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Many users affectionately call this "The Brick". Two models are available for the European market being the 812 and 836 (the former is a single voltage and current, the latter a 3-phase version of the 812). They really are a no-nonsense, relatively robust (and pretty weather proof) unit. The DOS version of software is one of the easiest I have ever played with yet it lacks not one feature. Development was halted at version 2.5, but the good news is this was required to make it Y2K compliant - and it is. Working on a simple "download and view" principle, even if the recorder's time clock was badly adjusted on installation, the data is always available after a download (obviously the "wrap around" option has to be selected). You need a bit of a 'pilots licence' to operate the Telogers for Windows but the ability to marry many recordings is pretty impressive. "Copying and Pasting" into Excel is a breeze! Furthermore, with the addition of modems, the software can even collect the data on a polled basis. Sadly, no matter how I argue with them (and I have argued!), they have not written an interface between the DOS and Windows version. It was never designed to show you the waveform, but it does show surges, sags, and transients (from as short as 4µs). Both versions start operating with as little as 85Vrms with a top voltage on the single phase version of 300Vrms, and the 3-phase at 600Vrms. There are two areas which users need to be made very aware of. The first is the units are self powered from the voltage inputs. These use transformers and could therefore resonate when used with capacitive voltage transformers. They could draw as much as 50mA per input which could therefore cause suppressed readings on sensitive VTs. The resolution of the instrument is 0.1% on both the voltage and currents channels. This means the voltage resolution on the 836 is 0.6V. On 110V metering circuits this brings the reading accuracy to a best of 0.54% (discounting all other factors). The current input has a full scale input of 1V. It has come to light that someone has been selling the recorder with a Chauvin Arnoux Minipince 10/100A switchable clamp. The 10A scale is a 0-10V output meaning the maximum usable current is 1A, and the 100A scale is 0-0.1V making the resolution on this scale 1%. Neither of the bits are at fault, just badly 'married'. I wish I could get hold of such a clamp and could generate a helpsheet to show how to fix this problem! Be careful, buy the correct clamp for the job! This instrument is now approaching the end of its life. Although the UK distributor has promised to do their best to keep critical components for 5 years, thus making board repairs possible, there are some older instruments that will just no longer be repairable. If you have such an instrument, treat it with repsect! Index (Semi-Complex Recorders) >>
© 19.04.03 |
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