Comparison: All Breakout Box with EU Receptacle for AC Bench top Power Meter

[Kiriakos GR]

My article of 2017 about -- > ITTSB Project: Assembly of industrial electrical breakout box
This surpassed the number of 7063 read times up to date.   

https://www.ittsb.eu/forum/index.php?topic=1304.0
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This period of time, I am searching the web so to discover whom made and sell the most smart design of:
AC power meter test fixture ? 
Measurement test fixture for power meter ?
Measurement Test Fixture ?
AC Mains Breakout Box ?

So many names for the same item 

Soon you will see the most visible in the market ones from a close range, and I will comment its design. 
I am still doing my homework ..

[Kiriakos GR]

I will start this presentation by taking a look at the Japanese market.

Its now a fact that all three Japanese brands and power meter makers,  they never accepted the idea of using 4mm banana plug at power meter current input.
And therefore there is not any  Made In Japan Breakout Box for AC Bench top Power Meter.

Another recent outcome,  Yokogawa become totally unsocial to private customers, they love large industries and government projects.
HIOKI this is still friendly, but not their power analyzer division.

[Kiriakos GR]

Now we will explores some European work, by starting from Germany.
We have also in EU unsocial brands.   

Even so due the photographs bellow we can enrich our thinking field, by looking at product design alone. 

[Kiriakos GR]

Here we have one example of Tektronix China.
At year 2022 they abandon the power meter business, who knows of how many of these are still in stock.

[Kiriakos GR]

GW Instek GPM-001 EU.

Product design, leading us to think that GW Instek = DC energy lover, and not AC.
4mm Banana all RED and BLACK. 

 

[Kiriakos GR]

Chroma A662022,  this is the winner according to my taste, but .... no EU plug yet available. 

A662022 does not come with power switch.
The on board switch this does something smarter, its the configuration setting for measuring very low loads, and or normal load.

The missing information this is of what Chroma thinks of very low load?
I would prefer here some sort of a clear definition, where the low load mark this is?
Below 100mA?
Below 10mA?
Below 1mA? 

(In theory, the user he should evaluate alone if shunt resistance of the power meter this is a problem or not, for a specific measurement)   
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Another Chroma box this is A662003

[Kiriakos GR]

This is another example this coming from Itech-China.
IT-E185 this is identical product of BK Precision Breakout Box this sold in the USA.

IT-E185 its the only one not using banana plug for current.
It appears as heavy duty for DC Breakout Box.

[Kiriakos GR]

This is another design from Taiwan.
This is made by a small company, and it appears as 100% for DC (10A Max Breakout Box).

[Kiriakos GR]

So let's stop and think of what we learned so far.

Not all Breakout Box are identically designed...

1) GW Instek along  Itech-China, both use the fancy power on switch (breaking current specification unknown), and both boxes design this scream DC energy instead of AC. 
The outcome its a bit confusing because the only output this is the AC plug. 
Even so, they have better cable management, and they appear as more practical to use over the work bench.
From these two I would select the Itech with EU plug if there was one available.
 

2) Any Breakout Box this is made of plastic, this is for outdoor and or portable work.

3) From all metallic Breakout Box, Chroma A662022 this is designed with higher level of wisdom, in favor of AC measurements  but no EU plug.
All four banana plug they have different color marking, and this is helpful for newbie power meter users.
Cables management this is terrible, all four banana plug wires along AC plug cable will cause weight unbalance, not usable over a wooden shelf this be next to the power meter ( Rack-able concept).
Still usable over the work bench, but you have to hide it after finishing the job.

4) If non of these solutions this is according to your likes? There is always available the DIY Way. 
 

[Kiriakos GR]

I am damn good at Google search !!   

I did find who makes the fancy switch over the metal boxes.
Airpax 15A Circuit Breaker Single Pole AC/DC

The one with the white lever, its harder to find over eBay.
Most stock of these (new or used) are in the USA and with an extreme shipping price for EU. 

Airpax product catalog this is huge, product codes are large in length.
By a close proximity, the photograph below is a sample of the specific (reset-able circuit breaker).

GW Instek, this using 10A Airpax
Itech, this using 15A Airpax
Chroma A662003, this using 15A Airpax
This Airpax series, has products with sensitivity from 1A up to 30A.       

[overvolt]

I think that the most impressive one, this is Kiriakos industrial electrical breakout box .. 

https://www.ittsb.eu/forum/index.php?topic=1304.0

[Kiriakos GR]

There is something that Kiriakos would never thought and some one else did.

Japanese inspiration = KIKUSUI  OT02-KPM
Every plug in the world over one breakout box = international accessory. 

But the Japanese inspiration, this forgot completely the ground wire.