The term hipot is usually used as an abbreviation for high potential. It is a term that is used to refer to a certain class of electrical safety testing instruments referred to as a hipot tester. These instruments are used in the verification of the electrical insulation in finished cables, appliances, and other wired assemblies. Such assemblies include electric motors, transformers, and printed circuit boards just to mention a few.
After a product/appliance has been manufactured or assembled, it is usually normal that there will be some level of current leakage. The amount of current leakage experienced is usually minimal and is caused by voltages and internal capacitance within the product. This leakage is normal and should be expected in every device. However, there are certain cases where excessive leakage current flow can occur due to various reasons.
Faults in the design or disintegration of product insulation among many other reasons may be the cause of the excessive leakage. These flaws often cause excessive leaking of current and may give rise to electrical shock for any individual that comes into contact with the defective appliance. The essence of a hipot test is to ensure and verify that the product has enough insulation so that the user of the device may not be electrocuted.
Dielectric Withstanding Voltage, DWV, is another term used in reference to the hipot test. At the time of the test, a high voltage is applied between the conductors that carry current in the product and its metallic shielding. Upon completion, there will exist a resultant current that makes its way through the insulator material. The term used for this current is leakage current and is tested using a high potential tester.
This testing process makes one major assumption. The assumption is that if the insulation of the device is not broken by the deliberate application of excess voltage, then it should be safe for normal operation. The device should be able to withstand application of normal voltage, which is applied during normal use. The name Dielectric Withstanding Voltage comes from this assumption.
The objective during testing is to stress the insulation in the product. However, apart from inducing stress on insulation, the test detects any workmanship defects that may be present. The workmanship monitoring focuses on the tiny gap spaces occurring between the earth ground and conductors that carry current in the device. In normal working environment, these small gaps can be closed by dirt, humidity, vibration, shock, or contaminants.
When the gaps are closed, current is allowed to flow. Such conditions can be a major electrical hazard that must be corrected at the factory before the product is released into the market. Such defects cannot be detected by any other method besides DWV. Even though other methods may be used to attempt to resolve these problems, but they cannot be as effective as DWV.
A high potential tester is simply and electric device that manufacturers use to verify electrical insulation. It is comprised of a high-voltage source, current meter, and a switching matrix. The matrix is used to connect current meter and voltage source to all contact points in a cable. The testing process may be automated by the inclusion of a microcontroller and display.
After a product/appliance has been manufactured or assembled, it is usually normal that there will be some level of current leakage. The amount of current leakage experienced is usually minimal and is caused by voltages and internal capacitance within the product. This leakage is normal and should be expected in every device. However, there are certain cases where excessive leakage current flow can occur due to various reasons.
Faults in the design or disintegration of product insulation among many other reasons may be the cause of the excessive leakage. These flaws often cause excessive leaking of current and may give rise to electrical shock for any individual that comes into contact with the defective appliance. The essence of a hipot test is to ensure and verify that the product has enough insulation so that the user of the device may not be electrocuted.
Dielectric Withstanding Voltage, DWV, is another term used in reference to the hipot test. At the time of the test, a high voltage is applied between the conductors that carry current in the product and its metallic shielding. Upon completion, there will exist a resultant current that makes its way through the insulator material. The term used for this current is leakage current and is tested using a high potential tester.
This testing process makes one major assumption. The assumption is that if the insulation of the device is not broken by the deliberate application of excess voltage, then it should be safe for normal operation. The device should be able to withstand application of normal voltage, which is applied during normal use. The name Dielectric Withstanding Voltage comes from this assumption.
The objective during testing is to stress the insulation in the product. However, apart from inducing stress on insulation, the test detects any workmanship defects that may be present. The workmanship monitoring focuses on the tiny gap spaces occurring between the earth ground and conductors that carry current in the device. In normal working environment, these small gaps can be closed by dirt, humidity, vibration, shock, or contaminants.
When the gaps are closed, current is allowed to flow. Such conditions can be a major electrical hazard that must be corrected at the factory before the product is released into the market. Such defects cannot be detected by any other method besides DWV. Even though other methods may be used to attempt to resolve these problems, but they cannot be as effective as DWV.
A high potential tester is simply and electric device that manufacturers use to verify electrical insulation. It is comprised of a high-voltage source, current meter, and a switching matrix. The matrix is used to connect current meter and voltage source to all contact points in a cable. The testing process may be automated by the inclusion of a microcontroller and display.
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