Up to now it has often been necessary to use several different instruments to track down the causes of complex problems in electrical installations. A new thermal imaging clamp-on ammeter from FLIR promises to make these issues a good deal easier.
 
The CM174 600 A AC/DC clamp-on ammeter has a built-in infrared camera with IGM technology, which gives the user a visual indication of temperature differences and thermal anomalies. Along with finding existing faults, this helps service technicians detect potential new faults before they become significant.
 
The FLIR CM174 can measure AC and DC currents up to 600 A and has a 6,000-count display. It is also suitable for measuring AC and DC voltages, frequency, resistance and capacitance, and it has diode test and continuity ranges. The integrated infrared camera has a resolution of 4,800 pixels (60 x 80) with a temperature difference to spot ratio of 30:1 and a temperature measurement range of -25°C to +150°C.