Cable tester goes a long way underwater

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 15, 2002

Tinsley has developed a range of test equipment for submarine cables that includes the 5902 long haul submarine cable test set, using well established DC methods of cable fault location.

Tinsley has developed a range of test equipment for submarine cables that includes the 5902 long haul submarine cable test set, using well established DC methods of cable fault location.

Standard test procedures associated with cable fault location that include cable break and shunt faults, are preprogrammed into the unit.

This means that these procedures can be implemented automatically, eliminating operator error and reducing the uncertainty of fault position prediction.

Furthermore the instrument can be set for a wide range of voltage and current limits making it suitable for use with most submarine communication cable systems.

Continuous indication of the state of charge of the cable under test is provided and current, voltage and polarity changes are automatically prevented until any voltage on the cable has fallen to a level safe for both the cable and instrument.

A safety interlock removes high voltage from the output in the event of a cable patch lead being disconnected during a test.

Instrument setup is menu driven from an LCD that also shows the various stages of the test as it proceeds.

An RS232 interface is fitted and all functions can be computer controlled and stored for future analysis.

Also, two 5902s can communicate while carrying out double ended tests such as "no loss of current".

After fault detection the electroding generator function can assist the cable repair vessel in locating the cable on the seabed prior to retrieval and repair.

Also available for short haul submarine cable testing the 5910 is a portable, bench-top unit suitable for use with most repeaterless submarine cable communication systems.