I use a radio shack personal alarm as a ringer, so i can hear it from far away. But i've fried to of them when 120v got sent through it on accident. So i was wondering if i could put something between the alligator clips and the personal alarm to protect it from happening. Also what do you guys use for a ringer when you need to hear it from far away?
Is there a way to prevent my homemade ringer from getting fried?
- Thread starter zappy
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LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I'm gonna need to see a picture to be able to answer this one.
I use it for ringing out the circuits before they sheetrock, so when i touch the two leads together it rings letting me know the circuits good. It works on a 9v. battery. It's good for say your upstairs and the breaker panel is downstairs. I hook it up at the breaker panel all take all the hots and hook it up to one lead then all the neutrals on the other lead. So as i'm walking through the house i check all the outlets, lights. I jerry rigged the alarm with leads. It's hard to explain. When i first started as a electrician in resi i was shown this trick. All try and put a pic up, if i can figure out how.
Brian Oshman
Member
- Location
- Stewartsville, NJ
There is no point in testing it that way. That method works for numbering wire pulls. Two walkie talkies and a continuity tester. One grounds the wires one at a time to the pipe at one end and the other hunts for the wire at the other end then numbers it.
I just use my Sharpie and label the HRs as I pull them.
Brian Oshman
Member
- Location
- Stewartsville, NJ
I was refering to THHN in pipe.
I still don't get it.
What are you trying to do with this 'ringer'? Locate a circuit in pipe?
Brian Oshman
Member
- Location
- Stewartsville, NJ
OK, let's say you pull a bunch of wires in a pipe all the same color. Now after rough pull you want to identify them. You have someone at one end place one wire on the pipe and at the other end you use a continuity tester and place one lead on the pipe and with the other lead you test each wire one a t a time. When you get the one that is grounded at the other end to ring you then put a matching number at both ends.
When all wires are marked at both ends then you can terminate them. It has nothing to do with the original poster as I am not sure what his method is for but I was just stating a practical use for a "ringer" hence the term, "ring out the wires".
All you need is one person, an ohm meter, and a set of labels. One round trip from one end to the other and back, and you're done.
cadpoint
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
No, thats where you need a two phones and a 9 V battery, have a radio in the background running out loud, or even a good tune generator can get you through that!
All you need is one person, an ohm meter, and a set of labels
(Assuming even number of wires, odd numbers is a slight variation, see below)
Splice pairs of wires together at one end. Now go to the other end. Find a pair that is shorted together. Label one of them a #1, and ground it. Label the other as #2.
Now find another pair. Label one of them as #3, and tie it to #2. Label the other as #4.
Find another pair, and tie one of them to #4, labeling it #5, the other #6.
Repeat through the entire sets of pairs.
Once you get the one end labeled, go back to the other end. One pair of wires will be shorted to ground. Take them apart and find the one that is grounded. That's #1, the other is #2. #2 will be shorted to another pair of wires. Find that pair and take them apart. The one shorted to #2 will be #3, the other #4.
Continue until you label the other end. One round trip.
If you start out with an odd number of condcutors:
Ground one wire. Label it #1. Start tying the remaining pairs of wires together.
Go to other end and locate grounded wire. It?s #1. Find a pair of wires, and label one #2, tie it to #1. Label other #3.
Find another pair, label one #4 and tie to #3. Label other #5. Continue until you label them all.
Now go back to the other end. Find the one pair that?s shorted to #1, and take them apart. The one that is still shorted to #1 is #2, and the other is #3. Find the pair shorted to #3, and take them apart. The one still shorted to #3 is #4, the other is #5. Continue until you label them all.
Brian Oshman
Member
- Location
- Stewartsville, NJ
Mr.Sparkle
Senior Member
- Location
- Jersey Shore
Cut wires same length at both ends, go to one end stagger them short to long, label 1-????.
Go to other end and label in reverse.
Go to other end and label in reverse.
Brian Oshman
Member
- Location
- Stewartsville, NJ
That will work in a short pipe but what about a 200 foot run?
480sparky got a great method for one person.
masterinbama
Senior Member
- Location
- Huntsville Alabama
what's wrong with these?
http://www.contractorlighting.com/wire-marker-booklet-c-57.html?&gclid=CLTxiNjp8poCFRKAxgodCjYgdg
http://www.contractorlighting.com/wire-marker-booklet-c-57.html?&gclid=CLTxiNjp8poCFRKAxgodCjYgdg
- Location
- Massachusetts
!7 posts and not one has tried to answer the question asked. :roll:
Perhaps a small 120 volt relay added into the circuit that would open your circuit to the LV source if 120 was applied.
Really you may just have to be more careful.
Perhaps a small 120 volt relay added into the circuit that would open your circuit to the LV source if 120 was applied.
Really you may just have to be more careful.
I love this forum! I'm not afraid to ask the dumb questions, how else will i learn?
I love this forum! I'm not afraid to ask the dumb questions, how else will i learn?
I just use it as a loud continuity tester, to make sure there are no homeruns or jumper missing before they sheetrock. I'm not checking the integrity of the insulation. But i will admit i don't have a megger. I've never used one in the field. Only in the test instrument class i took in the union. I guess it would be good to check if someone stapled to hard to the romex before they sheetrocked? But if you use insulated staples, i dont see a need to megger the romex before they sheetrock? You got to have thick skin on this forum!
I love this forum! I'm not afraid to ask the dumb questions, how else will i learn?
I just use it as a loud continuity tester, to make sure there are no homeruns or jumper missing before they sheetrock. I'm not checking the integrity of the insulation. But i will admit i don't have a megger. I've never used one in the field. Only in the test instrument class i took in the union. I guess it would be good to check if someone stapled to hard to the romex before they sheetrocked? But if you use insulated staples, i dont see a need to megger the romex before they sheetrock? You got to have thick skin on this forum!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Finally a answer to my question. Yeah i try not to put it on a live circuit. I've fried two in the span of 15 years or so. But it still pisses me off.
Thank you!
Finally a answer to my question. Yeah i try not to put it on a live circuit. I've fried two in the span of 15 years or so. But it still pisses me off.
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