I want to make up my own custom test leads for my Fluke 87.
What item, sold in mass-distribution at consumer type retail outlets, will work as a plug?
Alternatively, I could do a simple fabrication What shop item would be a good starting point to modify from, to plug into the jacks on this thing?
I believe your meter meets IEC-61010 CAT III 1000V safety ratings, as long as similarly rated test leads are used. Homemade leads will not carry such a rating.
Actually homemade leads should also carry such a rating, so long as the proper, shrouded connectors are used. I'm still searching for a vendor of these connectors.
The connectors are definitely not ordinaly banana plugs, although obviously banana plugs will fit into the holes in the meter.
The thing to keep in mind is that sometimes while connected to a high voltage source, that lead will sometimes pull out of the meter and begin swinging about. This is not a good time to realize that you have an un-insulated banana plug electrified to say 250 or maybe even 600 volts swinging around next to your body!
In the days of the Simpson 260 and Triplett 630, this was an unavoidable hazard associated with simply working in the profession. More than once I've had banana plugs pull out of my Triplett while connected to hundreds of volts, once even striking a grounded piece of conduit and blowing a fuse while destroying the test lead. (I was lucky at the time, since it happened in a wet basement).
This is whythe safety connectors were incorporated into the design of modern multimeters, and while you could use a banana plug as a substitute for the shrouded connector, it is really a stupid and dangerous move to do so.
Open banana plugs are nice for audio applicatons, however for multimeter use, only a total fool would make such a hazardous subsitution for the proper connector -- fully equivalent to shorting out a breaker, or putting a penny in a plug fuse receptacle -- but more dangerous. If you can't locate the shrouded connector, then bite the bullet and purchase a new test lead set with the correct connector. They're not that costly, which makes this decision a "no-brainer".
Hell, even Radio Shack sells these safety leads. You can probably find the safety connectors at Allied or Newark.
Harry C.
If the meter is used for line-voltage measurements, why use anything but the intended UL-listed leads? Silicone and EPDM versions are very durable.
--s falke
Cat III test leads are molded, and marked to indicate they meet the requirement. It may make no difference if used in a CAT I location, but Alan should understand that he has reduced the safety rating. For more info see
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