# Bell tester, ringing out a wire



## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

When I was an apprentice at the RR, they were used exclusively for continuity testing. Mainly for identifying wire ends for numbering. They placed the battery inside a wooden box and bell on top. RR car electrical panels were a mess.
They were homemade. Actually made on the job. I remember they used a square lantern style battery and bell. Simple and effective.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

I always though ringing out was when you used the phones.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

I have one I made with a neutral safety alarm I salvaged from an Advance mixer, a plastic JB, some test lead, and a 9v battery. It comes in handy on messy JB's in older R-Mix plants.


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

I like to use a basketball buzzer so I can hear it across the site. If it’s multiple floors I trigger a Hilti demo hammer to bounce on the floor. Can hear that 10 floors away. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## mburtis (Sep 1, 2018)

So were these typically hooked up across two wires on one end then you go to the other end and touch wires together until you hear the bell ringing in the other room?


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## manchestersparky (Mar 25, 2007)

I used to use a 120 volt fire alarm horn to id receptacle circuits. Until some SOB stole my horn


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## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

manchestersparky said:


> I used to use a 120 volt fire alarm horn to id receptacle circuits. Until some SOB stole my horn


No wonder some one separated you from the noise maker.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

mburtis said:


> So were these typically hooked up across two wires on one end then you go to the other end and touch wires together until you hear the bell ringing in the other room?


Pretty much, or one wire and a ground if you are trying to find one wire at a time. If the box is dead, you can just touch wires to ground and listen for the chirp in my case, or a bell if you are the other guys here.


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## Easy (Oct 18, 2017)

460 Delta said:


> Pretty much, or one wire and a ground if you are trying to find one wire at a time. If the box is dead, you can just touch wires to ground and listen for the chirp in my case, or a bell if you are the other guys here.


I like this method because really you would be looking for one wire at a time and this way you can have a small buzzer with you rather than in a remote location. Ground one end and go to the other end and find it that way. Most meters do have an audible function so no need to build anything. 
If you are trying to find a cable pair or jacketed cable you should get a toner that is made for that type of work. The Klein Toner Pro is reasonably priced
I do like the idea of using a120v fire alarm horn for finding receptacle circuits especially if you cant afford a good circuit tracer. Just add a cord body and an inline fuse. 
Be safe ....


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## mburtis (Sep 1, 2018)

The reason I'm curious in this is purely due to the cool old factor. I just have a lot of interest in how things were done in the past and the tools of the trade in the early days. Im the weirdo that wants to know how to do western union splices and solder even though you wouldn't use it now days. Plus one of my other main passions is woodworking so the thought of building electrical tools housed in wood boxes seems fun just for the novelty. I wouldn't be planning on trading in my fluke for a wood box or anything. 

On a practical note I do spend a lot of time tracing wires or trying to identify conductors from one end of the pipe to the next so always looking for useful tips there.


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## Easy (Oct 18, 2017)

I always liked the idea of a 9volt battery and a Piezo. Keeps it small and portable and it's fairly easy to hear.


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## CMP (Oct 30, 2019)

mburtis said:


> *The reason I'm curious in this is purely due to the cool old factor. I just have a lot of interest in how things were done in the past and the tools of the trade in the early days*. Im the weirdo that wants to know how to do western union splices and solder even though you wouldn't use it now days. Plus one of my other main passions is woodworking so the thought of building electrical tools housed in wood boxes seems fun just for the novelty. I wouldn't be planning on trading in my fluke for a wood box or anything.
> 
> On a practical note I do spend a lot of time tracing wires or trying to identify conductors from one end of the pipe to the next so always looking for useful tips there.


If your interested in the old methodologies, get yourself a used copy of *The American Electricians Handbook*.


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## FaultCurrent (May 13, 2014)

Traditionally a couple of dry cells were wired in series with a doorbell and connected in the circuit. When you went to the terminus you would touch the circuit conductors and the bell would ring. Hence the term "ringing out" the circuit. This just a take off on the doorbells used in old homes.

You would go in the attic and find these batteries wired to the doorbell. In some more expensive homes the wiring was more complicated. A doorbell used for the front door and a buzzer was used for the back door, servants, deliverymen, and tradesmen went around to the back door in those days. I can remember going into a mansion in Pasadena and finding dozens of these batteries in the attic, they electrician just left them up there instead of throwing away.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

mburtis said:


> So were these typically hooked up across two wires on one end then you go to the other end and touch wires together until you hear the bell ringing in the other room?


They used long small gauge wire and hooked up one wire end. They would then touch the other end of the wire to make sure it was the same one.
You could touch several wires until you found your wire. Of course all the wires need to be disconnected to be certain you had both ends of a single wire.
This practice would not be suitable for applications where there are many connections in different locations.


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## GladMech (Sep 18, 2020)

I frequently have to 'ring out' large industrial panels. Between my back, my eyesight, and my old hearing, the fluke with the tiny piezo tone (or a continuity tester with a dim light) just isn't making it. I made an acceptable one out of a Harbor Freight probe & a piezo but I still don't like it. I REALLY want one of these but I can't find a real doorbell (_bell_) anywhere.


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

mburtis said:


> Plus one of my other main passions is woodworking so the thought of building electrical tools *housed in wood boxes* seems fun just for the novelty.


.
That reminds me of the 600 V air compressor disconnect switch which I found in a woodworking shop.
Beautiful solid maple box specially built lol


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## mburtis (Sep 1, 2018)

wcord said:


> .
> That reminds me of the 600 V air compressor disconnect switch which I found in a woodworking shop.
> Beautiful solid maple box specially built lol


Hopefully it was that rare non flammable maple


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## mburtis (Sep 1, 2018)

CMP said:


> If your interested in the old methodologies, get yourself a used copy of *The American Electricians Handbook*.


Dropped 20 bucks on a 1948 copy this morning from ebay. Thanks for the link.


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## ATSman48 (Feb 12, 2021)

I use mine all the time. Sonalert, Simple & Compact


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

GladMech said:


> I frequently have to 'ring out' large industrial panels. Between my back, my eyesight, and my old hearing, the fluke with the tiny piezo tone (or a continuity tester with a dim light) just isn't making it. I made an acceptable one out of a Harbor Freight probe & a piezo but I still don't like it. I REALLY want one of these but I can't find a real doorbell (_bell_) anywhere.


You can still get the old bell doorbells 









Morris Products Home Door Bell – 3 Inch DoorBell, 0.68 Amps, 11 Watts – Satin Aluminum Finish – Snap-On Cover – Maintenance Free – 1 Count, (78130): Door Chimes: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement


Morris Products Home Door Bell – 3 Inch DoorBell, 0.68 Amps, 11 Watts – Satin Aluminum Finish – Snap-On Cover – Maintenance Free – 1 Count, (78130): Door Chimes: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement



www.amazon.com














But they aren't that loud, you could use a fire alarm bell, you can get them in 24V or 120V and you'll hear it


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## GladMech (Sep 18, 2020)

That would be REALLY old school to ring out a panel with 120V!


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

GladMech said:


> That would be REALLY old school to ring out a panel with 120V!


It might be your best bet if you want simple. Lantern battery voltage is to low. I am trying to remember how they did it at the RR. I remember one battery and one bell. 
You could get a small transformer and drop the voltage to 24 volts. Then put a cord and plug on it. Of course you will need a small enclosure. Another good thing about ringing a wire this way is you will have the bell current.


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