Test & Measurement
HIPOT Testers For
Electrical Safety
Electrical safety is of utmost importance for all the electrical and electronic
products. Today’s HIPOT (short for high-potential) testers—key test equipment
for electrical safety—have come a long way in terms of features,
programmability and safety involved in testing itself
 Shweta Dhadiwal baid
S
omeone has rightly said that
“Safety doesn’t happen by ac-
cident.” Today, most consumer
electronics devices operate in close
vicinity of the human body, be it a mo-
bile phone, laptop, home appliance or
medical device. Any product designed
without electrical safety parameters in
mind may result in a mishap. The fin-
ished product needs to be tested thor-
oughly before it is put in use. Several
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tests have to be conducted from design
to production stage in order to ensure
electrical safety of the component and
the finished product.
No designer wants to design an
unsafe product, but many a times the
product may fail in operation due to
some design flaw or faulty compo-
nents. Electrical safety tests are per-
formed on components such as trans-
formers and switches, cables, motors
and finished goods. Several standards
organisations publish the permissible
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limit for different parameters. Organi-
sations like CSA in Canada, UL/ETL
in the United States, GS in Germany,
EK in Korea, CCC in China and CNS
in Taiwan provide electrical safety/
international standards, shares Helena
Wang, sales manager, GW Instek. In
India, Indian Standards Institute (ISI)
specifies electrical safety parameters
for many products. Usually, manufac-
turers hire certified test labs to perform
safety tests to comply with these stand-
ards and get their products certified.
Insulation plays an important role
in electrical safety. During produc-
tion, most manufacturers include tests
around insulation in order to meet
safety requirements as per specific
standards. As opposed to continuity
tests that ensure current flow, there are
tests performed using high potential
(HIPOT) to ensure that the current
does not flow from one point to anoth-
er at a given voltage for a given time.
Need for electrical safety
tests
Electrical safety tests may be mandated
by the standards’ organisations, but
as a manufacturer, it is your social
responsibility. Tests do consume some
time in the production line, but these
significantly reduce the risk of fires,
accidents, electrical shocks, etc from
the equipment. It is very important to
test insulation as 80 per cent of electri-
cal maintenance and testing involves
evaluating insulation integrity.
Electrical insulation starts dete-
Test & Measurement
GW Instek’s GPI-745A electrical safety tester
riorating in its performance as an
insulator (extremely bad conduc-
tor) with time. The most important
reason for testing insulation is to
ensure public and personal safety. “In-
sulation testing is used to determine
the integrity of windings or cables in
motors, transformers switchgear and
electrical installations,” shares Prachi
Gupta, director, Avante Global. “By
performing a high-potential test be-
tween de-energised current-carrying,
grounded and grounding conductors,
you can eliminate the possibility of
having a life-threatening short-circuit
or short-to-ground faults,” she adds.
Electrical and electronic systems
when exposed to environmental fac-
tors such as dirt, grease, temperature,
stress and vibration affect the dielectric
material used in insulation. This may
lead to insulation failure, resulting in
loss of production or even fire. “It is
important to identify the deterioration
as early as possible to take corrective
measures,” suggests Ms Wang.
HIPOT tests
When a high potential is applied be-
tween isolated parts of a circuit or a
product, the behaviour of electrical
parameters helps identify broken or
poor insulation, stray wire strands or
braided shielding, spacing problem
between terminals, tolerance errors,
etc. This helps in making informed
decision on the safety and quality of
electrical circuits.
“The value/range of HIPOT de-
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creased continuously until the current
increases suddenly. This is the point
where insulation gets into conduction.
Normally, this test is done during the
product design and qualification stage.
“Of course, the sample DUT that
fails the test is rejected as it is com-
pletely damaged now,” shares Man-
wani. The dielectric withstand test is
normally done at 75 per cent of the
breakdown voltage. The test is per-
formed to understand for how long the
dielectric can withstand high voltage.
Insulation resistance (IR) test meas-
ures resistance of the insulating mate-
pends on the device under test (DUT),” rial. You apply a very high voltage
shares Rohit Manwani, chief executive across the dielectric, carefully measure
officer of Sunil Associates. “Range of the current and calculate the resist-
the instrument varies from industry to ance using Ohms law. “For most of the
industry. Some industries can accept products, the test is carried at 500V DC
the sample if insulation resistance is and the resistance should be at least 2
more than 1000 mega-ohms, while mega-ohms,” shares Ms Wang. “Usu-
some look for values in giga-ohms,” ally IR is checked first, before putting
he adds. the device for HIPOT test,” she adds.
High-potential tests can be divided Hipot testing can be carried by an
into three distinct tests with different AC or DC voltage. However, there are
goals. To understand the high-voltage different considerations when using
capacity of an insulating material, AC or DC voltages. The difference in
dielectric breakdown test is used. The the reading becomes significant when
voltage between the test points is in- the DUT is highly capacitive. “AC volt-
Types of leakage currents
During the insulation test, a high voltage is generated that causes a small current (in micro-
amperes) to flow through the conductor and insulation. The amount of current depends on
the amount of voltage applied, the system’s capacitance, total resistance and temperature
of the material. The value of insulation resistance read on the meter will be a function of
following three independent sub-currents:
Conductive leakage current. Conductive current is a small current that normally flows
through insulation, between conductors or from a conductor to ground. This current
increases as insulation deteriorates and becomes predominant after the absorption current
vanishes.
Capacitive charging leakage current. When two or more conductors are run together
in a raceway, these act as a capacitor. Due to this capacitive effect, a leakage current flows
through conductor insulation. This current lasts only a few seconds as the DC voltage
is applied and drops out after the insulation has been charged to its full test voltage. In
low-capacitance equipment, capacitive current is higher than conductive leakage current,
but usually disappears by the time you start recording the data. Because of this, it is
important to let the reading settle out before recording it. On the other hand, when testing
high-capacitance equipment, the capacitive charging leakage current can last a very long
time before settling out.
Polarisation absorption leakage current. Absorption current is caused by polarisation
of molecules within the dielectric material. In low-capacitance equipment, current is high
for the first few seconds and decreases slowly to nearly zero. When dealing with high-
capacitance equipment or wet and contaminated insulation, there will be no decrease in
the absorption current for a long time.
—Prachi Gupta, director, Avante Global
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Key safety points for test
engineers
1. Keep the unauthorised and unqualified
persons away from the test area
2. Arrange the test bench and test
procedure in orderly manner
3. Do not modify the test procedures
without any knowledge
4. Make sure that custom test fixtures
car r y proper ratings and test
equipment are correctly rated
5. Do not touch the DUT while the test is
running
6. In case of a problem, first turn off/stop
the test
7. Discharge the DUT completely in the
DC test
age cannot charge a capacitive load, as
reactive current flows instantly and re-
mains consistent regardless of the time
the voltage is applied. DC voltage will
charge the capacitance of the DUT so
you may see an inrush of current upon
initial application of the voltage, but
gradually the readings will dissipate as
the DUT becomes charged. Normally,
the relationship between AC and DC
HIPOT tests is AC=1.414DC. For exam-
ple, if you perform AC HIPOT test at
a test voltage of 2 kV, then DC HiPOT
test should be performed at 2.83 kV,”
explains Ms Wang.
Expressing her views on the test
methodology, Ms Gupta believes that
the test method also depends on the
type of the DUT. “For instance, when
a low-capacitance equipment like elec-
trical cabling or switchgear is tested,
the time-dependent capacitive leakage
and absorption leakage current become
insignificant and decrease to zero al-
most instantly. This provides a perfect
condition for accurate spot reading. On
the other hand, when high-capacitance
equipment such as long runs of cables,
large motors or generators are to
be tested, the time-dependent cur-
rent will last hours. This current will
cause the meter reading to change
constantly, making it impossible to
obtain an accurate steady reading. This
condition can be overcome by using a
test that establishes a trend between
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Test & Measurement
Withstand voltage tester
readings, such as the step voltages or operated insulation testers are there to
dielectric-absorption test. These tests work in the field. Good-quality probes
do not depend on a single reading but are available in the market to do the
on a collection of relative readings.” test efficiently,” informs Manwani.
Some T&M manufacturers have
New features in launched a thoughtful combination of
HIPOT testers insulation tester and digital multimeter
To serve the rising demands for fea- in a lightweight tool that fits in your
tures and, most importantly, safety, palm. This has significantly helped elec-
there have been a lot of developments tricians and technicians on the field in
in the design of HIPOT testers and troubleshooting and preventive main-
features. Most companies are promot- tenance, addressing their basic multim-
ing their all-in-one kinds of equipment eter needs, and gives them an insulation
that can perform dielectric breakdown, tester that generates up to 1 kV.
dielectric-withstand and insulation re- “Humidity is a major factor affect-
sistance tests from a single box. Many ing insulation measurements in India.
equipment are designed to perform Nowadays, insulation testers are de-
both AC as well as DC HIPOT test. signed to be humidity-proof,” shares
Handheld portable testers are now Thirumalaisami R., head of T&M,
the need of every industry. The need Yokogawa, India. “During the DC
for insulation testing is increasing in HIPOT test, the DUT is fully charged
the field and traditional testers are to provide accurate leakage current.
large and bulky. “Nowadays, battery- Normally, to discharge the testers, the
Table I
Effects of Electric Current on the Human Body
Current Reaction
1 mA Perception level. Just a faint tingle
5 mA Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing
Average individual can let go. However, strong involuntary reactions to shocks
in this range can lead to injuries
6-25 mA (women) Painful shock, muscular control is lost
9-30 mA (men) This is called the freezing current or ‘let-go’ range
50-150 mA Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscular contractions that an
individual cannot let go. Death is possible
1000-4300 mA Ventricular fibrillation (rhythmic pumping action of the heart ceases),
muscular contraction and nerve damage. Death is most likely
10,000 mA Cardiac arrest, severe burns and probable death
Source: W.B. Kouwenhoven, ‘Human Safety and Electric Shock,’ Electrical Safety Practices, Mono-
graph, 112, Instrument Society of America, p. 93
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Test & Measurement

Table II choose a tester with high output cur-

rent capacity.
Electrical Safety Test Standards
As there are several combinations
Standard Voltage withstand Insulation Grounding/ of multiple test equipment available,
resistance bonding
choosing the right combination is im-
EN60950: Information technology 3000V AC or N/A 25A AC or DC portant. If the tester combines HIPOT
equipment 4250V DC (40A for CSA)
tester and ground-bond tester, ensure
EN61010: Electrical equipment Wide range in AC or N/A 25A AC or DC
for measurement, control and DC voltage (depends
that the tester can handle the output
laboratory use on the rated voltage current and resistance measurement
of the equipment) required.
EN60335: Household and similar 3750V AC N/A 25A AC or DC Some tests are performed during
electrical appliances designing before finalising the mate-
EN60204: Electrical equipment 1000V AC 1 MΩ at 500V 10A AC rial, while many tests are performed
for machines
during production. It makes a lot of
EN50144: Handheld electric 4000V AC 7 MΩ at 500V 25A rms
sense to combine the tests during pro-
motor operated tools
duction into one equipment.
EN60601: Medical electrical 3920V AC N/A 25A AC
equipment Ms Wang adds, “The leakage cur-
EN60065: Audio, video and 3000V AC or 4 MΩ at 500V 25A AC or DC rent test is performed by most of the
similar electronic apparatus 4240V DC DUTs at 10% sampling rate except in
EN60598: Luminaries 3670V AC 4 MΩ at 500V 10A rms the case of medical equipment (this
Note: The values mentioned above are subjected to majority of the applications but don’t cover all means leakage current is tested only
the situations (shared by GW Instek) on ten samples if 100 samples are
provided). Hence manufacturers don’t
perform leakage current test on the
probes are shorted. This reduces the perform essential electrical safety tests production line.”
battery and instrument life. Today, and deliver fast and reliable test results She suggests that since most of the
testers have a built-in discharge key from a single test connection.” standards require insulation resistance
with which the battery and instrument The output of the HIPOT tester is to be tested at 500V and 1000V, test
life are optimised,” he adds. normally high voltage and current. If voltage for IR is fixed at these values.
As per ISI requirement, insulation mishandled, this can prove danger- Time to test is another important
is to be tested for 500V DC, but today ous to the person performing the test. consideration. Standards play an
industries require various higher and Automation of the tests has in a way important role in the duration of the
wider voltage ranges. Manwani shares, helped the operator to be away or test. As all-in-one kinds of boxes have
“Insulation testers or million mega- have minimal contact for handling of a single connection, these save a lot of
ohm meters with analogue meter are the device. However, safeguarding time because of simultaneous opera-
preferred because of the non-linear the operator is still utmost important. tion. Functioning and line leakage are
scale of insulation. These instruments Equipment today come with interlock tested with the same connection.
cover most of the higher-range require- features, ground fault interrupts, faster
ments and are indigenously developed DUT discharge and quick high-voltage To conclude
and available. Digital insulation testers shutdown. These also include audio- With so many technologies work-
are also available but these have lim- visual warnings like blinking LEDs ing together, and developments in
ited range.” and alarms in case of any unforeseen electronics, HIPOT test is becoming a
“Today HIPOT testers come with situation. necessity and a routine in production
a digital LCD. This is not only for ease line testing. Today, consumers look for
of use but also to reduce the operator Choosing HIPOT tester products that are not only feature-rich
error,” Ms Wang believes. “The market Understanding when to use AC test or but also safe to use. With a little under-
demands fully-automatic all-in-one DC test is important. Some standards standing of the basic test procedure,
testers, so the manufacturers have may require either of the two or both. and use of the right type of test and
come up with 4-in-1 and 5-in-1 kinds AC test scores over DC as it tests the equipment, you can perform the tests
of electrical safety test solutions,” she insulation for both polarities. How- safely. This will ensure compliance to
adds. “Thoughtful safety, reliable ever, the downfall is that in the case of regulations and guarantee that your
test result, user-friendliness and fully a highly capacitive DUT, the discharge product is safe to use. 
automated interface make these equip- current will be higher, misleading the
ment an advanced safety tester that can real current reading. In such cases, The author is a senior technology journalist at EFY

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