The process of testing the safety of electrical equipment through various electronic tests is know as portable appliance testing or PAT testing. While many electrical faults can be identified with visual inspection, there are some types of defects that can only be identified through the process of PAT testing. To be able to accurately perform a portable appliance test you would need PAT testers which are instruments specifically designed to examine the safety of electrical equipment. There are some important factors to bare in mind when choosing a PAT tester.
First you need to consider the number of appliances that need to be tested and whether you will be testing any kind of industrial equipment. Next decide how you would want to record the results from the tests and how much are you wiling to spend on your PAT testing machine. If you are testing only a few devices than a basic tester would be the perfect choice, however if you are planning to perform tests on many different electrical appliances then you would need to invest in a more advanced testing machine. There are various types of PAT testers that differ in terms of both design and performance. Let's take a look at the specific features of each tester.
Pass/fail testers
As the most basic type of PAT testers pass/fail models have a simple design and are often used for performing quick safety checks. As their name implies they only identify whether the appliances have failed or passed the test. These are very inexpensive and easy to use, but come with no configuration options and are unable to display the test results.
Pass/fail testers with displays
The pass/fail testers with display offer the same standard pass/fail readings and have a simple interface. If you need a tester that would provide display results for the test values, but is also very cheap then this tester would be the ideal option for you.
Manual testers
With their practical features and modern design manual testers can be used for testing a variety of electrical applications. They provide more in-depth pass/fail values and you need to have at least some basic understanding in PAT testing to be able to properly interpret the results.
Downloadable testers
Downloadable PAT testers make use of the latest technology to deliver the most accurate results. They usually feature an LCD display along with a practical keyboard that you can use to configure the test parameters. The best thing is that you can connect them to your computer and download the results from the tests.
References: https://www.test-equipment.com.au/test-and-tag/pat-testers/
References: https://www.test-equipment.com.au/test-and-tag/pat-testers/
