction Manual

505

High Voltage Insulation Tester

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

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About this Manual

To the best of our knowledge and at the time written, the information contained in
this document is technically correct and the procedures accurate and adequate
to operate this instrument in compliance with its original advertised specifica­tions.

Notes and Safety Information

This Operator’s Manual contains warning headings which alert the user to check
for hazardous conditions. These appear throughout this manual where appli­cable and are defined below. To ensure the safety of operating performance of
this instrument, these instructions must be adhered to.

Warning, refer to accompanying documents.

!

Caution, risk of electric shock.

2000 V CAT II Overvoltage category II device

Indicates EU conformity

Warranty and Returns

SIMPSON ELECTRIC COMPANY warrants each instrument and other articles
manufactured by it to be free from defects in material and workmanship under
normal use and service, its obligation under this warranty being limited to making
good at its factory or other article of equipment which shall within one (1) year
after delivery of such instrument or other article of equipment to the original pur­chaser be returned intact to it, or to one of its authorized service centers, with
transportation charges prepaid, and which its examination shall disclose to its
satisfaction to have been thus defective; this warranty being expressly in lieu of all
other warranties expressed or implied and of all other obligations or liabilities on
its part, and SIMPSON ELECTRIC COMPANY neither assumes nor authorizes
any other persons to assume for it any other liability in connection with the sales
of its products.

This warranty shall not apply to any instrument or other article of equipment which
shall have been repaired or altered outside the SIMPSON ELECTRIC COMPANY
factory or authorized service centers, nor which has been subject to misuse,
negligence or accident, inc
accord with instructions furnished by the manufacturer.

orrect wiring by others, or installation or use not in

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This manual represents your meter as manufactured at the time of publication. It
assumes standard software. Special versions of software may be fitted, in which
case you will be provided with additional details.

The apparatus has been designed and tested in accordance with EN 61010-1,
“Safety Requirments for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control and Labo­ratory Use.” This operationg guide contains information and warnings that must
be followed by the user to ensure safe operation and to maintain the apparatus in
a safe condition.

We reserve the right to make changes and improvements to the product without
obligation to incorporate these changes and improvements into units previously
shipped.

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Contents

1. CONTROLS AND INDICATORS ......................................................... 5

2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS .................................................................. 5

2.1 Repair and Parts Replacement .............................................................5

2.2 Errors and Extraordinary Strains ........................................................... 6

2.3 Safety Symbols ........................................................................................ 6

3 APPLICATIONS................................................................................. 6

4. INITIAL START-UP ............................................................................ 7

4.1 Battery Installation .................................................................................. 7

4.2 Testing the Batteries ............................................................................... 7

4.3 Switching the Tester On and Off .............................................................7

4.4 Analog Display ....................................................................................... 8

5. DIRECT AND ALTERNATING VOLTAGE MEASUREMENTS ............. 8

6. INSULATION RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT .................................. 9

6.05 Discharging the Device Under Test .................................................. 9

6.1 Measurement Procedure .....................................................................10

6.2 Measurements with the Guard Cable

7 Characteristic Values ....................................................................... 11

7.1 Specifications .......................................................................................12

8 MAINTENANCE .............................................................................. 13

8.1 Batteries ............................................................................................... 13

8.2 Housing ................................................................................................ 13

8.3 Measurement Cables ...........................................................................13

8.4 Repair ................................................................................................... 14

9 FACTORY SERVICE ........................................................................ 14

10 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ............................................................. 14

11 NIST CERTIFICATION .................................................................... 14

................................................11

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1. CONTROLS AND INDICATORS

SIMPSON ELECTRIC CO.
Lac Du Flambeau, WI 54538

1. Range Selector Switch for test voltage, battery test and power supply inter­ruption

2. Range Key for measuring range selection

indicator LED -green: valid measurement

3.

-off: invalid measurement, battery too weak

4. Upper Range LED: indicates 1 T

5. Lower Range LED: indicates 100 M

6. Adjustor Screw for mechanical zero adjustment

7. Function Selector Switch for voltage or insulation resistance measurements

8. Analog Display

9. Test Probe Negative (-) Measurement Cable

10. Test Probe Positive (+) Measurement Cable

11. Guard Cable Connector Jack

12. Battery Module

scale is selected

scale is selected

2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Simpson’s 505 Insulation Tester is manufactured and tested in accordance with
the following standards:
IEC 1010-1/EN 61010-1,
IEC 61557/EN 61557
In order to maintain flawless technical safety conditions and to assure safe use,
read the operating instructions carefully before using your instrument.

2.1 Repair and Parts Replacement

Voltage conducting parts may be exposed when the instrument is opened. The
instrument must be disconnected from all sources of voltage before repair or
replacement of parts. If the repair of an open, live instrument is unavoidable
instrument must be repaired by trained personnel who are familiar with the risks
involved.

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2.2 Errors and Extraordinary Strains

If suspected that the instrument is no longer operating safely, do not use. Send
the instrument in for repair; see paragraph 8.4.
Instrument will not operate safely if:

• measurement cables are damaged,

• the instrument demonstrates visible damage,

• the pointer no longer responds,

• one of the LEDs is defective,

• the instrument no longer functions,

• after lengthy periods of storage under unfavorable conditions.

Observe the following safety precautions:

• Operate Instrument with batteries or storage batteries. Do not use AC Line
connected power supplies as they are life endangering.

• Watch carefully for unexpected voltages at devices under test. (For example,
capacitors can be dangerously charged.)

• Make certain that measurement cables are in flawless condition, e.g. no dam­age to insulation, no creases, no interruptions etc.

High Voltage!

Do not touch the test probes or the device under test, (DUT), during voltage testing!
High-voltage of up to 5 kV can be present!

!

Accumulation of Moisture

Avoid any accumulation of moisture on the tester, on the measurement cables or
on the unit, because leakage currents may be caused by high-voltages at ex­posed surfaces. Even isolated components may carry high-voltages.

NOTE: Overvoltage Influence
If the reversible fuse (PTC thermistor) responds to an overvoltage or an extrane­ous voltage, do not resume measurement until a cool-down period of approxi­mately 2 minutes is

2.3 Safety Symbols

Safety symbols are shown and explained on inside front cover of this manual.

3. APPLICATIONS

The MODEL 505 Insulation Tester complies with regulation IEC 61557/EN 61557
“Measuring and Monitoring Equipment for the Testing of Electrical Safety in Sys­tems with Nominal Voltages of up to AC 1000 V and DC 1500 V”.
Part 2, insulation resistance testers.

It is suited to measure insulation resistance for devices and systems in a voltage­free condition with nominal voltages of up to 1000 V. It is also suited for measuring
insulation resistance of up to 1 T

observed.

with open-circuit voltages of up to 5000 V.

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The tester is also equipped with a 2000 V measuring range for direct and alter­nating voltages. This is especially advantageous for testing for the absence of
voltage, and for discharging of capacitive units under test.

4. INITIAL START-UP

4.1 Battery Installation

!

Before opening the battery compartment (side panel) be sure that the Function
Selector switch is set to the “V” position, and that the Range Selector switch is set
to the “OFF/V” position, and that the device is completely disconnected from all
external power circuits.

1. Unscrew and remove battery compartment.

2. Remove battery clip.

3. Pull battery holder out of battery compartment.

4. Insert six commercially available 1.5 V, 6.0 AH, “D” size batteries or storage
batteries (single cell) into battery holder with polarity as indicated by
symbols.

5. Push battery holder back into battery compartment.

6. Push battery clip back over contacts making certain that correct polarity
is assured.

7. Reinstall battery compartment to the housing in the correct direction (label­ing must be legible) and fasten with screws.

4.2 Testing the Batteries

After batteries have been installed, or if indicator LED fails to light during
insulation resistance measurement, test batteries. For battery testing, the
Range Selector switch must briefly be set to the position. Deflection of pointer
on the analog dial within the scale during battery test indicates the condition of
batteries or storage batteries at an average load of 1000 V test voltage. The
position of the Function Selector switch will not affect battery test results. The left
end of the scale represents minimum required supply voltage, and the right end
represents maximum available supply voltage.

NOTE: If pointer only moves into minimal supply voltage range, several mea­surements can still be performed for test voltages of less than 1000 V, because
the battery test is conducted with the same load as is used for a test voltage of
1000V.

4.3 Switching the Tester On and Off

As long as the Function Selector switch is set to and the Range Selector switch
is not in the OFF/ V position, tester remains activated. For transportation and
maintenance purposes, it is recommended that the Function Selector switch be
set to the V position, and the Range Selector switch be set to the OFF/ V position
in order to prevent unintentional activation.

NOTE: Be certain that the grip on the Function Selector switch points exactly to
“V” or “
under test, because voltages are not displayed in intermediate selector switch
positions.

”. This is especially important during discharging of capacitive devices

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4.4 Analog Display

Logarithmic representation of the upper resistance scale allows for quick recog­nition of the magnitude involved. In order to achieve the required accuracy for
testing of protective measures, the RANGE key allows for switching to the ex­panded lower limit measuring range of 100 k
Upper Range and Lower Range LEDs, at the right end of the scale indicate
which of the two resistance measuring ranges is currently active.

... 100 M . The orange colored

The
LED does not light, test voltage has not been achieved. If this happens test the
battery. The two lower scales are for battery testing and voltage measurement,
see paragraph 4.2 and 5 respectively.

indicator LED lights green to confirm correct insulation measurement. If

5. DIRECT AND ALTERNATING VOLTAGE
MEASUREMENTS

Direct voltages and sinusoidal alternating voltages with frequencies ranging
from 15 to 500 Hz can be measured with the tester. Deflection of the pointer of the
instrument is always positive for direct voltage measurements, regardless of
polarity at the connections. Alternating voltage is indicated as an effective value.
Voltage measurements are used to test for the absence of voltage before insula­tion resistance measurements, as well as for the automatic discharge of capaci­tive devices under test. The voltage drop can be observed at the display.

NOTE: Regardless of the position of the Range Selector switch, voltage mea­surement can always be performed with Function Selector switch in the “V” posi­tion (even without batteries).

1. Set Function Selector switch to “V” position.

2. Check that pointer is at “0” in the V scale when the test probes are not
connected. Reset the pointer as required using Adjustor screw for mechani­cal zero adjustment.

3. Position of Range selector switch has no influence on voltage measure­ments, although we recommend setting it to the OFF/ V position.

4. Contact measuring points with both test probes.

5. Read measurement value at V scale.

NOTE: Voltages greater than 2000 V may not be applied. Input resistance for
voltage measuring

range is equal to 5 M

.

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6. INSULATION RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT

Be certain that the device under test (DUT) is voltage-free before preforming
measurements; see paragraph 5. If voltage is present see paragraph 6.05.
For measurements over 10 G 1, the guard cable (cat. No 45065) is
recommended; see paragraph 6.3.

6.05 DISCHARGING THE DEVICE UNDER TEST

The function selector switch must be switched from 1back to V, in order to
discharge test voltage from DUT. The range selector switch can be left at the
original setting.

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6.1 Measurement Procedure

1. Set Function Selector switch to position, in order to activate test voltage.

2. A range of either 10 k
the RANGE key.

3. Select the required nominal voltage of 100 V, 250 V, 500 V, 1000 V, 1500 V,
2000 V, 2500 V, or 5000 V with the Range Selector switch depending upon
the nominal voltage of the D U T . The Upper and Lower Range LED’s
indicated the selected range, 10k
select the 10 k ... 1 T range with the RANGE key. Upper Range LED will
light.

4. Contact the measuring point with both test probes and wait until pointer has
settled. Depending on the DUT, this might take up to 30 seconds, if, for
example, large capacities (long cables) must be charged.

5. Read the measurement value from the upper scale. If the green LED
indicator lights, the insulation measurement is valid. If this LED does not
light, test voltage has not been achieved. If this happens, test the battery; see
paragraph 4.2.

6. In order to achieve the required accuracy for testing of protective measures,
select the high resolution range, 100 k
key. The Lower Range LED lights.

7. Contact the measuring point with both test probes once again.

8. Read the measurement value from the lower scale.

...1 T or 100 k ... 100 M can be pre-selected with

...1 T or 100k ... 100M . To begin,

... 100 M with the help of the RANGE

!

Do not touch conductive ends of test probes when tester has been activated for
measurement of insulation resistance.
This may cause an electric shock, which, although not life endagering, causes a
clearly distinguishable shock.
When measurements are made at capacitive devices under test, e.g. cables, the
DUT may be charged with voltages of up to approximately 5000 V, depending
upon selected nominal voltage. Contact with the DUT test after measurement
is, in this event, life endangering!
For this reason the DUT must be discharged in a controlled fashion by switching
Function Selector switch to V and contacting the DUT with the test probes until
measurement display indicates 0 V. Do not reverse the polarity of DUT during
discharging, because internal over-voltage protection would otherwise be
triggered. If the capacitance to be discharged is greater than 3mF,

polarity must not be reversed, because unit might otherwise be damaged.

NOTE: Overvoltage Influence

If the reversible fuse (PTC thermistor) responds to an overvoltage or an extrane­ous voltage, do not resume measurement until a cool-down period of approxi­mately 2 minutes is observed.

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6.2 Measurements with the Guard Cable

The measurement of very high impedance resistances presupposes extremely
small measurement currents, and problems can occur due to influences such as
electromagnetic fields, moisture or surface currents. For this reason, the mea­surement set-up must be accurate.

For measurements over 10 G
ommended. It must be used for measurements from 100 G

, the guard cable (cat. no. 45065) is rec-

...1 T in order to
prevent inaccurate measurement results caused by surface currents. The guard
rings prevent current at the surface of the insulation material from flowing from
the + measurement cable to the – measurement cable instead of through the
insulation material itself.

1. Insert guard cable plug into appropriate jack at tester.

2. Plug alligator clip onto guard cable test probe.

3. Clip alligator clip onto guard ring located between both measuring points of

insulation material to be measured.

4. See paragraph 6.1 for measurement procedures.

7. Characteristic Values

Insulation Resistance

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Direct and Alternating Voltage

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7.1 Specifications

Display:

Movement core-magnet moving-coil mechanism
Scale Length 111.5 mm (longest scale)

Reference Conditions:

Ambient Temp. 73° F (23° C) ± 4° F (2° C)
Relative Humidity 45 ... 55%
Meas. Magnitude Frequency 60 Hz (for voltage measurement)
Mains Voltage Waveform sine, deviation between effective and rectified

value < 1%
Battery Voltage 8 V±1%
Operational Position horizontal

Power Supply:

Battery or Storage Battery 6 ea. 1.5V single cell, 6.0 AH, “D” size batteries
Working Range 6 V ... 9.5 V
Battery Service Life 7500 measurements 1000 V test voltage with 1

measuring shunt, 15,000 measurements

M

at 500 V test voltage with 500 k

shunt, with 5 s measurement and 25 s pause

measuring

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Ambient Conditions:

Operating Temp. 32° F (0° C) to 104° F (40° C)
Relative Humidity Max. 45%, no accumulation of moisture
Elevation to 2000 m

Electrical Safety:

Protection Class II
Test Voltage 5.4 kV
Overvoltage Category II
Contamination Level 2

25 PInoitcetorP

Interference Emission EN 50 081-1: 1992
Interference Immunity EN 50 082-1: 1992

Mechanical Design:

Dimensions: W 11.41” (290 mm) x D 9.84” (250 mm) x H

5.51” (140 mm)

4.3( SBL 7:thgieW kg) with batteries
Making Capacity for
Insulation Resistance
Measurement Response Time: < 100 G

> 100 G
also valid for test voltage or measuring range
changes

< 3 s;
< 8 s

8. MAINTENANCE

!

Before replacing batteries completely disconnect the device from all external
power circuits. For transportation and maintenance purposes it is recommended
that the Range Selector switch be set to the OFF/ V position, in order to prevent
unintentional activation.

8.1 Batteries

Batteries should be checked. Discharged or corroded batteries must be removed
from battery compartment. If leakage occurs at batteries, battery electrolyte must
be completely removed and batteries replaced.
Batteries must be replaced when:

• pointer no longer points within battery symbol range of dial when Range

Selector switch is set to battery test position.

• green LED for selected test voltage does not light.
Replace batteries as described in paragraph 4.1.

8.2 Housing

No special maintenance is required for the housing. Keep outer surfaces clean
and dry. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Avoid use of cleansers, abrasives or
solvents. Make sure housing is thoroughly dry before using tester.

8.3 Measurement Cables

Damaged or buckled measurement cables may not be used under any circum-

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stances, because this may cause a reduction in insulation performance. The
permanently connected test cables are double insulated. Inspect measurement
cables on a regular basis. Thoroughly inspect cables every 6 to 12 months.

!

Even if measuring cables are slightly damaged, send tester to factory for repair.
See paragraph 9.

8.4 Repair

Voltage conducting parts may be exposed when instrument is opened. Instru­ment must be disconnected from measuring circuit before repair, replacement of
parts or calibration. If repair of an open, live instrument is unavoidable, instrument
must be repaired by trained personnel who are familiar with the risks involved.

10. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

SIMPSON ELECTRIC COMPANY offers assistance Monday thru Friday 8:00 am
to 4:30 pm Central Time. Contact Technical Support or Customer Service at (715)
588-3311.

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