Square D wiggy

[MrSmilez1959]

The Wiggy's and Square D analog testers have the possibility for passing voltage through the meter and possibly into your hands, from what I've been told. That's why they've become obsolete and no one sells them. I had a Wiggy, and quickly bought a Fluke for replacement. Haven't looked back once.


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[don_resqcapt19]

The Wiggy's and Square D analog testers have the possibility for passing voltage through the meter and possibly into your hands, from what I've been told. That's why they've become obsolete and no one sells them. I had a Wiggy, and quickly bought a Fluke for replacement. Haven't looked back once.


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How would any voltage tester, other than a non-contact tester, work it it didn't pass the voltage through the meter?

 

[MrSmilez1959]

Square D wiggy

Exactly my thoughts. But it's the amount of voltage that passes making it a hazard and no longer safe. The newer meters send a signal as opposed to voltage, in turn making it a safer tool. I love my fluke even though it requires batteries on the unit.
We were unsure about the batteries and how it would affect a tool that is supposed to work solely on the voltage in question. But the batteries are mainly for the lcd display and flashlight. It doesn't need batteries to work, it will light up to show the voltage without sound.


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[George Stolz]

The Wiggy's and Square D analog testers have the possibility for passing voltage through the meter and possibly into your hands, from what I've been told. That's why they've become obsolete and no one sells them. I had a Wiggy, and quickly bought a Fluke for replacement. Haven't looked back once.

I think you're referring to the current, not the voltage.

http://www.fluke.com/fluke/uses/com...clecategories/rd/solenoid vs select volt test

 

[MrSmilez1959]

Yes


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[kwired]

I think you're referring to the current, not the voltage.

http://www.fluke.com/fluke/uses/com...clecategories/rd/solenoid vs select volt test

Yes


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Any low impedance meter will have this issue. Low impedance is still necessary to eliminate registering "phantom voltage" though.

The trick is not to become part of the circuit

If you are following recommended safety practices you have no exposed skin when testing voltage.

 

[just the cowboy]

don't do the same job

don't do the same job

Buy a Fluke DMM.

I only use my wiggy when I want to put a load on a circuir to test if it will carry current and not ghost voltage, DMM won't do that unless it is made that way. My fluke 116 has a lo z mode to test under load. When i worked in the navy yard wiggys were not aloud because they did not play nice with 400hz.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

And, no one mentioned my beloved go-to... A Sperry Snap 6

 

[peter d]

Any low impedance meter will have this issue. Low impedance is still necessary to eliminate registering "phantom voltage" though.

The electronic wiggy's have solved the Z problem. :thumbsup:

 

[meternerd]

I keep pushing mine off the the side of my tool chest looking for something else. Square D Cat # 5008. Has a note under the model that says "For Intermittent Use Only" Now that makes me nervous. I used to use it on 480AC and 250V DC with no gloves. Thought I was indestructible back then. How do you spell "STOOPUD"? I'll give it away if anybody wants to pay shipping. Just tried it and it still works. I think the last time I used it was when Mr Edison and Mr Tesla were having their arguments..........

 

[1793]

I use my Wiggy just about everyday. 99.999% of my work is residential remodel, troubleshooting and my Wiggy does everything I need it to do.

 

[K8MHZ]

I keep pushing mine off the the side of my tool chest looking for something else. Square D Cat # 5008. Has a note under the model that says "For Intermittent Use Only" Now that makes me nervous. I used to use it on 480AC and 250V DC with no gloves. Thought I was indestructible back then. How do you spell "STOOPUD"? I'll give it away if anybody wants to pay shipping. Just tried it and it still works. I think the last time I used it was when Mr Edison and Mr Tesla were having their arguments..........

The 'intermittent use' caution is so people don't permanently connect them to a circuit 24/7 to monitor voltage. There is nothing wrong with the tester, no solenoid tester is designed to be permanently connected to a circuit.

 

[ritelec]

The 'intermittent use' caution is so people don't permanently connect them to a circuit 24/7 to monitor voltage. There is nothing wrong with the tester, no solenoid tester is designed to be permanently connected to a circuit.

You mean to tell me all these years of testing with a wiggy and counting maybe to sixty or so before removing the connection and getting complete anxiety over the length of time it could be connected for testing was for naught?

 

[K8MHZ]

You mean to tell me all these years of testing with a wiggy and counting maybe to sixty or so before removing the connection and getting complete anxiety over the length of time it could be connected for testing was for naught?

:lol:

 

[infinity]

Some consider these as a replacement for the old Wiggy. Even made 100% in the USA.

http://www.wireman.com/products/knopp-k60-voltage-tester

 

[kwired]

Some consider these as a replacement for the old Wiggy. Even made 100% in the USA.

http://www.wireman.com/products/knopp-k60-voltage-tester

I like a similar device but with continuity tester as well. That works for most of the everyday troubleshooting, the digital meter is needed when actual voltage is needed for some reason, or sometimes a megger is needed for same reasons you need it over a typical DMM.

 

[Chamuit]

Some guys just lick their finger before touching to test for voltage

Watched a carpenter do that once. Couldn't believe it!

 

[Fulthrotl]

Watched a carpenter do that once. Couldn't believe it!

probably an older guy?

i've worked around old sparkies who'd do that. they don't have the
skin conduction that younger people have, it seems.

 

[Fulthrotl]

On any given day I might need to check for voltage, continuity, trip a GFCI, test a battery or possibly check resistance. The T+ Pro does all that in one tester. The Ideal Vol Con is a good tester but just too limited. I gave my original Wiggy away in 2007 and my VolCon away a few years later and I have not missed either of them at all.

fluke 12 came out in 1991. very very seldom do i need anything
beyond it. discontinued a while back... i have a stash of two new
ones in boxes...... default is a 2k ohm shunt load on voltage measurment.
eliminates transient voltages well.

http://www.fluke.com/fluke/phen/digital-multimeters/fluke-12.htm?pid=55998

 

[macmikeman]

The electronic wiggy's have solved the Z problem. :thumbsup:

I don't believe that. Yesterday I was demonstrating that to my son and an electrical engineer who was my customer. The engineer saw the t-pro tester my son had out and commented on the low z feature of it. I opened a load center up , and had the kid test between one of the feed lugs for the ungrounded conductor to the (now turned off) circuit breakers with the load wires attached. Brand new receptacle outlet circuits- no loads plugged into any outlets, he got readings of 115 volts using the Fluke T-pro with its built in low z feature. I put my knopp tester across the exact same points and it read zero volts. Because there was zero actual potential. The both instruments have their good points and their bad points. You don't get replaceable leads with the know, and eventually the leads will wear out. However , there is no chance of a phoney baloney voltage reading where no real voltage is actually present when using a Knopp solenoid tester. The T-PRO will still show phantom voltage readings, low z function or no low z function.