HOLIDAY DETECTOR TESTING STEPS:

1. Testing the HOD-600 must be switched off and the multiturn voltage control turned fully
anticlockwise.
2. Connect the plugs on the high voltage handle and earth cable to the colour coded sockets
on the front and back of the instrument.
3. Fit the required Brush or Rolling Spring to the high voltage handle.
4. Connect the earth cable to the base metal of the item under test. It is essential that the base
metal of the item being tested is also connected to a true earth.
5. Switch the Holi-tech on to switch position A. The green Fault indicator will illuminate and
there will be a low reading on the display. Press the switch on the high voltage handle and
turn the multiturn voltage control on the instrument in a clockwise direction until the
required test voltage is displayed.
6. With the high voltage handle switch pressed on, place the Brush or Rolling Spring on the
coating to be tested and move over the full area of the coating. If a flaw is detected a spark
will jump across from the Brush or Rolling Spring through the flaw in the coating to the
metal substrate, the alarm will sound, the red flashing Fault indicator will illuminate and
the test voltage will drop to zero.
7. To reset the instrument, repress the high voltage handle switch, this will restore the test
voltage so that testing can resume.
For the majority of testing, the switch A mode will be sufficient.
METHOD FOR LOCATING FLAWS WHICH ARE DIFFICULT-TO-SEE:
It may be necessary to select a continuous test voltage where the spark can be seen more easily,
jumping across the flawed area. This can be achieved by selecting switch B mode, which will give
a continuous test voltage when the high voltage handle is pressed and will sound the alarm every
time a spark occurs. The red flashing Fault indicator will illuminate and remain on until the high
voltage handle switch is pressed again.
Note: Always ensure that the high voltage probe is kept away from the instrument.
CORRECT TEST VOLTAGE FINDING METHOD (IF ALREADY NOT AVAILABLE):
Test Voltages always refer to the manufacturers test specification to ensure that the correct test
voltage is used. If this is not available then the following procedure will allow the dielectric
strength of the coating to be obtained:
1. Using a sample of the coating to be tested, put a small pinhole in the coating through to the
substrate.
2. Apply a low test voltage to this pinhole and gradually raise the voltage until a spark occurs.
This is the minimum voltage to detect a through pinhole.
3. Place the probe on a known good section of the same coating type and thickness and
gradually raise the test voltage until a spark occurs through the coating. This is the dielectric
strength voltage of the coating for this particular thickness.

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4. The test voltage can be set midway between the minimum voltage to detect a pinhole and
the dielectric strength voltage.
Note: Dielectric means material having the property of transmitting electric force without
conduction; insulating.

APPROXIMATION METHOD OF FINDING VOLTAGE WITHOUT TESTING:

An approximate guide which may be used for reference only is 3 to 5 volts per micron, so for a
coating thickness of 1000 microns the test voltage would be between 3000 and 5000 volts.

Voltage 1-30KV
This knob can be rotated in CW (Full) & CCW
(Zero) direction
Mode A

Green Color Fault Indicator

Mode B

High Voltage Test Handle

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DIELECTRIC AND DIELECTRIC MATERIAL CONCEPT:

A dielectric material is a substance that is a poor conductor of electricity, but an efficient supporter
of electrostatic field s. If the flow of current between opposite electric charge poles is kept to a
minimum while the electrostatic lines of flux are not impeded or interrupted, an electrostatic field
can store energy. This property is useful in capacitor s, especially at radio frequencies. Dielectric
materials are also used in the construction of radio-frequency transmission lines.
Dielectric, insulating material or a very poor conductor of electric current. When dielectrics are
placed in an electric field, practically no current flows in them because, unlike metals, they have
no loosely bound, or free, electrons that may drift through the material. Instead, electric
polarization occurs. The positive charges within the dielectric are displaced minutely in the
direction of the electric field, and the negative charges are displaced minutely in the direction
opposite to the electric field. This slight separation of charge, or polarization, reduces the electric
field within the dielectric.
In practice, most dielectric materials are solid. Examples include porcelain (ceramic), mica, glass,
plastics, and the oxides of various metals. Some liquids and gases can serve as good dielectric
materials. Dry air is an excellent dielectric, and is used in variable capacitors and some types of
transmission lines. Distilled water is a fair dielectric. A vacuum is an exceptionally efficient
dielectric.
An important property of a dielectric is its ability to support an electrostatic field while dissipating
minimal energy in the form of heat. The lower the dielectric loss (the proportion of energy lost as
heat), the more effective is a dielectric material. Another consideration is the dielectric constant,
the extent to which a substance concentrates the electrostatic lines of flux. Substances with a
low dielectric constant include a perfect vacuum, dry air, and most pure, dry gases such as helium
and nitrogen. Materials with moderate dielectric constants include ceramics, distilled water, paper,
mica, polyethylene, and glass. Metal oxides, in general, have high dielectric constants.
The prime asset of high-dielectric-constant substances, such as aluminum oxide, is the fact that
they make possible the manufacture of high-value capacitors with small physical volume. But
these materials are generally not able to withstand electrostatic fields as intense as low-dielectricconstant substances such as air. If the voltage across a dielectric material becomes too great -- that
is, if the electrostatic field becomes too intense -- the material will suddenly begin to conduct
current. This phenomenon is called dielectric breakdown. In components that use gases or liquids
as the dielectric medium, this condition reverses itself if the voltage decreases below the critical
point. But in components containing solid dielectrics, dielectric breakdown usually results in
permanent damage.

Prepared By: Saif Khan