Dielectric Tester

Uses of a dielectric tester

The term dielectric tester is very much synonymous with the term hipot tester. Dielectric means to oppose the flow of electrical current or in other words electrical insulation. How is electrical insulation, typically tested? This is the use of a dielectric tester. Dielectric testers work by applying high voltage to a circuit and then determining how well the dielectric material opposes the flow of electrical current. Dielectric testers will detect if a sudden and uncontrolled flow of electrical current is referred to as an insulation breakdown. The dielectric tester will see a controlled flow of electrical current, typically in the micro-amp or milli-amp range, also referred to as leakage current. This relatively small amount of current, leaks through the insulation due to the high potential being applied.

Another popular term for the dielectric tester is the dielectric analyzer. Vitrek’s 944i was the first modern tester to utilize the term dielectric tester. The term “analyzer” was selected as opposed to “tester”, to reflect the degree of available information and relative sophistication of this advance unit. Among its many innovations,
The Vitrek 944i dielectric tester was the first automated hipot tester to incorporate AC hipot, DC hipot, insulation resistance and continuity – all in on compact instrument. For AC hipot, the 944i dielectric tester offers built in phase measurement to discriminate between in-phase (real) and out-of-phase (apparent) leakage currents. For DC hipot testing the 944i dielectric tester offers the unique capability of being able to measure leakage currents as low as 1 nano-amp.