MODEL 4051

LIGHTNING IMPULSE IMPEDANCE TESTER

OPERATING MANUAL 4051 LIGHTNING IMPULSE

FOR SOFTWARE VERSION 3.03
IMPEDANCE TESTER

RED PHASE INSTRUMENTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

10 Ceylon Street, Nunawading, Melbourne VICTORIA, 3131 AUSTRALIA

PHONE: +61 3 9877-6988 FAX: +61 3 9878-8508

E-MAIL: sales@redphase.com.au

CAUTION: THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF RED PHASE
INSTRUMENTS. IT IS PROVIDED IN GOOD FAITH FOR THE OPERATION AND SERVICING OF THIS RPI PRODUCT. WE
RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION WHERE THIS INFORMATION IS DIVULGED TO THIRD PARTIES WITHOUT
OUR CONSENT OR IN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAY CAUSE US COMMERCIAL HARM

Serial No:

1
Contents Section Page

Model 4051, and overview 3

Interface and features .............................................................. 1.0 4
HV Pulse ...................................................................... 1.1 4
Current output ............................................................ 1.2 4
Voltage Input .............................................................. 1.3 4
Impulse Types ............................................................. 1.4 4
Multifunction LCD and Keypad ................................... 1.5 4
USB Firmware upgrade interface ................................. 1.6 4
USB interface and test records .................................... 1.7 4
S1, S2 S3 LED Indicators ............................................ 1.8 5
18V DC Charge Jack ...................................................... 1.9 5
Connections ................................................................. 1.10 5
Principle of Operation .............................................................. 2.0 6
Lightning Impulse Impedance test method ............................... 3.0 7
Direct Impulse Impedance path setup ......................... 3.1 7
Direct Impulse Impedance test procedure ................... 3.2 7-8
Electrode Impulse Impedance setup ............................ 3.3 8
Electrode Impulse Impedance test procedure .............. 3.4 9
Field rest results ....................................................................... 4.0 10-11
Menus and Navigation Tree ..................................................... 5.0 12
Screen Descriptions .................................................................. 6.0 13
Test Screens ............................................................................. 14-15
Data Storage and Transfer ........................................................ 16-18
Set Up ...................................................................................... 19
Appendix A ........................................................................................... 20-21
General Specification ........................................................................................ 22

2
 Model 4051, an overview

The 4051 lightning impulse tester can be used to:

• Measure the impedance of the lightning impulse path between two earthed electrodes such
as a HV Pylon and a remote earth.
• Estimate an electrode's ground impedance based on currently accepted low frequency
measurement methods or a discretionary adaptation of this.
A choice of 7 impulse shapes, (similar to those outlined in IEC62305-1, Protection Against Lightning
standard) may be used to measure how the earth system reacts to the impulses and this can
provide useful information into how the earth system will respond under real lightning impulse
conditions.

MODEL 4051 LIGHTNING IMPULSE TESTER

18VDC

CHARGE CURRENT
CHASSIS GROUND
UP TO 1.6A
CONNECT TO
CHARGING LOCAL EARTH

BATTERY
CHARGED
+ve

HV
POWER PULSE

Software -ve
Update
USB

FLASH DRIVE DANGER

HV ON

S1
S2 CHASSIS GROUND
FOR TESTING
S3

RED PHASE INSTRUMENTS

3
1.0 Interface and Features

The 4051 is a battery backed re-chargeable unit and comes with all of the connections necessary to
perform voltage, current and impedance measurements.

1.1 HV pulse

The 4051 is supplied with 6 x 25 metre cables at 1mm2 for connection from the HV (High Voltage)
Pulse terminals to a grounded structure of interest such as Pylon footings and or earth/ground
stakes.

1.2 Current output (Red and Black terminals)

The Pulse current output can inject an impulse from 10Amps to 30Amps into an earthed structure
and load, (depending upon impedance of course).
Note: The operator should stand away from the terminals while the test is being performed.

1.3 Voltage input (White and Blue terminals)

The HV Voltage input terminals will measure the peak voltage at the points of interest across the
earth system under test.

1.4 Impulse Types

Operators have 2 different impulse signal profiles to choose from which all vary in the rate of voltage
rise and fall times mimicking the various impulse types generally associated with lighting strikes.

1.5 Multifunction LCD and Keypad

The backlight LCD displays:

• All measurements in large easy to read digits

• All instrument settings.
The alphanumeric keypad enables the user to enter various test parameter settings and record
information such as the serial number of a device test. Alphabet and numeric characters may be
entered, where applicable.

1.6 USB Firmware upgrade interface

B-type USB connector is provided to allow for in-field software upgrades. No need to send the unit
back to the factory.

1.7 USB interface

A separate A-type USB interface is provided for the operator to transfer record information to a PC.
May also be used to copy to a flash drive (ie. flash memory stick).

Up to 2000 measurements, or test records, may be stored in the instrument’s internal memory.
Each record is also time-stamped with date and time of the actual measurement.

4
1.8 S1 S2 S3 LED Indicators (No function at this time)

1.9 18V DC Charge Jack

The Model 4051 comes supplied with an 18V-dc plug pack for charging the internal Sealed Lead Acid
battery. Once the plug pack is connected to the 4051 the Red "Charging" indicator will turn on to
indicate that the charging circuit is working and that the battery is now being charged.

Once fully charged the Green "Battery Charged" indicator will turn on whilst the Red "Charging" LED
will remain on..

1.10 Connections
The HV Pulse terminals on the 4051 provides for 2 current injection terminals, (Red and Black) and
two voltage/potential sense terminals, (White and Blue).
An impulse impedance test may be performed between an electrode (or Pylon) and some other
point, (another electrode) away from the Pylon. Typical impulse impedance connections are shown
in Fig 1 and Fig2.
The 4051 has two internally connected Earth connections, "Chassis Ground connect to Local Earth"
and "Chassis Ground for Testing". These connections can be used for referencing the chassis to a
chosen point, if the operator chooses to do so.
As mentioned the operator does not have to use either Earth connection for testing the impedance
of an Earthed Electrode as the connection is only optional, however if the operator does choose to
reference the chassis then only one of the two earth connections must be used.

5
2.0 Principle of Operation

The operator may choose one of seven impulse shapes:

• µS
1 / 20µ
• µS
1.2 / 50µ
• µS
4 / 10µ
• µS
8 / 20µ
• µS
30 / 80µ
• µS
10 / 350µ
• µS
0.25 / 100µ

Once the impulse shape is chosen the 4051 can then perform one or both of the following lightning
impedance tests.
• Direct impedance path measurement
• Electrode impedance measurement
These are described in section 3.0

In either test case the 4051 will always try to inject the maximum voltage and current into the load
under test.

It does this by charging to a maximum of 800V. The 4051 then discharges the voltage via an
electronic switch with a controlled output which shapes the resultant current into the required
impulse profile which mimics that of a lightning pulse.

The 4051 will then measure the peak current and voltage applied to the load and determine the
impedance value from this. In practice the maximum voltage across the load is limited to 700V. This
means we can only achieve a current limit of approximately 30A into a load of 23ohms or less.

The current in the load is measured in 2 ranges: High = 30A and Low = 10A.
The voltage across the load is measured in 2 ranges, 1000V and 100V.

In every case the 4051 aims to inject as much current into the load as possible.

It is not possible to control the peak current or peak voltage into the load very accurately, hence the
4051 may take 3 to 4 steps at increasing the drive voltage before the required value of injected
current is reached.

The 4051 will repeat a test automatically if it calculates that it can increase the voltage or current
without clipping, or if it can test in another current or voltage range for increased measurement
accuracy.

6
3.0. Lightning impulse impedance test methods.

The two methods for performing the lightning impedance tests mentioned earlier are described
here.

3.1. Direct impulse impedance path setup - Stage 1

In a direct measurement setup the impedance of the path between the two points of injection are
measured. The voltage stakes/probes must either be attached directly to the current injection
probes or placed just outside the current probes as shown in Fig. 1 below. This means that the actual
voltage measured is the voltage between the current injection probes.

Stage 1 - connection:
Current injection cables
Remote earth stakes
4051

Voltage sense cables

X
Maximum recommended length X can be up to 50m or 160ft

3.2. Direct impulse impedance test procedure

Once the set up is complete and the direct impedance test is initiated, the 4051 will initially measure
a load value to within a reasonable level of accuracy before the rest of the test commences. To
determine an initial estimated load value the 4051 applies a maximum of 90V to the load.
This enables the load to be estimated with reasonable accuracy.

Based on this estimated load, the 4051 will then charge to a voltage such that the maximum
measurable current is achieved in the test. The 4051 automatically sets the voltage range to 1000V
or 100V to suit and then the impulse test is performed.

The "actual" impedance of the test area is determined from this. Software will try to detect clipping
on voltage or current, and if detected the test will be repeated with a lower voltage.

When the test is complete, the 4051 displays the result of the peak current, peak voltage and the
calculated impedance. It also shows a graph of the current and voltage profiles. see page 15
The graphs will at times show a noisy signal since the amount of instantaneous power involved in a
test is very high, up to 24kW in theory, and this together with the very high frequency components
in the impulse profile will generate considerable electrical noise.

7
It is also noted that tests on low value loads below 2 ohms will have slightly higher inductive
distortion during measurement.

Finally the parameters used in the impedance test such as the target current value and the power
switch drive voltage are retained in memory, so that a repeat Direct impedance test may be
performed.

It is important that we have a stable result in the stage 1 test shown in Fig. 1 and therefore it is
suggested that the same direct impulse impedance test be repeated three times to make sure the
three results are within +/- 5% of each other.

Note: In the stage 1 test the final load impedance value measured includes the impedance of the
interface between the current stakes/probes and ground.

3.3. Electrode impulse impedance setup - Stage 2

The measurement of how a metallic object will react in the vicinity of a Pylon which is under HV
Impulse stress is an important reading. This measurement is particularly vital for the objects which
do not have an equi-potential bond to the Pylon under test. This test will indicate how well a Pylon
can discharge lightning impulses whilst minimizing the earth potential rise in its vicinity.
As its name suggests, this test is performed in two stages.
Firstly the 4051 performs a stage 1 Direct impedance test in an identical setup and once the impulse
injection current level is saved the operator is prompted to move one of the potential sense probes
to a position analogous to that of a low frequency GPR or grounding potential rise test before the
test is applied again.
Stage 2 - connection
Fig 2.
Current injection cables

Remote earth stakes

4051

Voltage sense cables

Y
X

As in a standard Earth Potential Rise test the length Y of the potential

sense probe should be placed in a region where the operator is
confident that the potential probe lies outside of the resistive influence
of both the pylon and the remote earth.

This is typically anywhere between 50% to 65% of X. 8

3.4. Electrode impulse impedance test procedure
Once the Stage 1 Direct Impedance test is performed and the current and drive parameters from
this test are stored, the operator is then able to perform a stage 2 Electrode Impedance
measurement.

The current probes must be left in their original location as in the stage 1.

A potential probe must be moved to a new position within the injection path but outside of the
resistive area of both the electrode under test and the remote earth.

The 4051 will inject the current value, (stored in memory from the stage 1 Direct Impedance test),
during the new electrode impedance tests.

Note: The voltage measured will be less than before, and the values of impedance measured will be less than before.

Multiple electrode impedance tests may be performed by moving the potential sense probe to
various locations within the injection path as shown in Fig. 2. and measuring the voltage at that
point with respect to the +ve terminals. From these results the impedance between the measured
points is calculated and then a voltage gradient for a given value of current caused by a lightning
strike can be determined.

If it's suspected that the polarity of the current injection affects the measured impedance, the tests
can be repeated with the current injection leads reversed.

Please Note:

Whilst all care has been taken to ensure operator safety with the use of insulated terminals, it is
recommended that while a test is in progress, the user take precautions such as to keep their hands
away from the 4051 and its uninsulated connections such as the USB ports, "Chassis to Local Earth"
connector and the cable ends.

9
4.0 Field test results

The 4051 unit was used to test 20 towers/HV pylons along the west of Tasmania.
The circuit was setup for a standard earth test using a low frequency resistance tester and then the
unit was swapped out and the test repeated with the 4051 unit.
The line tested was a double circuit 220kV line with a continuous OPGW.

The test circuit was setup as in Fig 2 for each tower and first tested with a low frequency Earth
impedance tester and then the 4051, the injection point was 50m from the tower leg and the
voltage probe 30m from the tower.
The leads were 30m long for voltage and 50m for current injection. The voltage reference and
current probes were star pickets driven approximately 0.3m into the ground.
Soil resistivity was also measured at each location.

A summary of the results are below:

Low frequency Footing Footing
Soil Model Pylon footing Impedance using Impedance using
(Top Layer / Bottom Layer @ thickness) Impedance the 4051 @ 8/20 the 4051 @10/350
(Ohm m) (Ohms) Impulse Impulse
783 / 428 @ 1.5m 22 41.6 48.6
572 / 1392 @ 0.2m 7.1 70 80
484 / 4000 @ 0.5m 40 70 70
289 / 9924 @ 0.7m 34 70 68
1634 / 10900 @ 0.85m 150 187 167
1688 / 26 @ 10.6m 5 39 33
1808 / 28 @ 10.5m 5 18 18
1808 / 28 @ 10.5m 5 28 25
1190 / 135 @ 1.3m 3.3 16 16
2410 / 680 @ 1.5m 9.7 36 36
760 / 5680 @ 1.8m 46 79 67
848 / 8898 @ 4m 51 65 57
2654 / 3807 @ 1m 51 152 190
1950 / 318 @ 10m 17 98 97
494 / 202 @ 7.3m 10 13 12
1062 / 1217 @ 1m 9.8 40 39
188 /418 @ 1.8m 5.7 15 15
386 / 270 @ 5.7 8.4 30 27
1840 / 2010 @ 1.9m 22.4 60 57
1840 / 2010 @ 1.9m 27 89 90

10
4.0 Field test results continued...

Below is a graphical distribution of the results for both the 8/20uS and 10/350uS impulses as well as
the lower frequency measurement taken at 128Hz with a Megger Det2.

Pylon Tower Footing Impedance in Ohms

Soil Model Resistivity in: Ohm.m

11
 5.0 Menus and Navigation Tree

The 4051 uses a branch system for navigating the various screens using the keypad.

Root screen Sub-root screens Function / Edit screens

Initial Key 1 Key 1

Operator ID ID Editor

Key 2 Key 1 Key 1

Test screen Lightning Strike Test Discharge Profile

3 Key 3 Key 9 Key 1

Stage 2 Test Stage 1 Test Start 8/20us

Key 2
10/350us
Key 1
Retest Test Results

Key 2
Save
I Display

V Display

Key 3 Key 1
Data Store Download Records

Key 2
View Record

Key 3
Delete all Records

Key 4 Key 1
System Setup Set Time

Key 2
Set Date

Key 4
Debug Function

Key 5
Adjust LCD Contrast

LEGEND

Menu Scroll arrows

Screen or option

12
 Operator Edit screens

6.0 Screen Descriptions

This section is the longest in this manual and will attempt to give a graphic description of the
navigable operating screens in the branch order as reflected in section 2, beginning with the root or
sub-root screens on each page and navigating to the target menu as listed at the top of each page.

Initial Screen
MODEL: 4051
On powering up the 4051 will present
1) ID: JOHN DOE
the operator with the initial screen at
2) TESTS left.
3) DATA STORE
Navigation to the desired screen is
4) SYSTEM SETUP simply a matter of keying the
corresponding menu number at the left
of the listed menu items.

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #001

Key 1

OPERATOR: 7
From the initial screen Key 1) to enter
the operator ID screen at left.
USE OR TO SELECT ID
The operator may scroll through the
ID: OPERATOR 7 different operator ID's by using the up,
down, left or right arrow keys.
1) EDIT
Once operator ID is selected then key
2-9) ACCEPT any number from 2 to 9 to accept the
change.

If the operator decides to enter a new

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #010 operator ID, key 1) to enter the ID
editor screen below.

To exit this screen press the Enter key

Key 1

EDIT OPERATOR

OPERATOR ID:
The operator may enter alphanumeric
OPERATOR 7_ characters at this point and then press
the Enter key to store the ID name.

The operator may also exit the edit

EXIT WITHOUT CHANGE screen without change by press the up
arrow key.
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #995
13
 Test Screens
Lightning Discharge Profile

Initial Screen

MODEL: 4051
1) ID: JOHN DOE
2) TESTS
3) DATA STORE Once the operator has entered the Test
4) SYSTEM SETUP screen they may navigate to the discharge
profile screen. The discharge profile screen
contains a list of 7 impulse profile types
which the user may select from to simulate a
lightning pulse.
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #001 Operator is able to select the discharge
profile of choice by selecting the
corresponding number next to the impulse
Key 2 type.

The operator may also exit the Test screens

TESTS:
without change by press the up arrow key.
1) LIGHTNING STRIKE TEST

SELECT DISCHARGE PROFILE

BACK TO #001
1) 1/20us
2) 1.2/50us
3) 4/10us
4) 8/20us
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #100
5) 30/80us
6) 10/350us
Key 1 7) 0.25/100us

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #102

LIGHTNING STRIKE TEST
Key 1
1) DISCHARGE PROFILE:
8/20us LIGHTNING STRIKE TEST
1) DISCHARGE PROFILE:
3) METHOD: 2 STAGES TEST
8/20us
Key 3
9) START
3) METHOD: 1 STAGE TEST

BACK TO #100 9) START

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #101

BACK TO #100

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #102

Press Key 9 to start test, Key 1 to select
discharge profile.
14
Key 3 to select test method
 Test Screens
-Test Results

Test Screen
LIGHTNING STRIKE TEST
1) DISCHARGE PROFILE: Starting a Lighting impulse test begins
8/20us with keying 9).

The 4051 will attempt at all times to

3) METHOD: 2 STAGES TEST
ramp the output voltage to the
9) START maximum range however this will be
impedance dependent.

BACK TO #100 For this reason the output voltage may

clip on first impulse attempt but will
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #100
repeat the test with a lower voltage if
unsuccessful the first time.

Key 9

TESTING:
CHARGING HIGH VOLT.....
HIGH VOLT READY.
TURN ON OUTPUT. VOLTAGE CLIPPED,
CURRENT CLIPPED,
TEST DONE. WILL REPEAT TEST
READING RESULTS... WITH LOWER
BETTERVOLTAGE..
RANGE..

BACK TO #101
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #103
#000
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #103

Current and Voltage Impulse waveforms.

I(A) Discharge Current

TEST RESULTS:

Vmax = 740.135V
Imax = 4.244A
Z = 174.396 Ohm t(us)

1) RETEST V(V) Discharge Voltage

2) SAVE

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #104

t(us)
Test Results are shown automatically and
operator may scroll down to view impulse 15
Current and Voltage waveforms.
 Data Storage and Transfer
- Download Records

INITIAL SCREEN

MODEL: 4051
1) ID: JOHN DOE
2) TESTS
3) DATA STORE
4) SYSTEM SETUP

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #001

Key 3
DATA STORE SCREEN
RECORDS STORED: 3
1) DOWNLOAD RECORDS
2) VIEW RECORD
3) DELETE ALL RECORDS

BACK TO #001

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #500

Key 1

DOWNLOAD TEST RECORD:

CONNECT THE USB PORT TO PC

AND RUN A TERMINAL PROG.
Go to appendix A for
SUGGEST SETTINGS:
instructions on Downloading
115200BAUD, 8-N-1 records to a PC.

1) START DOWNLOAD

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #501

16
 Data Storage and Transfer
- View Record

DATA STORE SCREEN

RECORDS STORED: 3
1) DOWNLOAD RECORDS
2) VIEW RECORD
3) DELETE ALL RECORDS

BACK TO #001

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #500

Key 2
VIEW RECORD SCREEN
RECORDS STORED: 3

INPUT RECORD NUMBER:

( THE NEWEST REC IS #1) Once a record is selected the
operator has the option to also
erase it individually.

BACK TO #500

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #510

Key 3

RECORD: 3/3 I(A) Discharge Current

TIME: 22/08/2014 11:59:58
OPERATOR: OPERATOR 1
Vmax =289.146V
Imax = 10.044 A
t(us)
Z = 28.787 Ohm

V(V) Discharge Voltage

BACK 9) DELETE

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #511

To retrieve impulse voltage and current t(us)

waveforms press the down arrow key. 17
 Data Storage and Transfer
- Delete All Records

DATA STORE SCREEN

RECORDS STORED: 3
1) DOWNLOAD RECORDS
2) VIEW RECORD
3 data record options can be
3) DELETE ALL RECORDS
entered easily by Keying 1, 2 or 3.

BACK TO #500

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #500

Key 3
DELETE RECORD SCREEN

ARE YOU SURE TO DELETE

ALL TEST RESULT RECORDS?

This screen provides the operator

7) YES 9) NO with the option to erase all records.

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #500

18
 Set Up Screens

INITIAL SCREEN
MODEL: 4051
1) ID: JOHN DOE
2) TESTS
3) DATA STORE
4) SYSTEM SETUP

DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #001

Key 4
SETUP SCREEN
SETUP SETUP TIME:
1) SET TIME
2) SET DATE 12:53
{HH:MM}
4) DEBUG FUNCTION
5) ADJUST LCD CONTRAST Key 1

PRESS ENTER TO SAVE

BACK TO #001 EXIT WITHOUT SAVE
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #020 DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #021

Key 2 Key 4 Key 5

SETUP DATE: DEBUG FUNCTIONS: USE : TO ADJUST.

26 - 01 - 13 LCD CONTRAST: 50
{DD-MM-YY} 3) ENABLE DEBUG DISP: NO

PRESS ENTER TO SAVE

EXIT WITHOUT SAVE
DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #022 DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #024 DD/MM/YEAR HH:MM:SS Ver: 3.03 #025

Date and Time may be edited directly Display Contrast settings are
19
in the Set Up screens above by easily adjustable by using the side
entering the desired numbers from arrow keys.
the keypad and then pressing enter.
Appendix A: Downloading of Test Records

There are two options to downloading records from the 4051.

Option A. -(Easy)
Test records stored in the instrument may be transferred to a USB Flash drive by inserting the flash
drive into the type A USB connection and following the download menu.

Option B. -(Difficult)
Test records stored in the instrument may be transferred to a user PC by performing the download
function from the menu options of the LCD and keypad. The test records can then be stored, printed
or processed further as required on the users’ PC.

This section of the manual assumes the reader is familiar with setting up a USB connection, setting
up a com port connection on a PC, as well as familiarity with the Windows software HyperTerminal
and Excel.

USB Interface
Test records from the 4051 are transferred to the PC over a USB A to B type cable.

The user must complete the following steps in order to download data from the instrument:
1. Obtain a standard USB cable (supplied) with an A type connector at one end and B type
connector at the other end.

2. Install the USB drivers on to the PC connected to the instrument.

3. Configure the virtual communication (or com) port under Hyperterminal

Installing the USB drivers

Follow the steps below to install the USB drivers to the PC:
1. Ensure PC is ON and NOT connected to the 4051. (Warning: Having the PC connected to the
internet the very first time the 4051 is connected to PC will cause a wrong USB driver to be
installed in the PC.)
2. Switch ON 4051.
3. Connect the USB cable to the PC and to the 4051 USB interface on the front panel.
4. Windows will then automatically detect the USB device as a Model 4051 Multimeter. Windows
will then prompt user for the correct USB driver. Follow the on screen prompts and direct
Windows to the location of the FTDI drivers from the above steps.
5. After the driver has been installed, the USB connection to the model 4051 will appear under the
Device Manager as a new COM port. In other words, the connection to the 4051 from the PC is
now established via a “virtual com port” even though the physical connection is over a USB
cable. Identify the COM port number in order to setup Hyperterminal properly.
20
Important Notes:
1. Subsequent connections of the 4051 to any of the PC USB may not always appear at the same
COM port number, particularly if PC USB interface is changed. Always identify the COM port
number under the Device Manager window.
2. Only one Model 4051 may be connected to the same PC at any time.

Virtual Serial Com Port Configuration

The virtual serial com port must be configured as follows, typically done under Hyperterminal or
Terra Term:

• 115200 bps
• 8-bit data
• No parity
• 1 stop bit
• No hardware or software control

Capturing the data from the 4051 USB Interface

The user PC must have application software capable of reading the serial data stream on the (virtual)
serial port. Examples of suitable application software is HyperTerminal or Terra Term, available on
the Windows operating system or from a 3rd party vendor The “capture text” function within
HyperTerminal for example may be used to capture the data from the 4051 instrument via its USB
interface on the front terminal.

After connecting the PC to the 4051 with the USB cable, the user needs to configure the
HyperTerminal COM port settings to match the serial port configuration as described above. Then
do the following:
1. Under Hyperterminal, enable the “Capture Text” function in order to record the test data to a
file. (E.g. use a descriptive filename such as 4051 test data.csv).
2. On the 4051 menu, start the Records download as described in the section “Data Storage and
Transfer”.
3. After all the test records data is transferred, stop the “Capture Text” on Hyperterminal.

Data in CSV format

The data captured can be saved as a text file. As the saved data is sent from the 4051 in csv format
(comma delimited), the text file contains data in a csv format .

This text file can be imported in the Windows Excel application. Simply open this file directly from
Excel.

Excel will then pop up the Text Import Wizard as shown in the picture below. Select the “Delimited”
option.

21
General Specification

Supply
Operating voltage 12V - 2.2Ah Internal Battery
Charger / Power Supply 18V DC Plug Pack
Charge current 500mA
Charge Time 6 to 8 hours typical
Maximum power consumption 15 Watts peak, 7 Watts standby
LCD Backlight Power consumption 0.7W
Input Ranges
Impedance Measurement Range 0.5 Ω to 300Ω without oscillation
Theoretically no upper limit however oscillation
limits clear signal capture and measurement.
Output Impulse Profile 7 types as below
Impulse type 1 1 / 20us
Impulse type 2 1.2 / 50us
Impulse type 3 4 / 10us
Impulse type 4 8 / 20us
Impulse type 5 30 / 80us
Impulse type 6 10 / 350us
Impulse type 7 0.25 / 100us
Output Range
Maximum Pulse Output Voltage Impedance dependent
Current Range
Pulse Output Current From 1 Amp to 32 Amp
4051 chassis and user interface isolation
From Voltage Input 1000Vdc or 1000Vac min
Environmental
Operating Temperature 0 to 45⁰C Degrees
Relative Humidity (RH) 90%
Size
Instrument (including moulded case) 345 x 300 x 150 mm. Weight 5.5 kg approx.

22