How to find an open circuit or shorted wire the FAST easy way

How to find an open circuit or shorted wire the FAST easy way. Also called a fox and hound tool, the tone generator and amplifier probe make finding an open circuit much faster and easier than using a continuity tester or circuit probe. Extech 40180

[luckydavis]

I retired from AT&T use the tone generator for 40 years after reading some of these comments I think it's too simple for them to understand you turn the amplifier down to the minimum volume and when you get close you can tell the difference in the amount of tone being generated and that's where you start looking for your problem but you have to listen to the tone

[snap-off]

I guess the reason this video made total sense to me and not others is because I use one all the time in computer networking, and know how they behave. It really is as simple as trace your toner down the wire until the tone fades off, and you've found your 6 to 8 inch area to search for a broken wire. Also because when Brian says "short" I can listen to what he means not what he says and understand he means an open break in a wire.

[stevenalexander]

You're the first guy who actually traced one wire using ONE lead (black) of that tone generator. All the other demonstrations I've see used two wires and both black and red leads which made me think the device could not trace one wire. I only want to trace one non-energized a/c wire (behind sheetrock) and see if its among a group of wires at another location. THANKS!
Follow-up...I purchased a Fluke that's similar to the tool you're using and it worked just as you demonstrated. I found the wire I was looking for and was able to repair my a/c lights and power receptacle issues very quickly. THANKS AGAIN!!

[tommyxboy]

Hey mate! I left you a comment a while earlier in the year saying I'd started mechanics and your vids were really helping me which you replied to, well now I'm still doing my course, I got a job and thanks to this video I fixed a car with air bag problems that my boss and co-workers were stumped on, haha and I'm only the assistant!

[pmd]

From a utility guy this is a critical tool in my bag. I carry a few at all times. Nothing beats hearing a tone over a mile away

[briansmobile]

@KillerZero259 I don't mind the thumbs down. I appreciate any kind of feed back. I'm open to improving myself, but I also understand humanity has an AMAZING and wonderful amount of variety. (I like that- I get bored of the same old shit pretty easy) With such variety you have to realize you won't please everyone with everything you do. Thank you for your enthusiastic support. I feel that and appreciate it!

[vonshango]

solid, quick, to-the-point, no stumbling over words, no teleprompter.

[ADPTraining]

FANTASTIC, I appreciate you mentioning me. Thanks man. I'm also glad you picked up this tool. For the life of me I don't understand why these tone generator tracers haven't been fully disseminated in the field to most repair shops. In 20 years as a tech I probably went through 15 of these units. I kept running over them. Good job, I could do a whole series on techniques on using this tool. It is a great time saver...

[deniss]

As an Internet technician I am happy to see this used for other purposes,
Thanks for the video

[robertschulke]

This is great for boat repair. I have a 30 YO boat with apparently 3 different electrical systems installed one on top of the other over the years. Without this tool, I would have to crawl through bilges, lockers, etc. following wires the hard way. Great presentation, BTW

[joedasilva]

Watching this in Dec. 2021. they are now less than $30 and it's the ONLY WAY TO GO when sniffing out electrical problems!
Thanks for the great video.

[amillionhomes]

I did not realize how old this conversation was. I agree with other posters, don't confuse an "OPEN" with a short circut.
If it is a SHORT circuit there would be blown fuses or "TRIPPED" electrical Breakers.
In my 30+ years, (IN NEW JERSEY) I can say, it has to do with salt effects after a snow storm. Electrical connections don't like salt, (neither do I)
I have put in over 120 man hours in the last year on our 2004 Tahoe, with 160K miles and I still need to replace/repair, , , , SOOO many things.

[olejaws]

Excellent demo Brian, I'm a Tech of 36 years and sure could've used that a few times, instead of the old inductive type with a breaker. :-)

[jaxxonbalboa]

I'm a field service engineer and over the years I have worked on many types of equipment and something like this would be helpful, but I was vexed at your test. Please understand I'm not busting your chops....I do respect tech people. If I may recommend that you do a follow-up vid with a better organized visual that will leave no doubt of what the tool does.

[johnnyelectric]

wow how many years did i go without knowing about this tool !!!! Thanks for sharing

[billyrichardson]

I'm having a problem with my turn signal and my hazzards on my front passengers side of my vehicle. That is a awsome way to find a break in a circuit. Thanks a lot guy. Thumbs up

[dangerdavefreestyle]

Im an electrician and this is my favorite tool in my bag. I can find ac wires in attics, junction boxes, panels, walls. Ive fixed my van with it, and used it on an aircraft carrier for complex equipment some pretty amazing distances. The one I have currently I bought from harbor freight for 12 bucks, and it works like a champ. I even screwed a drywall screw into a plywood wall, hooked a lead up to it, the other to a ground, went on the other side and found my exact mark where i want to drill.

[FidelityElectric]

The handheld wand is an induction amplifier so it picks up EMF or other transmissions and amplifies them. That is why you can hear the 60hz from the electrical cable in the wall. The same holds true for the toner in that you can hook it to a wire to trace (with power OFF) and you point the little tip at your wall and sweep it back and forth and listen for the loudest tone. You can then sweep and follow that wire. I found a wire that was open one time and I told the guy where it was but that I had to open the drywall. Behind the wall was a buried junction box where the wire burned open. They had the box packed with dry newspaper to allow for the drywall to be patched. What happened is they changed a window out to a door and cut and extended the wire on either side of the door. The customer only let me fix one side so I had him sign a waiver that I attempted the complete repair but he was refusing to let me fix it...SMH...I mean it's not like there isn't a possibility of it arcing and burning possibly starting a fire? It already did that...people...

[nuclearknight]

For the past two months, I have had no dash lights and no park lights on my truck. So when I drive at night, going to work, my rear lights are not lit up unless I press the brake or the blinkers because those two both work Thank you so much for your video and I’m so glad I found it because I’m going to use this tool to find the problem. All the fuses and relays and everything is good in my truck so it’s gotta be a wire.

[jymmycrackcorn]

I'm a former telco tech and have one of these just kicking around. Never thought to use it for car repairs at the house. Awesome video.