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English
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English
bOX cOntEntS
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CableTool Multifunction Cable Meter
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Carrying Case
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User Guide
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Four AA Alkaline Batteries
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Two Banana Jack to Alligator Test Leads
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One Banana Jack to BNC Adapter
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One BNC to “F” Adapter
battERY
The CableTool operates on four AA alkaline bat-
teries. Remove the battery cover at the back of the
unit and insert the batteries with the orientation as
shown. Battery polarity is marked inside the battery
well for reference.
IntRODUctIOn
The CableTool Multifunction Cable Meter electrically measures the length of a
cable using Time Domain Reflectometry technology. The CableTool measure-
ment begins by transmitting an electrical pulse into the connected cable. The
electrical pulse travels along the cable until it hits a discontinuity (either a short or
an open) and is then reflected back to the unit. The CableTool precisely measures
the time between launching the pulse and recieving the reflected pulse. The time
measurement is converted to distance using the cable NVP (Nominal Velocity of
Propagation).
Additionally, the CableTool provides a continuous reading of any voltages
present on the cable under test and features four different tone frequencies and
patterns for tracing cables with a tone probe.
MEcHanIcal
FEatURES
OPERatIOn
Attach the test leads to the CableTool by inserting the safety banana plugs into
the banana jacks at the top of the unit. Turn the CableTool on by pressing the “PWR”
button. The startup screen is shown for a few seconds and then the Mode Screen is
displayed. Clip one test lead to each of two conductors of the cable to be tested.
MODE ScREEn
When the Mode Screen is displayed, the CableTool immediately starts meas-
uring voltage and updates the reading several times per second. If more than a
6-8 volts are present on the cable, do not conduct a Length test or apply a Tone
signal until the circuit is de-energized. The CableTool can withstand continuous
input voltages of up to 250Vrms.
lEnGtH ScREEn
Pressing the Length function key in the Mode
Screen presents the Length Screen. The Cable-
Tool automatically starts measuring the distance
to the fault (open or short) using the NVP of the
Default Cable (see Default Cable Setup). Using the Up/Down Cursor key, any of the
eight user selected cable types, the four custom cable types or a cable type from the
prestored cable list can be selected and the length is corrected for the correspond-
ing NVP. The length measurement is continuously updated.
When the NVP for a cable is known to be
different than the displayed NVP, the NVP can
be changed by pressing the Select function
key to move the arrow to the NVP field and
then pressing the Up/Down cursor key to modify the NVP. The NVP can also be
modified and stored in Cable List setup.
RECOMMENDATION: Before starting a
job with a new spool or box of cable that has a
known length, make a length measurement with
the CableTool to determine if the prestored NVP
for that cable type provides the correct length. This is done by selecting a cable type
that matches or is similar to the type of cable to be tested, press the Select function
key to move the arrow to the NVP field and press the Up/Down Cursor key until the
displayed length matches the known length printed on the box or spool. The modi-
fied NVP will only be used while making this length measurement, exiting the screen
or turning off the power will reset the NVP to the original value. To store the cable
type with the modified NVP see “Cable List Setup”. The prestored NVP is a typical
value and adjusting the NVP to the actual length will provide more accurate results.
See “Understanding NVP” for more information.
