Fluke T6 tester enables simultaneous voltage and current measurements

Jan. 30, 2018 – Fluke has developed FieldSense technology that takes the open-fork, current-measuring functionality of its existing T5 Electrical Tester and adds AC voltage measurements, so users can use the tools to take simultaneous voltage and current measurements without test leads, it says.

The new T6 true-rms Electrical Testers, the first tools to use FieldSense technology, are now available at local distributors and retailers. According to the company, contacting electrical conductors with test leads requires metal-to-metal contact, which carries the potential for arc flash or electrical shock, but FieldSense technology eliminates that step. While the technology in the T5 detects an AC magnetic field to derive an AC current measurement, FieldSense Technology detects the AC electric field.

The T6 creates a reference signal, which is carried to earth ground through capacitive coupling. When the open fork of the tester is placed over a live conductor, the AC electric field interacts with the reference signal. The resulting composite waveform is detected by an electronic sensor built into the tester. After amplification, digital signal processing, and calculations, voltage and frequency measurements are derived.