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How to use the clamp meter: instruction video

• Article
• Video

The purpose of most electrical appliances is known to many people: almost everyone knows what is measured with a voltmeter and what with an ammeter. Few people will have a question: “What is a soldering iron for?” However, not even every electrician has current clamps in their toolbox. This tool is very useful and can greatly reduce the time of electrical work. Additionally, this device can be used to measure the voltage and frequency of the current in the circuit. It can also be used to measure the power in the circuit, the actual load on the network, and even check electricity meters, for example, reconcile readings with actual consumption. This article describes how the tool works and how to use the clamp meter (TC) using the DT 266 FT and Fluke models as an example. This instruction will be applicable to almost all such devices.

• How it works
• Design
• Work safety rules
• Measurement order
• Useful "trick"
• Application example

How it works

As the name suggests, TK or Dietze clamps are designed to measure the strength of alternating current in a circuit without breaking it. The operation of a current measuring tool is based on the principle of a simple current transformer. In this case, the primary winding is a bus or cable with a measured current, and the role of the secondary is played by the grip of the tongs, inside which there is a second multi-turn winding wound on a magnetic circuit made of ferromagnetic material. An alternating current in the wire (primary coil) creates an alternating magnetic mole, the lines of force of which pass through the secondary winding, exciting an emf in it, in proportion to the current in the first coil. Thus, by measuring the resulting EMF, you can find the current in the first coil (wire).

Design

Modern current clamps, regardless of manufacturer and modification, contain the following elements: magnetic circuits with a movable lever bracket, measuring range switch, screen, output connectors for probes (in this case, clamps can be used as a conventional multimeter) and a lock button current measurements (photo below).

Figure 1 - TK S-line DT 266 FT

Most modern current meters also include an internal transformer with a diode bridge. In this case, the outputs of the secondary winding are connected through a shunt. Depending on the range of measured currents, current clamps can be single-handed (for voltages up to 1000 V) and two-handed with additional insulated handles (for voltages from 2 to 10 kV inclusive). Current measuring devices designed to measure more than 1 kV have an insulator length of less than 38 cm, and handles of at least 13 cm.

As a rule, the safety category and the maximum measurable current are indicated on the instrument case. For example:

• CAT III 600 V - this means that the device is protected against short-term voltage surges inside the equipment when used in stationary networks with voltage up to 600 V.
• CATIV 300 V - this means that the device is protected from voltage surges inside the equipment of the primary level of power supply with voltage up to 300 V. An example of such equipment is a conventional electric meter.

Safety instructions for use

The clamp meter may only be used indoors or outdoors in dry weather. You can measure the current strength both on cables covered with insulation and on bare ones. Before use, a person must wear protective gloves, and put a dielectric base under his feet and put on special shoes.

How to measure

As a rule, the use of current clamps does not cause any particular difficulties. Before using the tool, you should pay great attention to safety, as mentioned earlier.

How to use the clamp meter correctly:

1. Set the desired range on the switch.
2. Press the button to open the magnetic core.
3. Wrap a single conductor in AC or DC (if supported by the instrument).
4. Position the current clamp perpendicular to the direction of the wire.
5. Take readings from the display.

Often the difficulty of using current clamps is to isolate a single conductor: when you try to take readings from a regular cable coming from a socket, zero should appear on the screen. This is because the currents of the phase wire and the neutral conductor are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Consequently, the magnetic fluxes created by them are mutually compensated. If the current readings are non-zero, then this indicates the presence of a current leakage in the circuit, the value of which is equal to the value obtained. Therefore, for measurements, you need to find a place where the wires are separated and select a single core. As such a place, you can use the switchboard or the place where the phase wire is connected to the circuit breaker. However, this is not always possible, which limits the scope of clamp meters.

If a unit is displayed on the screen during measurements, this indicates that the value of the current in the wire is outside the measurement range. In this case, it is necessary to increase the range of current measurements using a switch. When taking measurements in hard-to-reach places, you can use the Hold button. With its help, you can fix the result of the last measurement and view it by removing the pliers. By pressing Hold a second time, you can reset the value.

You can clearly see how to work with clamp meters, you can see the video instructions below:

Proper use of the tool

Useful "trick"

If you want to measure a small value of current, then you need to make several turns of wire on an open magnetic circuit, and set the range switch to minimum. After that, it is necessary to take readings, and to determine the actual value, divide the resulting number by the number of wound turns.

Application example

Let's give an example of how to use the current clamp when measuring the load in a 220 V network, for example, in an apartment. In this case, the switch must be set to position AC 200. Next, grasp the insulated conductor with a current clamp and take readings. After that, the resulting current value must be multiplied by the mains voltage of 220 V. For example, if the device shows 5 A, then the power consumption in the network will be P \u003d U * I \u003d 5 * 220 \u003d 1100 W or 1.1 kW. The resulting value can be used to check the operation of electricity meters.

Finally, we suggest watching a video that clearly shows how to use the DT-266 and Fluke 302+ current clamps, which are quite popular today: how to use current clamps yourself. As you can see, there is nothing complicated. The main thing is to observe safety measures and carefully approach the measurements. We hope that our tips and a visual video instruction clearly explained the procedure for you!

Interesting read:

• How to use a multimeter - instructions for dummies
• How to check the correct operation of the electricity meter
• List of electrician's tools

Proper use of the tool

DT-266

Fluke 302+

How to use current clamps

Measuring current clamps allows you to determine the main electrical quantities in the shortest possible time, without breaking the current circuit and disrupting the technological process of supplying consumers: current strength, voltage, power, phase angles.

Varieties and device

There are many types of electrical clamp meters of various models and brands on the market, which are distinguished mainly by their intended purpose. For example, a clamp-on ammeter, voltmeter, phase meter, wattmeter, or a device that combines several functions. This does not affect how to use current clamps, nor their basic design, which includes:

• detachable clamp-magnetic core;
• LCD display;
• switch for selecting functions and measuring range;
• sockets for connecting probes depending on the model;
• button for fixing the current readings.

One-handed pliers are designed to work with networks, the voltage of which does not exceed 1000 V, and devices with additional insulated handles are adapted for voltage up to 10 kV.

How it works

The cable or bus in which the passing current is to be measured acts as the primary winding. Secondary winding - tong grips, the inner cavity of which is filled with a multi-turn winding on a core of ferromagnetic material. The lines of force of the magnetic field created in the primary coil, when passing through the secondary winding, excite an emf in it. Since its value is proportional to the current strength in the first coil, the EMF measurement will allow you to determine the desired value.

Clamp measurement order:

Clamp meter sequence:

• set the switch to the desired measuring range. If the circuit characteristics are unknown, start with the largest range;
• open the magnetic core;
• place a single AC or DC conductor into the inside of the jaws and close them together;
• place clamps perpendicular to the wire or busbar;
• read the readings from the screen.

When two conductors (phase and zero) are inside the magnetic circuit, their magnetic fluxes are mutually compensated, and a zero result will be displayed on the display. If in such a situation a different value is displayed, this indicates the presence of leaks and a network malfunction.

A single conductor for making measurements when there are no accessible sections with wire separation can be found in the switchboard or at the points where the phase wires are connected to the circuit breaker.

How to use current clamps: additional recommendations

• to measure the current consumption of household appliances without opening a solid cable, you can use an adapter with separate cores;
• for a more accurate measurement of small currents passing through a flexible insulated wire, it should be passed through the magnetic circuit several times - wind a few turns on one side of the clamps. The value obtained on the display must be divided by the number of turns;
• voltage, resistance, frequency measurements are made according to an algorithm similar to the principle of operation of a conventional multimeter when the function switch is set to the appropriate position;
• to measure power consumption, measure the current consumption and operating voltage, and then multiply the readings obtained.

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