Anybody recognize this "CTester"?

[Jacobs976]

Got this from a friend tossing out old scraps and equipment from his new(bought out his aunt's 20+ year business) fire suppression systems(extinguishers, sprinklers, chemical suppressants) business and neither of us knew what it was so he didn't want to toss it back on his already overloaded work van. Naturally I kept it because it caught my attention.

It has a small lightbulb in the tip like an old flashlight minus the reflector. Looks to be threaded onto a brass spiral pressed into the cone. Tube is hollow with another brass spiral(not touching tube) connected to a female connection seated in a plastic back piece. Alligator clip(male connector)plugs in the female connector.

No identifying marks except Mueller Elec. Co 60 Series on the alligator clip which comes back as just the clip.

 

[4xdog]

“Circuit tester”? A variation on a test light? Don’t know that particular one, but those kinds have things have been around for decades in one form or another.

 

[nadogail]

Looks like a Continuity Tester.

 

[Jacobs976]

I thought the same but the thing with any of those testers is they all have a needle in the tip.

For this to be used for the same purpose you'd be using the tube itself instead of a needle. I think it would work fine for that purpose assuming it holds 2 AA batteries in the tube(full circuit bringing batteries current back to light in tip) but I also know it's a specialty tool(bought from Pye Barker fire supply, they don't have a public catalog so there's no way to search through them) so I'd imagine it'd be something other than a primitive circuit/conductivity tester especially since it probably cost a lot more than the cheap clear plastic testers everyone has a few of.

 

[RTM]

Maybe a coil tester? Looks for a pulled in solenoid?

Trying to walk my way thru the descriptions given, and drawing a blank.

 

[Jacobs976]

Maybe a coil tester? Looks for a pulled in solenoid?

Trying to walk my way thru the descriptions given, and drawing a blank.

I see the Aroflex solenoid testers which look closer but not quite there(light in back and no alligator clip but looks like a pen).

Think I need to find someone in the same field as it would've been in, fire suppression systems, to find anything concrete. Visuals and my description gives off traditional circuit tester but the light position messes that up.

I'll probably toss some AA batteries in it tomorrow and see if it'll light up when the tube and clip are placed on a conductive surface. Won't be concrete but if it works my best guess would be testing for insulation/grounding between parts of suppression system housings where it's about surfaces instead of wires/plugins leading to the different design.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I had one similar years ago. You can slide the pocket clip forward to use as a "probe".