Latest and Greatest Electrical Troubleshooting tools.

[Clastic]

Needing to wire and trouble some stuff around the farm and other people in the area.

Haven't done any wiring in a bit. I'm aware there are better things out there than parts store connectors and a test light and meter.

I know that the power probe is gaining traction in the last couple years. Any other cool trouble shooting tools out there?

Also, who makes the best crimp/solder/heat shrink connectors?

 

[CarterKraft]

These are the best heat seal butt connectors I've used

Perma-Seal Heat Shrink & Crimp Butt Connectors

Perma-Seal Heat Shrink & Crimp

www.delcity.net

 

[M92PV4U]

Delcity & waytek is where I buy electrical terminals and conduit for automotive along with 4:1 heatshrink with sealer.

 

[Ransil]

Power probe is a good tool to have, I use it along with a meter, test light has not came out in years.

I prefer crimp uninsulated butt splices ( soldered) and shrink tubing over any insulated butt splice

 

[mobil1syn]

DWT details on that fancy tool you bought

 

[DWT]

DWT details on that fancy tool you bought

$150 at hobo freight. Reads voltage, reverse polarity and has a button to provide DC power to the gland end to energize circuits. Handy bastard for sure. Comes with like a 10' cord but also a 10' extension if you're working on the opposite end of a vehicle from the battery.

Between that and a digital meter most normal issues can be tracked down easily.

I use ticonn shrinking connectors and ratcheting crimpers. Connectors are available in 1000 piece bags making the connectors dirt cheap.

 

[CarterKraft]

Put me in the ANti power probe group

Dynamic test leads are tits, power probes are for working on trailers...

LOADpro Dynamic Test Lead

LoadPro. Electronic Specialties 180 LOADpro Dynamic Test Leads, tesLOAD by Dan Sullivan

www.aeswave.com

 

[rattle_snake]

Schematic and brainpower.

 

[elbekko]

Put me in the ANti power probe group

Dynamic test leads are tits, power probes are for working on trailers...

LOADpro Dynamic Test Lead

LoadPro. Electronic Specialties 180 LOADpro Dynamic Test Leads, tesLOAD by Dan Sullivan

www.aeswave.com

Looks interesting, but the narration in that video gave me brain cancer.

I recently picked up a PicoScope, great for diagnosing all sorts of signal issues, and pretty cheap.

 

[PAToyota]

$150 at hobo freight. Reads voltage, reverse polarity and has a button to provide DC power to the gland end to energize circuits. Handy bastard for sure. Comes with like a 10' cord but also a 10' extension if you're working on the opposite end of a vehicle from the battery.

Typically cheaper elsewhere: Amazon.com (and the $150 price is ITC members).

 

[SHARPMACHINE]

Thanks for the tip on the ticonn connectors!! Might have to give them a shot.

 

[CarterKraft]

Looks interesting, but the narration in that video gave me brain cancer.

I recently picked up a PicoScope, great for diagnosing all sorts of signal issues, and pretty cheap.

I use a Snap On Vantage (graphing meter) but most people aren't into spending $1k + for a multimeter. Suits the shit out of me cause its a easy way to make me look like a bad ass when I can find problems others can't...

A buddy is our Technical Communicator now and he as both Pico and Vantage Pro. We have used the Pico on some real shit sipper jobs and it's been nice having the extra power/features it offers.

 

[CarterKraft]

Thanks for the tip on the ticonn connectors!! Might have to give them a shot.

I'm not going to talk direct shit about those brand of connectors but IMO you need to test some first before going balls deep. The cheap ones have insulation that is easy to cut when crimping. No matter what crimpers I use it seems to nick the insulation and when heating it will bust and peel open around the splice if you aren't careful.

The Molex Perma-Seal I linked above don't do that. The insulation is very hard and I have yet to bust one after using thousands over the 20+ years I use them. I've also noticed the inner splice tube on cheaper connectors can be thin, even coated metal those suck and will not hold a mechanical crimp.

All terminations IMO should hold a 10 lb pull test.

 

[DWT]

Schematic and brainpower.

That works great if you have a schematic and even then you could be in for a bad time.

Put me in the ANti power probe group

Dynamic test leads are tits, power probes are for working on trailers...

LOADpro Dynamic Test Lead

LoadPro. Electronic Specialties 180 LOADpro Dynamic Test Leads, tesLOAD by Dan Sullivan

www.aeswave.com

Neat tool, I'll add it to the buy list. You say power probes are for working on trailers as if that's not 40% of what I do.

 

[CarterKraft]

That works great if you have a schematic and even then you could be in for a bad time.

Neat tool, I'll add it to the buy list. You say power probes are for working on trailers as if that's not 40% of what I do.

I see these kids buy power probes instead of DMM and shake my head, a power probe is a great tool for someone that knows what to do with it.

 

[94toytruck]

I use a Snap On Vantage (graphing meter) but most people aren't into spending $1k + for a multimeter. Suits the shit out of me cause its a easy way to make me look like a bad ass when I can find problems others can't...

A buddy is our Technical Communicator now and he as both Pico and Vantage Pro. We have used the Pico on some real shit sipper jobs and it's been nice having the extra power/features it offers.

I bought my Vantaage pro for a few hundred bucks many years ago. There's no support for them anymore so they are pretty cheap but they still work. I bought a battery for it new from Snappy 2-3 years ago and it was one of the last ones they had.

I have a power probe, it's ok. In the wrong hands it's a good way to make things release magic smoke...

 

[CarterKraft]

I bought my Vantaage pro for a few hundred bucks many years ago. There's no support for them anymore so they are pretty cheap but they still work. I bought a battery for it new from Snappy 2-3 years ago and it was one of the last ones they had.

I have a power probe, it's ok. In the wrong hands it's a good way to make things release magic smoke...

I want a Pro but when I look they are still $$$.

There is a Hantek that I am really interested in, 4 channel with signal generator under $500.

Hantek 150MHzTouch Screen Tablet Oscilloscope, 4 + 1 Channel Handheld Digital Oscilloscope with Multimeter and 25MHz Signal Source, TO1154D Amazon.com

 

[CarterKraft]

I bought my Vantaage pro for a few hundred bucks many years ago. There's no support for them anymore so they are pretty cheap but they still work. I bought a battery for it new from Snappy 2-3 years ago and it was one of the last ones they had.

I have a power probe, it's ok. In the wrong hands it's a good way to make things release magic smoke...

That's the deal with a power probe, if you aren't trying to force things wtf do you do with it?

 

[ANGELO]

All I use is my power probe. Almost every day. Only time the multimeter comes out is if I'm checking sensor resistance.

 

[94toytruck]

That's the deal with a power probe, if you aren't trying to force things wtf do you do with it?

What I've noticed is most people that know how to use a scope really don't use a Power probe. Everything that a PP does you can do yourself. In my case, I was doing it many years before they even came out.