Electrical Testing Course

Lesson 1 • Electrical Safety Fundamentals

Establishes hazard recognition, personal protective equipment, and lockout/tagout procedures. Safe work practices underpin every hands-on testing activity in this course.

Lesson 2 • Basic Circuit Concepts

Introduces series, parallel, and combination circuits. Understanding circuit topology is essential for selecting correct test points and interpreting results.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory and Standards Overview

Surveys industry safety standards, testing codes, and documentation requirements. Compliance awareness ensures test results meet professional and regulatory expectations.

Lesson 1 • Instrument Calibration and Care

Addresses calibration intervals, traceability, and instrument storage. Properly maintained instruments ensure measurement integrity across all testing activities.

Lesson 2 • Insulation Resistance Testers

Introduces megohmmeter operation and test voltage selection. Insulation testing is a critical preventive maintenance technique covered in depth in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Oscilloscopes and Signal Analysers

Covers oscilloscope controls, probe compensation, and waveform capture. Signal visualisation skills support advanced diagnostics introduced in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Clamp Meters and Current Probes

Explains non-contact current measurement using clamp meters and flexible probes. These tools allow safe current testing on live conductors without circuit interruption.

Lesson 1 • Earth Continuity and Bonding Tests

Focuses on protective earth conductor verification and equipotential bonding checks. These tests confirm that fault current paths are intact for personnel safety.

Lesson 2 • Fault Location Using Resistance

Applies resistance measurement to locate open circuits and high-resistance joints. Systematic fault-finding strategies reduce diagnostic time in complex installations.

Lesson 3 • Continuity Testing Principles

Explains what continuity testing verifies and when it is required. Establishes the conceptual basis for all resistance-based fault-finding covered in this chapter.

Lesson 1 • Interpreting and Reporting Results

Develops skills for comparing results against baselines, standards, and historical data. Clear reporting enables maintenance teams to prioritise corrective actions effectively.

Lesson 2 • Insulation Degradation Mechanisms

Explains how moisture, heat, contamination, and ageing reduce insulation resistance. Understanding degradation modes guides test voltage selection and result interpretation.

Lesson 3 • Testing Motors and Transformers

Adapts insulation resistance procedures for rotating machines and transformers. Winding configuration and temperature correction are critical for valid comparisons.

Lesson 4 • Standard Insulation Resistance Tests

Covers the spot test, time-resistance method, and polarisation index procedure. Each method reveals different aspects of insulation condition and suitability.

Lesson 1 • Current Measurement Methods

Compares in-line shunt, clamp, and Rogowski coil methods for current measurement. Method selection depends on circuit accessibility, current magnitude, and waveform type.

Lesson 2 • Power and Power Factor Measurement

Introduces wattmeter connections and power factor measurement in single- and three-phase systems. Power quality data supports load analysis and energy efficiency assessments.

Lesson 3 • AC Voltage Measurement Techniques

Covers RMS, peak, and average voltage concepts and their measurement. Selecting the correct meter mode prevents errors when measuring non-sinusoidal waveforms.

Lesson 4 • DC Voltage Measurement Techniques

Addresses polarity, ripple, and floating reference issues in DC systems. Battery, UPS, and DC drive testing require specific connection and interpretation skills.

Lesson 1 • RCD Trip Current and Time Testing

Applies ramp and step test methods to verify RCD tripping current and operating time. Results are compared against rated values to confirm protective function.

Lesson 2 • Residual Current Device Principles

Describes RCD operating principles, types, and rated tripping currents. Understanding RCD design is prerequisite to interpreting trip time and current test results.

Lesson 3 • Documenting Protective Device Results

Establishes record-keeping practices for loop impedance and RCD test data. Accurate documentation supports compliance verification and future comparative testing.

Lesson 4 • Loop Impedance Test Procedures

Covers external loop, line-to-earth, and line-to-neutral impedance tests using loop testers. Correct test point selection and instrument connection prevent false readings.

Lesson 1 • DC High-Voltage Testing

Applies DC hipot methods to cables and equipment where AC testing is impractical. DC test voltage equivalence, charge accumulation, and discharge procedures are addressed.

Lesson 2 • Partial Discharge Detection

Explains partial discharge phenomena, measurement methods, and severity assessment. PD detection identifies insulation defects before catastrophic failure occurs.

Lesson 3 • High-Voltage Safety and Precautions

Establishes HV-specific hazards, exclusion zones, and interlock requirements before any test. Safety controls at this level are non-negotiable and precede all HV test procedures.

Lesson 4 • AC Withstand Voltage Testing

Covers applied voltage test setup, ramp rates, and hold times for AC hipot testing. Pass/fail criteria are based on leakage current stability and absence of breakdown.

Lesson 1 • Power Quality Analysis

Measures harmonics, voltage sags, swells, and transients affecting equipment performance. Power quality data reveals root causes of unexplained failures and nuisance trips.

Lesson 2 • Thermal Imaging in Electrical Systems

Uses infrared thermography to detect hot spots in connections, switchgear, and cables. Thermal data complements electrical test results for a complete asset health picture.

Lesson 3 • Risk-Based Maintenance Decisions

Synthesises test data into risk scores to prioritise maintenance actions and capital investment. Students apply condition-based and predictive maintenance frameworks to real asset scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Transformer Diagnostic Testing

Covers turns ratio, winding resistance, and excitation current tests for transformer health. Combined test results identify core, winding, and tap changer defects.