Positron 3782091C/50 User manual

i
Positron Composite Insulator Tester
With Instant GO/NOGO Graphical Capability
Model # 3782091C/50 & 3782091C/60
For Composite (Polymeric) Insulators
User Manual
Description and Operation Guide
Disclaimer Notice: Although Positron Inc. has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of
the information contained herein, this document is subject to change.

CAUTION
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE
This instrument is intended to be used in high voltage environments.
It should be used ONLY by personnel trained to work in those environments.
Although this instrument does not make electrical contact with the high voltages,
IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THIS INSTRUMENT IS USED COUPLED WITH A SUITABLE
HIGH DIELECTRIC STRENGTH HOT STICK THAT HAS A VOLTAGE RATING
EQUIVALENT TO OR GREATER THAN THE VOLTAGE ON THE DEVICES OR LINES
BEING TESTED.
NOTE
To be used on AC lines only

Contents
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Contents
1.0 General Information ...................................................................................................3
1.1 Publication Information....................................................................................................... 3
1.2 About this Guide ................................................................................................................. 3
1.3 How to use this Guide ......................................................................................................... 4
1.4 List of Associated References .............................................................................................. 4
2.0 Introduction to the Composite Insulator Testers..........................................................7
2.1 Personnel Terminology Used in this Guide .......................................................................... 7
2.2 General................................................................................................................................ 7
2.3 Overview ............................................................................................................................ 8
2.4 Composite Insulator Tester Model Numbers ....................................................................... 8
3.0 Description of Composite (Polymeric) Insulator Testers Kit ........................................13
3.1 The Composite Tester Kit................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Tester Charger................................................................................................................... 14
3.3 Insulator Tester Sled.......................................................................................................... 14
3.4 Sled Adjustments .............................................................................................................. 15
3.5 Placement of Probe on the Insulator Sled.......................................................................... 15
3.6 Tablet/Laptop.................................................................................................................... 16
3.6.1 General ............................................................................................................................. 16
3.6.2 Separating the Tablet while in the Field ............................................................................ 16
4.0 Windows-based Insulator Tester Software.................................................................21
4.1 Insulator Tester Software Description ............................................................................... 21
4.2 The Bluetooth Serial Adaptor ............................................................................................ 22
4.3 Instant Graphical GO/NO-GO Reporting Capability ........................................................... 22
5.0 Using the Composite Insulator Tester & Software......................................................25
5.1 BEFORE Testing Sessions ................................................................................................... 25
5.1.1 Select the Default Folder................................................................................................... 25
5.1.2 Changing the Folder .......................................................................................................... 26
5.1.3 Create a List of Insulator Identifications............................................................................ 26
5.1.4 Verifying Communication Before a Testing Session........................................................... 28
5.1.5 Switching the Probe On..................................................................................................... 28
5.1.5.1 Power-On Self-Test (POST) of the Probe ........................................................................28
5.1.6 Check Long-Range Bluetooth Serial Port Communication ................................................. 30
5.1.7 Get Revision of the Probe (Firmware) ............................................................................... 32
5.2 DURING Testing Sessions................................................................................................... 33
5.2.1 Scanning an Insulator........................................................................................................ 35
5.2.1.1 Performing a “V” Scan or Horizontal scan ......................................................................35
5.2.1.2 Performing a Vertical Scan..............................................................................................35
5.2.2 Downloading Data ............................................................................................................ 36
5.3 Using the Tester without the Tablet and Bluetooth........................................................... 41

Contents
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5.4 AFTER Testing Sessions...................................................................................................... 43
5.4.1 Displaying Graphs ............................................................................................................. 43
5.4.2 Searching the Database..................................................................................................... 43
5.5 Important General Notes................................................................................................... 44
6.0 Interpreting Graphic Results......................................................................................47
6.1 Understanding the Graphic ............................................................................................... 47
6.2 Linear and Logarithmic Graphic Options............................................................................ 47
6.3 Composite Insulator Tester Results: Healthy Insulators..................................................... 49
6.4 Composite Insulator Tester Results: Unhealthy Insulators................................................. 50
6.5 Comparing Historical Graphs ............................................................................................. 50
7.0 Specifications............................................................................................................55
8.0 Recommended Practices ...........................................................................................59
8.1 Horizontal and V Scan of a Composite insulator ................................................................ 59
8.2 Vertical Scan of a Composite Insulator (Preferred Method)............................................... 60
8.3 Vertical Scan of a Composite Insulator (Alternate method)............................................... 61
9.0 Important Information..............................................................................................65
9.1 Service and Support .......................................................................................................... 65
9.2 Technical Customer Support.............................................................................................. 65
9.3 Customer Training ............................................................................................................. 65
9.4 Repair Service.................................................................................................................... 65
9.5 Warranty........................................................................................................................... 66
9.6 Limitation of Liability......................................................................................................... 66
9.7 Disclaimer Notice .............................................................................................................. 67
9.8 Cancellation and Rescheduling Charges............................................................................. 67

1
Chapter 1
General Information

General Information
2

General Information
3
1.0 General Information
1.1 Publication Information
© 2020 Positron Inc.
Positron Composite Insulator Testers
Description and Operation Guide
User Manual Part #: 925W378209-10E
Publication date: May 2020
Published By
Positron Inc.
5101 Buchan Street, suite 220
Montréal, Québec
H4P 2R9 Canada
Trademarks
Positron Insulator Tester is a trademark of Positron Inc.
The Insulator Testers are manufactured by Positron Inc. in Montreal, Canada. The Positron
Insulator Testers is protected by US patents including “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE
VERIFICATION OF AN ELECTRICAL INSULATOR DEVICE BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE
ELECTRICAL FIELD ALONG THE INSULATOR”.
Product names, other than Positron’s, mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
Confidentiality Notice
The information contained in this document is the property of Positron Inc. Except as specifically
authorized in writing by Positron Inc., the holder of this document:
1) shall keep all information contained herein confidential and shall protect same in whole or
in part from the disclosure and dissemination to all third parties, and
2) shall use same for operating and maintenance purposes only.
1.2 About this Guide
This guide introduces you to and describes the operation of Positron’s Live Line High Voltage
Tester used as a maintenance tool to test and report defects in Composite Insulators and for use
as a safety tool to determine the condition of high-voltage insulators prior to beginning Live-
Power Line work.

General Information
4
1.3 How to use this Guide
This guide was designed to describe the operational modes of the Composite Insulator Testers:
The reader is invited to use the digital (PDF) version of this document to allow searching by
keywords. Select Edit, then Find from the pull-down menu, or select Ctrl+F to access the Find
menu.
1.4 List of Associated References
[1] “Suspension Insulator Puncture Insulator Tester”; Report No. ELE 92-62; Bonneville Power Administration Division of Laboratories;
December 7, 1992.
[2] G.H. Vaillancourt, J.P. Bellerive, M. St-Jean, C. Jean, “New Live Line Insulator Tester for Porcelain Insulators on High-Voltage Power
Line,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 9, January 1994, pp. 208-219.
[3] “J.C. Pohlman, C.R. Davis, “Cracked Insulators Create Hazardous Working Conditions During Restoration after Extreme Ice Storms,”
Proceedings of ESMO-95, Columbus, Ohio, USA, October 29 - November 3, 1995, IEEE Paper 95CH35755.
[4] A.S. Jagtiani, J.R. Booker, “Aging of Porcelain Insulators Under Mechanical and Electrical Stress on EHV AC Lines,” Proceedings of
ESMO-95, Columbus, Ohio, USA, October 29 - November 3, 1995, IEEE Paper ESMO 95-CP-08.
[5] G. H. Vaillancourt, M. Hamel, J. Frate, “Experience with Two Faulty Composite Insulators Detection Methods in Hydro-Quebec,”
Conference Proceedings of 10th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, Montreal, Canada, August 25-29, 1997.
[6] G. H. Vaillancourt, P. Bilodeau, “Diagnostic Testing of Composite Insulators Used on Series Compensation Platforms in Hydro-
Quebec,” Conference Proceedings of 11th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, London, England, August 22-27,
1999.
[7] G. H. Vaillancourt, S. Carignan, C. Jean, “Experience with the detection of faulty composite insulators on High-Voltage power lines
by the E-field measurement method,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Val. 13, No. 2, April 1998, pp 661-666.
[8] Y.C. Chen, C. R. Li, X. Liang, S. Wang, “The Influence of Water and Pollution on Diagnosing Defective Composite Insulators by E-field
Mapping,” Conference Proceedings of 11th International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering, London, England, August 22-27,
1999.
[9] D. H. Shaffner, D. L. Ruff, G. H. Vaillancourt, “Experience with a Composite Insulator Testing Instrument based on the Electric Field
method” ESMO 2000, Montreal, Canada, October 8-12, 2000.
[10] L. J. Fernandez, J. M. Munoz, A. Andrés, "Electric field measurement on composite insulators using live working techniques", 5th
International Conference on Live Maintenance, ICOLIM 2000, Madrid, Spain, May 17-19, 2000.
[11] I. Gutman (SE), A. Pigini (IT) et al. "Assessment of Composite Insulators by means of Online Diagnosis", CIGRE WG B2.21 2013.
[12] C. Jean, "High Voltage Insulator Testing based on Electric Field method" 2015 INMR World Congress Conference, Munich,
Germany, September 2015.
[13] M. de Nigris, F. Tavano, F.Zagliani CESI R.Rendina ENEL Spa, “Diagnostic Methods of Non-Ceramic Insulators for H.V. Lines”.

5
Chapter 2
Overview

Overview
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Overview
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2.0 Introduction to the Composite Insulator Testers
2.1 Personnel Terminology Used in this Guide
The Composite Insulator Tester is used by the High-voltage Tower Workers/Technicians. In this
guide, the High-voltage Tower Worker/Technician who uses the tester to scan the composite
insulator is referred to as the “Probe Operator”.
The Foreman or other members of the supporting Ground Crew operate the Tablet/Laptop used
in the field. In this guide they are referred to as the “Tablet Operator”.
2.2 General
The document describes the operation of Positron’s Composite Insulator Tester, enabling
GO/NOGO decision-making for live-line testing of High Voltage Insulator performance:
Model # 3782091C/50: Composite Insulator Tester, 50Hz
Model # 3782091C/60: Composite Insulator Tester, 60Hz
Refer to Figure 1 for a detailed drawing of the unit.
With the Composite Insulator Tester field Probe mounted onto a user-supplied hot-stick, the
Probe Operator passes the Insulator Tester along the length of the composite insulator. Any
conductive defect in an insulator will cause a change in the electric field surrounding the insulator.
This perturbation of the electric field indicates a faulty insulator. The fault is detected and
identified by the Probe, and the data is downloaded to a database installed on the Tablet/PC for
analysis. The graph displaying the E-Field of the insulator is clearly displayed on the Tablet/Laptop
while in the field enabling GO/NOGO decision-making on-the-spot.
The skirts, or sheds, of Polymeric or Composite insulators are counted by the field Probe’s two
integrated infrared detectors, referred to as IR1 and IR2 (see Figure 1), and the electric field of
each insulator is recorded. Defective insulators are easily identified using the resulting data graphs
that present the contour of the electric field along the length of the composite insulator. The field
Probe contains a microprocessor-based recording system.
After a Composite insulator is scanned by the Probe Operator, the Tablet Operator downloads the
Probe’s data via a long range Bluetooth communication link to the Tablet/Laptop for immediate
GO/NOGO analysis.
The data is stored in ASCII format in order to be compatible with any text editor, including Excel
spreadsheet and Microsoft NOTEPAD, plus the ASCII data can be imported into existing customer
databases. A copy is also available in JSON format to simplify the upload to a server.
Verify the Date and Time settings of the Tablet/Laptop
It is important to disable the WIFI of the Tablet/Laptop to avoid long operating system
updates and interference with the long range Bluetooth communication link while preparing
for or performing a testing session.
NOTE

Overview
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2.3 Overview
Bluetooth
adapter
Figure 1: Composite Insulator Tester (C-Tester) Model #s 3782091C/50
(50Hz) & 3782091C/60 (60Hz)
IR1, IR2

Overview
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2.4 Composite Insulator Tester Model Numbers
For ordering information, contact Positron Customer Support:
North America: 1-888-577-5254, Option 9, Option 1.
International: 001-514-345-2220, Option 9, Option 1
Testers and Model Numbers
Item Description
Model
Number
Composite GO/NO-GO Insulator tester, 60 Hz, standard 10” sled
3782091C/60
Composite GO/NO-GO Insulator tester, 50 Hz, standard 10” sled
3782091C/50
220Vac/120Vac cable charger replacement
378126
Rechargeable battery pack replacement for the Probe
378127
12Vdc auxiliary automotive power cable charger replacement
378128
RS232 Long-range Bluetooth adapter replacement
378325/3
Replacement standard sled kit for 378209/x
378610
50 Hz GO/NO-GO E-field Probe for Composite Insulators (no sled)
378608
60 Hz GO/NO-GO E-field Probe for Composite Insulators (no sled)
378612
Replacement cover plate for Probe power switch (Min Order 25 pcs)
378613
Figure 3

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Chapter 3
Composite Insulator Tester Elements

Composite Insulator Tester Elements
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Composite Insulator Tester Elements
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3.0 Description of Composite (Polymeric) Insulator Testers Kit
3.1 The Composite Tester Kit
The Composite Tester kit consists of:
User manual
A Quick Start Guide
A rugged carrying case
An adjustable Composite (Polymeric) Insulator Tester Sled
USB key loaded with Insulator Tester user manual and PC software installer
A 12Vdc auxiliary automotive power cable charger
Sled spacer set to accommodate various insulator sizes
A long-range RS232 Bluetooth Serial Adaptor, pre-paired with the Tablet/Laptop
A Tablet/Laptop with Insulator Tester Data Processing Software installed
Plug-in wall transformer: 120Vac/220Vac input, 12Vdc output (includes international wall-
plug adaptors)
Spare switch cover
The Probe Operator Interface (see Figure 2) consists of:
a push-button
a Status LED
an internal tone generator
An ON/OFF switch is located to the left of the RS-232 connector underneath the Power Switch
Cover. Remove the Power Switch Cover and slide the switch to the right to switch the Probe
on. Slide the switch toward the left to switch the Probe off. See Figure 3.
DO NOT TURN THE POWER SWITCH OFF BEFORE DOWNLOADING THE DATA.
When the power is turned off the accumulated data in the Probe is lost. Once the data has been
downloaded, slide the switch away (left) from the RS232 connector to turn the unit off.
Figure 2
Location of Power Switch Cover
Power Switch Cover
Power Switch
(OFF position)
Figure 3

Composite Insulator Tester Elements
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The Probe uses two infrared detectors to trigger the
E-field readings. Please refer to Figure 4. The two
infrared detectors are identified as IR1 and IR2.
The RS232 connector port is used to recharge the
Probe’s battery and to connect a Bluetooth dongle
for data transfer.
3.2 Tester Charger
The Probe’s battery is recharged using a 120Vac/220Vac universal wall charger connected to a
cable with a DB-9, RS232 female connector to connect to the Probe. A set of AC charger adaptors
is provided to accommodate various country standards. For charging the Probe in the field, a
12Vdc auxiliary automotive charger cable terminated in a DB-9 connector is supplied to recharge
the battery from a car or truck.
Both the AC power charger and the automotive DC charger are equipped with an LED status to
report on the charging status. When first plugged in to charge, the LED will glow red. After 9 hours
on charge, the LED will glow green, indicating that the charging time is completed.
The battery should be recharged overnight the day before a testing session. The battery charge
will last one day with the power switch in the ON position.
The battery can be recharged with the power switch in the ON or OFF position, however the Probe
will charge faster when switched off.
The data accumulated by the Probe must be transferred via Bluetooth to a Tablet/Laptop prior to
switching the Probe off or the data will be lost.
3.3 Insulator Tester Sled
The Probe mounts on a non-metallic sled. The sled permits the Insulator Tester to slide along an
insulator.
Together, the sled and Probe attach to a hot stick via the coupler mounted on the sled’s bracket.
See Figure 5.
Figure 4
NOTE
Insulator Tester Sled Hot stick Coupler
Figure 5
Insulator Sled for
#3782091C/x