Spark Master,
HOW do you call yourself "Spark Master" if you've never 'experienced' a megger? [Linked Image]

They are set for milliamps. An old teacher of mine used to have the class hold hands and the student at the front and rear of the line had to grab a lead......... fun. I'm pretty sure they would not allow this anymore. Not deadly (Personal Opinion) unless you have a health condition, such as a pacemaker, but not something to play with arbitrarily.

Most 1000 volt meggers have a 500 volt switch nowadays, so buy the 1000 and get both. DC meggers are better for longer runs.

Because of capacitance in conductors (remember, a capacitor is a conductive material, wrapped in an insulative material, wrapped in a conductive material - can you say cable in conduit boys and girls?) so it WILL hold a charge and WILL require grounding out. You only have to ground it for a brief period, or wait a few minutes (up to an hour) for the charge to dissipate on it's own.

Yup, I can tell embarrassing stories about this, but won't [Linked Image]

You will find a megger to be one of the most useful tools you'll ever own. Fluke makes a great one that is volt meter, ohm meter, capacitance checker all in one, a bit pricey, but great. I disdain that they taught this in my apprenticeship but seem to not teach it anymore, real pity.

Also, if you're a geez (THANK you veddy much) you may want to look at the old amprobe wind ups, no batteries to go bad. I don't trust that 'lectricity, got's ta have my windup. OK, I own both.

Of course, NOBODY beats Biddle for the meggers, AND the training. Both a bit pricey, but I recommend them highly.

Good luck, and........... wear gloves. [Linked Image]

[This message has been edited by George Corron (edited 07-30-2003).]