McGary911
05-29-2010, 04:28 PM
Long ago, I used to wire up radio station control rooms. I always found it interesting. I ran across a tool that was a godsend. It was a tone generator\inductive amplifier set made by a company called progressive electronics.
It had a tone generator with 2 alligator clips that you'd clip to the end of a wire that went god knows where. It will send a tone (constant or 2 tone) over that wire. You can use the amplifier to listen for that tone where you think it terminates. You can even use it to listen for the tone through walls. Great for tracing wires on a boat, phone wires (also has a rj14 jack for phone stuff), and house wiring. You'll fry it if you use it on a line with voltage, but I'd think if you're messing with AC, you'll turn that off anyway. I just used it to install a new pool light in my pool. Before tearing into where I thought the wire went, I tone tested it. The wire really went to some other place that actually made the job easier. This thing has saved me more times than I can count. Not cheap. I think mine was about $90 or so. Many different prices on the net, but it looks like amazon has it for $110. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000WUK76/ref=asc_df_B0000WUK761125128?smid=A2QE1R98UNI0YZ&tag=pgmp-1585-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B0000WUK76
The company changed it's name to Tempo, but the one in the link is the same I have. The tone sender even has a continuity tester in it. Great for tracing wires on boats when you have no way to see through the fiberglass.
Just passing on some hopefully good info.
It had a tone generator with 2 alligator clips that you'd clip to the end of a wire that went god knows where. It will send a tone (constant or 2 tone) over that wire. You can use the amplifier to listen for that tone where you think it terminates. You can even use it to listen for the tone through walls. Great for tracing wires on a boat, phone wires (also has a rj14 jack for phone stuff), and house wiring. You'll fry it if you use it on a line with voltage, but I'd think if you're messing with AC, you'll turn that off anyway. I just used it to install a new pool light in my pool. Before tearing into where I thought the wire went, I tone tested it. The wire really went to some other place that actually made the job easier. This thing has saved me more times than I can count. Not cheap. I think mine was about $90 or so. Many different prices on the net, but it looks like amazon has it for $110. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000WUK76/ref=asc_df_B0000WUK761125128?smid=A2QE1R98UNI0YZ&tag=pgmp-1585-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B0000WUK76
The company changed it's name to Tempo, but the one in the link is the same I have. The tone sender even has a continuity tester in it. Great for tracing wires on boats when you have no way to see through the fiberglass.
Just passing on some hopefully good info.