I need input from Electrical Specialists

[Nate]

I do less and less construction in my company because I keep moving up, now I do alot of trouble shooting for larger companies. Its mostly Electric motors, large ones, ranging from 80hp-600hp motors. I deal with a ton of control wiring, PLC's, and 3 phase power and cabinets of ice cube relays and murphy gauges with Nema starters all over the board. So my question is, should I upgrade myself to one of these meters?

http://www.myflukestore.com/p4171/fluke_345.php

I have a regular 87V Fluke meter and an Amp clamp, but I keep dipping into more technical stuff. A bad decision on my part can cost the company i'm contracted to thousands of dollars. Just today I blew a fuse on a 4160v panel talk about exspensive.

Has anyone tried one? Recommend anything else? Im looking for any input, anything to make my job easier. Thanks!

 

[icr]

maybe the company wants to buy one for you? Couldn't hurt to ask

 

[SNOW JW]

PM Craft Mike on here Nate

 

[Ex-Member]

IF you're using it for work, definately see if the company will pick up the tab.

My company bought me a Fluke 87-V.... Not a bad meter, but I picked up a 187 a few weeks later. Hired a new guy, he needed a meter, so I gave the 87-V to him and just use my 187. Having all the features of it that aren't on the cheaper meters really helps out... i find myself using that a lot more often than I thought I would, and it sure does help finding the weird problems I've run into. Features like frequency/duty cycle/period, capacitance, conductance, datalogging, fast min/max, computer interface, dB measurement, and a µV/µA scale.

Having good equipment (My 187's a 50,000-count meter, compared to most 2,000- or 5,000-count) can really make your job easier. Besides, you really can't go wrong with Fluke T&M gear. Once you have it you'll wonder how you got along without it. There was a time I was happy with my little radio-shark autoranging DMM...

tl;dr: Get it.

 

[ruffryder]

If you are doing a lot of 3 phase stuff you need a 3 phase meter with scope. That is a big plus if you are doing power quality issues also. Note that most flukes (only sure of the 87) are good to 1kV... don't be touching that to 4kV unless you want to see what an exploding scope will do to your face.... bad bad bad stuff...

3-phase scopes for power quality gives you a lot of information, though you will need to judge that against how many issues you will actually be able to solve with it. 87 can do a lot..... most utility techs do all the work with those. Only when there is a power quality issue do they move on to the scopes, and that normally requires another person / crew with the right equipment / expertise...

I assume you closed in on a short and blew the fuse? Do you think you could have detected it by using the 87?

I think most motors can be tested by checking r values across the different terminals....

What do you expect to see with the single phase scope and what do you think it will tell you? Answering those questions first will tell you if you actually need the tool and that it is not something fancy to have.....

Just some thoughts.... sounds like most of your stuff is low voltage / discrete devices that don't require a scope.

Hope this helps a little bit at least. You have anyone above you that you could talk to? Maybe push your company for you to take some classes or something... they might like that more then paying for equipment that you might not use. My experience has been that knowing what you are doing, and knowing what your should be seeing before you even hook up any measuring device is the most important thing. Sometimes people justify data after the fact... bad way to go about something, unless of course something is known to be wrong.

rambles of a geek......

 

[XC700116]

I'm also using the 187 and haven't found a need for anything more in my field, but 99% of what I do is DC so not too much of a need for anything else. That being said I used to do a lot of industrial stuff with 3 phase on robotic equipment and big punch presses and their control systems.

I have found that if your going to spend the money on a good piece of test equipment get one that does everything you could ever think of wanting it to do and then some. Then learn to use all the features and how to make them work for you.

To me if in your shoes I'd probably be looking for an upgrade to something that has more than what you currently need as you seem to be moving up to more and more responsibilities, and you know the equipment isn't going to get less complex.

 

[augerin]

I use a 787 process meter(fluke), but the truth is the meter is a tool to prove whatever theory you have as to what the problem is. It can help you figure out what the problem might be but your knowlege of electrical theory is what is going to take you places. I deal in water control and industrial process as a contractor and get a real kick out of troubleshooting and of course have had thoughts of stepping up to a 190 series or a 210 series for all the added options. I just can't justify the $2500 due to how often I see myself needing it. Most times a good set of schematics and a good background win's the day. And BTW your boss should be paying for meters and power tools.

 

[greendrake]

I have the 187, which covers just about everything. We also have between 4 sparky's a 196 scopemeter and a 1520 MegOhmMeter, we Megger all of our 3 phase DC motors and motorleads before we do our annual motor clean, and then we Megger them after to make sure they are good for the season. We usually end up pulling one or two a year and sending to the motorshop to get the comm's dipped and baked. I bought my own meter, justifying it because I use it at home on my sled, etc. But the company springs for the scope and the MegOhmMeter...

 

[justadude]

Some serious Big brainers in this thread, me excluded!!

 

[MTm7]

I do less and less construction in my company because I keep moving up, now I do alot of trouble shooting for larger companies. Its mostly Electric motors, large ones, ranging from 80hp-600hp motors. I deal with a ton of control wiring, PLC's, and 3 phase power and cabinets of ice cube relays and murphy gauges with Nema starters all over the board. So my question is, should I upgrade myself to one of these meters?

http://www.myflukestore.com/p4171/fluke_345.php

I have a regular 87V Fluke meter and an Amp clamp, but I keep dipping into more technical stuff. A bad decision on my part can cost the company i'm contracted to thousands of dollars. Just today I blew a fuse on a 4160v panel talk about exspensive.

Has anyone tried one? Recommend anything else? Im looking for any input, anything to make my job easier. Thanks!

hey nate i would recommend buying stock in jokey shorts.... i bet those bad boys are in the trash. was the fault to ground or phase to phase? im assuming it was to ground as you said A fuse??

sorry no help here as i dont work with voltages that high.

 

[hatchers]

I do less and less construction in my company because I keep moving up, now I do alot of trouble shooting for larger companies. Its mostly Electric motors, large ones, ranging from 80hp-600hp motors. I deal with a ton of control wiring, PLC's, and 3 phase power and cabinets of ice cube relays and murphy gauges with Nema starters all over the board. So my question is, should I upgrade myself to one of these meters?

http://www.myflukestore.com/p4171/fluke_345.php

I have a regular 87V Fluke meter and an Amp clamp, but I keep dipping into more technical stuff. A bad decision on my part can cost the company i'm contracted to thousands of dollars. Just today I blew a fuse on a 4160v panel talk about exspensive.

Has anyone tried one? Recommend anything else? Im looking for any input, anything to make my job easier. Thanks!

yummmmm, i love PLCs, PLC5 and Controller based processors makes me randy......i pretty much work on ladder logic 90% of the time

PM me with your number and i can lend some help to a yound lad

Four meters i can not work without: 87, 187, amp clamp, fox and hound

 

[hilinerider]

also handy in some of our plc comp. control at times is an o-scope, especially for dirty single problems

 

[Nate]

Thanks for the input guys! The 4160v motor was for a compressor. I didnt open the "pop up" valve and it loaded up the motor, spiked the amperage and blew a leg. What I dont get is why it didnt blow a line fuse You would think it would have blown the line fuse first before the fuse in the panel.

Basically I could have trouble shooted the problem with an ampclamp, but with that high of voltage I dont like sticking around to see when she "went" off Nothing like being around 4160v, really puts things into perspective.

I work in an energy field, alot of Methane, oil, sweet gas, etc.etc and well.......sometimes alot of contractors DO NOT follow the NEC mixing voltages in conduits, panels, grounding and bonding issues. So basically I go to work hoping to be handed an arubics cube half done to make my life easier.

Im basically just looking for tools or items to make my job easier. I guess I could just go along and use my 87v and amp clamp, but would I gain anything knowledge wise by going to a power quality analyzer? Just looking for something to make my job that much easier

Forgot to add, I do as well have a Simpson swing meter, but basically to just ohm out bad undergrounds, and windings in motors. Other than that, its pretty dern useless to me

Hatchers, appriciate the offer might have to hit you up on that, im always up for a good brain pickin'. Thanks Ruffy for the in-depth response Thanks everyone!

 

[HIGHMARK]

I work in an energy field, alot of Methane, oil, sweet gas, etc.etc and well.......sometimes alot of contractors DO NOT follow the NEC mixing voltages in conduits, panels, grounding and bonding issues. So basically I go to work hoping to be handed an arubics cube half done to make my life easier.
[/UOTE]
LOL!
When I was down there, they were just starting to require the guys building those panels to be licensed or working under the supervision of a license holder. The big argument was that it was going to put a lot of the "Mom and Pop" shops out of business. I wonder how many hundreds of those panels are in the field that were put together by backyard electricians.