The Best Insulation Resistance Tester for Your Needs: How to Choose between EXTECH MG500 and Gazelle G9312
You must test the insulation resistance of cables, installations, motors, appliances, and other devices if you work with electrical equipment. A measure of an insulating material’s ability to stop electric current from passing through or around it is called insulation resistance.
Insulation resistance testing can assist you in evaluating the effectiveness and security of your electrical systems and help you stop issues like short circuits, flash arcing, overheating, fire, and electrocution.
But what is testing for insulating resistance, and how does it operate? We will go through the fundamentals of insulation resistance testing in this post, along with the significance of it for your cables and machinery.
We will also contrast the EXTECH MG500 and the Gazelle G9312, two well-liked insulation resistance tester models. We will emphasize their benefits, efficiency, and costs so you can pick the one that best suits your requirements.
Why is testing insulation resistance necessary and what does it entail?
A technique to gauge how well an insulating substance resists electric current is insulation resistance testing. A known DC voltage is applied across an insulating substance called a dielectric, and the quantity of leakage current that passes through or around it is then measured.
The insulation quality is better, and the leakage current is lower when the insulation resistance is higher. A number of variables, including temperature, humidity, age, mechanical stress, and chemical stress, affect the insulating resistance value.
Testing for insulation resistance is crucial for both new and used equipment. It can assist you in ensuring that the insulation is sufficient and complies with standards before operating new equipment.
Additionally, it can offer a baseline measurement for comparison purposes in the future. It can assist you in keeping an eye on the insulation’s state on older equipment and spotting any degradation or damage that might compromise its performance or safety.
Testing for insulation resistance is crucial for cables in particular because their insulation is subjected to a variety of loads and environmental factors. Insulation damage can result in electrical problems, fires, shocks, and injuries.
Therefore, it is crucial to constantly check the cables’ insulating resistance and make sure they are in good shape.
An insulation resistance tester, often known as a megohmmeter, is required to do insulation resistance testing. With accuracy and precision, this device is capable of producing high voltages up to 10 kV or more, as well as measuring high resistances up to 500 G or more.
Insulation resistance tests come in a variety of models, but how do you pick the ideal one for your needs?
How can insulation resistance testers be compared?
You should take into account a number of elements when selecting an insulation resistance tester, including features, performance, cost, and warranty. Additionally, you ought to contrast several models to observe how they vary in these areas.
We compared the EXTECH MG500 and the Gazelle G9312, two well-liked insulation resistance tester models, to assist you in making this choice.
Both of these instruments have the ability to test high voltages up to 10 kV and measure insulation resistance up to 500 G, but they differ in terms of their features, capabilities, and costs.
features of insulation resistance testers
The capabilities and characteristics that an insulation resistance tester provides are its features. The following are some typical characteristics of an insulation resistance tester:
The device’s safety rating describes how safe it is to use on various sorts of circuits. The more protection it provides against electric shocks and surges, the better the safety grade.
The EXTECH MG500 can measure circuits that are connected to the mains supply safely because it has a CAT III 300 Volt safety rating. There is no mention of a safety rating for the Gazelle G9312.
Polarization index (PI) and dielectric absorption ratio (DAR), two techniques for evaluating the caliber of insulation materials, are referred to as the PI/DAR measurement. They track how quickly, with applied constant voltage, the leakage current slows down over time.
The quality of the insulation improves with increasing PI or DAR values. This feature is present on both devices.
Carrying case:
This is a safe storage and transportation container, such as a cover or bag. A decent carrying case ought to be robust, water- and shock-resistant. The heavy-duty carrying case and cover that comes with the EXTECH MG500 can shield the gadget from impact, moisture, and dust. A separate carrying case is included with the Gazelle G9312 model.
Display:
This is a screen that contains information in addition to the measurement data. A decent display needs to be sizable, distinct, and simple to read.
The EXTECH MG500 features a large 9999 display with a 30-segment analog bar graph1, which can represent the measurement findings in a way that is both clear and understandable. A sizable display with an analog bar graph is also featured on the Gazelle G9312.
These functions—comparison, upper and lower limits—can be used to compare measured values to predetermined standards and show if a test is successful or unsuccessful. You may easily and rapidly assess the insulation’s quality with their assistance. This feature is present on both devices.
Continuous measurement mode:
This feature allows testing to continue until it is manually stopped by the user. You can use it to track changes or trends in the insulating resistance over time. This feature is present on both devices.
After testing, these characteristics can prolong battery life and guarantee safety: auto power off and auto current discharge.
In contrast to auto current discharge, which automatically discharges residual voltage from both the test item and the device after a period of inactivity, auto power off shuts the device off automatically.
This function is present on both smartphones:
These features enable the transfer of test results to a computer for analysis and reporting. They include a USB link and PC software with storage for data from 18 groups. They can make it simple and convenient for you to store, manage, and distribute test findings. This function is present on both smartphones.
These features can inform the user when the battery is low, or the detected value exceeds the range. Low battery and over range indications. They can assist you in avoiding incorrect or invalid measurements and in avoiding device damage. This function is present on both smartphones.
These are some of the functions that both devices provide, but they also differ in a few ways that can make one device better suited to your needs than the other.
Performance
An insulation resistance tester’s performance is determined by how accurately and precisely it can test high voltages and detect high resistances.
An insulation resistance tester’s performance can be impacted by a number of factors, including:
The range of voltages that the device can apply to the test item is known as the test voltage range. It becomes more difficult to provide sufficient insulation between conductors and any other nearby items where the conductor’s current flow is unwanted the higher the test voltage.
While the Gazelle G9312 has a test voltage range of 500V to 12kV (fine adjustment of voltage with 10% step at each range except 12000V), the EXTECH MG500 has a test voltage range of 500VDC to 10kVDC (adjustable in 500V steps) 1. 2. The Gazelle G9312 has a slightly greater maximum test voltage than the EXTECH MG500, indicating that both devices can test high voltages.
The range of resistances that the instrument can detect on the test object is known as the insulation resistance range. The insulation quality is better and the leakage current is lower when the insulation resistance is higher.
While the Gazelle G9312 has an insulation resistance range of 0.5M to 10T, the EXTECH MG500 has an insulation resistance range of 800k to 500G 1. It follows that while both instruments are capable of measuring large resistances, the Gazelle G9312 has a far greater maximum insulating resistance than the EXTECH MG500.
Accuracy:
This is the degree to which the true value and the measured value agree. The measurement is more dependable the higher the accuracy. The accuracy of the EXTECH MG500 is 5%, while that of the Gazelle G9312 is 3%. This indicates that while both instruments are precise, the Gazelle G9312 is marginally more precise than the EXTECH MG500.
Resolution:
The presented measured value has this level of fineness. The measurement is more accurate the higher the resolution.
The Gazelle G9312 has a resolution of 0.01M, whilst the EXTECH MG500 has a resolution of 1k. The Gazelle G9312 has a substantially greater resolution than the EXTECH MG500, despite the fact that both devices offer high resolution.
These are a few of the elements that have an impact on both devices’ performance, but there are a few more that could affect your decision.
Warranty
The duration of the product’s quality and performance warranty is the warranty for an insulation resistance tester. You can buy with more assurance if the guarantee is longer. A one-year guarantee is provided for manufacturing flaws exclusively on both devices.
This means that for a period of one year, both devices are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, but only for flaws in the materials or the workmanship.
In conclusion, insulation resistance testing is an essential technique for assuring the reliability and security of your electrical apparatus and connections.
You can avoid issues like short circuits, flash arcing, overheating, fire, and electrocution with its assistance. You need a dependable and precise tool that can test at high voltages and measure at high resistances in order to do insulation resistance testing.
The EXTECH MG500 and the Gazelle G9312 are two well-liked insulation resistance tester models that we compared in this post. Their performance, price, and features have all been covered, along with their similarities and contrasts.
Although both devices are excellent and flexible, they each have some benefits and drawbacks that may make one device better suited to your needs than the other.
The EXTECH MG500 is more affordable and has certain advantages in terms of size, carrying case, and safety rating. The highest test voltage, insulation resistance range, precision, and resolution of the Gazelle G9312 are all higher.
You might want to think about purchasing one of these devices from this website depending on your testing needs and preferences.
We trust that this article has given you the knowledge you need to identify the finest insulation resistance tester for your requirements and to understand the fundamentals of insulation resistance testing.
