Jon, Hopefully someone from RodL is listening and will give us the details from the company history file, which went something like this... The need to test the "Barrier" between line and digital signals evolved as switching power supplies came into wide spread use. Before then, the large mains transformer didn't "break down" the way these new isolation xfmr's seemed to do (leakage). HP had a need to do it right and got provided a fellow who worked there all the incentive he needed to start a company which made Hi-Pot testers, Rod-L. I'm guessing the AC part was an insitu thing...but the DC spec's came when high pot equipment mfg's couldn't build cheap enough AC equipment that would handle the leakage current...
I think I have most of this right, but it is hear say and from a conversation I had with a sales guy about 6 years ago...hopefully someone will fill in the cracks! Dave Spencer Jon Bertrand wrote: > > > > I'm a little off topic here: > > Does anyone know the "history" of hipot testing? > > Say someone tells you to "hipot" your cable or wire harness at > 1000VAC, measure the current, and decide if it's low enough. Where > did 1000VAC come from, and why is it AC? > > I'm guessing it all started in World War Two building B17's and such. > Since AC was easy to make (you'd just use a transformer) people > probably picked it for the supply voltage. I'd also guess that 0.1 to > 5.0 mA was the common current range because it was the lowest amount > your meter could measure (and it was just low enough not to kill you). > > Does this sound correct? > > Anybody know for sure? > > Jon Bertrand > [email protected]
