New advanced wire tracers deliver superior accuracy and safety

Fluke has released two new wire tracers that simplify tracing and troubleshooting at energised and de-energised wires in residential, commercial and industrial environments with a safety rating of CAT IV 600V.

The Fluke 2052 Advanced Wire Tracer and 2062 Advanced Pro Wire Tracer kits comprise two essential equipment pieces – receiver and transmitter. The kits also incorporate the i400 AC clamp accessory for safely inducing a tracing signal on cables without contact to live wires. Also included in the kits are test leads, alligator clips, outlet adapters, magnetic hanger and batteries.

The kits - which work by detecting signals transmitted via an electromagnetic field rather than locating metal parts or voltage – deliver superior accuracy and safety levels for electricians and technicians who need to locate electric cables quickly in walls, ceilings and floors; find out if there are any breaks or opens and shorts, or identify breakers and fuses. The devices can also be employed to trace non-metallic pipes and conduits and low voltage wires and data cables.

The new tracers use two methods to detect signals in wires and cables: passive tracing without a transmitter for non-contact voltage detection and active tracing with the Fluke 2000T transmitter for all other modes. The transmitter automatically senses whether the system is energised or de-energised and selects a 6.25kHz or 32.768kHz output signal frequency accordingly.

The new tracers include three transmitter modes (high signal, low signal and loop), four receiver tracing modes and eight sensitivity levels for greater flexibility and accuracy when tracing. Also, durability and ruggedness are built-in, with all units 1m drop tested, IP40-rated and backed by a one-year warranty.

The tracers' four tracing modes are breaker mode for easy breaker and fuse identification based on the highest recorded signal detected from the transmitter; NCV detection mode to trace energised wires without the use of the transmitter, quick scan mode for quick signal identification (the Fluke 2052); and precision mode for more precise detection of a wire (Fluke 2052).

Also, the Fluke 2062 Pro Wire Tracer features a patented Smart Sensor, which identifies the orientation of located energised wires and displays the information on a 3.5" TFT LCD colour display. Also, a tip sensor on the device makes it excellent for tracing wires in corners, tight spaces and junction boxes.

With the safety rating CAT IV 600V, the devices deliver the highest protection of any wire tracer on the market (others tend to be CAT III rated). Measurement category CAT IV rating is created to protect users from the most dangerous levels of transient overvoltage (spikes up to 8,000V) that can occur in industrial and utility environments.

Hans-Dieter Schuessele, Application and Technology Expert, Fluke, says: "Whether fixing equipment to walls or wanting to find cable routings, electricians and technicians need to detect electric cables quickly and accurately, and our two new Advanced Wire Tracers simplify this process while ensuring operator safety. Offering such options as embedded help screens for simple, error-free set-up (on the Fluke 2062), we believe these kits will be welcomed by everybody who is tasked with locating energised and de-energised wires and who is looking for an easy-to-use solution."