Test Instrument Solutions: EVSE testing on the road

A ‘Road Test’ of the TISMFTPRO-EV, EVSE testing kit from Test Instrument Solutions by Michael Halloran of JEM Electrical & EV Charging of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

"Due to massive demand I decided to expand my EVSE testing capabilities by investing in some new equipment prior to a road trip to Scotland commissioning over 80 new EVSE charger points.  

"I already owned and had experience of other EVSE testing equipment on the market, but decided to give TIS a go - with the added advantage of having a demonstration and hands-on training right on my doorstep!

"The thing that stood out for me firstly, was the clear separate capabilities of both the TISMFT PRO and the EVTEST-100 in their own right.  So much so that the actual MFTPRO was ‘snaffled’ by one of my colleagues to perform some industrial/commercial testing not related to EV!

"However when using the 2 pieces of equipment together with the interconnecting communication lead, the job of testing EVSEs couldn’t be more straightforward & comprehensive.  The ‘AUTO EVSE’ mode leaves no stone unturned and makes sure that every parameter of the EVSE is tested and results recorded, as if quite correctly it is an installation in its’ own right.  

This is a massive advantage as the roll out of EVSE charging points gains pace

"TIS have really used the full colour touch screen to its’ full advantage for these new testing procedures - providing flashing and different coloured information - including on screen diagrams for when settings and connections need to be changed for the next measurements.

"For ‘Status’ checks you also do not have to rely on hearing the Contactor clunk in or out - the MFTPRO actually measures whether or not voltage and current is being delivered in the event of an Earth Fault or Electrical Fault on the vehicle.  One other big advantage with this system over the others I have used is the utilisation of the ‘Ramp Test’ feature when it comes to checking the 30mA A and the 6mA B Type RCDs.  

"Using Ramp Test means that only the RCDs within the EVSE will be caused to trip and not other protective devices ‘up stream’.  Time saving features I also found to be useful on site was the ability to carry out P-N, P-E, PSC & PFC Loop Tests with one connection and key press, plus a similar system for checking the I/R values.

"The 2 units can be used separately and in conjunction with other manufacturer’s instruments, but the icing on the cake when used together is that all of the results are stored and can then be downloaded to the accompanying software.   

"This is a massive advantage as the roll out of EVSE charging points gains pace.  As an added bonus too, if you want to leave a manual certificate of the EVSE results on site, then there is the comprehensive TIS1908 EVSE Test Report self duplicating pad available as an optional extra."

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