These frequently asked questions have been gathered from our technical support, trainers, and sales staff. If you have a question that you can't find here and would like an answer please contact PdMA Technical Support.
Q Ever since we up-graded to the Extended Range on the MCE, I have been a little confused about the results. I have been told that if the 1-minute RTG value is greater than 5000 Mohn, the PI ration may be meaningless. Is this true? Also, it appears that on some of the tests, towards the end, the graph is not as smooth as it has been in the past. What is going on when this happens and should I be concerned?
A IEEE Standard 43-2000 addresses both of your questions. Quoting section 12.2.2 of the standard, it says: "When the insulation resistance reading obtained after the voltage has been applied for 1 minute (IR1) is higher than 5000 Mohm, based on the magnitude of applied direct voltage, the total measured current (IT) can be in the submicroampere range. At this level of required test instrument sensitivity, small changes in the supply voltage, ambient humidity, test connections, and other non-related components can greatly affect the total current measured during the 1-10 minute interval required for a PI. Because of these phenomena, when the IR1 is higher than 5000 Mohm, the P.I. [value] may or may not be an indication of the insulation condition and is therefore not recommended as an assessment tool."
We recommend you keep the PI test, to compare subsequent profiles, but exercise caution when using the PI ratio. As for the fluctuations in the graph, we have seen external conditions such as opening an outside door and admitting a breeze and moving the test leads cause a spike in the graph. Therefore, with motors whose insulation is in the thousands of Megohms and Gigohms, it is important to keep all conditions as stable as possible during the 10 minutes of the PI test.
Q When using a field tester to download motors from the network, I am unable to select individual motors. Why?
A In order to download motors to a field tester, the motors MUST be within a folder and the folder MUST be selected for download.
Q There are several motors on my field tester I want to generate reports for, but I do not have a Report icon on my field tester. Why not?
A In order to access Reports on a field tester or Network WinVis desktop computer you must have the proper rights assigned from the WinVis administrator. In this case you must have "Read Only" disabled from the WinVis Admin program for your user name.
Q I forgot my WinVis username or password and cannot start WinVis. What can I do to regain my password and username?
A Contact PdMA Technical Support.
