Omicron CMC 430 Ultra-portable protection test set and calibrator

It is now possible to place the CMC 430 upright on its back (control panel facing upwards) as all connections and controls are located on the front of the device for the first time.

The images show where we stand in terms of size with the CMC 430 using another familiar comparison size. Here’s a direct comparison with the CMC356. For those who want to know exactly what that is, the 430 comes in at 270 x 150 x 380mm.

The lightest protection tester in the world
We cannot say whether the 430 is actually the lightest protection tester in the world. That certainly depends on which class you are comparing and where the boundaries are drawn, but one thing is absolutely certain: the crooked protection tester back belongs to the realm of myths and legends with the 430.

At just 8.7 kg!!! the test dwarf weighs almost half of a CMC 356 (approx. 17 kg) and is therefore even lighter than the Compano 100 (approx. 10 kilos). This of course convinced us straight away.

Austria has really put a lot of effort into this. There is a large selection of accessories, and there are even different packaging and transport options to suit your taste.

For example, the good old shoulder bag is back on board. The new version for the CMC 430, however, comes without the two large lid pockets.

For me as a musician, there is a particularly important aspect of the protection test. Testing in the office or at the laboratory workstation in particular can become very exhausting after a while if the fan is louder than the typical sound of the sea in the Bahamas.

The features:

The CMC 430 has 6 galvanically isolated analog and binary inputs as well as 6 voltage or 3 current outputs and, like all devices in the CMC family, is operated using the Test Universe software. Quick manual tests can be carried out using the CMControl app on a tablet or smartphone.

On the hardware side, there is also a DC input and an AUX-DC output for auxiliary voltage as well as various communication and accessory ports. Since all connections are located on the front, the device can be used in all imaginable positions.

The CMC 430 is primarily designed to perform testing tasks in the area of ​​analog static and digital IEDs as well as for IEC61850 IEDs. The 6 voltage outputs also enable convenient testing of parallel switching devices.

The reduced number of current outputs means that testing differential protection functions is limited. This is where you have to look closely when defining the test objectives. The new CMC 430 will not be able to handle 2-sided differential protection with 5 A transformers. In this case, you will still have to use the tried and tested CMC 256 (possibly with current amplifier) ​​or the CMC 356.

he power outputs can be configured as follows:

3 x 12.5 A guaranteed 8.5 A at 90 W

1 x 12.5 A guaranteed 8.5 A at 192 W

1 x 37.5 A guaranteed 17 A at 150 W

To compare the performance of the current outputs with the CMC 356:

6 x 32 A guaranteed 20 A at 250 W

3 x 64 A guaranteed 40 A at 500 W

1 x 128 A guaranteed 80 A at 700 W

I think that each of us has an idea of ​​why there is an 8 kg weight difference between the two siblings. As I said, it is important to carefully consider what the test objective is.

The voltage amplifier is also somewhat slimmed down, we get a maximum of 150 volts (100 volts at 20 watts) from the box, but in 6-fold version. For comparison: The CMC 356 delivers 3 x 300 volts at 100 VA.

The CMC 430 can be used to calibrate meters and measuring transducers as well as to carry out real-time measurements and recordings for the analysis of analog, binary or IEC61850 signals. The brand new "EnerLyzer Live" test module is now available for this purpose.

I have extensively tested the new tool "EnerLyzer Live". An introduction to the new module is worth a separate article, as there is a lot to report here. Just to start with, with EnerLyzer Live and the CMC 430 we have an ingenious solution for measurement and signal recording. Hybrid measurements make it possible to combine the new and the old world in a common tool. For example, SampledValues ​​can be recorded and compared simultaneously with the analog converter signal.

Another great feature: In addition to the classic wired connection via Ethernet or USB, wireless communication via WI-FI USB adapter is now also possible. There were no problems with this in my tests, everything connected smoothly.