The Megger PAT320 Portable is a portable bench-top appliance tester for testing the safety of electrical equipment by performing a ground bond test, an insulation test, specific ground leakage tests and operational VA tests to international standards. It is a fully featured tester designed for customers who do not need the complexity of a fully configurable database of clients and results within the tester but require a complete range of functions to allow automatic or manual testing of the widest range of electrical equipment.
Simple push-button operation makes the PAT320 fast and intuitive to use. All regulatory test requirements are supported: Class I (grounded) and Class II (non-grounded) equipment, IEC power cords and extension leads. An automatic mode is available for Class I and Class II testing. In automatic mode, the tests proceed sequentially through bond, insulation and operation (VA), indicating a pass or fail at each test. If a fail occurs, testing is stopped. When manual testing, each test is preceded by a selection screen where the test parameters are chosen, such as bond test current, insulation test voltage or leakage test type. These diagnostic buttons provide direct access to any test individually, allowing single tests to be performed following repair or a suspect result.
The PAT320 is used on the production line for final verification of electrical safety prior to general sale, or export to the EU. When exporting to Europe, it is the European importer's responsibility to ensure imported items are safe to European standards. However, any testing performed at the destination can prove very costly for the US manufacturer when faults are found.
Testing at the manufacturing plant ensures electrical safety and provides the opportunity to fix faults and problems prior to shipping and export. For example, a poor ground connection would not normally be picked up during operational testing, and the PAT320 provides an excellent means of simple safety verification.
The PAT320 is also suitable for use in the repair shop. Equipment can be checked on receipt in the shop before the technician powers it up, so ensuring he remains safe – the equipment could be in repair for any reason. Additionally, it can (and perhaps should) be checked prior to dispatch to make sure the ground bond remains good, and the phase connections remain isolated from the chassis following repair. This maintains full integrity of the repaired item before the customer receives it back.
