Cable fault locator TDR-TA3.7

Scope of cable fault locator TDR-TA3.7

TDR-TA3.7 allows to make the following measurements on cables lengths from 1 m to 128 km with a low instrumental error (up to 3 cm):

• cable length measurement;
• determination the distances to all types of faults in the cable lines: break, short circuit and low-resistance faults, defective soldering, faulty amplifier, areas with high humidity, couplings, splices of cable, coils of Pupin, the weakness of pairs, «Flickering» defects;
• measurement of the coefficient of shortening of the line for a known length;
• cable line impedance estimation.

TDR-TA3.7 is used for control during laying and operation of the following types of cable lines:

• communication cables with metallic core;
• signal and control cables;
• power cables;
• aerial cable lines;
• computer networks (SCS, etc.);
• television and radio-frequency cable lines;
• to determine the length of the cable during its production, storage and trade.

Overview of cable fault locator TDR-TA3.7

Improved performance

Reflectometer TDR-TA3.7: setting testing parameters.

TDR-TA3.7 is a deep modernization in terms of both hardware and software:

• Instrumental error is 3 cm (at VF = 1.499) - by increasing the effective sampling frequency to 3.2 GHz.
• Improved detailing of the waveforms – device receiver redesign allowed extension of the bandwidth.
• Extended ranges in range - from 15 m to 128 km: two additional "short" ranges of 15 m and 30 m to improve the efficiency of measurements in the near zone.
• A wide range of the pulse widths (from 10 ns to 50 μs) allows the operator to select the optimal resolution of the instrument and the overlapping attenuation. In short areas with little attenuation, it is better to use short pulses to provide the best resolution. On long routes with a large attenuation, longer pulse widths must be set to ensure maximum range.
• Digital averaging of 1...128 realizations allows to effectively suppress asynchronous noise.
• Two parallel physical channels make it possible to detect line differences in real time without storing the trace into memory.

Ergonomics, visibility and ease of use

Reflectometer TDR-TA3.7: simultaneous use of two channels.

• Color TFT display 5.7 inches with a resolution of 640×480 pixels and a wide viewing angle for easy operation and visual representation of measurement results. The device can be equipped with optional high-brightness display with anti-glare coating for comfortable operation in direct sunlight.
• Simultaneous displaying of up to 5 waveforms from two physical inputs and three waveforms from nonvolatile memory.
• Direct measurement control allows to quickly and clearly control the measurement parameters without unnecessary time to switch between menus.
• Two-cursor measuring system allows measuring distances between any two points of the route - the device indicates the distance to the first and second cursor, as well as the distance between them.
• Automatic storage of measurement parameters - when the instrument is switched off (by the shutdown button or by the auto-off timer), the measurement parameters are stored in non-volatile memory so after switching on you do not have to set the measurement parameters again.
• The updated Magnifier feature allows to view the trace with a resolution of 3 cm on any range from 15 m to 128 km; for more convenient viewing of individual areas you can use horizontal “digital zoom”.
• It is possible to scroll the magnifier window within the range.
• The mode "Difference" is intended to detect differences in the waveforms, it can be used for both physical channel waveforms and for traces from memory in any combination in real time.
• The "Cross Talk" mode is used to determine the points of entanglement of pairs in couplings.
• The "Capture" mode for detecting time-unstable faults ("flickering" defects) - the device in this mode accumulates on the screen the reflectograms an arbitrarily long period of time, so see short events are not missed.

Special modes for RC (Remote Control) of heating systems

• Horizontal shift of waveforms for each channel.
• The device is equipped with a function of estimating the impedance of the line with an accuracy of about 5%.
• Function for constructing “alarm curves” (“Heating networks” configuration) for the convenience of identifying significant defects in RC systems.

Storage of measurement results and interface with a computer

Reflectometer TDR-TA3.7: waveforms library.

• A large amount of non-volatile memory for storing waveforms library and a table of cable velocities factors.
• A large amount of non-volatile memory for storing waveforms; up to 1000 named and dated waveforms with a high resolution (up to 8000 points per trace) in the non-volatile memory, which allows to study the results of measurements in detail and monitor their dynamics over a long period of time.
• Saving position of cursors when writing a trace to memory.
• The possibility of comparing the reflectograms taken for different ranges.
• The device has a built-in table of cable velocities factors.

Reflectometer TDR-TA3.7: cable velocities factors library.

• Function "Screen shot" allowing instantly take a snapshot of the device's current screen and save it as a JPG file with the date and time; images are recorded on an external hard drive simultaneously with waveforms and can be read by any graphic or text editor, which can be useful for reports.
• USB port for quick and easy data exchange with PC - the device is equipped with a USB port for recording / reading data to an external USB drive.
• Easy and secure firmware updates.

Operation of cable fault locator TDR-TA3.7 in harsh field conditions

• Impact-resistant, hermetic case.
• Dust-proof keyboard.
• Wide operating temperature range -20...+ 40°C.
• Powerful li-Ion battery - at least 8 hours of continuous working from battery.
• Fast charger allows you to quickly charge the device.
• Small dimensions 246х124х70 mm and a weight of not more than 2.5 kg.