Rail insulation tester - RLT88

The Rail-tester is specially intended for checking the insulation resistance between two different rail sections. Sufficient insulation resistance is necessary for a reliable signaling system. The Rail-tester consists of a polycarbonate housing in which the electronics and batteries are mounted. The tester is switched on with a pushbutton.

 

Because of the possible presence of rail coils in the track, the resistance measurement is carried out with an AC voltage sweep in order to find a resonance point, and hold the maximum value ever found. For checking the resistance between two rail sections, it is sufficient to put the test leads on the rail surface on both sides of the insulation point, and hold them there during the measuring time, (about 15 s) which is indicated with a yellow led.

 

When the measurement is finished, a green led will lighten up, and the test leads can be removed. The resistance value can be read on the meterscale during 20 seconds. After that the tester is automatically switched off. During the measuring time also a battery monitoring takes place, to ensure a correct measurement.
If the battery voltage is too low for a correct measurement it will be indicated by a red led.