Clamp Meter

Here you may find all the important information on the topic Clamp Meter. A clamp meter is an ideal instrument for indirect, contactless and simultaneously potential-free current measurement in the AC (Alternating Current) and DC (Direct Current) current range. The conductor to be measured must be broght into the interior of the divisible iron core, which is located in the measuring jaws of the clamp meter. A disconnection of the circuit, as in direct measurement, is not necessary for the current measurement due to the clamp meter. The clamp meter is indispensable when it goes about maintenance and inspection work, in various industrial applications, in research and development, in SMEs or private households. The digital clamp meter has the possibility of measuring many other parameters, such as capacity measurement, power measurement (either as a single clamp meter or as a digital hand-held meter with an external clamp meter in a single or three-phase range), resistance measurement, continuity test and voltage measurement. Thus, the clamp meter is not only suitable for measuring currents, but it is rather a multifunctional test device for a large number of electrical parameters.

The range of the clamp meters is diverse: clamp meters, leakage clamp meters, power clamp meters, clamp meters, flexible clamps, fork clamps and clamp ammeters. Like most of the test devices we offer, the clamp meter is available without or with an ISO calibration certificate or with a DAkkS calibration certificate.

The clamp meter is used for the indirect measurement of the electrical current in current-carrying conductors. In contrast to the direct current measurement, which requires the circuit to be checked to be open, the clamp meter measures without contact? Here, the devices use the basic physical principle of the magnetic induction, in which live cables induce a measurable electric field. Contactless measurement has several advantages. On the one hand, the measurements can be carried out also on the insulated conductors without having to interrupt the ongoing operation of the electrical devices and machines. On the other hand, this method dispenses with the potential coupling of the measurement variable and measurement signal, which avoids measurement inaccuracies.

By determining the strength of the electrical field that surrounds an electrical AC conductor, the clamp meter can determine the current strengths of the alternating current very precisely. The clamp meter for direct current determines the current with the help of the Hall sensor. This measures the magnetic field around the conductor through which the DC current flows. To do this, the live conductor is led through a laminated, insulated and divisible core on the front of the clamp meter. Modern clamp meters transmit the resulting magnetic field via the clamps to the electronic circuits and amplifiers inside the clamp meter and convert the E field or the magnetic field strength, depending on the setting and design, into direct current or alternating current. The measured value is usually shown on the clamp meter on an LC display. Depending on the design and size of the clamp meter, this display can visualize the graphical courses.

The corresponding measured values can then be read on a digital display. The measuring range of this indirect and practical measuring method is limited by two parameters. On the one hand, very small currents can hardly be measured with clamp meters because the induced magnetic fields can no longer be detected. On the other hand, the conductor cross-sections necessary for large currents and the correspondingly dimensioned clamp cores limit the manageability of these measuring devices. Even if the current clamp is not the ideal measuring device for particularly small currents and extremely large conductor cross-sections and for the measurements in inaccessible places, the performance spectrum of this practical and fast measuring instrument is sufficient for a multitude of applications. One example of this is an automotive technology. Here, the defective vehicle electronics can be examined with the help of the clamp meter. The latter is also a useful auxiliary tool when searching for leakage currents inside a vehicle. These devices are used in many areas: from a simple application in a private life for hobbies, to the workshop use, to large-scale analysis and evaluation of electrical quantities by technicians and engineers.