POWER PROBE ECT3000 Electric Circuit Tracer User Manual

POWER PROBE ECT3000 Electric Circuit Tracer

Congratulations
Thank you for choosing the Power Probe “ECT3000” (Electronic Circuit Tracer- 3000) The ECT3000 helps quickly locate wiring shorts and opens. The ECT3000 operates just like the trusted Power Probe ECT3000 now with many improvements in functions and features to increase circuit testing accuracy and speed. This instruction booklet will give you some valuable diagnosing tips gathered from the field and from our testing lab. This instruction booklet has convenient references that will take you to appropriate pages that provide more information and clarification. Taking the time to read this instruction booklet carefully will give you valuable insight to these detailed techniques in tracing automotive circuits. We designed the ECT3000 as a quick solution to your automotive circuit problems. The ECT3000 consists of 2 main components. An Intelligent transmitter and a Intelligent receiver along with a set of connection adapters that will help you:

• Locate short circuits without unnecessarily removing plastic panels, molding, and carpet.
• Trace wires to see where they lead
• Find open circuits, switches or breaks in wires
• Trace and locate the cause of a severe battery drain
• Test and find intermittent conditions
• Check continuity with the assistance of the Power Probe 111, IV, or Hook

These features are extremely handy for the professional technician. An appropriate schematic or wiring diagram is always useful and many times necessary when tracing circuits. The better you understand your circuit, the better the ECT3000 can assist you.

TRANSMITTER

• Min Operating Voltage : 6 voe
• Max Operating Voltage : 48 voe
• Working Current : <200mA
• Working Frequency : 4KHz
• Max Operating Temp : 50°C
• Max Storage Temp : 70°C
• Max Operating Relative humidity : 80% (Non-condensation)
• Max Storage Relative humidity : 80% (Non-condensation)
• Altitude : <2000m

RECEIVER

• Power Supply : 2 X 1.5V AAA
• Working Current : When not signal be detected <15mA
• Power Consumption When Power Off : <10uA
• Max Operating Temp : 50°C
• Max Storage Temp : 70°C
• Max Operating Relative humidity: 80% (Non-condensation)
• Max Storage Relative humidity : 80% (Non-condensation)
• Altitude : <2000m

Parts

INCLUDED

ECT3000B

• Blade Probes I PPTK0005
• Light Bulb Adapters I PPTK0006
• Piercing Probe I PPTK0003
• Alligator Clip Adapter And Wire Adapter I PPTK0007
• Battery Hook Up Clip Set I PPTKOOOB

All banana jacks/plugs are standard 4mm making other test leads or adapters usable with this product.

The ECT3000 Transmitter
The transmitter is designed to generate Grounded Circuit signals and Open Circuit signals. The grounded and the open circuit signals are very different from each other, so it is very important to understand the differences in each signal type. (see “Characteristics of the Short/Grounded Circuit Signal” and Characteristics of the Open Circuit Signal”)

1. Power Lead
   The 20 ft. power lead of the Intelligent transmitter supplies power by connecting directly to the vehicles battery and the long length provides easy access to circuits throughout the vehicle. The RED clip connects to the positive side of the battery and the BLACK clip connects to the negative. It can be connected to a power source from 12 to 24 volts.

2. Signal Lead
   The signal lead with the green banana jack, plugs into the assortment of adapters, probes, and clips that are provided for you in the ECT3000 kit. These accessories simplify connecting to your circuit.

3. Moveable Hanger/ Stand
   Provides multiple convenient mounting options when testing.

4. Circuit Status LED indicators
   Indicates current circuit staus – Short I Open.Tone On/Off -Toggle Tone “Tone On/Off’ button toggles the tone of the transmitter’s speaker on or off. The toggle tone feature of the Intelligent transmitter gives you the ability to detect changes in the circuit to detect intermittent problems. (See “Circuit Wiggle and Flex Test”)

5. Speaker
   Provides Audible circuit status indication.

After connecting the transmitter’s 20 ft. power lead to the vehicle’s battery, a signal is generated through the green signal wire and banana plug. This is connected to the circuit you want to trace. The signal will radiate along the circuit, which you can detect by using the receiver. There are two types of circuit signals that the transmitter generates. They are the Grounded Circuit SIGNAL and the OPEN CIRCUIT SIGNAL. It is very important to familiarize yourself with both of these signals and how they work in your circuit. The “Grounded Circuit signal” and the “open circuit signal” are different from each other, which you should understand. (See: “Characteristics of the ShorVGrounded Circuit Signal” and “Characteristics of the Open Circuit Signal”) The 2 main features of the ECT3000 is that it transmits a signal into a circuit with the transmitter and then you trace it with the receiver . The easiest way to insure that you are following the problem circuit is to isolate it from other parallel circuits.

Characteristics of the Short/Grounded Circuit Signal

1. Strongest when flowing exclusively through one wire
   When the signal is conducting through only one wire, the signal strength is at its maximum because 100% of the signal is traveling through that wire exclusively to return back to the negative side of the battery. If the signal branches out to parallel circuits, its strength divides and of course is weaker in each branch of the divided circuit. But when the signal recollects through the single negative cable to return to the battery, the signal strength is at its maximum again because 100% of the signal is concentrated through the single negative battery cable. (see “Isolate the Circuit You are Tracing”)

2. Travels the path of least resistance
   In case of a short circuit that blows its fuse reliably, you can sometimes get away with not having to isolate the circuit. The majority of the signal will follow the path of least resistance through the short and then back to the battery. In fig.1, you can see the majority of the signal travels right to the short circuit. You can also see only a small portion of the signal running through parallel wires.

3. A 4 KHz Polarized Signal
   The fact that the Grounded Circuit signal is a 4 KHz polarized signal provides directional information for the receiver to pick up. This capability to indicate the direction to the short or ground takes the guesswork out of tracing grounded circuits. (See “Direction to the Short”)

4. Carries a current of only 100 mA.
   When generating a ShorVGrounded Circuit signal, a maximum of 100 milliamp flows from the signal lead. This keeps you safe from damaging sensitive computer circuits.

Characteristics of the Open Circuit Signal are

1. Transmits through NON Conductive Materials
   The signal that the ECT transmits when tracing open circuits, radiates what is called an E-field. We will refer to an E-field in this manual as an “Open Circuit Signal.” The open circuit signal radiates from wires and passes through non conductive material such as dry carpet, plastic panels or plastic molding. The receiver is used to detect these signals so you can trace and locate the open or break in the circuit. (See “Locking the Sensitivity”)

2. Easily Shielded by Conductive Materials
   The open circuit signal is however easily shielded by conductive materials such as metal, wet carpet, neighboring wires in a harness and even your hand. This means that if conductive materials are between the transmitting wire and the receiver, the open circuit signal will not penetrate through and therefore not be detected by the receiver. So it is necessary to be aware of possible shielding issues and try to avoid them as much as possible.
   A great alternative to the receiver in detecting open circuit signals is to use the Power Probe Ill, IV, or Hook by direct contact. (see “Verify an Open Circuit”)

3. Signal Capacitive Coupling to Parallel Floating Circuits
   Another characteristic of the open circuit signal is that it will capacitive couple to parallel floating circuits. (See: “Bench Tracing a Wire Harness”)

4. Travels to ALL Open Ends
   In Fig. 1 we are injecting an open circuit signal into a parallel circuit that has three wires. Two of those wires lead to open switches and the other leads to the open/break. As you can see the open circuit signal travels to all open ends. This makes it necessary to isolate the problem circuit away from the others.

5. Can only be present in a circuit when there is a resistance greater than 100 ohms
   (See: Open Circuit Signal vs Grounded Circuit Signal”)

6. Has NO Polarity
   The open circuit signal does not have a polarity therefore the ECT receiver gives no direction indication as to a break in the wire. You will need to logically reason the direction of the break in the circuit and then continue to trace it.

7. 8 Volt amplitude and 4 kilo-Hertz signal
   The 4 Kilo-Hertz signal of the open circuit signal can be detected by the receiver. (See: “Locking the Sensitivity for Open Circuits” pg. 14) You can also use the Power Probe Ill, or Power probe IV for open circuit signal detection by direct contact. (See: “Verify an Open Circuit”)  Signals are all over the place, because the
   problem circuit has not been isolated.

The ECT3000 Receiver
The receiver is designed to detect the “Grounded Circuit signals” and the open circuit signals from the transmitter.

Auto shut-off feature
The receiver will automatically shut-off within 10 minutes when it is NOT receiving a signal.

1. The “Open & Short Pick-Up”
   located on the side of the receiver housing is to sense and detect complete and open circuit signals.

2. The “Power On/ Off/ Sense High Button performs three functions:

3. It turns the receiver ON and enters “pulse mode” (see “Pulse Mode”)

4. It increases the receiver signal sensitivity. (greater distance range)

5. Turns off the receiver

6. The “Sense Lock / Sense Low Button performs two functions:

7. It locks the receiver to the Open or Shorted circuit signal.

8. It turns receiver signal sensitivity down. (tighter distance range)

9. The “Wire Harness Probe”
   is for probing a harness to detect the open circuit signal. (See “Tracing Circuits that are Shielded”)

10. The “Direction to Short/ Ground ”
    indicators point you in the direction to the short or ground of the complete circuit. (See “Direction to the Short Circuit”)

11. The “Open Circuit” LED
    on the housing indicates when it is receiving an open circuit signal.

Battery Installation

1. To install the batteries, carefully remove two battery covers screws, remove the battery cover on the bottom of the receiver housing and insert.
2. AAA batteries into the battery compartment. Be sure the polarity of the batteries are correct then replace the battery cover.

Testing the SMART Receiver
To test the ECT receiver, connect the ECT transmitter to the vehicle’s battery, turn on the receiver by pressing the “Power On/Off/ Sense High” button. Place the “Open & Short Pick-Up” of the receiver on top of the green signal lead. The receiver should detect the open circuit signal and indicate this by the open circuit LED indicator flashing and pulsing a beeping tone. To test the receiver for the “Short/Grounded Circuit signal” connect the green signal lead to the negative post of the battery. Then you can test the Grounded Circuit signal by placing the “Open & Short Pick-Up” of the receiver parallel to the green signal lead. The receiver should detect the “Grounded Circuit signal” and show the direction to ground by the “Direction to Short or Ground” indicators.

Pulse Mode
When you first turn on the receiver it enters into “Pulse Mode”. “Pulse Mode” is great for the initial detection of the transmitting signal. You can also get a feel for the strength of the transmitting signal. As you place the “Open and Short Pick-Up” near a transmitting signal, an LED indicator will blink repeatedly along with an audible beep.

When the Receiver is in “pulse mode”:

1. It detects both “grounded” and “open” circuit signals.
2. It picks up and determines strong from weak signals by the pulse frequency rate.
3. The sensitivity is ready to be locked in, by pressing the “Sense Lock / Sense Low” button.
4. It detects and displays the direction to ground or a short circuit. While in “pulse mode” and then pressing the “Sense Lock / Sense Low” button, the receiver’s sensitivity will now be locked and no longer be in “Pulse Mode”.

The Receiver’s Reception Sensitivity:
When the receiver is in “pulse mode” you can lower it progressively closer to the transmitting signal and hear the increase in the pulse frequency as it passes each of the 8 sensitivity levels. The fastest pulse frequency is when you are nearest to the transmitting signal. Once you press the “Sense Lock / Sense Low” button the reception sensitivity is locked into that distance (plus/minus a couple of inches) from the transmitting circuit.

In order to lock the reception sensitivity of the receiver, two conditions must be met.

1. The receiver must be in “Pulse Mode”.
2. The receiver must be receiving a signal

When these two conditions are met, you can now press the “Sense Lock / Sense Low” button to lock the distance of the receiver and reception sensitivity.

Adjusting the receiver’s sensitivity:
Pressing either the “Sense High’ or “Sense Low” buttons on the receiver will either increase or decrease the receiver’s sensitivity distance. The “Sense Level” LED bar graph display indicates the set sensitivity range. Eight LEDs lit means the most signal range and will pickup signals up to approx. 8 inches. One LED lit means the least signal range, approx. 1 inch. This can be changed at any time after the intitial signal lock, and can be used to approximate the distance from the receiver that the problem wire is. This feature can also be used to increase and decrease the signal tolerance as you trace a circuit through a vehicle. You may have to increase range to read through a larger obstacle, while a tighter range will allow you to follow individual wires or circuits more accurately.

Locking the Sensitivity for Short/Grounded Circuits
To lock the receiver’s sensitivity for short/grounded circuits, it must be turned on and in “pulse mode”. Hold the “Open & Short Pick-Up” of the receiver parallel and as near to the wire as you can while achieving the most rapid pulse rate. (See: Fig.A) Now press the “Sense Lock/Sense Low button”. The receiver is now locked into the strong “Grounded Circuit signal” and will ignore weaker parallel circuit signals. If you need to readjust the receiver’s sensitivity so that it will pick up weaker circuit signals and be more sensitive, press the “Power On/Off/ Sense High” button to return to increase sensitivity.

Locking the Sensitivity for Open Circuits
To adjust the receiver so that it is at its most sensitive setting in open circuit tracing. First turn on the receiver. It is now in “pulse mode”. Hold it as close to the open circuit as you can while receiving the most rapid pulse frequency. Now lift the receiver about 4 inches away from the circuit and press the “Sense Lock/Sense Low” button. (See: Fig. B) At this level you should be able to pick up the open circuit signal in that circuit and eliminate other signals that could be capacitive coupling into neighboring floating circuits and causing you problems. If you need to adjust the receiver so that the reception sensitivity is more sensitive, press the “Power On/Off/ Sense High” button or the “Sense Lock/Sense Low” button to adjust sensitivity up or down. Adjust until you achieve the proper setting for your application.

Direction to the Short

The ShorVGrounded Circuit signal is polarized. This gives the receiver the information it needs to show you the direction to the short or the direction to ground. When you place the receiver’s “Open & Short Pick-Up” parallel to the wire of the Grounded Circuit signal, “Direction to ShorVGround” indicator will point you in the direction to ground. If you were to flip the receiver in the opposite direction it will detect the polarity change, the “Direction to ShorV Ground” indicator will flip, and it will still point you in the direction to ground. Keep in mind that the receiver’s “Open & Short Pick-Up” must be held parallel to the circuit for the “Direction to shorV Ground” to indicate.
The ECT3000 works equally well with either positive chassis ground or negative chassis ground. The only thing you need to keep in mind is, when tracing short circuits the receiver always points you towards the minus of the battery so if you have a short between your wiring and the chassis is a positive ground system, you just need to trace in the opposite direction the LED is pointing!

How to Use the Adapters in Diagnosing Circuits

Connection Accessories:
Included in the ECT3000 are the following connection accessories.

• Alligator Clip : for connecting onto any conductor such as a wire or a terminal.
• Blade Probe : for tapping into fuse socket terminals and connectors.
• Back Probe : for back probing connectors.
• Piercing Probe : for tapping into wires by piercing through the insulation.
• Light Bulb Socket Adapters : 3 common types for connecting easily to light bulb socket terminals. There are times when the short or open tail or brake light circuit is located nearer to the bulb socket. It is here where you may find it much easier to diagnose the circuit by injecting a signal into the light socket directly.
• Universal Wire Adapter : for making your own custom connector.

1. Fig.1 There are times when a short or open circuit is located closer to the tail light or brake light circuit. It is here where you may find it much easier to diagnose the circuit by injecting a signal into the light socket directly. The bulb socket adapters provide a quick and easy way to connect to bulb socket terminals.
2. Fig.2 Other times it maybe necessary to inject the signal at the fuse panel using the flat blade adapter.
3. Fig.3 Using the alligator clip adapter on an already exposed wire or the piercing probe are other options.

How to Trace Out a Short Circuit to Chassis Ground
Circuit Signal” travels THROUGH THE SHORT CIRCUIT TO CHASSIS GROUND making it easy to trace. This sometimes eliminates the need for isolating the circuit.

1. Remove the blown fuse
2. Connect the transmitter’s “power lead” to the vehicles battery
3. Connect the “signal lead” to the shorted terminal of the fuse panel using the Blade probe.
4. Turn on the receiver. It will be in “pulse mode”.
5. Place the “Open & Short Pick-Up” about 2″ from the wire harness and parallel to the shorted wire until the “Direction to Short or Ground” indicator beeps rapidly.
6. Press the “Sense Lock/Sense Low” button.
7. Trace the circuit in the direction of the indicator until you loose the signal.
8. If you reach an obstacle remove it or work through it. Remember to ISOLATE THE CIRCUIT YOU ARE TRACING. Inspect the circuit and verify the short. (See: “Verify a short circuit to ground”)
9. Isolate the short circuit you are tracing and reconnect the “signal lead directly to the new found part of the shorted wire. (See: “Isolate the Circuit you are Tracing”)
10. Continue to follow the signal until you loose it.
11. Inspect the circuit and verify the short.
12. Repeat steps 7 through 10 until you find the cause of the short circuit.
13. Once you fix the short, reconnect all the sections of the circuit you had disconnected earlier.

Isolate the Circuit You are Tracing
Isolating the circuit you want to trace is absolutely necessary when using “Open Circuit Signals”. It is always good to disconnect the circuit you are tracing away from other parallel circuits. Once you isolate the troubled circuit, you can then connect the transmitter’s signal lead exclusively to your selected circuit. Connecting exclusively to your ISOLATED circuit insures that the SIGNAL is confined in just that one single circuit. The signal strength remains constant throughout the isolated circuit. This makes the circuit easier to trace. You also eliminate confusion of the signal branching off to other areas that will lead you astray. When you are finished diagnosing, don’t forget to reconnect the isolated circuit. Isolating a short/grounded circuit is best done by removing the loads in the circuit. This accomplishes two things: 1. It assures that 100% of the signal is being transmitted down the wire you are tracing, 2. if the circuit goes intermittent, the transmitter will alert you. (See: “Circuit Wiggle & Flex Test”).

Verify a Short Circuit to Ground
One of the best tools for verifying a short circuit to ground is the Power Probe 1, 2, or 3. To verify a short circuit connect the Power Probe to the circuit and press the power switch forward. If the Power Probe’s circuit breaker trips, you have verified the short.

IMPORTANT
Be careful not to power up circuits that are connected to the vehicles onboard computer. You may have to unplug the computer or electronic modules when performing short circuit verification on electronic systems.

Short Circuit Inside a Wire Harness

A common occurrence inside of wiring harnesses is that there are two wires running close and parallel to each other. One wire is the positive wire that flows one way and the ground wire that flows back the opposite direction. When the signal source runs closely parallel to the signal return, as in this case, they cancel each other and the signal strength is considerably reduced. You can pull one wire at a time away from the other wires, creating some distance between them. As you hold the wire away from the other wires, the signal canceling effect is removed in that area and the signal strength will increase in the wire. You can now get a reading off of the wire with the receiver by holding it parallel to the receiver’s pick-up area. Take note of the directional indicator of the receiver. Check for the other wire that indicates the opposite direction. You can now assume that both wires are in the same circuit. Trace both wires as a pair along the harness until you find the problem. (see illustration)

Reception Distance and What that Means.
When tracing parallel circuits, you can determine if a one wire has a stronger “Grounded Circuit signal” present over another wire. The wire that has a stronger signal carries a larger current. This means the circuit that has the stronger signal also has a lower resistance compared to the other parallel branch. Just knowing this information can come in handy when determining the fault of a circuit. Once the receiver is locked into the Short/Grounded Circuit signal, (see “Locking the sensitivity of short/grounded circuits”) note the distance of the pick-up area to the wire as you slowly lower it down near to the wire. For example, you will notice the receiver’s indicator comes on about 2 inches with one wire and 3 inches with the other wire. The wire that makes the receiver come on 3 inches away is transmitting a stronger signal than the circuit that makes the receiver come on only 2 inches away. That’s important to know so you can understand and determine which wire has a stronger signal. This is why it is always recom­mended to isolate your troubled circuit. Isolating your circuit insures that you are following the correct circuit and it avoids confusion with other parallel wires or circuits. (See “Isolating the Circuit”)

Tracing Circuits that are Shielded:
Quite often you will need to trace circuits in areas that are shielded from the receiver. This doesn’t have to be an impossible feat. Sometimes just a little logic and planning can overcome many obstacles. If your circuit enters a shielded area, consider if it may have an exit point as well. If you receive a signal going into a shielded area and a signal going out, you can consider the problem not in the shielded area. Since you found the exit point of the circuit exposing the wire is unnecessary. If you find that the signal does not exit the shielded area, then you might need to remove the shield and probe further. (See: “Verify an Open Circuit”)

Open Circuit Signal vs Grounded Circuit Signal

Open circuit signals can only be present in a circuit when there is a resistance of about 100 ohms or greater. (Figure A) If a switch was to close in this circuit, (Figure B) the open circuit signals would cease to emit and the short/ Grounded Circuit signal would replace it. The transmitter will also sound a tone that tells you that the circuit has just made contact with ground. (Tip: Wiggling and pulling wires that have an open circuit signal on them can lead you to the problem. This is done by the transmitter alerting you if the circuit you are pulling on makes contact to a grounded circuit.) (See: “Circuit Wiggle & Flex Test”) The point here is that Short/Grounded Circuit signals take priority over open circuit signals. So be sure your open circuit that you are tracing does not have any kind of continuity to ground present.

How to Trace out an Open Circuit

An open circuit does not complete a path to ground. The cause for an open circuit can vary from an open switch, unplugged connector, bad connections and breaks in wires.

1. Connect the transmitter’s power lead to the vehicle’s battery.
2. Connect the SMART transmitter’s signal lead to the open circuit.
3. Turn on the receiver. It will be in “pulse mode”.
4. Place the “Open & Short Pick-Up” near and parallel to the open wire until the “Open Circuit” LED indicator blinks and beeps. (be careful to hold the receiver from the outer edge to prevent your hand from shielding the signal)
5. Lift receiver away from the open circuit so that the pulse of the “Open Circuit” indicator slows down but doesn’t stop completely.
6. Press the “Sense Lock/Sense Low” button.
7. Hold the receiver near to the open circuit and while the “Open Circuit” indicator is ON steady, follow the path of the circuit or wire until you lose the signal.
8. If you reach an obstacle, remove it or work through it. Remember to ISOLATE THE CIRCUIT YOU ARE TRACING. Inspect the circuit and verify the open circuit. (See” “Verify an Open Circuit” below.)
9. Continue Steps 7-8 until you find the open or break in the circuit.

Verify an Open Circuit:
One of the best methods for verifying an open circuit is using a Power Probe circuit tester together with the transmitter. Since the transmitter’s open circuit signal delivers 8 volts and a 4 kHz signal, it can be easily detected by directly contacting the Power Probe Ill or IVto the wire of the transmitting circuit.
Contact the probe of the Power Probe Ill or IV to the open circuit with the open circuit signal applied to it. You should hear the 4 kHz tone from the Power Probe Ill speaker.
If you don’t hear the 4 kHz tone, inspect the circuit closer to determine why. If you hear the 4 kHz tone, you are on the correct circuit.Testing the open circuit with transmitter together with the Power Probe Ill has advantages over just a continuity test. This is because the transmitter’s toggle tone feature will alert you if the open circuit makes contact with an intermittent grounded circuit. (See: “Circuit Wiggle & Flex Test” )

Bench Tracing a Wire Harness

There are cases where you may have a wire harness removed from the vehicle, sitting on the bench, and tracing an open circuit. Wire harnesses that are removed from the vehicle’s electrical system have only floating wires in them. The open connectors of the harness are connected neither to positive nor negative therefore all of the harness’s circuits are open and floating. It is important to be aware that the open circuit signal will capacitive couple into floating circuits that run parallel and next to the transmitting signal wire. (See Figure A). Floating circuits that couple the open circuit signal also transmit the signal too and will even couple back to the wire you want to trace. This prevents the receiver from locating the break in the wire because all the wires are transmitting signals. You can be easily led down the wrong circuit if you are not aware of this.
To correct this problem, you need to tie all parallel floating open circuits to either ground or a positive voltage (see Figure B). All neighboring wires and circuits must have some potential of ground or positive on them to prevent capacitive coupling from occurring.

It is recommended to trace OPEN circuits while the IGNITION is turned ON. This will supply a positive voltage on certain circuits that can potentially capacitive couple. It is also a good idea to keep all of the vehicle’s electrical loads (light bulbs, relays, motors, etc.) CONNECTED while tracing OPEN circuits. This keeps certain neighboring circuits grounded, which also prevents them from capacitive coupling.

Tracing out Battery Drains or Current Draw
When you have a battery or current draw that is drawing enough current to drain the battery over night or a couple of days, you have a condition that the ECT3000 can assist you in. In cases like this you can inject a signal into the main positive battery cable after removing it from the positive battery post. Now you can follow the signal along its path and look for the possible cause of the battery drain. Tracing battery drains are a little different than tracing a short or open circuit. When you are tracing battery drains you are not looking for a loss of signal, you are simply following the circuit path and unplugging wires and components along the way to give you clues to the problem.

To trace battery drains and get nearer to the location of the current draw:

1. Disconnect the positive terminal from the vehicle’s battery. (You will need to consult your vehicle’s owner manual for proper battery disconnecting instruction. Some vehicles require that voltage potential be maintained at all times on certain compo nents for instance, radios, onboard computers, memory, CPUs, etc.)
2. Connect the transmitter’s 20ft power lead to the positive and negative post of the battery.
3. Connect the signal lead to the disconnected positive terminal. Trace the circuit that is transmitting the strong signal with the receiver. (The directional indicators only show you the direction to ground. It will not stop at the fault.)
4. Disconnect the wire and components along the circuit path to narrow down the cause of the current draw.

Circuit Wiggle & Flex Test

At times it’s necessary to check for intermittent connection problems. The circuit wiggle test allows you to wiggle, twist, pull, push and flex wires or connectors and observe a circuit change. The transmitter monitors the condition of the circuit and alerts you to a change. For instance, if you are injecting an open circuit signal into an open circuit and you wiggle the wires, it might make contact inside of a broken wire or a loose connector. The transmitter will sound off at the instant the open circuit makes contact with a connection or ground. At this point you can keep flexing and wiggling the wire to locate the problem. If you are injecting an isolated Grounded Circuit and the wires you wiggle causes it to loose contact, it will instantly sound- off, alerting you to the fact that the circuit has lost its connection to ground. As the transmitter is sounding, you can press the “Tone On/Off’ button and the tone will toggle off. When you toggle it off, as it is alerting you to an open circuit, it now silently monitors the open circuit until it akes contact with ground again.

APAC MGL APPA Corporation

• cs.apac@mgl-intl.com
• Tel : +886 2-2508-0877

CANADA &USA Power Probe Group, Inc.

• cs.na@mgl-intl.com
• Tel : +l 833 533-5899

www.powerprobe.com

Incorporated with MGL  © 2023 MGL International Group Limited. All rights reserved. Specifications are snbjest to change without notification.

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