Electric voltage probe with indicator lights (split from other thread)

[SUNRAY]

If your referring to one of those little screwdrivers with a neon lamp in it then NO you have not got an electricians screwdriver as they will not use them, remove the neon, don't ever use it to see if there is any voltage. search and you will find out why.

Now it depends just what the 'electricians screwdriver' is.

I agree the neon type are not much use, however the LED type with a couple of button cells are brilliant and I have a few of them.

Yes they can give unexpected signals but like any other tool or piece of test kit one has to learn how to use them. For fault finding and circuit tracing in control panels they tend to be my first port of call as I usually have one in my pocket.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, I like them too. Especially for very quick continuity and fuse testing.

However, I don't think it would be worth explaining to every DIYer.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Just to add - a later one I bought flashes instead of being on steady. That is a daft idea and very off-putting.

 

[SUNRAY]

Yes, I like them too. Especially for very quick continuity and fuse testing.

However, I don't think it would be worth explaining to every DIYer.

Indeed yes that is right but it still irks me when the blanket 'throw them away' is used

Just to add - a later one I bought flashes instead of being on steady. That is a daft idea and very off-putting.

Totally useless thing, especially then the item under test isn't constant, like the 3ph heater battery triac controllers which pulse rather than dim. The one I had flashed faster when used to test a higher P.D.

 

[opps]

If your referring to one of those little screwdrivers with a neon lamp in it then NO you have not got an electricians screwdriver as they will not use them, remove the neon, don't ever use it to see if there is any voltage. search and you will find out why.

I have one of the ones that indicates inductive fields. Sure, I get false positives from time to time but they have never told me that a "live" cable is not live. It lives in my pocket and has served me well over the years. I don't see what the problem with them is. Why are they any worse than the volt pens my electrician mates use? Sorry, I am not trying to be combative but I do not understand what the problem is.

 

[john4703]

Since as often happens this has moved topic to test equipment. Where can I buy for a reasonable price, a test lead? (I'm not sure of the correct name) I used to have one, it was about 1m of flex with a probe on one end and two bright neons and a probe on the other end. Easy to use and it indicated 230v with one neon and 414v with two neons. I dropped it last week, it is now somewhere out of sight inside a cavity wall.
I'm looking for you experts to recommend a decent replacement.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

I have an earlier version of something like this... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNI-T-Vo...663839&hash=item48e71871b6:g:O7IAAOSwu19e5J7V
Didn't break the bank, and does enough to keep safe.

 

[JohnD]

I have a Steinel votage tester somewhat similar to this but with a longer lead.

It has AC/DC indicator and various voltage lights.

The newer Steinel is much bulkier. Fluke and Martindale have something similar.

 

[mattylad]

I have one of the ones that indicates inductive fields. Sure, I get false positives from time to time but they have never told me that a "live" cable is not live. It lives in my pocket and has served me well over the years. I don't see what the problem with them is. Why are they any worse than the volt pens my electrician mates use? Sorry, I am not trying to be combative but I do not understand what the problem is.

If you are referring to a screwdriver with a neon in it, please watch the video below from one of our own.
It is recommended to throw them away or remove the neon and use a proper tester.

I do have a volt stick somewhere for a rough indication but Im told that they are also not always correct.

 

[opps]

If you are referring to a screwdriver with a neon in it, please watch the video below from one of our own.
It is recommended to throw them away or remove the neon and use a proper tester.

I do have a volt stick somewhere for a rough indication but Im told that they are also not always correct.

Actually I was referring to one of these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMTECH-V...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

They are similar to the type in your image but they additionally allow non-contact indication of current. Obviously if the batteries are dead the LED will not luminate but I just put my thumb over the end and push my finger to the blade to test the continuity function.

Am in a noisy pub at the moment so will watch the video later. Thanks