tick tracer, line chaser, name not important

Well, maybe it is important, because I'm trying to find one and those names are giving me other things.

I need a signal generator that I can clip to ONE wire and a detector that can detect the signal from up to six inches away.

Must not require power from the line being traced, nor require a circuit (most of the wires are open).

Would be nice if it is safe to use on "hot" wires. (One of the six is hot; if the device can't handle that, at least it will do the other five.)

Must be a "reasonable" price--I'd rather rip out the wall, eyeball it, and repair, than pay umpteen hundred dollars for a Progressive Electronics 521. I could build my own for less than that even if I paid myself $100 per hour!

I already paid fifty for one labeled "batteries not included" which made me think it would work. But only after opening it did I find that the sensor uses batteries and the transmitter only works if connected to both sides of a working line.

Reply to
Wes Groleau
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Reply to
Home Guy

I got something similar to this, years ago.

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that helps.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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I need a signal generator that I can clip to ONE wire and a detector that can detect the signal from up to six inches away.

Must not require power from the line being traced, nor require a circuit (most of the wires are open).

Would be nice if it is safe to use on "hot" wires. (One of the six is hot; if the device can't handle that, at least it will do the other five.)

Must be a "reasonable" price--I'd rather rip out the wall, eyeball it, and repair, than pay umpteen hundred dollars for a Progressive Electronics 521. I could build my own for less than that even if I paid myself $100 per hour!

I already paid fifty for one labeled "batteries not included" which made me think it would work. But only after opening it did I find that the sensor uses batteries and the transmitter only works if connected to both sides of a working line.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

For many years I have use a shit pocket sized AM radio to trace powered Romex inside sheet rock walls. I find a relatively quiet spot on the dial then adjust the volume control and start scanning the wall. The hum from the 60 cycle AC makes quite a racket on the radio. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

The OP did say some of the wires would be unpowered. So, he was looking for a toner tracer set. The one from HF might work for the application.

I used to have several shit pocket sized AM radios. Maybe find one some where, if it still works. It could have shirt the bed.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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For many years I have use a shit pocket sized AM radio to trace powered Romex inside sheet rock walls. I find a relatively quiet spot on the dial then adjust the volume control and start scanning the wall. The hum from the 60 cycle AC makes quite a racket on the radio. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

It has TWO leads. Will it work if only one is connected?

Reply to
Wes Groleau

It might. It has two leads, but the manual makes me think it might work if I can run the other to a good ground. And my local Harbor Freight has it in stock so I can try before buy.

thanks

Reply to
Wes Groleau

I also said I had already paid fifty bucks for one that requires AC power (after the packaging implied otherwise).

Reply to
Wes Groleau

I have one of those tracer devices, and yes - it will work when connected to one wire.

Reply to
Home Guy

Sigh, The batteries were sealed in plastic, so I couldn't try it. Plus the transmitter was one of those asinine things that requires a screwdriver to install batteries.

I took the chance, and it apparently doesn't work--though I will try again in the daylight before making the two-mile trip back to Harbor Freight.

Reply to
Wes Groleau

Well, I hate buying direct from China, but it looks like the Harbor Freight item doesn't.

Reply to
Wes Groleau

If the wire, wires already have ac voltage on, the receiver will pick it up without transmitter attached.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

(1) I think I was pretty clear that these are open wires

(2) The receiver is tuned to the frequency the transmitter generates, which I highly doubt is anywhere near 60 Hz.

(3) Depending on 60 Hz to trace wires is futile since 60Hz is present on every wire in the house EXCEPT the ones that aren't working, i.e., the ones I want to trace.

Reply to
Wes Groleau

This is what I have:

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A Harris Pro3000 Toner. Here's a picture:

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========== Harris' Pro3000 Tone and Probe Kit is THE professional kit you need for tracing and toning wire or cable. Use it on de-energized AC wire, telephone / twisted pair wire, all voice and data category rated cable, all coax cable, speaker wire, security wire, virtually any cable or wire! All in a durable nylon pouch with three pockets and extra large belt clip. ==========

Just now I performed this experiment:

I have some 4-conductor phone wire (a "cable") running to a spare room that I don't have connected to anything. I clipped the red alligator clip on the tone box to one of the four wires and I left the black alligator clip hanging (no connection to anything). I turned the tone-box on and went to the other end of the cable (a distance of about

50 or 60 feet).

On the other end of the this cable I have lots of cables all bundled together, and I couldn't pick up the tone when I held the tracer near the bundle, or touched a few of the cables with the graphite tip on the tracer.

However, when I separated out a few feet of the cable from all the other cables, and held the tip of the tracer a few inches from the cable, I could clearly hear the tone. Moving the tracer around to different positions gave me variable clarity of the tone (mixed in with 60 hz background buzz).

If you're trying to locate a wire in a wall and you don't know exactly where it is, you might have a hard time finding it unless you move the tracer meticulously in a search pattern over the wall.

If you have a pair of wires (I would think you would at least have a pair of wires - who runs a single wire anywhere?) then it might work better if you use both clips connected to the pair of wires you're looking for.

Reply to
Home Guy

That sure sounds like it would work. But $100+ is pretty steep. Still, this may not be the last job of this type. Hundred-year-old house partially re-wired by someone clueless.

I don't need to locate them in the wall, though that would help. I need to identify the three ends at each switch and the two ends at each lamp. But I think I have already figured out that I am going to have to run one or more new conductors to make this a two-way.

I can run a loose wire up the stairs and check for continuity. Probably should have done that in the first place. Would have saved some money.

Reply to
Wes Groleau

There are cheaper ones.

If you have physical access to the wires then it's no problem. With the tone-box connected to only one wire at one end, and if you can touch the wire with the probe tip at the other end of the wire (or anywhere along the wire's length) the tone will be heard loud and clear.

Reply to
Home Guy

The receiver is NOT tuned. You can not hear 60 hz on a little speaker. What you will hear is harmonics of 60 hz and other noises on the line. The details were not clear to me of what's being done. Just explaining what can be done.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

Over the years, one of the most common units retailed for over $50. I never have fooled with any of the transmitters. After using one receiver, found it functioned like my noise sniffers. It was much easier to buy units than to make them. After talking to the manufacturer, I verified it was a electrostatic device, and not an EMF or inductive pickup, even though they called them inductive pickups. Since the device picks up static charge, you need to either have one lead of the transmitter to ground, or other mass, like another lead. After trying the cheap harbor freight unit, it was no longer necessary to spend any amount of cash. Here us one of the most common looking units.

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Greg

Reply to
gregz

That's one of the setups I have but not the only one. You can hear audio through the insulation of background music system cables with that tone probe too. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Well, this (defective) receiver is certainly not tuned!

And I _can_ hear 60 Hz on a small speaker if I connect it (with sufficient resistance to avoid destroying the speaker).

But that doesn't help in this case.

Reply to
Wes Groleau

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