Pearson Electronics booth at the 2024 IEEE EMC+SIPI Symposium
Phoeniz, AZ (where it was > 100 degrees F outside every day)
Left-to-right: Yours Truly, Harry Hodes, Jeff Reed, Billy Jones
My “Proudest” Contribution to the EMC Test Equipment Industry
The current probe in my left hand in this photo is the Pearson 3525, an excellent workhorse probe that I use all the time. One issue with it is that it separates into two halves, and it has a set of alignment pins to guide the two halves back in place when you put them back together around a cable or wire to take your measurement.
I soon learned that it was very easy to break one of these alignment pins when you put the two pieces back together.
How did I learn this? By doing it. Twice.
The second time was with a probe I borrowed from a colleague. Fortunately, both times Pearson provided replacement pins very quickly (many thanks again to Jeff Reed), and I was able to return my colleague’s probe intact. (He was amused by the story, for the record.)
After the second mishap, I contacted Jeff and asked if Pearson might be able to develop a McCloskey-proof version of that probe with a hinge design and NO ALIGNMENT PINS. They did just that, and the result is the probe in my right hand, the Pearson 110C. It has identical performance to the 3525 with the requested McCloskey-proof hinge design. I own a couple of these now, and they work beautifully. And I haven’t broken them (yet).
Many thanks to Pearson for responding to my request. I have had several colleagues ask me how they can get the McCloskey-proof current probe. It’s not listed on the Pearson website; you have to contact them directly and ask for it by name.
Remember that “McCloskey-proof probe” is just a nickname. They’ll probably know what you’re talking about, but I’d recommend specifying the 110C just to be sure.