News - Component Test

Hioki launches new Insulation Tester

23 July 2014 - Hioki E.E. Corporation launched the Insulation Tester ST5520. In order to ensure the safety of electronic components such as relays and connectors and of lithium-ion and other batteries used in electric vehicles and smartphones, it is necessary to qualify their insulation characteristics, and testing system manufacturers vie to offer instruments capable of high-volume, high-speed testing.

The Hioki ST5520 Insulation Tester speeds this process by delivering a fast testing time at 50 ms (0.05 sec.). Moreover, it provides a contact check function to prevent inadvertent shipment of defective parts in the event the instrument suffers a break in a measurement line or faulty contact with the object under test. The ST5520 also allows the test voltage to be set in 1 V increments from 25 V to 1,000 V to ensure compatibility with various manufacturers' test processes.

With testing times as fast as 50 ms (0.05 sec.), the ST5520 delivers the fastest performance in the industry. A full 10 times faster than Hioki's previous legacy product (Model 3154), whose fastest testing time was 500 ms (0.5 sec.), the new insulation resistance meter can shave valuable time from customers' test processes.

Were a measurement line to break or the instrument to experience faulty contact with the object under test while a test is in progress, defective products could be inadvertently shipped to market. To prevent this eventuality, the ST5520 comes standard with a contact check function that notifies the operator in the event of a measurement line break or faulty contact. In this way, the instrument helps improve test quality.

The insulation resistance measurement process involves applying a test voltage to the object under test. There is no specific test voltage commonly established for insulation testing of lithium-ion and other batteries, so the test voltage varies by manufacturer. Additionally, test voltages used for electronic components such as relays and connectors are expected to change over time to accommodate evolving standards. Consequently, Hioki made the test voltage operator-configurable from 25 V to 1,000 V in 1 V increments.

On production lines where large quantities of parts are tested, measuring instruments are automatically controlled using external I/O signals. In response to customers' need to be able to check whether these signals are being properly input and output at a glance, Hioki designed the ST5520 with functionality that enables operators to check the I/O status of these signals on its screen.

www.hioki.com/