Power quality analysis via Bluetooth

Outram Research has announced that Bluetooth® is available across its entire power quality range, becoming the first manufacturer to enable Bluetooth remote control on all its products. This means that power engineers can control the entire range of Outram’s power quality analysers with one application running on a PDA.

Power quality analysers are often deployed in electrical cabinets or other difficult to reach locations, making it hard for engineers to read integrated displays. Outram’s software, PmScreens provides configuration and power quality data on a convenient PDA display eliminating problems due to the location of the analyser whilst allowing a more rugged solution by eliminating the need for large fragile displays to be integrated into the equipment.

In addition to displaying configuration data such as phasor diagram information to validate correct operation, engineers can access real time power quality information using a wireless Bluetooth connection between the PDA and the analyser. As well as for example current, voltage, power, power factor and flicker, engineers can access harmonic data, and, in the PM7000 this capability extends to over 500 parameters, detailed information about events such as sags (dips), surges and interruptions in power, and to waveforms, transients and interharmonics.

“The Bluetooth technology is ideal to enable remote control of power quality equipment without disturbing or gaining access to the installation. This means eliminating the need to take safety precautions; no locking and unlocking of cabinets, no need to turn off the power and no need to take time consuming precautions like putting on protective equipment,” said John Outram, Managing Director of Outram Research. “The connection is almost always reliable even if the cabinet in which the analyser is deployed is metal and closed. And with the processing power of the wide variety of PDAs and mobile phones available, PmScreens can provide enhanced colour graphics to help speed the process of troubleshooting power quality problems.”

Bluetooth technology is provided as standard on the market-leading Ranger PM7000 power quality analyser, the industry’s Cat IV 600V Phase A-powered analyser, and is available as an option on all other Outram analysers, including the 3-phase PM3000, single-phase PM1000 and the split-phase PM2000 that is designed specifically to troubleshoot power quality problems at residential premises in the USA.