About the National Electrical Manufacturers Association

NEMA > About Us

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is the association of electrical equipment and medical
imaging manufacturers, founded in 1926 and headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia. Nearly 400 members strong, its
companies manufacture a diverse set of products including power transmission and distribution equipment, lighting
systems, factory automation and control systems, and medical diagnostic imaging systems. Total U.S. shipments for
electroindustry products exceed $100 billion annually.

Mounting types

Tech use

LOCATION OF
TERMINAL MARKINGS
Terminal markings shall be placed on or directly
adjacent to terminals to which connections must be
made from outside circuits or from auxiliary devices which must be disconnected for
shipment. Wherever
specified, color coding may be used instead
of the usual letter and numeral marking.*
Electrical testing and maintenance
-Hipot is an abbreviation for high potential. Traditionally, hipot is a term given to

a class of electrical safety testing instruments used to verify electrical insulation in

finished appliances, cables or other wired assemblies, printed circuit boards, electric
motors, and transformers.
3 types
-Dielectric Breakdown Test. The test voltage is increased until the dielectric fails,
or breaks down, allowing too much current to flow.
-Dielectric Withstand Test. A standard test voltage is applied (below the
established Breakdown Voltage) and the resulting leakage current is monitored.
-Insulation Resistance Test. This test is used to provide a quantifiable resistance
value for all of a product's insulation.

Testing

-A hipot tester is an electronic device used to verify the electrical insulation in a device or other
wired assembly that could subject someone to a shock if it failed. It generally consists of:
1. A source of high voltage,
2. A current meter,
3. A switching matrix used to connect the high voltage source and the current meter to all of
the contact points in a cable.
Hipot testers may also have a microcontroller and a display to automate the testing process and
display the testing results.
In a typical wired assembly a hipot test should connect all circuits in common to ground. Then,
one by one the tester will disconnect a given circuit from ground and connect that circuit to high
voltage . The current that flows is monitored to verify that it is low enough.
Insulation test
Testing the integrity of insulation requires measuring its resistance to current flow
across it. A high level of resistance means that very little current is escaping
through the insulation.
Proof test
A proof test is often referred to as a go/no go test because it tests the system for
errors or incorrect installation. The test is accomplished by applying DC voltage
through the de-energized circuit using an insulation tester. If no failures occur
during the measurement, the test is a success.