Kurth Electronic KE2100 User manual

KE2100
Time Domain Reectometer
Version 2.0
© KURTH ELECTRONIC GmbH
All rights reserved, including translations.
All reprints and electronic copies, including excerpts, require prior written approval
of Kurth Electronic GmbH.
All of the brand names and trademarks cited herein are the property of their registered owners.
Operating Manual
Kurth Electronic GmbH | Muehleweg 11 | D 72800 Eningen u.A. GERMANY |
Tel. [phone] | Fax [phone] |
[email protected] | www.kurthelectronic.de

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved
2
Usage
The KE2100 is a handy and compact Time Domain Reectometer for fault
location for all types of cables without service, such as twin wires, coax and
power lines. It has a very short minimum resolution and a range of up to
14 km. The adjustable impedance and the editable shortening factor meet
all requirements for a successful test setup. The tester o󰀨ers simple and
intuitive operation.
With the AUTO test, a single click ensures that the impedance and length
specications correspond to the cable section to be tested, thus ensuring fast
diagnosis. With the clearly operable cursor a fast distance determination is
possible, this is additionally supported by a second cursor.
The freeze function allows you to examine the curve accurately, a feature
available on the very few TDRs in this price range. The high screen resolu-
tion with backlighting allows an accurate error evaluation of the trace. The
bundled management software manages the cable database and the stored
measurements can be examined in the intuitive interface.
At a glance
Simple operation
AUTO test for immediate use
High measurement resolution / maximum cable length up to 14 km
Menu language German or English
Indicates the distance to the error in meters or feet
Symmetrical search signal
Freezing function for precise error evaluation
Measurement curve as reference in the background
Preparation
Insert 4x AA alkaline batteries into the battery compartment on the back of
the unit. Only replace the batteries with the test cables removed. See page
13 for details.

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved 3
The KE2100 may only be used by su󰀩ciently trained and competent
persons.
Safety warnings and cautions must be read and understood before
using the KE2100. All safety instructions must be adhered to during
use.
Circuits must be de-energized and isolated before test connections are
made.
The operator must check the safety of the circuit before starting the
test; appropriate precautions must be taken.
During the tests, hands must be behind the protective devices of the
probes/clamps.
The instrument must not be used if any part is damaged. Test leads and
crocodile clips must be proper, clean and without damaged or cracked
insulation.
The meter is protected from splash water and dust by the front foil, but
it is not waterproof. It only needs to be opened to change the batteries –
otherwise there are no parts inside the instrument that need to be main-
tained or adjusted.
Remove the test cables before removing the battery cover. The battery
cover must be closed during measurements.
The optional BNC adapter may only be used for low voltage systems.
All applicable safety regulations must be followed.
Documentation and software
Current operating instructions and software updates can be found at
www.kurthelectronic.de in our download area. Under Service and Sup-
port > Downloads you will nd the corresponding les such as current
rmware and operating instructions for downloading.

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved
4
ON-OFF
SEL
ESC
KE2100
Time Domain Reflectometer
C1:62.5m 0.67
Cursor0m 150 ~
300m
Keyboard / Display / Connections
Loop for carrying strap
4mm banana sockets
Fall protection
Battery indicator
LCD display
ESC key
(AUTO test or main menu)
SEL button
(Display menu or TDR menu)
Control keys UP - DOWN/
LEFT - RIGHT
ON / OFF key
Battery compartment:
Before changing the battery
(4x AA Alkaline) remove the fall
protection and the test leads.
Caution: Despite overvoltage protection, the KE2100 may only be
used on voltage-free cables!

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved 5
Keyboard / Display / Connections
KE2100
Time Domain Reflectometer
4mm banana sockets
Bracket stand
Loop for carrying strap
Display of cursor absolute position
Start of the display area
Function of the Up /Down keys
Display VF
Battery indicator
End of display area
Display input AC or DC
Display Impedance
Cursor (long press →
fast movement)
Battery compartment:
Before changing the battery (4x AA
Alkaline) remove the fall protection
and the test leads.
C1:38,7m 0.67
Cursor0m 150 ~ 75m

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved
6
Usage
Press the ON / OFF key to turn the TDR on or o󰀨.
The TDR trace is displayed immediately after the ON / OFF key is pressed.
Briey press ESC to activate the AUTO test:
The impedance of the cable to be tested, pulse width and gain are auto-
matically selected for the selected range. (The cable must be longer than 10
meters or 30 feet).
Main menu
Long press of the ESC key:
Basic Operating Instructions
The menu structure in the KE2100 consists on the one hand of a menu
bar structure, which is conrmed and exited with the SEL key. On the
other hand there are selection elds <XXX>, which are operated with the
left / right control keys. Once the selection has been made, the process
must be completed with the ESC key.
TDR measurement
Cable parameter
Cable
Data transmission
Settings
Measurement /
Exit menu
VFL value
Cable database
Activate Bluetooth
Language
Unit
Battery type
Backlight
Auto-Off
Contrast
Velocity factor
Program update
Time
Date
German / English
-20 – 50 (Def. 20)
m, ft
VF or V/2
Battery, rech. batt.
Start the update
process
Duration: 0 – .. Sek.
Settings time
Duration: 0 – .. Min.
Settings date
TDR measurement: Measurement mode with display of the TDR trace and
exit of the main menu
Cable parameters: Change the VFL value with the Up / Down keys. The
Velocity Factor depends on the cable being tested and must be set correctly
to display the measured distance correctly.

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved 7
Cables: Choice of up to 32 cable types. Conguration is done via the KE2100
Manager software (see page 14).
Data transmission: Activation of data transmission via Bluetooth module
Menu Settings
Language: Choice between German and English
Unit: choice between meters (m) or feet (ft)
Battery type: choice between alkaline battery and rechargeable battery
Backlight: Adjustment of the lighting duration of the display after the last
input, 0 is permanently on.
Auto-O󰀨: Setting of the auto o󰀨 after the last input, 0 is continuously on
Contrast: Setting from -20 (low contrast) to 50 (high contrast)
Velocity factor: Choice between VF and V/2
Program update: Starting the update process
Time: setting the time in 24-hour format
Date: Setting the date in the format DD/MM/YY
Exiting the Settings menu with ESC
TDR Menu
Press and hold the SEL key to open the TDR menu with the setting options
specic to the measurement:
Reference: If <On> is selected, the current measurement is placed in the
background as a reference curve (lighter color). This makes it possible to
compare two measurements. Note that the reference curve is not changed
at Y-zoom.
Save: Saves the current measurement with time stamp. The data can be
transferred via Bluetooth to the KE2100 Manager software and evaluated
there.
Freeze: Selecting <On> freezes the image of the current trace on the display.
Input: Select between <AC> and <DC>. Use <DC> setting for long lines. The
KE2100 is voltage protected up to DC 100 V; AC 230 V / 50 Hz. The safety
regulations must be observed when connecting to live parts.

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved
8
Pulse length: Select the desired pulse length with the left / right arrow keys.
If the TDR range is adjusted, the transmission time of the pulse changes. The
pulse length must be increased so that the device can overcome signal atte-
nuation and continue to record the length of the cable. The larger the range
selected on the TDR, the wider the transmitted pulse.
Z: The impedance is a characteristic of the cable to be tested. The desired
impedance is selected with the left / right arrow keys (the cable impedance is
determined automatically in the AUTO test).
TDR Menu
Short pressing of the SEL key al-
lows scrolling through the di󰀨erent
functions of the up / down control
keys.
1. Length: Selection of length ranges from 0 to approx. 14,000 metres
2. Y Zoom: Enlarges the view of the measuring range in 6 dB increments
3. X Zoom: Enlarges the view of the measurement window
4. Cursor: Fade in the cursor. To move quickly, hold down the left / right con-
trol keys. The up key is used to display the second cursor; the inactive cursor
changes its colour to black.
Further cursor modes:
1x :C1 Absolute position of cursor 1, cursor 1 is active
2x :C2 Absolute position of cursor 2, cursor 2 is active
3x :ΔC1 Di󰀨erence between cursor 1 and 2, cursor 1 is active
4x :ΔC2 Di󰀨erence between cursor 1 und 2, cursor 2 is active
This function can be used to measure two reection points, e.g. the distance
between two distributors, joints or distributor + defect.
C1:40.2m 0.67
Cursor0m 150 ~ 300m

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved 9
If no reections are visible, increase the gain in the TDR menu until all reec-
tions are easily detected.
The range can be adjusted by moving the Length / Y-Zoom / X-Zoom up and
down with the up / down arrow keys and the cursor left or right with the
left / right arrow keys. If you move the cursor to the beginning of the reecti-
on, the distance to the error can be read on the display.
The distance is calculated with the velocity factor set in the TDR. If the shor-
tening factor for the cable to be tested was not correctly specied, the dis-
played distance is incorrect.
Examples
With the TDR method, the device sends a pulse to the cable, which is re-
ected by cable faults and sent back to the device. Characteristic reection
curves can be used to identify the type of fault and the measuring device also
indicates the location of the fault to an accuracy of approx. 0.3 m. The cable
fault is then reected back to the device. Some typical reection curves and
the associated cable faults are, for example:
Open cable end
Branch-o󰀨
Bad contact
Splinters
Short cirquit
Split / Resplit
Intruding water
Splice
Water within the cable
Branch-o󰀨, short

© Kurth Electronic GmbH, All Rights Reserved
10
Techniques
Depending on the local situation, countless techniques can be applied to
improve measurement accuracy. Not every situation can be addressed, but
the following measures have proven e󰀨ective and are the most common and
easiest to implement methods.
Cable testing from both cable ends
When troubleshooting a cable, it is a good practice to measure from both
ends, especially in open circuit faults where the actual end of the cable is not
visible. For a measurement from both ends, the combined result should cor-
respond to the expected cable length. Even if the actual cable end is shown
on the display, the reections behind the error may be too unclear for unam-
biguous analysis; in this case, measurements from both ends give a clearer
picture with higher accuracy.
Coax cable Shielded cable Twisted pair Multi-wire line
Supported cable types
The TDR method can be used to check a large number of di󰀨erent cables
and determine the possible fault location. The KE2100 can even examine
cables up to 14 kilometers in length, for example: