POWER PROBE PP3CSCARB III The Ultimate In Circuit Testing Instruction Manual
- June 13, 2024
- POWER PROBE
Table of Contents
- PP3CSCARB III The Ultimate In Circuit Testing
- INTRODUCTION
- HOOK-UP
- QUICK SELF-TEST (PPM)
- TURNING THE AUDIO TONE ON/OFF (PPM)
- CIRCUIT BREAKER C B
- VOLTAGE & POLARITY TESTING (PPM)
- CONTINUITY TESTING (PPM)
- TESTING TRAILER LIGHTS AND CONNECTIONS (PPM)
- ACTIVATING COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLE (PPM)
- ACTIVATING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS W/GROUND (PPM)
- CHECKING FOR BAD GROUND CONTACTS (PPM)
- FOLLOWING & LOCATING SHORT CIRCUITS (PPM)
- RED/GREEN POLARITY INDICATOR & AUDIO TONE
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)
Instruction Manual
PP3CSCARB III The Ultimate In Circuit Testing
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing the NEW Power Probe III (PP3). The PP3 is our most
revolutionary circuit tester to date.
The PP3 literally speeds you through the diagnosing of 12 to 24 volt
automotive electrical systems. After connecting the PP3’s clips to the
vehicle’s battery, the automotive technician can determine at a glance, the
voltage level and the polarity of a circuit with out running for a voltmeter
or reconnecting hook-up clips from one battery pole to the other. The power
switch allows the automotive technician to conduct a positive or negative
battery current to the tip for activating and testing the function of
electrical omponents without wasting time with jumper leads. And yes, the PP3
is short circuit protected. It tests for bad ground contacts instantly without
performing voltage drop tests. It allows you to follow and locate short
circuits without wasting precious fuses. The Power Probe can also test for
continuity with the assistance of its auxiliary ground lead. With a flip of the
power switch, you will know at a glance that your PP3 is functioning without
running to the battery as you would otherwise have to do with simple test
lights. The PP3’s 20ft (extendable) cable allows you to test along the entire
length of the vehicle without constantly searching for ground hook-ups. An
absolute must for every automotive technician looking for a fast and accurate
solution to electrical systemsdiagnostics.
Before using the Power Probe III please read the instruction booklet
carefully.
Warning! When the PP3 switch is depressed battery current/voltage is conducted
directly to the tip which may cause sparks when contacting ground or certain
circuits. Therefore the Power Probe should NOT be used around fl ammables such
as gasoline or its vapors. The spark of an energized Power Probe could ignite
these vapors. Use the same caution as you would when using an arc welder.
The Power Probe III and the ECT 2000 are NOT to be used with 110/220-volt
HOME electrical, it is only for use with 12-24-volt systems.
IMPORTANT TIP : When powering-up components, you can increase the life of
your Power Probe switch if you first press the switch, then contact the tip to
the component. The arcing will take place at the tip instead of the contacts
of the switch.
HOOK-UP
Unroll the Power Probe cable. Connect the RED battery hook-up clip to the POSITIVE terminal of the vehicle’s battery. Connect the BLACK battery hook-up clip to the NEGATIVE terminal of the vehicle’s battery. When the PP3 is fi rst connected to a battery (power source), it will sound a quick high and then low beep and go into “Power Probe Mode (PPM) (See Mode #1 on page 10) and the 2 bright white LEDs (dual head lights) will be on to illuminate the test area of the probe tip.
QUICK SELF-TEST (PPM)
While the PP3 is in Power Probe Mode, press the power switch forward to activate the tip with a positive (+) voltage. The positive sign (+) LED should light red and the LCD display will read the battery (supply) voltage. If the tone feature is turned on, a high pitched tone will sound. Press the power switch rearward to activate the tip with a negative (-) voltage. The negative sign (-) LED should light green and the LCD display will read “0.0” (ground). If the tone feature is turned on, a low pitched tone will sound. The Power Probe is now ready to use. If the indicator did not light, depress the reset button of the circuit breaker on the right side of the housing and try the self test again.
TURNING THE AUDIO TONE ON/OFF (PPM)
While the PP3 is in Power Probe Mode, just do a quick press of the mode button to toggle the tone on or off. While quickly pressing (a quick press and release) the mode button, if a short high beep is heard, this means the audio tone is turned on. If a short low beep is heard, the audio tone is turned off.
CIRCUIT BREAKER C B
In Power Probe Mode (Mode #1) with a the circuit breaker tripped, the LCD will display the symbol “C B”. (see page 11-12 for detail) All other functions of the PP3 are still active. This means that you can still probe a circuit and observe the voltage reading. When the circuit breaker is tripped, the PP3 will NOT be able to conduct battery current to the tip even when the power switch is pressed. Intentionally tripping the breaker and using the PP3 to probe can be considered an added precaution against accidental pressing of the power switch.
VOLTAGE & POLARITY TESTING (PPM)
While the PP3 is in Power Probe Mode, contact the probe tip to a POSITIVE
circuit. The red positive sign “+” LED will light and the voltmeter displays
the voltage with a resolution of 1/10th of a volt (0.1v).
If the audio feature is turned on, a high pitched tone will sound. (See
RED/GREEN POLARITY INDICATOR & AUDIO TONE on page 10)
While the PP3 is in Power Probe Mode, contact the probe tip to a NEGATIVE
circuit. The green negative sign “–” LED will light and the voltmeter displays
the voltage. If the audio feature is turned on, a low pitched tone will sound.
Contacting the Power Probe tip to an OPEN circuit will be indicated by neither
of the LED indicators lighting.While the
PP3 is in Power Probe Mode. Contact the probe tip to a NEGATIVE circuit. The
green negative sign “” LED will light. If the audio feature is turned on, a
low pitched tone will sound.While the
PP3 is in Power Probe Mode, contact the probe tip to a POSITIVE circuit. The
red positive sign “+” LED will light and the voltage reading of the circuit
will be indicated on the LCD display. If the audio feature is turned on, a
high pitched tone will sound.
CONTINUITY TESTING (PPM)
While the PP3 is in Power Probe Mode, and by using the Power Probe tip in
connection with chassis ground or the auxiliary ground lead, continuity can be
tested on wires and components attached or disconnected from the vehicle’s
electrical system.
The PP3 indicates continuity using 2 resistance levels. When the Power Probe
tip has a resistance to ground less than 20K Ohms but greater than 2K Ohms the
LCD will indicate “0.0” volts but no Green “-” LED. But when the resistance to
ground less than 2K Ohms the LCD will indicate “0.0” volts and also the Green
“-” LED. The higher resistance continuity function is useful for checking
Spark Plug Wires, (disconnected from ignition) Solenoids and magnetic pickup
coils, and the lower resistance continuity for testing relay coils and wiring.
However the best way to prove continuity of connections to either Ground or
Battery is to power up the connection using the Power Switch. If the Circuit
Breaker trips you know that you have a good solid low resistance
connection.
ACTIVATING COMPONENTS IN YOUR HAND (PPM)
While the PP3 is in Power Probe Mode and by using the Power Probe tip in
connection with the auxiliary ground lead, components can be activated right
in your hand, thereby testing their function.
Connect the negative auxiliary clip to the negative terminal or ground side of
the component being tested. Contact the probe to the positive terminal of the
component, the green negative sign “-“ LED indicator should light GREEN
indicating continuity through the component.
While keeping an eye on the green LED negative sign, quickly depress and
release the power switch forward (+). If the green negative sign “-“ LED went
out and the red positive sign “+” came on, you may proceed with further
activation. If the green negative sign “-“ LED went off at that instant or if
the circuit breaker tripped, the Power Probe has been overloaded. This could
happen for the following reasons:
- The contact you are probing is a direct ground or negative voltage.
- The component you are testing is short-circuited.
- The component is a very high current component (i.e., starter motor).
If the circuit breaker is tripped, reset it by waiting for it to cool down (15
sec.) and then depressing the reset button.
Activate fuel pumps, magnetic clutches, starter solenoids, cooling fans,
blower motors, lights etc.
TESTING TRAILER LIGHTS AND CONNECTIONS (PPM)
- Connect the PP3 to a good battery.
- Clip the auxiliary ground clip to the trailer ground.
- Probe the contacts at the jack and then apply voltage to them. This lets you check the function and orientation of the connector and trailer lights. If the circuit breaker tripped, that contact is likely a ground. Reset the circuit breaker by letting it cool down (15 sec.) and depressing the reset button until in clicks into place.
ACTIVATING COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLE (PPM)
To activate components with positive (+) voltage: Contact the probe tip to the
positive terminal of the component, the green negative sign “-” LED should
light. Indicating continuity to ground. While observing the green indicator,
quickly depress and release the power switch forward (+). If the green
indicator went out and the red positive sign (+) LED came on, you may proceed
with further activation. If the green indicator went off at that instant or if
the circuit breaker tripped, the Power Probe has been overloaded.
This could happen for the following reasons:
- The contact is a direct ground.
- The component is short-circuited.
- The component is a high current component (i.e., starter motor).
If the circuit breaker tripped, reset it by allowing it to cool down (15 sec.)
and then depress the reset button.
Warning: Haphazardly applying voltage to certain circuits can cause
damage to a vehicle’s electronic components. Therefore, it is strongly advised
to use the vehicle manufacturer’s schematic and diagnosing procedure while
testing. TRICK: When poweringup
components, you can increase the life of your Power Probe switch if you first
press the switch, then contact the tip to the component. The arcing will take
place at the tip instead of the contacts of the switch.
ACTIVATING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS W/GROUND (PPM)
Contact the probe tip to the negative terminal of the component, the LED indicator should light RED. While observing red positive sign “+” LED, quickly depress and release the power switch rearward (-). If the red indicator went out and the green negative sign (-) came on you may proceed with further activation. If the green indicator went off at that instant or if the circuit breaker tripped, the Power Probe has been overloaded. This could have happened for the following reasons:
- The contact is a direct positive voltage.
- The component is short-circuited.
- The component is a very high current component (i.e., starter motor).
If the circuit breaker tripped, reset it by allowing it to cool down (15 sec.)
and then depress the reset button.
WARNING: With this function, if you are contacting a protected circuit, a
vehicle’s fuse can be blown or tripped if you apply ground to it.
CHECKING FOR BAD GROUND CONTACTS (PPM)
Probe the suspected ground wire or contact with the probe tip.
Observe the green negative sign “-” LED. Depress the power switch forward then
release.
If the green negative sign “-” LED went out and the red positive sign “+” came
on, this is not a true ground.
If the circuit breaker tripped, this circuit is more than likely a good
ground. Keep in mind that high current components such as starter motors will
also trip the circuit breaker.
FOLLOWING & LOCATING SHORT CIRCUITS (PPM)
In most cases a short circuit will appear by a fuse or a fusible link blowing
or an electrical protection device tripping (i.e., a circuit breaker). This is
the best place to begin the search.
Remove the blown fuse from the fuse box. Use the Power Probe tip to activate
and energize each of the fuse contacts. The contact which trips the PP3
circuit breaker is the shorted circuit. Take note of this wire’s identifi
cation code or color. Follow the wire as far as you can along the wiring
harness, for instance if you are following a short in the brake light circuit
you may know that the wire must pass though the wiring harness at the door
sill. Locate the color-coded wire in the harness and expose it. Probe through
the insulation with the Power Probe tip and depress the power switch forward
to activate and energize the wire.
If the Power Probe circuit breaker tripped you have verified the shorted wire.
Cut the wire and energize each end with the Power Probe tip.
The wire end which trips the Power Probe circuit breaker again is the shorted
circuit and will lead you to the shorted area. Follow the wire in the shorted
direction and repeat this process until the short is located. ECT200 uses a
wireless non-contact technique that guides you to the short/open location.
RED/GREEN POLARITY INDICATOR & AUDIO TONE
The “RED/GREEN Polarity Indicator” lights-up when the probe tip voltage
matches the battery voltage within ± 0.5 volts. This means that if you contact
a circuit that is not a good ground or a good hot, you will see this instantly
by the “RED/GREEN Polarity Indicator” NOT lighting. The Audio Tone runs
parallel to the “RED/GREEN Polarity Indicator and will also NOT react when
contacting a circuit that does not match the battery voltage thin ± 0.5 volts.
MODES
The Power Probe III has been designed to work the same as the previous Power
Probe circuit testers. Using the advanced features and modes is optional.
However, understanding them will expand your diagnosing capabilities.
The LCD display indicates voltage levels of the circuit along with an
identifying symbol showing you what mode it is in.
The additional features contain 5 new modes which give you specific
information about how the circuit is reacting.
The 5 Modes can be accessed by depressing the Mode button and cycling through
each one.
Mode #1 Power Probe Mode: While the PP3 is in “Power Probe Mode” and the probe
tip is floating (not contacting a circuit), the LCD backlight is on but the
display is blank. If the audio tone is turned on you will see a speaker symbol
in the lower right corner of the display. Once you contact the probe tip to a
circuit the LCD display will indicate the average voltage level of the
circuit. The red/green polarity indicator (See section Red/Green Polarity
Indicator and Audio Tone) will respond also, showing weather the circuit is
positive or negative.
A secondary feature in this mode is the peak to peak threshold detection and
signal monitoring. When contacting a signal generating circuit such as a
speaker wire with audio signals on it, the PP3 detects the peak to peak
signals and displays the peak to peak voltage on the display, the sound of the
signals will be monitored and heard through the PP3 speaker.
The peak to peak threshold levels are pre-selected by the operator in “Mode
5”. See Mode #5 for more information on setting threshold levels. Placing the
PP3 probe tip next to a sparkplug wire (NOT probing it directly), allows you
to monitor the sound of the ignition pulses at the same time display a peak to
peak reading The PP3 senses the pulses in ignition wires through capacitive
coupling (DO NOT CONTACT PROBE TIP DIRECTLY TO THE SECONDARY IGNITION
CIRCUIT).
By monitoring each plug wire in this way you can locate missing cylinders.
Mode #2 Negative Peak Mode: The Negative Peak Mode monitors a positive circuit
and captures the lowest voltage that it has dropped to. To do this: Place the
PP3 in “Negative Peak Mode” by pressing and holding the mode button for 1
second until you hear a low pitched beep and the LCD display indicates a
negative (minus) sign in the lower left corner.
The display should also indicate a reading of “0.0” with the probe floating.
(This is because no voltage is present). Probe the positive circuit you want
to test and tap the mode button once. The LCD display will show the lowest
detected voltage of the circuit. If the circuit drops in voltage at anytime, a
new lowest reading will be captured and displayed. You can then do a quick tap
of the mode button once again to reset the LCD display and indicate the new
voltage level on the circuit. Reset the LCD display by doing a quick tap of
the mode button as often as necessary.
An APPLICATION for the use of the “Negative Peak Mode”: Lets say you have a
circuit that is suspect of loosing a connection and the voltage drops, causing
something to turn off or malfunction. Probing the circuit and monitoring it in
“Negative Peak Mode” will instantly indicate as the circuit drops in voltage.
You can monitor the circuit while wiggling wires and pulling on connectors to
see if the voltage drops. Since the minimum voltage reading is captured and
held on the display, you can inspect it at a later time. You could also
perform a battery crank test.
Mode #3 Positive Peak Mode: The “Positive Peak Mode”, monitors the probed
circuit and captures the highest detected voltage. Place the PP3 into
“Positive Peak Mode” by pressing and holding the mode button for 1 second
until you hear a beep. Repeat this until you hear a quick high pitched beep
and the LCD display indicates a positive (plus) sign in the lower left corner.
The display should also indicate a reading of “0.0” with the probe tip
floating. Probe the circuit and the PP3 instantly displays and holds the
highest voltage reading. This means you can remove the probe away from the
circuit and the voltage reading remains displayed for your reference. Reset
the LCD display by doing a quick tap of the mode button.
An APPLICATION for the use of the “Positive Peak Mode”: Let’s say you have a
circuit that is supposed to be off and is suspected of turning on
inappropriately or getting a signal for some reason. Probing the circuit and
monitoring it in the “positive peak mode” will instantly indicate as the
circuit increases in voltage. You can monitor the circuit while wiggling wires
and pulling on connectors to see if the voltage increases. Since the maximum
voltage reading is captured and held on the display, you can inspect the
reading at a later time.
Maybe you have to probe a circuit deep under a dash and the display is
obstructed from view. In “Positive Peak Mode” just probe the wire then remove
the probe and look at your voltage reading. Connect to starter terminal to
capture maximum voltage to the starter while cranking. Quickly finds voltage
drops in the wiring & start connection (Solenoid).
Mode #4 Peak to Peak Mode: The Peak to Peak Mode measures the difference
between the positive and negative peak voltage levels over a 1 second period.
With this feature you can measure and monitor for example, the diode rectifier
in a charging system while the engine is running. The peak to peak readings
will give the technician the data necessary to determine if a diode rectifier
is defective or not. A normal peak to peak reading while testing a charging
circuit is usually under a volt. If a defective rectifier is present the peak
to peak reading will be over 1 volt and possibly over 3 volts. When probing in
“Peak to Peak Mode” the display shows activity of circuits such as fuel
injectors, distributor pick-ups, cam and crank sensors, oxygen sensors, wheel
speed sensors, hall effect sensors. Measures fly back voltage of injectors to
quickly find a problem.
Mode #5 Threshold Level Setting for the Peak to Peak Detection in Power
Probe Mode” (Mode #1) This mode is only used to adjust the threshold voltage
in “Power Probe Mode” for Peak to Peak Detection and Signal Monitoring. To set
the threshold level for the peak to peak detection in “Power Probe Mode”,
press and hold the mode button for one second until you hear a beep. Repeat
this a second, third and forth time and/or until an alternating positive (+)
and negative (–) sign is present in the bottom left corner of the LCD display.
You can now toggle the threshold level by a quick tap of the mode button and
observing the voltage level settings. The peak to peak threshold voltage
settings loop incrementally from 0.2, to 0.5, to 1.0, to 2.0, to 5.0, to 10.0,
to 50.0 and return back to 0.2 again. AN audio installer would find the 0.2v
setting convenient. Once you select the desired threshold voltage, press and
hold the mode button again until it beeps.
This returns you to the “Power Probe Mode” (Mode #1).
You will know that you are in the “Power Probe Mode” when the LCD display is
blank and/or with the “Speaker Symbol” shown in the bottom right
corner.Power Probe 3 Specifi cations
DC 0 – 70V + 1 digit
P-P 0 – 70V
Frequency response of tone pass through
10Hz to greater than 10 Khz
PP display
15Hz Square Wave
35Hz Sine Wave
Power Probe Mode – Continuity to ground
First level – display is enabled less than 20K
Second level – green LED is enabled less than 2K
– & + Peak Detector Response
Single event capture less than 200µs pulse width
Repetitive events less than 1µs pulse width
Peak to Peak Mode
0 – 70V + 1 digit
4Hz to over 500kHz Square Wave input
4Hz to over 250kHz Sine Wave input
Threshold for PPAC/Audible passthrough
Circuit Breaker
8 amp thermal response – Manual reset
ROCKER SWITCH REPLACEMENT
Rocker Switch Replacement
Power Probe 3
wit Rocker Switch sicts, The NEW PP3 with the Rocker Switch slots makes it
easy to replace a worn switch in the field without having to send it in for
repair.