Month: March 2019

Sonel EasiPAT

In the $1,000 – $2,000 range today, we review a tester from a newcomer to the PAT market in Australia – the Sonel EasiPAT.

Although little, this tester packs a couple of surprises that we did not expect, so let’s see what we mean:

The unit is supplied in a soft carry bag that is purpose built to sit around the neck and provide access to the tester to carry out testing, zip up sides allow for the tester to effectively live snugly in this without needing to be removed. Simply unzip the top of the bag to access the tester and then unzip the sides to allow access to the test sockets or download port. A basic memory, mains and battery operation as well as a printer capable!

Used as a basic tester, this is very quick testing. Easy to see green and red lights indicate a pass or fail as well as numerical values on the screen and auditable tones which clearly identify the results of testing. This would have to be the stand out when it comes to ensuring you know the result of a test. The battery is charged whilst in use and uses a simple IEC test lead for the charging, making this a very easy and cheap to replace cable if lost or damaged.

A great safety feature that we have not seen before now is the addition of flashing lights prior to the leakage test (the one that makes things go). This helps to identify that something is going to happen and that you as the competent person acknowledge the device under test will start.

With automated test and a manual test mode there are a lot of options here. The auto test mode is pre-programmed with the required tests to meet ASNZS3760 and the manual mode will allow you to perform additional one-off tests as required.

So let’s have a look at the tests that this PAT can carry out.

As usual we will start with the earth bond test, which is where things become a little different. Sonel have decided to do something unique and test at not only 200milliamps but have put a 10Amp earth test here. This means that not only can you simply be compliant, you can now test for safety with a handheld PAT.

This takes us from a 200milliamp test to a 10,000milliamp test and starts to make us wonder what other hidden gems there are in this little tester.

Insulation resistance works as can be expected with both 250V and 500V selectable.

Polarity testing is also in place as would be expected and has been nicely incorporated into the auto test modes where required. A downside to the Automatic tests is that when testing a powerboard you do have to go through the full sequence for each socket instead of simply carrying out the earth test. This can be worked around by carrying out manual earth tests prior to using the automated code.

For PRCD testing, both 10mA and 30mA PRCDs may be tested at both normal trip currant and 5x the rated current. Additional tests in the PRCD test code include earth bond, leakage and the elusive polarity that we did not see in the Metrel DeltaPAT. Trip times and “ramp up”current tests are also measured and recorded to ensure full compliance can be seen – does this make sense?

 An additional free software that allows for downloading of the data from unit and exporting to CSV does give this an extra boost. With most software for PATs ranging from $500-$1,200 we see this as a real saving. Sonel have also announced they are working on an Application to be able to download the data to android mobile devices, however this is still in Beta testing and may be some time away.

We would like to point out that the application would be a welcome addition as the current data input is extremely basic and could use the upgrade.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

This PAT can be easily connected to a little WiFi printer allowing for small labels to be printed. When printed the labels can show the results of the test on them with numerical values and if an item fails the failing reason is highlighted to show why – this is a very useful feature when the unit is handed to a repairer.

Q: Does it enable a testing person to comply with all the requirements of ASNZS3760?

A: YES

Q: Is it a safety tester or compliance tester only?

A: Safety and Compliance

Q: Value for money

A: Great

4 out of 5 stars

With the addition of a better data entry and an option to complete multiple earth tests without having to go through the whole full test sequence each time, this could be an almost perfect hand-held tester.

Kyoritsu

In the $1,000 – $2,000 range today we will review the Kyoritsu 6201A.

This is a small compact little unit with a detachable lid that neatly slides under the unit when in use and when it’s time to pack up the lid slides back on to protect the display.

A basic user-friendly tester with some nice features for around $1,300; this PAT has been around for a long time.

Results are displayed via a green or red light as well as the actual reading being displayed until meter over range is reached, so there are two options: either look just for the lights or check the values too. We like this feature as it allows the user to see how close an item is to a pass or a fail … if they want.

The Kyoritsu 6201A is not battery powered and does have a special supply lead which if lost won’t be available everywhere, hence keep the lead safe!

The PAT is controlled by a rotary switch much like on many multimeter and some selector switches.

This PAT has a simple and mostly effective means of ensuring the testing person is aware of when an item under test will be put into “Go mode”. This is indicated by a beeping noise however unfortunately we have noticed that the tone cannot always be heard especially by the more vintage people in our midst.

That said and providing it can be heard, it’s a good additional safety feature for the user, so we give that a plus.

Unless a powered leakage test is part of the test sequence this is a very very quick tester, but if leakage is required, we suggest you pack your breakfast … and lunch.

Like most, its test for earthing, often called earth bond, is unfortunately only done at 0.2 Amps (200 milliamps although advertised as 10 Amps, the 10 Amp test is carried out for less than 6 milliseconds and is hardly worth the mention) this is really just a continuity test but still leaves the tester compliant.

Because of this we’d call this PAT a compliance tester rather than a safety tester – a real big pity as it has many merits.

The next standard test is the 500-volt Insulation Resistance test. It works very well and quickly, you can also select a 250-volt Insulation Resistance test as an alternative if required when testing certain items.

Leakage testing, which is done at normal operating voltage of the item under test, works well when selected however you will definitely be older when the test is finished! With a running time of approximately twice that of other testers on the market this will most definitely slow your testing down.

The other test that is normally required is a polarity test (when testing leads and power boards) and again this works very quickly, however there is no way of just performing one polarity test when testing power boards. On the plus side the speed it tests at means it doesn’t add much to the time taken even though extra tests will be done that aren’t really required.

PRCD testing is commonly required when performing tests to ASNZS3760, unfortunately the 6201A doesn’t have any ability to test PRCD’s.

The Kyoritsu 6201A was designed as a quick basic manual tester and works mostly well for this. As such it doesn’t have a memory or ability to download nor can it be attached to a printer or scanner.

In a nut shell this is a tester with many good points but for those who are interested in safety first not just compliance – leave it alone. For compliance only, it’s definitely an option.

A last word of caution:  A design flaw means (and we’ve seen this happen on many occasions) that it’s easy to destroy this PAT simply by plugging it into the mains through the wrong socket! (Repair costs often make repairs uneconomic).

The 3 big questions:

Q: Does it enable a testing person to comply with all the requirements of ASNZS3760?

A: No, due to not being able to test PRCDs this tester does not quiet make the grade for testing to ASNZS3760

Q: Is it a safety tester or compliance tester only?

A: Compliance only

Q: Value for money ?

A: average

2 and a half stars out of 5

This has all the makings of a great tester, unfortunately it doesn’t seem to finish any of them off. Add some way to record data and a PRCD tester, boost the rest of the features a little more and you have an amazing tester

Happy testing