Blue point amp hound tool

[Brownsfan]

http://store.snapon.com/Non-Catalog-Items-Amp-Hound-P769765.aspx

On order and already have a car to use it on. Guys read the description and tell me this is not an absolute time saver. If you do electrical trouble shooting on any regular basis this is a great addition to the box. Oh I'm sure it has it's faults and someone WILL point it out for me. Or the actual oem for it.

 

[signcrafter]

I don't get it? It just checks to see if the fuse is blown or if it has current running threw it right? Can't you do this with a DMM? Like when Stick showed how to find parasitic draw by testing at the fuses with your meter just like this one does? Or am I missing something here?

 

[Brownsfan]

Tells you A: fuse good or bad and B: amount of current being pulled by the circuit WITHOUT removing the fuse.
I will find it useful when trying to find a draw that is causing a dead battery.
Like when I get blamed for the remote start I installed causing the draw but I instead have to find it for them without getting paid for it. Sorry rant off. Just dealt with it today.

 

[signcrafter]

I guess for 105 bucks if I had your job I might jump on it as a time saver. But I do basically the same thing with my meter when chasing parasitic draw. Picked this up from Stick in his write up on parasitic draw a couple years ago. I use this chart to figure the amps, http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/aktion/Attachment.html?attachmentId=721311. Pretty much the same thing as the amp hound and you can do it without removing the fuse also. I'm guessing the amp hound just does the calculation to amps for you.

Let us know how it works out for you. I'm not putting it down, I love new tools and especially electrical and diagnostic but for home use and maybe even most technicians it would sit in the box most of the time. But I can see where a guy that does as much electrical as you it could be a time saver.

 

[Brownsfan]

Oh yea that's why I'm getting it. I agree for most it wouldn't be that much of a time saver. I have passed on things before like the power probe hook and others but this one just Jumped out at me. Just because of what I was doing today LOL.

 

[Brownsfan]

Also if any of you garage journal tool detectives can find the oem for this please do. I can't for some reason and I'm usually good at it. I just like to add to my arsenal. Seems like I'm guilty until I PROVE I'm innocent when it comes to these issues. Today's culprit faulty factory radio. Can't figure it out. Blame the remote start. Where do I send my diagnostic bill? The customer? Dealer? Sorry rant off again

 

[signcrafter]

Oh yea that's why I'm getting it. I agree for most it wouldn't be that much of a time saver. I have passed on things before like the power probe hook and others but this one just Jumped out at me. Just because of what I was doing today LOL.

It's weird, usually I'm one that can justify new tools real easy. Even being just a shadetree I usually don't think twice about new tools if I feel they can be useful. Especially diagnostic tools, I have tons of tools that I have only used a couple times but in my mind they are "paid for" because they saved me money over taking the vehicle to someone else. I just picked up an oil/ATF pressure gauge that I will probably use only a couple times in my life and also a star fuel pressure tester master set that will most likely only be used a few times also. But for some reason the amp hound didn't "jump out" at me.

Is there anything it can do that doing a volt drop test across the fuse can't? Besides doing the calculation for you to convert volts to amps? Or is it just a time saver for electrical guys?

 

[signcrafter]

Also if any of you garage journal tool detectives can find the oem for this please do. I can't for some reason and I'm usually good at it. I just like to add to my arsenal. Seems like I'm guilty until I PROVE I'm innocent when it comes to these issues. Today's culprit faulty factory radio. Can't figure it out. Blame the remote start. Where do I send my diagnostic bill? The customer? Dealer? Sorry rant off again

Damn remote start installers! Just kidding. I still have to give you a call sometime, been a hectic last couple months for me.

If the customer comes to you and asks you to diagnose the problem and it turns out not related to you then you should bill them. Most shops do this. Example being if you take a car in for something you think might be covered under your drive train warranty and it ends up not being covered you pay for the diagnostic time out of your pocket.

 

[turdferguson13]

I guess for 105 bucks if I had your job I might jump on it as a time saver. But I do basically the same thing with my meter when chasing parasitic draw. Picked this up from Stick in his write up on parasitic draw a couple years ago. I use this chart to figure the amps, http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/aktion/Attachment.html?attachmentId=721311. Pretty much the same thing as the amp hound and you can do it without removing the fuse also. I'm guessing the amp hound just does the calculation to amps for you.

Let us know how it works out for you. I'm not putting it down, I love new tools and especially electrical and diagnostic but for home use and maybe even most technicians it would sit in the box most of the time. But I can see where a guy that does as much electrical as you it could be a time saver.

Thanks for the link. That's a good write up.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I'm interested in seeing the original unit as well. Hope someone knows! I bet it's about a 40$ tool non snap on lol

 

[signcrafter]

On the snap on flyer it says it's "exclusive until March, 1 2014".

http://public.snapon.com/a_prodannouncements_us/EECT74_NPA.pdf

Guessing that means snap on is the only one selling it for now.

 

[Brownsfan]

Damn remote start installers! Just kidding. I still have to give you a call sometime, been a hectic last couple months for me.

If the customer comes to you and asks you to diagnose the problem and it turns out not related to you then you should bill them. Most shops do this. Example being if you take a car in for something you think might be covered under your drive train warranty and it ends up not being covered you pay for the diagnostic time out of your pocket.

Dealer says remote starts the issue. I say it's not. Leaves the customer in the middle. They just want their car fixed. I find the issue ON MY TIME because I am the one being blamed when dealer(not always dealers do this) "tech" is too lazy or the flat rate system makes them not want to go further. Customer hands me a bill and I now have to find the problem because I am not paying the bill. Dealer in the end looks bad but for some reason they still do it. I make damn sure that customer gives them the worst possible score when called. I have a few dealers that I do work for that will call me if something like this comes up and work with me to figure it out in the best interest of the customer. Do remote starts cause issues in some cars? Sure but it can usually be fixed by a firmware update or something simple. But when a hack gets a hold of it then all bets are off

 

[Brownsfan]

I wish there was a video of this in use somewhere. Now having second thoughts. I have got by for almost 20 years without it. I don't know some will say it's only $100 but that's good money to me. The tool nut in me will just buy it

 

[signcrafter]

I wish there was a video of this in use somewhere. Now having second thoughts. I have got by for almost 20 years without it. I don't know some will say it's only $100 but that's good money to me. The tool nut in me will just buy it

From looking at the snap on flyer you just touch the leads to the metal on the top of the fuse. I'm guessing it reads voltage drop and does the calculations for you to convert it to amp draw. Basically the same thing as using your DMM and the chart I linked to above.

I just zoomed in on the amp hound and it looks like you have to enter in the fuse type and the rating. This kind of defeats any time savings over just using a DMM. Actually if you print out the chart I linked to above it's probably faster just to use your DMM and look at the chart. Rather than having to input the fuse type and rating for each and every fuse. I'm not seeing the benefit of the amp hound, and this is coming from a guy that is real easy to convince he needs new tools!

Do you test parasitic draw using voltage drop across the fuses now, like I linked to above? You don't have to pull the fuses to do this and you can just reference the chart to figure it out. I know you know way more then me when it comes to this stuff so not second guessing you. Just trying to figure out what the value of this tool is.

 

[HollowRock]

Yes, you are right! You simply touch the test leads to the exposed metal on top of the fuse and the Amp Hound tells you how much Current is in the circuit. And yes, you can read the Voltage drop with a DMM. Now, let's look at the difference:

If I'm looking for a parasitic drain with a DMM I need to look at the meter every time I contact a fuse with the test leads. The Amp Hound will tell you with a Steady Beep if no Current is present and 3 Beeps if SOME Current is there. I can literally blaze through a fuse panel and instantly identify all circuits that are "ON" without ever stopping to look at the tool. This is especially helpful with fuse panels that are located under the dash!

Now, when I have found SOME Current in a circuit, all I have to do is tell the Amp Hound the type and size of the fuse and it will tell me how much Current is flowing in the circuit without having to reference a chart somewhere.

Since the Amp Hound will measure Currents up to 50Amp I no longer need two different tools to find parasitic drains and working drains. This is the first tool on the market that will permit instant Fused Circuit Current measurements without removing the Fuse!!

The Amp Hound can measure the Current in several types of fuses going from 5mA to 30Amp. So, not only is this tool a wonderful parasitic drain finding tool, it is also a wonderful Current measuring tool that can measure Current faster than any other tool on the market because you don't have to pull the fuse or reference a chart!!

Can you tell me where to find the charts that show all of these Voltage drops for all of these types of fuses at all of these different Amp readings? (As the Current gets closer to the fuse rating the Voltage drop becomes more non-linear, so a simple chart calculated on Ohms law will not work.)

Ok, so you could use a DMM, hundreds of charts and take hours to find Current or you could simply use an Amp Hound. This tool is quite simply the New Way to measure Current in an Automotive Circuit. You know, why use an abacus when you can use a calculator?

 

[signcrafter]

For a first post that almost sounds like a salesman's pitch.

Brownsfan have you had a chance to use this yet? I'd like to hear your opinion on if I'm missing something here.

I think it looks like a decent tool if you do a ton of electrical. Like the fact that it beeps with current draw. BUT it still seems like all can be done with DMM, may take a few minutes longer but nothing significant. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy that looks for excuses to buy new tools. Just bought a brake pressure tester that I doubt I will use more then once or twice in my lifetime!

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Just wondering who the manufacturer of that Blue point amp hound is...

 

[signcrafter]

Brownsfan, did you get a chance to use this yet? Wondering your opinion on it.

 

[Brownsfan]

Negative ghost rider. Snappy guys truck was down with a bad alternator. May get it this week of he has one. He said he ordered 6 and sold all but one. That he is holding for me. Great first post up there. Wonder if he works for the oem company? If so who is it?

 

[signcrafter]

Negative ghost rider. Snappy guys truck was down with a bad alternator. May get it this week of he has one. He said he ordered 6 and sold all but one. That he is holding for me. Great first post up there. Wonder if he works for the oem company? If so who is it?

That was my thought after reading his post! He did clear up that you don't have to enter the fuse size and type for each one for initial test. That was one thing that would have been a big negative. I saw the buttons on it for fuse type and value and figured you had to select the value for each fuse you tested and that would make it no faster then a DMM and the chart. But from what he said you can zip threw a fuse box and it will tell you what fuses have any current going threw them and then you go back to those ones and select type and value and it will tell you exactly how much current that fuse is drawing. That makes more sense. I can see the use for someone that deals with parasitic draw everyday but for the average guy that only deals with it every so often it may not be worth it.

Do a write up on it when you get it and give us a first hand review of it.

 

[Fedwrench]

That's an outstanding first post HOLLOWROCK

However, you seem to be able to gleam much more information about how the amp hound works and its benefits from a simple flyer than the rest of us could.

Is it possible that you developed it? It's ok, I realize that you may be sworn to the secret snap on non disclosure agreement and can't answer.

Welcome to the board!!!

Voltage drop across the fuse is handy and you really don't need more than a couple of charts depending on what you work on.

I can see the time is money benefits offered by the amp hound and will look into it.

MY guess for OEM will be ESI but, we won't know until April

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Yes, you are right! You simply touch the test leads to the exposed metal on top of the fuse and the Amp Hound tells you how much Current is in the circuit. And yes, you can read the Voltage drop with a DMM. Now, let's look at the difference:

If I'm looking for a parasitic drain with a DMM I need to look at the meter every time I contact a fuse with the test leads. The Amp Hound will tell you with a Steady Beep if no Current is present and 3 Beeps if SOME Current is there. I can literally blaze through a fuse panel and instantly identify all circuits that are "ON" without ever stopping to look at the tool. This is especially helpful with fuse panels that are located under the dash!

Now, when I have found SOME Current in a circuit, all I have to do is tell the Amp Hound the type and size of the fuse and it will tell me how much Current is flowing in the circuit without having to reference a chart somewhere.

Since the Amp Hound will measure Currents up to 50Amp I no longer need two different tools to find parasitic drains and working drains. This is the first tool on the market that will permit instant Fused Circuit Current measurements without removing the Fuse!!

The Amp Hound can measure the Current in several types of fuses going from 5mA to 30Amp. So, not only is this tool a wonderful parasitic drain finding tool, it is also a wonderful Current measuring tool that can measure Current faster than any other tool on the market because you don't have to pull the fuse or reference a chart!!

Can you tell me where to find the charts that show all of these Voltage drops for all of these types of fuses at all of these different Amp readings? (As the Current gets closer to the fuse rating the Voltage drop becomes more non-linear, so a simple chart calculated on Ohms law will not work.)

Ok, so you could use a DMM, hundreds of charts and take hours to find Current or you could simply use an Amp Hound. This tool is quite simply the New Way to measure Current in an Automotive Circuit. You know, why use an abacus when you can use a calculator?

Tell us how long you have worked for the company that made this?

 

[GTA Matt]

I can see where it can come in handy, simplify and speed things up slightly. After April I might consider looking into the half price original manufacturer version. However, most of the time when dealing with draws, just measuring the voltage drop across the fuse will be glaringly obvious when you find the at fault circuit. Most will be between .000 and .005mv, when you hit your problem circuit, it will be much higher. A quick look at the reference chart that should be hanging up inside your box will usually verify it and then you are on to tracking down the faulty component. Essentially, the tool would save me the 5 step walk to my box, neat, nonetheless.

 

[richfinn]

I've been using the chart from www.vestest.com for a couple of years now.

I think there is a market for the Amp-Hound, as many techs simply fail to comprehend the value or concept of volt drop testing or how to use ohms law, and this tool allows them to carry out a parasitic drain test or measure current flow in circuits without having to understand how it works. Adding a beeper sounds like a good idea. If it helps techs learn a new skill, good luck

 

[Cal-Van Tools]

Hello All - Wanted to step in and answer the question of the OEM. That would be us at Cal-Van, we are a specialty tool company based in Greensboro, NC. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

 

[MadTinkerer]

Just browsing the Cal-Van website and found this ripple tester

It looks to use the same housing as the amp hound.
I think I am going to wait for the red version of the amp hound to come out and save a few bucks

 

[Brownsfan]

Hello All - Wanted to step in and answer the question of the OEM. That would be us at Cal-Van, we are a specialty tool company based in Greensboro, NC. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

What's the MSRP going to be on the cal-van unit? I am about to pull the trigger on the blue point but would love to save money.

 

[HollowRock]

Yeah, I guess that did seem a little funny that I knew so much about the tool!

I am the inventor/designer of that tool and I am working with Cal-Van on that tool and others. I have worked with several tool companies in this industry and Cal-Van is one of the absolute best! There are a couple of companies out there to avoid.

I would suggest that if you have any tool ideas that you give Cal-Van Tools a call FIRST! They are honest and a very hard working group!! Keep watching them for some more great tools coming soon!

As far as the Amp Hound - I hope you guys give it a try. For finding parasitic drains, the beep function makes it the absolute fastest method, especially in a cramped fuse box under the dash. For reading the amount of Current in the fuse box, this is the only tool that can do it without removing the fuse.

 

[richfinn]

Yeah, I guess that did seem a little funny that I knew so much about the tool!

I am the inventor/designer of that tool and I am working with Cal-Van on that tool and others. I have worked with several tool companies in this industry and Cal-Van is one of the absolute best! There are a couple of companies out there to avoid.

I would suggest that if you have any tool ideas that you give Cal-Van Tools a call FIRST! They are honest and a very hard working group!! Keep watching them for some more great tools coming soon!

As far as the Amp Hound - I hope you guys give it a try. For finding parasitic drains, the beep function makes it the absolute fastest method, especially in a cramped fuse box under the dash. For reading the amount of Current in the fuse box, this is the only tool that can do it without removing the fuse.

What other inventions have you got?, we won't tell or even try to steal them, we just like to know before everyone else

 

[metaleltr]

http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/TH209/PROFESSIONAL-CIRCUIT-PARASITIC-DRAIN-TESTER/

Well look like matco has something similar, price isn't even comparable though,

The student price is even $140

 

[Brownsfan]

Wonder who the oem is for the Matco version?

 

[Cal-Van Tools]

We usually give the mobiles a year or so exclusive, I would expect it to be available in the Fall. Hard to say what cost will be as there are so many resellers. Since it is not a Snap On proper item the price will go down, but not as much as you might hope.

 

[Cal-Van Tools]

I would advise against the other unit, as you heard hollow rock say above, there are good companies and bad companies. The least they could have done was get his program right if they were going to take it.

 

[signcrafter]

We usually give the mobiles a year or so exclusive, I would expect it to be available in the Fall. Hard to say what cost will be as there are so many resellers. Since it is not a Snap On proper item the price will go down, but not as much as you might hope.

So someone comes to you guys with an idea and then you develop it and then give a tool truck a year to sell it exclusively? Interesting.

Cal van has a ton of neat specialty tools. I've been eyeing a set of relay circuit testers for a while now. Just a little expensive for me being I'm just a shade tree guy. One day I will get them! Have noticed advance auto is starting to sell their stuff. I wish they would stock more of them.

 

[Cal-Van Tools]

Yes, it works that way sometimes. We also develop in house or another company may come to us and ask us to develop something outside their wheelhouse. The "relay circuit pro" you mentioned was in fact an idea of a school teacher in Iowa. If you ever have any questions or comments (good or bad), feel free.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

What's the difference between the CV75 & CV76 relay circuit testers you sell?

 

[signcrafter]

What's the difference between the CV75 & CV76 relay circuit testers you sell?

He can probably tell for sure but I've done a lot of searching on these and from what I can tell is the 76 is just an updated version. On the cal van site it only lists the 76. The 76 also has one more relay socket adapter. But the features look the same to me. There was some 75s on amazon a while ago for around 60 bucks and I was going to grab a set but didn't and the price went way up. The 75 is more expensive then the 76 now!

 

[GTA Matt]

After poking around the cal-van website last night, it turns out I have a couple thousand dollars worth of their tools, with various brand names on them. Also after poking around, I wound up buying a handful of other tools that I've either had my eye on, or didn't know existed. This place is a bad influence

 

[signcrafter]

After poking around the cal-van website last night, it turns out I have a couple thousand dollars worth of their tools, with various brand names on them. Also after poking around, I wound up buying a handful of other tools that I've either had my eye on, or didn't know existed. This place is a bad influence

Whenever I stumble upon these OEM sites I see lots of tools I have and LOTS of tools I "need"!!!

Lang tools and schley are a couple other OEM tool companies that are pretty good.

 

[Brownsfan]

Should have mine Friday or Monday. Don't really have a car to try it on yet but still. When did I ever need a good reason to buy a new tool. I also have a few cal-van tools under various names.