Arbiter Systems 928A User manual

i
MODEL 928A
POWER SYSTEM MULTIMETER
USERS MANUAL
ARBITER SYSTEMS, INC.
PASO ROBLES, CALIFORNIA
U.S.A.

ii
Notice
This manual is issued for reference only, at the convenience
of Arbiter Systems. Every reasonable effort was made to
verify that all contents were accurate as of the time of
publication. Check with Arbiter Systems at the address
below for any revisions made since the original date of
publication.
Arbiter Systems, Inc.
324 Vendels Circle, Suite 2
Paso Robles, CA 93446
Tel. [phone]
Tel. [phone]
Fax. [phone]
www.arbiter.com
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

iii
Warranty
Arbiter Systems makes no warranty, expressed or implied,
on any product manufactured or sold by Arbiter Systems
except for the following limited warranty against defects in
materials and workmanship on products manufactured by
Arbiter Systems.
Products manufactured by Arbiter Systems are guaranteed
against defective materials and workmanship under normal
use and service for one year from date of shipment. The
responsibility of Arbiter Systems under this warranty is
limited to repair or replacement, at Arbiter Systems option,
of any product found to be defective. Arbiter Systems shall
have no liability under this warranty unless it receives
written notice of any claimed defect, within the earlier of:
 Thirty days of discovery by Buyer, or;
 One year from the date of shipment.
For warranty service or repair, products shall be returned to
a service facility designated by Arbiter Systems. Buyer shall
prepay all shipping charges to Arbiter Systems, and Arbiter
Systems shall pay shipping charges incurred in returning the
product to Buyer. However, Buyer shall pay all shipping
charges, duties and taxes for products returned to Buyer in a
country other than the United States of America.
THE WARRANTY SET FORTH HEREIN
CONSTITUTES THE ONLY WARRANTY
OBLIGATIONS OF ARBITER SYSTEMS, EXPRESSED
OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY, BY OPERATION OF LAW,
OR OTHERWISE. ARBITER SYSTEMS DISCLAIMS
ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND
BUYER EXPRESSLY WAIVES ALL OTHER
WARRANTIES.

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This limited warranty does not extend to any product that
has been subject to:
I. Improper use or application, abuse, or operation
beyond its rated capacity, or contrary to the instructions
in the user and maintenance manuals (if any);
II. Accident;
III. Repair or maintenance performed by Buyer, except in
accordance with the operation and maintenance
manuals, if any, and any special instructions of Arbiter
Systems;
IV. Modification without the prior written authorization of
Arbiter Systems (whether by the substitution of non-
approved parts or otherwise).
The remedies provided herein are Buyers sole and
exclusive remedies. In no event shall Arbiter Systems be
liable for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential
damages (including loss of profits), whether based on
contract, tort, or other legal theory.
FOR THE FASTEST POSSIBLE SERVICE, PLEASE
PROCEED AS FOLLOWS:
. Notify Arbiter Systems, Inc., specifying the instrument
model number and serial number, and giving full
details of the difficulty. Service data or instrument
return authorization will be provided upon receipt of
this information.
2. If instrument return is authorized, forward prepaid to
the manufacturer. If it is determined that the instrument
is not covered by this warranty, an estimate will be
made before the repair work begins, if requested.
See contact information on page ii.
Warranty

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Model 928A
Power System Multimeter
Operation Manual
 Warranty
 Table of Contents
 Introduction
 Getting Started
 Operation
 USB Communication
 Functional Description
 Specifications
 Appendixes
Index
© Copyright Arbiter Systems Incorporated November ,
2005. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Printed in USA
PD0030900C

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Contents vii
Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................... 1
Simple Measurement .......................................................
Record Data .................................................................
Safety Information .......................................................... 2
Caution: Max CT Input Level .................................. 2
Caution: No Direct Current Input ............................ 2
Measuring Safety ..................................................... 2
The Instrument Case .................................................... 3
Caution: Water Damage ........................................... 3
Display ......................................................................... 3
CT Characterization Service ........................................... 3
Getting Started ................................................. 4
Keyboard Operation .................................................... 4
Primary Function Keys ................................................ 4
Secondary Function Keys ............................................ 4
Navigating Menus to Configure .................................. 4
Power On and Off ........................................................ 5
Auto Power Shutdown ............................................. 5
Battery Power Only ..................................................... 5
AC Power Adapter ....................................................... 5
Operation ................................................................. 6
Battery Replacement ................................................... 6
Measurement Terminals............................................... 7
Versatile Inputs ............................................................ 7
Voltage Terminals - 660 Vrms, max ............................ 8
Current Terminals - .2 Arms, .2 Vrms, max ............. 9
928A Keys ..................................................................... 0
MIN/MAX Key ......................................................... 0
LCD - Display Control Key....................................... 0
Function Keys - f - f6 ..............................................
f  Custom User Screen .......................................

viii Contents
Splash Screen ............................................................
Up and Down Arrows ................................................
MENU Key................................................................ 2
Main Menu ............................................................. 2
Firmware Version ................................................... 2
Phase Preference .................................................... 3
Frequency Preference ............................................ 4
Auto Shutdown ...................................................... 4
Flash Utilities Menu ............................................... 5
Calibration Date Info ............................................. 5
Menus in Context ...................................................... 5
ENT  Enter Data ...................................................... 5
ESC  Escape ............................................................ 6
STO - Store Held Value in Memory .......................... 6
When Recording Data ............................................ 6
When Configuring Functions ................................. 6
TIME ......................................................................... 7
Viewing the Time ................................................... 7
Adjusting the Time ................................................. 7
DATE ......................................................................... 8
Viewing the Date .................................................... 8
Adjusting the Date ................................................. 8
Using the Input Channels A and B ................................ 9
Configuring Channels A and B .................................. 20
Voltage - Ch-A V.................................................... 20
Input Ratio ............................................................. 2
Phase Offset ........................................................... 2
Current Ch-A I ...................................................... 22
CT Select ............................................................... 22
Low Range Mode................................................... 23
Voltage Ch-B V ..................................................... 23
Current Ch-B I ...................................................... 23
Current Probe Configuration Examples .................... 23
Selecting a Channel Function ................................ 24
Measuring Voltage and Current ............................. 24
Using the M3 Current Probe ..................................... 25

Contents ix
Operation ........................................................ 27
Making Measurements .................................................. 28
VI - Voltage and Current Measurement ..................... 28
ØF - Phase / Frequency Measurement ....................... 30
Phase Preferences .................................................. 30
Phase Conventions ................................................. 3
PWR - Active and Reactive Power ............................ 32
PF - Power Factor & Apparent Power ....................... 34
Lead Lag Display ................................................... 35
Wh - Watt-hour .......................................................... 36
WAV - Waveform....................................................... 38
HRM - Numerical Harmonics ................................... 40
- Graphical Harmonics ................................... 4
Flicker Information .................................................... 42
FLK - Instantaneous Flicker ...................................... 43
Pst - Short-Term Flicker ............................................ 43
PQ  Power Quality / Sags and Swells ...................... 44
Method ................................................................... 44
PQ Profiles ............................................................. 44
USER Profile ......................................................... 44
Profiles  OFF........................................................ 44
PQ Records ............................................................ 45
Example CBEMA Curve ........................................ 45
Working with PQ Profiles and Records ................. 46
Selecting PQ Profiles ............................................. 46
Accessing PQ Events ............................................. 47
TRIG - Working with Triggers .................................. 48
Viewing Triggers .................................................... 48
Configuring Triggers .............................................. 49
A/B Function ............................................................. 50
B/A Function ............................................................. 5
HOLD - Hold Metered Value .................................... 52
RCL - Recall Stored Values (STO) ............................ 53
Integration Key .......................................................... 54
AXIS Key .................................................................. 55

x Contents
Graph Definitions .................................................. 55
LOG Key ................................................................... 56
Basic Data List ....................................................... 58
Mlink Software Tutorial .................................. 59
Introduction ............................................................... 59
Mlink Advantages ...................................................... 59
Download Mlink ........................................................ 59
Installing USB Driver ................................................ 60
FTDI Driver on Windows XP ............................ 60
Installing Mlink ......................................................... 6
Connecting the 928A to a Computer ......................... 6
Startup - USB Connection ......................................... 62
Connecting ................................................................. 62
Mlink Main Window ..................................................... 63
Available Functions ................................................ 63
Upload CT Profiles ....................................................... 64
To Install Profiles ................................................... 64
To Erase Profiles .................................................... 64
Configure User Screens................................................. 65
To Configure User Screens .................................... 65
Download Trigger Records ........................................... 66
To Download Trigger Records ............................... 66
Configure Power Quality .............................................. 67
Configure Power Quality Settings ............................. 67
User Profile ............................................................ 68
OFF  Deactivate PQ Trigger ................................ 68
Configure Power Quality Point Limits ...................... 69
Point Limit Definitions .......................................... 69
Download Log Records ................................................ 70
Downloading .......................................................... 70
Download Power Quality Records ................................ 7
Downloading .......................................................... 7
Uploading New Firmware ............................................. 72