# Homemade Testing Tools



## DRofElectricity (Apr 10, 2010)

Alright members, time to whip out those homemade troubleshooting tools. Seems that there is always something on our mind at the end of the day that we should make to make things that day 'so much' easier. Share with us tools you have made that have made troublshooting a breeze or tools/equipment on the market that not many people know about. Share your insight, Lighting, ballast work, motors, motor controls etc. lets hear it!


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

DRofElectricity said:


> Alright members, time to whip out those homemade troubleshooting tools. Seems that there is always something on our mind at the end of the day that we should make to make things that day 'so much' easier. Share with us tools you have made that have made troublshooting a breeze or tools/equipment on the market that not many people know about. Share your insight, Lighting, ballast work, motors, motor controls etc. lets hear it!


I rigged up a couple of miscellaneous adapters (various twist-loks, screw shell things, etc.) with a 15A 125V female cord end so I can plug my circuit tracer into all sorts of circuits.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

​


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## Frank Mc (Nov 7, 2010)

I have made a couple of Homebrew testers..

Point to Point tester ...
http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z38/frankmc_2007/PTP TESTER/

4 to 20mA signal generator

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z38/frankmc_2007/Current_Simulator/

Frank


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Frank Mc said:


> I have made a couple of Homebrew testers..
> 
> Point to Point tester ...
> http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z38/frankmc_2007/PTP TESTER/
> ...


I dig the 4-20 mA generator gizmo! That is rad. :thumbup:


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## Frank Mc (Nov 7, 2010)

erics37 said:


> I dig the 4-20 mA generator gizmo! That is rad. :thumbup:


Hi Eric

It was quite an easy project to build so long as you can read basic electronic circuits....


I got the basic schematic of the net...

http://www.piclist.com/techref/microchip/aout.htm

Added a serial LCD using the Sparkfun serial adaptor board

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/258

Then added a pic micro on some breadboard and wrote some code (in ladder logic)....

http://www.cq.cx/ladder.pl

HTH
Frank


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## zoltan (Mar 15, 2010)

480sparky said:


> ​


Where can I buy the flasher insert?

Nevermind, google found it.


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## piperunner (Aug 22, 2009)

*Color code feeders easy*



I like making tools for the electrical trade . I dont sell these anymore and iam not in bussiness so this is not a sales pitch Jencore has been gone a long time ago !


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

"Homemade" and "testing tools" sounds like "bad idea":001_huh:

I don't even make test leads........


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

I have used a battery like this ....











... with a bell like this taped onto it ...











.. with a set of 6' leads wired to it with alligator clips ...










... as a loud kick ass continuity tester.

I have also set it up from ground to fire alarm conductors while the sheetrockers were doing their thing so if they ground faulted a conductor I would know. No ground faults happened while I had it set up but I still think it is not a bad idea.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

zoltan said:


> Where can I buy the flasher insert?
> 
> Nevermind, google found it.



Google is our friend! :laughing:


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## DRofElectricity (Apr 10, 2010)

Anybody know where you can find a electrical diagram of a phase/motor rotation meter?


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

DRofElectricity said:


> Anybody know where you can find a electrical diagram of a phase/motor rotation meter?



I always wanted to make one of those, but then thought about using it on 600 volts...probably a bad idea. A schematic would be cool though! Anyone?


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## piperunner (Aug 22, 2009)

*3 phase rotation tester simple circuit*



DRofElectricity said:


> Anybody know where you can find a electrical diagram of a phase/motor rotation meter?













This is as simple as it gets but today you would use leds with a circuit a little logic and a few devices and you have it .













This ones a old time logic with a few parts and home bru stuff


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

I have made 2 wire sorters and several continuity testers over the years. The wire sorters one will do 10 wires and the other will do 20 wires. 
Basically a voltage divider made up of several precision resistors all of the same value and a lead coming off between each of the resistors. 
Ground the common end of the voltage divider and connect the other leads in numerical sequence. Take a DMM to the opposite end connect one DMM lead to ground and begin sorting . The wire with 1000 Ohms is wire 1 2000 Ohms is wire 2 and so on.


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## piperunner (Aug 22, 2009)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> I have made 2 wire sorters and several continuity testers over the years. The wire sorters one will do 10 wires and the other will do 20 wires.
> Basically a voltage divider made up of several precision resistors all of the same value and a lead coming off between each of the resistors.
> Ground the common end of the voltage divider and connect the other leads in numerical sequence. Take a DMM to the opposite end connect one DMM lead to ground and begin sorting . The wire with 1000 Ohms is wire 1 2000 Ohms is wire 2 and so on.




We made a tester a few years back it kinda uses just simple diodes nothing else each diode must series via the next you must test number one wire thur diode one this loops thur to wire two which now flows thur next diode and next wire three each diode is in series with each wire you can test 150 wires if you like if you dont match the correct input to output polarity wise on your diode your not going to get a led to lite up test stops and your now hunting for the next match .

We mostly used it for multi numbered control wires to help with lost numbers or incorrectly number stuff .

Lots of fun making testers and using them out in the field but with microchips today this stuff is kinda out of date .


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## sseivard (Apr 25, 2012)

Frank MC,

Where did you get the meter housing?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Was digging through a box of old tools today and found this one-hit-wonder I built back when I was an apprentice to verify faulty GFCIs. I thought I threw it out or lost it years ago.









You select your current in mA with the red knob, then you lift the missile launcher switch and push the test button and it creates a ground fault at that value, so you could find out how far away from nominal your GFCI was tripping.

It's a shame, I don't even think I even used it but about a dozen times before it got put away.

-John


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## scott_8222 (Jul 3, 2008)

Do you have a schematic for the point to point tester? Would be able to be set up for 30 conductors?


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## 123electric (Jun 3, 2012)

Light bulb, pig tail, in series across the short. Of course with an extension cord in sight while using it. Am I showing my age? Carter system anyone?


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## Budman121 (Sep 15, 2011)

I made a tool, I called it a Wiggle Box, I used it to locate those open neutral problems that can drive you nuts locating, it consisted of a dual tone, dc sonealert, a pair of action relays and a cord with a male end. Plug into any non working outlet on the circuit, then with any dead front plug male end, stick into receptacles on the circuit, wiggle side to side, and listen to the change in tone from the sonealert when the bad device connection is located, was very helpful in finding opens in the push back receptacles used years ago.


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## retiredsparktech (Mar 8, 2011)

piperunner said:


> This is as simple as it gets but today you would use leds with a circuit a little logic and a few devices and you have it .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

I would like ro see a schematic of Budmans wiggle box.


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## catwan (Dec 16, 2013)

*Has anyone built the 3 phase rotation meter with the neon lights?*

I was interested in building this circuit but wondering what voltage I could use this on? I have a 480VAC circuit.


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## nick.sek (Mar 3, 2013)

I used this for testing the coatings on metal (rubber) in the plant, 2000 V dc will ark to any piece of metal thus allowing me to detect any leaks the material, which could leak into the control system. The process is separated as much as possible magnetic couplings - but everything is to be verified. 






Still on the bread board need to throw it into a case.

Not one device is rated anywhere 2000 Volts....just the gloves I used when working with it


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## maddhatter (May 7, 2012)

Frank Mc said:


> 4 to 20mA signal generator
> 
> http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z38/frankmc_2007/Current_Simulator/
> 
> Frank


That's epic!

I made one too, no where near that awesome though.






Never got around to labeling it though, can source and simulate (+24vdc) too.


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

Just finished a trap circuit to troubleshoot intermittent problems with relay and control logic circuits. LO


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## Frank Mc (Nov 7, 2010)

maddhatter said:


> That's epic!
> 
> I made one too, no where near that awesome though.
> 
> ...


Thats cool....is the 24vdc for powering devices..??

Frank


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## Frank Mc (Nov 7, 2010)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> Just finished a trap circuit to troubleshoot intermittent problems with relay and control logic circuits. LO


Some pics please ;-)

Frank


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## Frank Mc (Nov 7, 2010)

This is a part diy project i did....I bought a 2 channel datalogger...

http://oceancontrols.com.au/LOG-001.html

and built a box for it ....I used a wafer switch to select the type of signal to monitor....The yellow pads are for to put an inline multimeter to monitor the 4 to 20 mA signal, the red and black pads are for monitoring the voltage signal when selected....Had to use two seperate power supplies as this was a requirement of the logger when logging 4to 20mA signals....the 4 way speaker terminals are for the field devices being logged...

http://s195.photobucket.com/user/frankmc_2007/library/DataLogger?sort=3&page=1



Frank


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

The trap circuit is a simple build just a DPDT ice cube relay. Coil in series with the NO contact and there is a small NO pushbutton in parallel with the NO contact. A pilot lamp is powered through the opposite pole NC and the AC line goes into the NC contact and the lamp.The relay coil is the voltage of the control circuit. To use the coil is wired on the load side of the suspicious contact and the opposite side of the line.When the trap is armed the relay picks up and when the suspicious contact opens and the lamp lights. LC


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## maddhatter (May 7, 2012)

Frank Mc said:


> Thats cool....is the 24vdc for powering devices..??
> 
> Frank


Yessum, acts as power source for non-powered AI and can measure the return current from a field device by supplying 24vdc to the device and measuring the return current.


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## lytning (Mar 31, 2013)

Back in the day that was all we used to "ring" out wires.



BBQ said:


> I have used a battery like this ....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## weebee (Feb 15, 2016)

480sparky said:


> ​


Yup, oldie but goody I have that laying around somewhere.


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