Application Note

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Application Note

The power of

a waveform:

Expanded troubleshooting

options with the Fluke 345

Power Quality Clamp Meter

F r o m t h e F l u k e D i g i t a l L i b r a r y @ w w w . f l u k e . c o m / l i b r a r y

Electricians are discovering that the new Fluke

345 goes beyond simply monitoring voltage or

current. It displays waveforms and harmonics,

performs power measurements for power-factor

evaluations, measures inrush current, and logs

data over time for later analysis.

•

An external power supply. While an exter-

nal power supply may not seem like a break

through, engineering a tool to be both CAT IV

600 V safety rated and externally powered is no

small feat. But why an external power supply?

•

Long-term logging capability. Strictly battery-

powered instruments can’t perform long-term

sampling. The batteries run down. But customers

needed long-term sampling to track intermittent

faults and other hidden power quality problems.

When the Fluke 345 is connected to an external

power source, sampling time is limited only by

the memory capacity of the instrument and the

sampling rate.

Like other test and measurement equipment from

Fluke Corporation, the Fluke 345 Power Quality

Clamp Meter was designed based on input from

electricians, electrical contractors, maintenance

personnel, and other test tool users.

What customers requested

•

More capabilities in a single meter. The

Regional Justice Center for King County, Wash

ington, served as a Beta test site for the Fluke

345 Clamp Meter. Before receiving the instru

ment, Paul Swanson, a lead electrician at the

site, used a digital multimeter (DMM) and a

clamp meter to do his job. He says, “The 345

adds a visual representation of what I’m moni

toring. When I use a DMM, I might be able to

detect a little variation in voltage or current, but

there’s no indication of what’s causing it.”

By contrast, the Fluke 345 simultaneously dis

plays readings and waveforms for voltage and

current. “You can see things with the 345 you

can’t see with a DMM,” Swanson observes. “I

probably could log the same data with a Scope

Meter

test tool, but it wouldn’t be as easy.

With the 345, I simply clamp on, set the func

tion selector, and read both the current and the

voltage simultaneously. That really helps with

troubleshooting.”

•

A clearer, more easily read display. Accord-

ing to Frank Healy, marketing manager for Fluke

power quality products, the improved, color dis

play is a direct result of customer feedback. The

clarity and color allow users to distinctly view

multi-channel information. In waveform mode,

for example, current and voltage waveforms

are separate and clearly defined. The color also

improves other current and voltage views, har

monics, and load.

Summary of content (3 pages)

PAGE 1
The power of a waveform: Expanded troubleshooting options with the Fluke 345 Power Quality Clamp Meter Application Note Electricians are discovering that the new Fluke 345 goes beyond simply monitoring voltage or current. It displays waveforms and harmonics, performs power measurements for power-factor evaluations, measures inrush current, and logs data over time for later analysis.
PAGE 2
• The ability to monitor both ac and dc loads. When it comes to long-term data logging, users of earlier meters said they needed to monitor single-phase ac and dc loads. Healy notes that most loggers only read ac. Some are dc-only loggers. By contrast, the Fluke 345 offers ac current monitoring up to 1400 A and dc up to 2,000 A. The dual-current capability could only be engineered into a clamp meter. Healy explains: “There is no technology available for measuring dc current using a flexible probe.
PAGE 3
Swanson, who has responsibility for a large number of VFDs as well as all those UPSs, says that the Fluke 345 would help him keep the motor drives performing well and protect against problems the drives might cause in the rest of the facility. “The scope function on the 345 gives me an opportunity to look at waveforms, which can show me irregularities,” Swanson notes.