Q: What is the difference between the 433 and 434 Power Quality Analyzer?
A: The 434 adds a couple features to the base 433 such as Interharmonics, Transients, Inrush currents and Energy Usage, along with greater memory storage for screen capture and datasets. The kit also includes FlukeView software and an optical communication cable to safely connect the power analyzer to your PC.
Q. I purchased a 433 and now have need for the features of a 434. Can I upgrade?
A: YES, The 433 can be field upgraded to include all the feature of a 434. The purchase of the upgrade also includes the FlukeView software and optical communications cable. To purchase the upgrade, visit your distributor.
Q: I need an overview of all the functions available in the 43X Power Quality Analyzers.
A: Click here for an overview of all the functions available in the 43X Power Quality Analyzers.
Q. Why do many of the functions warn me about using the power adapter when I want to run off of the internal battery?
A: This warning is designed to help prevent data loss. When you select trending functions that can run over a long time period, the unit alerts you that the adapter is not plugged in, just in case you intend to record for longer than the seven hours of battery life.
Q. USB cable driver installation issues.
A: If you encounter USB cable driver installation issues, review the READ-ME document on the CD. It contains detailed instructions along with steps for adjusting the most common problems.
Q. What is the difference between "Dips & Swells", "Transients" and the "Monitor" function?
A: Transients require a trigger setting and then creates a graphical representation of the sinewave when that trigger is crossed. Dips & Swells does not require threshold configuration – it provides a trend chart and a text listing of changes in nominal voltages. Monitor compares incoming power to EN50160 or user defined thresholds. It then presents a go no-go chart that the user can use to drill down into the event listings.
Q. The unit displays unusual color codes & labels. Can these be adjusted?
A: Press the Setup button, followed by F4 to access the User Preferences menu. Select Phase Identification to toggle between the L1-L2-L3 and A-B-C phase labels. Under Phase Colors, select F1 to use U.S. defaults.
Q. Why does the unit keep turning off?
A: The 430 Series is programmed to prevent accidental power-ons that could inadvertently discharge the battery. If you don't select another function after pushing the power-on button, the unit will power-off in 15 seconds. To adjust the auto-off feature, press the Setup button, choose User Preferences and then Battery Save/Auto-OFF.
Q: I have a power quality problem. Where do I start?
A: Start with basic real time readings of your three-phase power:
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Select Unbalance from the menu and see if the phases are balanced. Having more loads on one or two phases can cause a three-phase motor to overheat and fail prematurely.
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Select Volts/Amps/Hertz from the menu.
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Verify that the RMS voltages are within acceptable limits. Low voltage can be just as damaging as high voltage.
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Look for excessive neutral current. This is a common cause for overheated neutral wires and malfunctioning sensitive computer loads and can point to bad grounding or incorrect neutral to ground bonds.
Q: Nuisance breaker tripping.
A: Select Inrush Currents from the menu, check the startup current of the motor load, and see if exceeds the breaker rating. Startup currents are often 5 times the operating rating of the motor and are frequently overlooked. Tip: Outside of the high current events, many breakers have become more sophisticated and trip on other factors. This is especially true for three-phase switchgear. For example, many "smart" breakers" will trip on THD over a certain limit. Take a look at the harmonics to see if you're near the limit.
Q: Transformer overheating & premature/repeat failure.
A: Harmonics are the leading cause for transformer over heating and premature failure. Harmonics also reduce the efficiency of a transformer. Select the Harmonics function from the menu to trend THD and also identify which frequencies are present on voltage, current or power. Harmonics are also a consideration when sizing the neutral conductor and why the NEC code recommends at least a double sizing. It can also be a factor in motor over heating.
Q: My snapshots look within tolerance, but I still have a problem.
A: Many power quality problems are a result of loads turning on/off. Troubleshooting this requires longer term monitoring, as it may happen when you are not present at the panel. Having a monitor trend and capture excursions is essential. Set the 430 series Monitor function to run over a period that characterizes the problem. Tip: Keeping a log of complaints will help you determine when and how often the problem occurs – and how long to monitor for. Then, line up particular complaint times with the data captured during those same period and correlate repetitive events with equipment cycles.
Q: What is in-rush current?
A: Inrush is the large spike most commonly caused by a motor load coming on-line. As it first energizes, the motor utilizes a higher amount of current than when runs at a constant speed. This large current draw frequently causes a large enough voltage dip to send other equipment off-line or cause the lights to blink. The Inrush function of the 434 allows you to capture the inrush magnitude along with the length of time it takes the motor to come up to speed. If the inrush magnitude and duration exceeds the breaker setting, it will trip -- even though the motor's normal current draw is much lower.
Q: How do I locate the cause of an event?
A: To isolate the fault location, use the 434 Transients function and monitor at several points in the distribution. As you work your way down the line, eliminate circuits that don't show events and follow the circuits that show the event in sharper detail. The sharper the event, the closer you are to the load causing the problem. Three-phase monitoring also allows you to determine if it is a single, dual or three phase load causing the problem, further reducing the number of culprits.
Q. Why would I use the less expensive 430 Series power quality analyzer to do a power quality study, rather than a traditional power quality monitor or recorder? Isn't expensive better?
A: Just like any job, having the right tool is what matters most. The 430 series is designed for front line power quality troubleshooting and audits. It's lightweight, handheld, battery operated and has the three phase capabilities required for industrial and commercial environments. It's also CAT IV rated for use at the service entrance where most audits begin. When you need to take measurements at several points along the distribution, ease of use and portability are more important than high transient capture and extensive storage. Likewise, when troubleshooting a mysterious power quality problem, you need to measure dips, swells, harmonics, unbalance, power, flicker and waveforms before you know what setups and thresholds to set. The 430 Series can begin measuring immediately, while a monitor or recorder requires thresholds. Then, once more complexity is required, the 430 series can become a threshold driven meter for pass/fail reporting. It can also capture and characterize inrush current, store and transfer data to a PC for later analysis and report generation, and capture transients at 5uS.
Q. How do I get data values in my PC from a 430/434 Data Set?
A: On the meter, press Memory, then Recall, then scroll up or down using the up and down arrow keys to highlight the Data Set you want, then press Use.
In the FlukeView Power Quality software, click on Instruments, then select the function that matches the type of data on the screen of the 430/434 that you want to transfer to the PC. Here are the common choices:
Display Waveforms (used for the Scope & Transient modes) Display Events (used for the Monitor and Dips & Swell modes) Display Harmonics (used for the Harmonics mode) Display Quality (used for the Monitor mode) Display Trends (used for many of the functions where a Trend Plot is on the screen of the 430/434)
Display Data Set (for viewing pictures only)
Q. How do I export the data point values from Trend Plots or Event table to Excel or other data analysis programs?
A: Transfer the Waveform, Trend, Event or Harmonics to the PC like in the answer above. Then you can either click on Edit then Copy Data in FlukeView to copy the data points to the Windows clipboard for pasting into other programs or click on File, then Save AS and select the .CSV file format and save the file to your hard disk. You can then open the file in Excel or other data analysis programs that except .CSV format files.
Q: How does the 430 Series handle memory and storage?
A: Click here for information on how the 430 Series handles memory and storage