Patent ID: 7634368

Claim:
A portable, remote, externally-programmable electrical testing apparatus, comprising: a plurality of ports configured to couple to respective electrical probes for receiving electrical data input; a communications subsystem configured to receive testing parameter information from an external computer system and to transmit measurement information to the external computer system; and a processing subsystem coupled to both the communications subsystem and the plurality of ports and structured to (i) configure a testing protocol based upon testing parameter information received by the communications subsystem, (ii) activate at least a subset of the plurality of ports to receive electrical data input, based upon the testing protocol, (iii) perform measurements on the electrical data input to the ports, and (iv) send processed data to the communications subsystem to transmit as measurement information to the external computer system; and a portable housing configured to enclose the communications subsystem and the processing subsystem, wherein the portable housing includes the plurality of ports, and further wherein the electrical probes receive electrical data from outside the portable housing, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of ports are configured to couple to probes that in turn are coupled to a three-phase power system for determining electrical parameters of interest associated with power lines in the power system.