Safety Systems for the AT5600

Safety Systems for the AT5600

The AT5600 integrates many types of testing, both traditional LCR style low voltage measurement, as well as HI-POT AC, HI-POT DC and SURGE testing to check product longevity, as well as a 270V class D supply for mains voltage testing under real conditions.

With this in mind, the rear panel of the AT5600 has been designed with a safety interlock connector.
This allows you to protect users from high voltages during test. This implements a triple redundant system for maximum user safety. This is identical to the interlock system used on the AT3600 Transformer tester.

Unless the three safety interlock signals on this connector are in the ‘safe’ condition, the tester will not run any tests.
The details of any safety system installation could vary depending on where the tester is being used.
In a robotic production line, for example, the tester could be in an enclosed area, and the safety switches could be mounted in the door.
With manual production, the safety system could be based on a physical barrier, for example, a ‘lid’ fitted with safety interlock switches.
However, the requirement to open and close such a barrier will give a slower speed of test, and often the reduced production throughput that follows from this may not be acceptable.

Below follows a brief description of some solutions for implementing your own safety system for use with the AT5600. More detail can be found in the AT5600 user manual Chapter 6, and the other user manual referred to below.