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Audible Tester for Short and Live Circuits


OkieGentleman

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These instructions are on how to make a simple audible tester to find shorts and or check live 12V circuits.
Tools needed:
Screw driver
Crimp tool to make one connection
Hole saw to install a sonalert in plastic box
Drill to make one hole in plastic box

The parts list consist of the following
1- Plastic box approximately 4in X 4in and about 1.5 in deep.
1 – Standard Mallory Sonalert (the voltage range is 3 to 20 volts)
1- Heavy Duty 9v transistor style battery
1- Snapon connector for the 9 v battery
3 – 12 to 18 inch clip on leads (one each Red, Black and Yellow)
All of these parts can be gotten from Radio Shack


Make a hole in the box large enough to install the sonalert through and screw on the mounting ring to hold it in place. The sounder portion must be on the outside of the box. Make a hole in one end of the box and install a rubber grommet. Remove one clip from each of the colored leads and feed about 2 inches of the leads into the box, tie the leads in a single knot to prevent them being pulled out through the grommet.
Strip off about ½ inch insulation from each of the leads inside the box.
Connect the Black lead to the negative post of the sonalert.
Connect the Red lead and the Red wire from the snapon connector for the 9 volt battery to the positive post of the sonalert.
Connect the Yellow lead to the black lead from the snapon connector for the 9 volt battery.
Install the snap on connector on the 9 volt battery.

To test the unit, touch the Black lead clip and the Yellow lead clip together, the sonalert should sound.
Connect the Black lead to a good ground and touch the Red lead clip to a wire with 12volts to it, the sonalert should sound.

If everything checked out use some tape and wrap around the battery, the install the battery in the box with some non flammable packing to keep it from rattling around inside the box. Put the lid on the box

To use the device to test circuits for voltage. Connect the black lead to a good ground, use a paperclip held by the clip on the end of the RED lead to test at connections, you can also use a needle to push through insulation to test a wire. Make sure and dab any holes with a sealer of some type.

If you are trying to find a short, make sure there is no voltage on the circuit then connect the Black clip to a good ground, connect the Yellow clip to the wire you are testing and shake, pull, jiggle or what ever you want to do if you are looking for a “ghost” short that comes and goes. The beauty of this device is it can be at the other end of the vehicle and you will hear it when you jiggle that wire and it shorts to ground. You can also use a length of wire to extend which ever test lead (Yellow or Red) you are using and check a wire the full length of its run.

The light tester has it's place, but it's reach is about 10 inches and you have to be able to see it, the voltmeter also has its place, but its reach is about 3 feet and you have to be able to see what the meter readings are.

This unit can be 20 feet away and out of view and you will have an instant audible signal to tell you that there is a change. I carried one of these for years and trouble shot long stretches of wiring for opens and shorts with great success.
 


alwaysFlOoReD

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Mark_88

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Cool tool!

I will make one of these as soon as I long to find a short...:)
 

Andy D

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Yah but the audible is drowned out by my tinnitus :D
 

RonD

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Very nice How-To :icon_thumby:

For ready made, Google: electrical wire toner tracer
Check to make sure it has Continuity tester with Tone, not all do

But these serve a few purposes, they put a warbling tone on a wire so you can find/trace that wire though a house, building or vehicle, with the Wand
The toner part usually has switch to test for shorts(continuity) between two wires, or a ground and wire, lights up and has a steady tone if there is a short
 
Last edited:

Mark_88

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Thanks RonD...I searched on that and found a couple of units that I might look into some day (for troubleshooting my internet connection some day if the provider can't make it here any faster than they usually do)...

Pricey little things though...we just lost our Radio Shack store in town recently so pricing parts to build one might take more time and resources than just buying one...:icon_thumby:
 

OkieGentleman

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Ford
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3.0 L V6
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Automatic
My credo
Fix it like it has to last a 100 Years.
Thank You Gentlemen for the nice input.

RonD those are good devices, the signal trace circuit is nice, but you have to be line of sight to use it.

I used them for years and put two sets on my tool shelf when I retired. Thanks for reminding about them, I will stick one in my truck for wire tracing. By the way that company makes a unit that lets you plug into a 110v house circuit and trace it while it is turned on at the breaker.
 

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