Transformer Rated and Self-Contained Metering Site Training Bench

Powermetrix 8803A

A wiring error at a metering site can under-bill for months and still pass a meter test. The Powermetrix 8803A from Radian Research lets technicians find and fix those errors on a safe, energized training bench before they meet them on a customer’s service.

One bench covers both self-contained and transformer-rated metering. From the touchscreen, instructors choose from 30+ common field errors and the bench creates each one without rewiring, so every trainee practices the same faults, as many times as it takes.

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Why Train on a Metering Bench?

Because the costly errors are the quiet ones. A missing phase current, a reversed CT, or a reversed PT can leave a meter registering 100% on a meter test while the site bills for less energy than it uses. A technician who only runs a meter test will walk away from it. Finding these problems takes vector diagrams, waveforms, and CT and PT ratio tests, and that takes practice.

Because the field is no place to learn. You can’t stage a reversed CT on a live customer service, and real faults don’t wait for a trainee to be on site. The 8803A brings those faults into the classroom, energized and repeatable, with safety built into every step.

Because experience has to be passed on. When seasoned technicians retire, what they know about bad sites goes with them. A bench gives every new technician the same scenarios and a consistent standard, so they reach the field ready sooner.

Real metering on one bench. Four self-contained sockets (1S, 2S, 12S, and 16S, up to 300 V phase-to-neutral and 30 A) and a 9S transformer-rated socket wired through three 200:5 window-type CTs and three 2:1 PTs. A built-in three-phase source supplies 30 to 480 V and 100 mA to 30 A per phase, with phase angles adjustable in 0.1° steps.

Real test methods. Technicians test meters under customer load (passive) or apply an artificial load (active) from RADIAN test equipment. Each CT has an open window for flexible, clamp-on, or Amp/Volt LiteWire probes, so trainees run CT ratio and PT tests with a Powermetrix 3302, Powermetrix 6618A, or RADIAN RW-30X/31X.

Easy to place. The bench runs on one standard 120 V, 15 A outlet, rolls on locking casters, and has lockable drawers and a shelf for analyzers and probes. It is a budget-friendly alternative to the Powermetrix 8833.

A utility technician testing a meter on the Powermetrix 8803A.

Features

A three-phase metering training bench built with classroom safety in mind

Self-contained and transformer-rated training on one bench: 1S, 2S, 12S, and 16S sockets plus a 9S socket with three 200:5 CTs and three 2:1 PTs
30+ predefined field errors, created by the bench with no wiring changes, and instructor overrides for amplitude and phase angle
Built-in three-phase source: 30 to 480 V and 100 mA to 30 A per phase, 0.1° phase steps, 60 Hz
Passive (customer load) or active (artificial load) meter testing with RADIAN test equipment
CT and PT testing with open CT windows for flexible, clamp-on, and Amp/Volt LiteWire probes
Windows-based touchscreen on an articulating arm, with administrator, trainee, and technician logins and your own header and logo
Safety by design: resettable 5 mA GFI on each energized point, active-bench beacon, energized lights on each meter, CT, and PT, PPE check before every test, and E-Stops on the bench and screen

A utility technician checking the monitor on the Powermetrix 8803A

Running a Training Scenario, Step by Step

Log in on the bench touchscreen as an administrator, trainee, or technician.
Select the meter socket you want to train on: 1S, 2S, 12S, 16S, or 9S.
Choose a scenario, from a normal installation to a reversed CT or a missing phase.
Confirm that PPE is in place, then start the test. The beacon and energized lights come on.
Test the site with a Powermetrix 3302, Powermetrix 6618A, or RADIAN RW-30X/31X: check the vector diagram, waveforms, and values, then run a meter test and CT or PT ratio test.
Use Manual Drive to change voltage and current amplitude or phase angle on one phase or all phases, then press Stop when the exercise is complete.

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Which Training Bench Fits Your Program?

Powermetrix offers three metering training benches. The 8803A covers both self-contained and transformer-rated metering on one bench. The Powermetrix 8813 focuses on self-contained meters, and the Powermetrix 8833 focuses on transformer-rated meters with the widest range of field errors.

For a classroom with several benches, the Powermetrix 8843 Training Administrator Station controls up to four 8813 and 8833 benches from one tablet and records each trainee’s results.

	8803A	8813	8833
Metering	Self-contained and transformer-rated	Self-contained	Transformer-rated
Meter forms	1S, 2S, 12S, 16S, 9S	1S, 2S, 12S, 16S	3S, 4S, 5S/45S, 6S/36S, 9S/8S
Field errors	30+	28+	130+
CTs and PTs	200:5 CTs, 2:1 PTs	None	200:5 CTs, 2:1 PTs (600:5 and 2.5:1 optional)
Instructor tablet control	No, controlled at the bench	Yes, up to 4 benches	Yes, up to 4 benches
Best for	One bench for both meter types	Self-contained meter training	Advanced CT/PT troubleshooting

Field Errors Your Trainees Will Practice

Each service starts with a normal scenario, so trainees learn what a correct site looks like before they look for a fault. The bench then creates the error, and the trainee works it the way they would on a service call.

Look at the middle column. Many of these errors pass a meter registration test, or give no test at all, while the site bills wrong. Only a technician who checks the vector diagram and runs CT and PT ratio tests will find them. That is the skill the 8803A is built to teach.

Scenario	Meter test shows	Found by
1S: phase A current reversed 180°	−100% registration	Vector diagram
2S: phase A or B current reversed 180°	No pulses (near-zero Wh)	Vector diagram
16S delta: burned-out C phase voltage element	Correct registration, but not accurate	Missing C phase voltage on the vector diagram
9S: missing phase A current	100% registration, site under-bills	CT ratio test
9S: missing phase B voltage	100% registration, site under-bills	Vector diagram and PT test
9S: reversed CT polarity, phase A	100% registration	CT ratio test (180° error)
9S: reversed PT polarity, phase B	100% registration	PT ratio test (180° error)
9S: CT secondaries swapped, A and B	No pulses (balanced load)	CT ratio test (120° error)
9S: current rotation error	No test (negative energy)	Vector diagram
9S: mislabeled or wrong-ratio CT	Accurate meter test	CT ratio test

Powermetrix 8803A FAQ

Why train on a simulator instead of in the field

Real field errors are unpredictable and happen on energized customer services, where nobody can stage a fault for training. On the 8803A, an instructor can create the same error for every trainee, safely and on demand, and repeat it until the skill sticks. Many of the most costly errors still pass a meter test, so technicians need practice with vector diagrams and CT and PT ratio testing before they meet those errors in the field.

Which meters can trainees work on

The 8803A has five meter sockets. The 1S, 2S, 12S, and 16S sockets are self-contained, rated up to 300 V phase-to-neutral and 30 A. The 9S socket is transformer-rated and wired through three 200:5 CTs and three 2:1 PTs, at up to 150 V phase-to-neutral and 200 A on the CT primary (5 A at the test switch).

How does the bench create field errors without rewiring

A distribution box works with the bench's three-phase load box to create each error electrically. The instructor picks a predefined scenario on the touchscreen and the bench does the rest, so nobody has to change wires between exercises. Instructors can also override amplitudes and phase angles to recreate a problem from a past field call.

Can trainees test CTs and PTs on the bench

Yes. Each CT has an open window for flexible, clamp-on, or Amp/Volt LiteWire probes, and the PT connections sit behind a protective access door. Trainees can run CT ratio and PT tests with a Powermetrix 3302, Powermetrix 6618A, or RADIAN RW-30X/31X, and by changing the source amplitude they can see how instrument transformers perform outside their rated accuracy range.

What safety features does the 8803A have

Each energized point has a resettable ground fault interrupter (GFI) with a 5 mA trip point and a trip response under 200 ms. A beacon on top shows when the bench is active, and lights show when each meter, CT, and PT is energized. Trainees must confirm their PPE before a test can start, and E-Stops are on both the bench and the touchscreen.