Transformer Rated Metering Site Training Bench

Powermetrix 8833

Transformer-rated sites serve a utility’s largest customers, and a single wiring error there can under-bill for months while the meter still passes its test. The Powermetrix 8833 from Radian Research lets technicians find and fix those errors on a safe, energized training bench with real CTs and PTs, before they meet them in the field.

The bench creates 130+ common field errors across 3S, 4S, 5S/45S, 6S/36S, and 9S/8S services without rewiring. Paired with the Training Administrator Station, an instructor can run up to four benches from one tablet and record every trainee’s results.

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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. Because the meter only sees the CT secondary, the error applies to the customer’s entire load. Finding these problems takes vector diagrams 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 commercial service, and real faults don’t wait for a trainee to be on site. The 8833 brings those faults into the classroom, energized and repeatable, with safety built into every step.

Because training should be consistent and documented. Every trainee gets the same scenarios, as many times as it takes. With the TAS, each trainee’s performance is recorded and time-stamped for every session and can be exported, giving you a record of who is qualified on what.

Real transformer-rated metering. Sockets for 3S (120 V and 240 V), 4S (120 V), 5S/45S (3-wire delta and 3-wire single-phase), 6S/36S (4-wire wye Z-coil), and 9S/8S (4-wire wye and delta) services, wired through 200:5 window-type CTs and 2:1 PTs. Optional 600:5 extended-range CTs and 2.5:1 PTs are available. A built-in three-phase source supplies 69 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), and run CT ratio and PT tests with a Powermetrix 3302, Powermetrix 6618A, or RADIAN RW-30X/31X. CTs accept flexible, clamp-on, or Amp/Volt LiteWire probes, and by changing the source amplitude trainees see how instrument transformers behave outside their rated accuracy range.

Built for your utility. Custom wire color coding, test switch configuration, and mounting of most utility-specific meter cans make the bench look like your field. It runs on one standard 120 V, 15 A outlet and rolls on locking casters.

Features

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

Transformer-rated sockets for 3S, 4S, 5S/45S, 6S/36S, and 9S/8S services
200:5 window-type CTs and 2:1 PTs, with optional 600:5 extended-range CTs and 2.5:1 PTs
130+ predefined field errors, created by the bench with no wiring changes, and instructor overrides for amplitude and phase angle
Built-in three-phase source: 69 to 480 V and 100 mA to 30 A per phase, 0.1° phase steps, 60 Hz
CT ratio and PT testing with flexible, clamp-on, and Amp/Volt LiteWire probes, plus passive or active meter testing
Pairs with the Powermetrix 8843 Training Administrator Station (TAS), an instructor tablet that controls up to four benches over a closed Wi-Fi network and records, time-stamps, and exports each trainee's performance
Custom wire color coding, test switch configuration, and mounting of most utility-specific meter cans
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, screen, and TAS

The Powermetrix 8833 Test Bench working in conjunction with the Powermetrix 8843 on the monitor.

Running a Training Scenario, Step by Step

Set up the bench from the TAS tablet, or from the bench touchscreen in technician mode.
Select the meter service to train on, from 3S to 9S/8S.
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 and PT ratio tests.
Adjust amplitude or phase angle to extend the exercise, then stop the scenario. With the TAS, results are recorded for each trainee and can be exported to a spreadsheet.

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Errors a Meter Test Won't Catch

These are common transformer-rated wiring errors. Look at the middle column: several 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.

Each scenario on the 8833 starts from a normal installation, so trainees learn what a correct site looks like before they look for a fault. That is the skill the bench is built to teach.

Error	Meter test shows	Found by
Missing phase current	100% registration, site under-bills	CT ratio test
Missing phase voltage	100% registration, site under-bills	Vector diagram and PT test
Reversed CT polarity	100% registration	CT ratio test (180° error)
Reversed PT polarity	100% registration	PT ratio test (180° error)
CT secondaries swapped	No pulses (balanced load)	CT ratio test (120° error)
Current rotation error	No test (negative energy)	Vector diagram
Mislabeled or wrong-ratio CT	Accurate meter test	CT ratio test

Which Training Bench Fits Your Program?

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

Together, an 8813 and an 8833 let technicians move from self-contained to transformer-rated metering. The Powermetrix 8843 Training Administrator Station controls up to four 8813 and 8833 benches from one tablet.

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

Powermetrix 8833 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 8833, 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 transformer-rated 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 meter services can trainees work on

The 8833 supports 3S (120 V and 240 V), 4S (120 V), 5S/45S (3-wire delta and 3-wire single-phase), 6S/36S (4-wire wye Z-coil), and 9S/8S (4-wire wye and 4-wire delta) services. Custom wire color coding, test switch configuration, and mounting of most utility-specific meter cans let the bench match your field.

Which CTs and PTs come with the bench

The standard bench uses 200:5 window-type CTs and 2:1 (240:120 V) PTs, with the PTs in a protective enclosure. Optional 600:5 extended-range CTs and 2.5:1 (300:120 V) PTs are available. The CTs accept flexible, clamp-on, and Amp/Volt LiteWire probes for ratio testing.

Can one instructor run several benches at once

The Powermetrix 8843 TAS is a ruggedized Windows tablet that controls up to four 8833 and 8813 benches over a closed Wi-Fi network. Instructors set up benches, change scenarios, and monitor trainees in real time. Each trainee's performance is recorded and time-stamped for every session and can be exported to a spreadsheet, and the TAS can E-Stop one bench or all of them at once.

What safety features does the 8833 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 the bench, the touchscreen, and the TAS. The bench runs on one standard 120 V, 15 A outlet.