Tempo Sidekick T&N

© Brooke Clarke 2010

Background
Power
Operation
Example
    Outputs
    Line
Patents
Related
Links

Tempo Sidekick T&N

Background

I've been interested in getting a Sidekick for a number of years and recently found one on eBay for a reasonable price.
The thing that's special about this meter is that it can measure line impairments like unbalance and noise that the KS-8455L2 can not test.
Note this meter is eleven inches tall, that's much larger than a handheld DMM.

The T&N version of the Sidekick is for Transmission and Noise measurements in addition to the prior tests.
The T&N has switch positions for OFF & 11 tests.
The prior 7B version has switch positions for OFF & 6 tests.

Power

The Sidekick T&N meter is powered by 4 AA batteries.

Operation

Controls and Indicators

Meter

top red scale reads zero at right and 100 at mid range. 
center black scale reads 0 (dBrnc, ma, PointsA) at left to 100 (Volts, Noise, PI, Current) at right.
Bottom red-yellow-green scale reads loss in dB.

Test Lugs

At the bottom right and left are two metal posts that are the tip and ring terminals. 
You can attach a butt test set to these terminals.

Switches

Function
OFF/DIAL
AC VOLTS x2             0 to 200 VAC (multiply black scale by 2 to get AC volts)
DC VOLTS                  0 to 100 VDC
STRESS TEST (dB)    Noise measured with a longitudinal 1 kHz test signal (can be used with a tone receiver for tracing wires)
LEAKAGE (Rx10k)    135 VDC applied, resistance 1M center scale, also used for "Kick" testing for ringer capacity (Points). (line only, house disconnected)
Rx1k                            100k Ohms mid scale (& Kick test: 500 feet of line for each point, number of ringers (?points/ringer )
Rx1                              100 Ohms mid scale 
COIL DETECT            Finds up to 4 load coils
LOOP CURREN         ma on black scale
PWR INVLUENCE    dBrnC coupling from AC power lines
CKT NOISE               dBrnC
CKT LOSS                 dB loss from CO with tone, typical is 1004 Hz (can not do without the tone) 

TIP - momentary toggle        measures from tip to ground
REV - toggle                        reverses polarity and for doing "kick" test
RING - momentary toggle    measures from Ring to ground

LED Low Battery Warning    1/second = low batt, on steady reading may be wrong

Test Leads - Red (Ring), Black (tip), Green (Ground)

Procedures

Sidekick V.O.C. -
a.. Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttwyi0G5GJE&feature=relmfu
b.. Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-uUBfPpTfM&feature=relmfu
c.. Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdjU9jjlpvE&feature=relmfu
d.. Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cVhhw0j_U&feature=relmfu
e.. Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thSzaXpF67U&feature=relmfu
f.. Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG31mV0UKIk&feature=relmf

Example

Outputs

Connecting a Fluke 87 V DMM to the Sidekick (red to red, black to black) to measure the output signals.

Switch
ACV
DCV
OFF
0
0
AC Volts x2
0
0
DC Volts
0
0
Stress Test
0
0
Leakage/Rx10k 0
133.2
Rx1k
0
9.39
Rx1
0
1.004
Coil Detect 1
1
0
Loop Current
431 Ohm load
PWR Influence
600 Ohm load
CKT Noise
600 Ohm load
Ckt Loss
600 Ohm load

Note1: frequency sweep 1 VAC, 25 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Takes about 15 seconds per sweep but only a small part of the sweep is can be heard.  It takes one sweep per load coil so can take up to 4 sweeps.

Line

Using a 5/32" hex Allen wrench plugged into the ground socket of a 120 VAC outlet for the ground and an adapter cable with RJ-11 on one end and alligator clips on the other plugged into my DSL phone jack some tests can be run.  But these tests are done with telephones on the line.

Note: Rev in the up position is the Normal position as is Tip_ (down) and Ring_ (down).

Switch
Tip _
Ring_
(tip to ring)

Tip Up

(tip to Gnd)
Ring Up

(Ring to Gnd)
AC Volts x2
0
0
0
DC Volts
52
0
52
Stress Test
25
77
77
Leakage & R not done w/phones on line 4
na
na
na
Coil Detect 3


Loop Current
24
6
0
PWR Influence 2A



CKT Noise 2A


CKT Loss 2B


Note2: Requires dialing a CO phone number by connecting a butt set to the two terminals on the Sidekick. 
After the connection is made the Sidekick disconnects the butt set prior to the actual test.
2A: quiet termination CO phone number
2B: 1004 Test Tone CO Phone number

Note3: Requires interpreting the dynamic swings of the needle

Note4: Note done now.  But when done there are 6 measurements: Tip-Ring, Tip-Gnd, Ring-Gnd, Tip-Ring Reversed, Tip-Gnd Reversed, Ring-Gnd reversed.

Patents


Robert G. Crick was the inventor of the SideKick

US Patent #
Title
Date
Co.
Class
6263047
Apparatus and method for characterizing the loading pattern
of a Telecommunications Transmission Line <Coil Detect>
Jul 17, 2001 Tempo  379/31; 324/533; 379/10.01; 379/22.02; 379/27.02; 379/30
6559651 Method for locating an open in a conductive line of an insulated conductor May 6, 2003 -
324/522; 324/529; 324/543
5995588 Tone location device for locating faults in a paired line
Works with separate toner and loop receiver to locate fault.
Nov 30, 1999 -
379/22; 324/527; 324/528; 324/530; 379/22.03; 379/22.07; 379/29.05
D352912 Telecommunications line noise measurement device <Sidekick>
Nov 29, 1994 -
D10/78
5302905 Apparatus and method for detecting and isolating noise-creating imbalances in a paired telecommunications line  <Leakage Test with 135 VDC>
Apr 12, 1994 Tempo
324/613; 324/523; 324/539
5157336 Noise measurement in a paired telecommunications line
<Stress Test for longitudinal balance>
Oct 20, 1992 Tempo
324/613; 324/512; 324/523; 324/612
4291204 Fault locating system for electric cables and the like Sep 22, 1981 -
324/456; 73/570; 324/529; 324/534; 324/536

I worked with the HP 4380S which was designed to measure all the possible parameters of 2 pair of CAT5 cable.  There are 8 wire ends and the test set has 8 each 50 Ohm test ports.  After an involved calibration all the S-Parameters are measured, then converted into Z-Parameters and then the desired cable specs are displayed in a graph.  The Sidekick just looks for imbalances, but that's the key spec for phone use.

Related

Phones -
Bell System 302 Dial Phone -
Bell System 500 Dial Phone -
Bell system 2500 Touch Tone phone -
EE-8 Telephone Set
Fullerphones
TA-1 Sound Powered Telephone Set
TA-312/PT Telephone Set  (Field Phone)
TA-341/TT
TA-838/TT Telephone Set
TA-1042  Digital Non-Secure Voice Terminal (DNVT)
TG-5-B Telegraph Set
Western Electric 202 Dial phone-

Test Equipment
Acterna DSL Services Tester 350
Subscriber Loop Analyzers -
Harris TS1000 ADSL Test Set
HP 4395A Network Analyzer with the HP 4380S CAT 5 Cable test System
KS-8455L2
MK-356/G Wire Splicing Kit
ZM-4B/U Resistance Bridge
Others
SB-22A  Switchboard
GRA-39 Radio Set Remote
Z Impedance
Z0 - transmission line impedance including CAT5 and Open wire

Telephone Patents -
Telegraph Equipment -
Wet Cell Batteries -

Links

Tempo Textron - test equipment Sidekick -  7B
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