Continuity tester wanted

[gfd_703]

Does anyone know where to get a continuity tester like this? I have had this one for 40 years and it finally quit working. So handy not having to pull out a meter or anything with leads to do a simple check. Carried this one in my pocket for 20 of those years. It originally had a longer tip but I cut it short because it was always pocking me. Thanks

 

[gfd_703]

I think I have found what I am lookin for. Chex-Zit As handy as this item is it sure was hard to find a replacment.

 

[cgrutt]

Interesting. So your body becomes the lead? So what have you used this for? Imagine it only works when both sides of circuit are within reach and connection is large enough to hold onto.

 

[4xdog]

 

[gfd_703]

Interesting. So your body becomes the lead? So what have you used this for? Imagine it only works when both sides of circuit are within reach and connection is large enough to hold onto.

Simple quick checks for things like fuses would be the most common. I got mine back when running a hardware store in the 80s. We were always checking fuses brought in by customers. The way I found mine was not working was I needed to check the connections on a multi pole switch the other night and had to get the Fluke out for something that this little tester is perfect for. I can have the required testing done before I can get the meter out of the case. I ordered 2 this morning one for the shop and one for the truck.
Yes your body becomes the lead. You can use extension leads to make your arms longer to test about anything.

 

[txvwnut]

I had one of these way back in the day. Thought it was kind of gimmicky, only worked about half the time.

 

[tak1313]

https://www.grisk.com/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/Chex-Zit%20LS-57-500.pdf

hmmm...the sheet is saying it can read continuity beyond 10 megaohms. Not sure if I would actually use it, but it looks fun to play with.

This forum is going to ruin my financial planning...

 

[kbuhagiar]

This forum is going to ruin my financial planning...

Welcome to the club...

 

[Pinemarten]

You can use your new Chex-zit to check the continuity on the old Chex-zit.

 

[seber]

Your body is kind of an iffy conductor. Those things work great for some people. Not at all for me.

 

[Steve_P]

Never seen one before, and my dad was an electrician- I think that tells me all I need to know. I personally don't see how that can be reliable.

 

[gfd_703]

 

[gfd_703]

Well here it is. Exactly what I was looking for and it works as good as the old one did. It is so much faster than getting out the meter and leads for basic testing. Is it as accurate and reliable as my Fluke? Accurate-No. Reliable-Yes. If it holds up like the old one. I was given my old one by a mentor and Rice graduate with a Masters in Electrical Engineering. If it was good enough to trouble shoot multimillion dollar broadcast stations it is sure good enough for this farmer.

 

[BrandonV]

Looks pretty interesting. I do a lot of low voltage stuff and electronics repair so I'd keep it for that just in terms of convenience. Anything going over traditional low voltage I would stick with my Fluke.

 

[RonnieMac]

Looks pretty interesting. I do a lot of low voltage stuff and electronics repair so I'd keep it for that just in terms of convenience. Anything going over traditional low voltage I would stick with my Fluke.

I do a lot of hobby automotive electrical work on British vehicles.

I made up a useful tester in a TicTac amber box. I put in a 12 volt LED bulb and a small 12 volt A23 battery from a garage door remote.

I finished it up with banana plug sockets.

The banana plug setup gives me access to a wide variety of probes and tools - alligator clips, back probes, probes - as well as longer probe cables.

I made up a similar box with an LED bulb but no battery for checking when 12 volts is present in the circuit.

 

[CGarage]

Fluke or nothing.