badflyer said:
Thanks for the info guys ! Ive not come across any circuits on the web for such a appliance.
The only one I've ever heard of was Television magazine last year, and that was fairly crude really.
I'm at work now, so I just checked our PAT tester - which is a very cheap one. It has three class 1 tests:
Normal - Earth continuity less than 0.1 ohm at 25 amps. Insulation greater than 2 MOhm at 1250V.
Long lead - Same as Normal, but earth continuity less than 0.5 ohm at 25 amps.
Soft - Earth continuity less than 0.5 ohm at 8 amps. Insulation greater than 2 MOhm at 500V.
It also has two class 2 tests:
Normal - Flash test with 3000V, leakage less than 0.25mA.
Soft - Flash test with 1500V, leakage less than 0.25mA.
It also has a button labeled "10 mA - use with caution", I'm not sure exactly what it does, but you need to press it on various items - microwaves in particular. The filters on the mains input leak and fail under a 500V test, so you need to test microwaves on a Soft test with the 10 mA button pressed or they fail the test.
All test results should be logged, including a visual inspection, test of correct plug fuse size, and confirmation that it actually works.
Do you need to be a qualified electrician to certify your equipment using one of these? how can i find out? i'm a electronic engineer
No you don't, I'm an electronics engineer as well, I've tested a great many items. First off you need common sense, and a good understanding of what you are testing - some items should only be given visual inspections - sticking 1250V up a computer could well damage something!.
But bear in mind, you are accepting legal liability for the item being safe, so you need to be sure it is!.