Clinton Instrument Company
Booth: 224
The Clinton Instrument Company is a specialist in spark test technology for the wire and cable industry, and the inventor of the high frequency sine wave spark tester.
The company's B-Series spark tester range includes high frequency testers, DC testers, 60 Hz and power mains frequency testers. Clinton makes spark testers for many applications. Recent designs combine the latest in control technology with a robust and reliable spark testing platform.
The spark test equipment supports the split electrode design for easy string-up, and digital signal processor (DSP) based voltage regulation and fault detection. The fault circuitry can differentiate between four types of fault conditions: simple pinholes, a series of closely spaced pinholes, direct metal contact from the centre conductor to the electrode, and gross lengths of bare wire.
The RC controller is fixed to the unit but can be detached and mounted remotely up to 60m away from the test module/electrode. It has a large alphanumeric display/user interface and can be rotated in its bracket to accommodate different viewing angles. The display makes configuration of the equipment easy, and all configuration parameters can be changed directly from the front panel menu structure. Once configured, the system can be passcode protected.
If a local display is not required, or centralised process control is desired, the equipment can be configured and controlled directly from a PLC or a computer using Modbus RTU (RS-485 full duplex). Optional communication protocols include Ethernet/IP, Profinet and Profibus, Modbus TCP and analogue communications, making the equipment compatible with previous Clinton equipment with analogue control.
When only simple control output is required, four sets of relay contacts can provide information without requiring advanced programming. These include a high-voltage signal; a fault relay; a voltage watchdog
that changes state when the test voltage has risen above or dropped below a pre-set level; and an alarm that signals when long lengths of bare wire are detected.