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  6. SureTrace™ 955 Circuit Tracer Open/Closed
SureTrace™ 955 Circuit Tracer Open/Closed

Ideal SureTrace™ 955 Circuit Tracer Open/Closed, Battery Pack for 61-959 SureTrace Circuit Tracer Kit, Circuit Tracer, Inductive Clamp, 61-958, SureTrace™ 957 Circuit Tracer Open/Closed, SureTrace™ 959 Circuit Tracer Open/Closed w/Clamp, SureTrace™ Receiver - RC-955, SureTrace™ Receiver - RC-959, SureTrace™ Transmitter - TR-955 Operating instructions

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#61-955
#61-957
#61-959
SureTrace™ Circuit Tracers
Instruction Manual
Register your product and access more information at www.idealindustries.com
Page 2
Table of Contents
• SafetyInformation ..................................................................................3
• Introduction ............................................................................................4
• CalloutsofFeatures
• Transmitter ............................................................................................................5
• Receiver ................................................................................................................6
• TestLeadKit ........................................................................................................ 8
• InductiveClampwithBatteryPack ........................................................................ 9
• TheoryofOperation
• SignalGenerationandDetection ..........................................................................9
• OpenversusClosedCircuits ................................................................................9
• RemoteReturnPath ............................................................................................10
• Applications
• Pre-testOperation ............................................................................................... 11
• LocatingCircuitBreakers/Fuses .........................................................................12
• TracingWires .....................................................................................................13
• TracingLowVoltageandDataCables ................................................................13
• FindingOpens ....................................................................................................14
• FindingShorts ....................................................................................................15
• SortingBundledWires ........................................................................................16
• TracingUnderground .......................................................................................... 17
• InductiveClampUses ......................................................................................... 18
• BatteryReplacement ............................................................................. 20
• FuseReplacement ................................................................................ 21
• Maintenance ......................................................................................... 22
• ServiceandReplacementParts ............................................................ 22
• Specifications ...................................................................................... 22
• WarrantyStatement .............................................................................. 24
Page 3
Read first: Safety Information
Understandandfollowoperatinginstructionscarefully.Usethetraceronlyasspecifiedin
thismanual;otherwise,theprotectionprovidedbythetracermaybeimpaired.
WARNING
Toavoidelectricshock,personalinjury,ordeath,followtheseinstructions:
• Beforeusingorconnectingthetracer,visuallyinspecttoensurethecasesarenot
crackedandbackcaseissecurelyinplace.Donotuseiftracerappearsdamaged.
• Beforeusingthetestleads,inspectcarefullyfordamagedinsulation,exposedmetalor
crackedprobes.Donotuseleadsiftheyappeardamaged.
• Thisproductisonlytobeusedbypersonstrainedandexperiencedinworkingwithhigh
voltages,andwhoareawareofthedangersandprecautionstobetakenwhenworking
insuchenvironments.Observelockoutandtagoutprotocolswhereappropriate.
• Neverusethetracerwitharemotegroundinpatientcareareas.Groundcurrents
generatedbythetracermaycreateashockhazardforelectricallysusceptiblepatients.
• Alwaystesttheremotegroundsystemtoconfirmthatitsresistanceislessthan100
ohmsfromremotegroundtocircuitneutral.
• Alwayscheckcircuitstoverifythatthehot,neutralandgroundarewiredcorrectly.
• Donotusetracerifitoperatesabnormallyasprotectionmaybeimpaired.
• Donotuseduringelectricalstormsorinwetweather.
• Donotusearoundexplosivegas,dust,orvapor.
• Donotapplymorethantheratedvoltagetothetracer.
• Donotusewithoutthebatteriesandthebackcaseproperlyinstalled.
• Removethetestleadsfromthecircuitpriortoremovingthebatterycover.
• Donotattempttorepairthisunitasithasnouser-serviceableparts.
• Useonlyapprovedconnectingleads.Donotuseimprovisedconnectionsthatcould
presentasafetyhazard.
• Alwaysensurethattestleadsaresecuredsothattheycannotbeaccidentallysnagged
ortrippedover.
• Whenswitchingonthetransmitter,alwaysverifythatthethreeindicatorLEDs
illuminatebrieflyonpowerup.
• TheLineEnergizedfeatureprovidesanadditionalsafetyalert.Iftheindicatorisnot
illuminated,alwaysindependentlyconfirmthestatusofthelinetobeabsolutelysure.
CAUTION
Toprotectyourself,think“SafetyFirst”:
• Voltagesexceeding30VACor60VDCposeashockhazardsousecaution.
• Useappropriatepersonalprotectiveequipmentsuchassafetyglasses,faceshields,
insulatinggloves,insulatingboots,and/orinsulatingmats.
• Nevergroundyourselfwhenworkingonanelectricalcircuit.
• Alwaysmakethegroundorneutralconnectionfirst,andremovelastwhenusingclip
leads or adaptor cord.
Page 4
Introduction
TheSureTrace™CircuitTracersarepowerful,versatile,easy-to-usetroubleshootingtest
toolsforfindingbreakersandhiddenwireproblemsinresidential/commercial/industrial
environments.Thesetracersworkonclosed(energized)andopen(de-energized)circuits.
Theyidentifycircuitbreakers,findopensandshorts,andtracewiresbehindwalls.
Thetracersareavailableinthreeconfigurations.Eachkitcontainsthesametransmitter
(TR-955)andtestleadkit(TL-956).The955kithasaReceiver(RC-955)withanLED
display,andaHardCase(C-955).The957kithasaReceiver(RC-959)withasuper-bright
OLEDdisplayandaHardCase(C-955).The959kitalsohasthehigh-endReceiver
(RC-959),addsanInductiveClamp(IC-958)withBatteryPack(BP-958),andalarger
HardCase(C-959).
Key Features
• Numericvalueandvariableaudibletoneforeasy-to-understandtracing
• Super-brightdisplayforeasy-viewing
• Peakdetectingbargraphforinstantaneoussignalstrengthindication
• Identifiesbreakersandfuses
• Pinpointsopensandshorts
• Traceswiresbehindwalls
• Canbeusedonde-energized/energizedcircuitsfrom0-600VAC/DC
• WillnotaffectGFCIsorothersensitiveequipmentontheline
• Lowbatteryindication
• CatIII-600Vsafetyrating
#61-955 #61-957 #61-959
Transmitter Callout Features
1. Output Jacks
Non-polarized,standardbananaplugtype.
2. Power Indicator
WhenthetransmitterisOn,theLEDilluminates
indicatingthatasignalisbeingproduced.
3. Line Energized Indicator
Thetransmittercontinuouslymonitorsthevoltage
acrossitsoutputterminals.Ifgreaterthan30volts
ACor40voltsDCispresent,theLEDindicator
illuminates.Thetransmitteralsocommunicatesthe
linevoltagestatetothereceiver.
4. Low Battery Indicator
Whenthebatteriesapproachthe10%discharge
point,theLEDlights.Oncethebatteries
aredepleted,theLEDflashes.Atthispoint,the
batteriesarefullyexhausted,andtheunitforces
power down.
5. Power Button
Depressthebuttontoswitchpoweronandenable
thetransmitfunction.Depressagaintoconservebattery
powerwhennotinuse.
6. Operating Voltage Range
Operatesonenergized/de-energizedcircuitsfrom0to600VAC/DC.
7. Battery Compartment
Holds(4)AAbatteries.
8. Safety
RatedforuseinCatIII-600Venvironments.Incorporatesahigh-energy,fast-acting
protection fuse.
AdditionalNotes
• Thetransmitter’ssignaldoesnotaffectsensitive,electronicequipmentonthecircuit.
• Inaclosedcircuit,becausethetransmittergeneratesasmalltestcurrent,itssignal
canbedetectedupstreamthroughthefeederpanelandthedistributiontransformer.
Thestrengthofthesignalisreducedasitpassesthroughthetransformerininverse
proportiontotheturnsratioofthetransformer.
• CanbeusedonGFCIprotectedcircuits.
TR-959
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RC-955
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Receiver Callout Features
1. Super Bright Display
Seenextpageforfeatures.
2. Sensitivity Mode:
Depressthisbuttontoselectthemodeofsensitivity*:
Mode RC-955 RC-959 AntennaStrength
4 highestsensitivity
(defaultmode)
3  high-medium
 sensitivity
2 medium-low
 sensitivity
1 lowestsensitivity
forbreakers
* See Additional Notes on next page for guidelines on
mode selection.
3. Audible Indication
DepressthisbuttontoturnthesoundOn/Off.IfOn
isselected,avariablepitch/toneisproduced-
directlyproportionaltothesignalstrength.
4. Battery Power
OnRC-955,depressthisbuttonatanytimetodisplaytheusefulbatterylife
remainingontheLEDsegments.OnRC-959,batterylifeiscontinuouslydisplayed
onthemainscreen.Batteriesmustbereplacedwhendisplaysonmainscreenof
RC-955andappearsonRC-959.
5. Power Button
Depresstoswitchpoweronandenableoperation.Depressagaintoconservebattery
powerwhennotinuse.
6. Battery Compartment
Holds(3)AAbatteries.
7. Safety
RatedforuseinCatIII-600Venvironments.
Page 7
RC-955Display
1. Bright,2-digitLEDdisplay.(180°Rotating)
2. Displaysthepoweredlinestatusreceived
fromthetransmitter.
3. “0-99”numericindicationof
signalstrength.
4. Indicatorlightswhenaudibletone
isdisabled.
5. Peakdetectorshowsinstantaneous
changesinsignalstrength.
RC-959Display
1. Super-brightOLEDdisplay(90°rotating).
2. Displaysthepoweredlinestatusreceived
fromthetransmitter.
3. IndicatesOn/Offstatusofthe
audibletone.
4. LowBatteryIndicator.Flashes
when10%batteryliferemains.
5. “0-99”numericindicationofsignalstrength.
6. Displaysthesensitivitysetting.
7. Peakdetectorshowsinstantaneouschangesinsignalstrength.
AdditionalNotes
• Sensitivitymodeselection–generalguidelines:
• Startoutatmaximumsensitivity()untilthereceiverfindsthecircuitunder
test.Ifthereceiveristoosensitive,thenreducethesensitivityusingthe
buttonuntilthereceiver’sdisplaydoesnotpegat“99”continuously.
• Usemodefortracing:(a)inclosedcircuitswhileusingtheoutletplug
adapter(ratherthanthe25’leadandaremotereturnpathsetup),(b)inopen
circuits,(c)underground,(d)andanywhereelsemoresignaldetectionisneeded.
• Usemodetoreducethelevelofsensitivityifthehighestsensitivityrange
hassignalsaturation(displayispeggingat“99”continuously).
• Usemodefortracing(a)inclosedcircuitswhileusingthe25’leadanda
remotereturnpath,(b)andwhenpreviousmodehassignalsaturationof“99.”
• UseBreakermodefor(a)identifyingcircuitbreakersandfuses,(b)
pinpointingindividualwiresfromabundle,(c)andwhenpreviousmodehas
signal saturation.
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• ReceiverOrientation
• Theindicationofreceivedsignalintensitydependsonhowthereceiverispointed
inrelationtothesourceofthesignal.Ifthereceiverispointedawayfromthe
signalsourcethentherewillbealowvalueindicatedonthereceiver.Ifthe
receiverisrotatedabouttheaxisofmainantennasensitivity,thesignalvariesin
strengthastheantennaispointedatandthenawayfromthecircuitbeingtraced.
• Therefore,rotatethereceiveroverthewirebeingtraceduntilthehighestreading
isdisplayed.Ifduringtracing,thesignalisreduced,thewiremayhavechanged
directions(e.g.fromhorizontaltravelacrossawalltoverticaltravelupawall).
Rotatethereceivertofindthestrongestsignalagain.
• Usethebackofthereceivertosweepthewallorflooranddeterminethecircuit’s
generallocation.Usethenoseofthereceivertopinpointitslocation.
• Steelconduitattenuates(weakens)thesignalradiatingfromthewiresinsidethe
conduit.Aluminumconduitsignificantlyattenuatesthesignal.So,thereceiver
shouldbesetatahighersensitivityandmayneedtobeplacedclosertothe
circuittoobtainastrongersignaldetection.
Test Lead Kit(TL-956)
Acompletetestleadkitissuppliedforusewiththetransmitter:
1. TLOP-956OutletPlugAdapter
for plugging into standard
120VACoutlets.
2. TLBP-956(2)BladeProngs
for inserting into a separate
outletwitharemoteneutral
conductorasareturnpath.
3. TLGP-956GroundProngfor
inserting into a separate outlet
withremotegroundconductor
asareturnpath.
4. TLAC-956(2)AlligatorClips
forconnectingdirectlytobare
wires and grounding points.
5. TLA1-956(2)3’LeadAdaptersforusewithaboveclipsandprongstoconnecttobare
wires and grounding points.
6. TLA2-95625’LeadAdapterforusewithaboveclipsandprongstoconnecttoremote
returnpaths.
1
2
3
4
6
5
Page 9
SureTrace™
1
2
4
5
3
6
7
Inductive Clamp (IC-958)with Battery Pack (BP-958) Callout Features
1. 1”(25mm)JawOpening.
2. Powerfulcoilinducesalowvoltage
signal onto a closed circuit.
3. 6’cordattachestothebattery
packforpower.
4. Protectivecase.
5. (8)C-cellbatteries.
6. Inputjackforclampcord.
7. Hangmountformagneticstrap.
Magnetic Strap (not shown)
• Hooksontothebatterypack.
• Magnetattachestometalcabinets,
panels,electricalboxes,etc.
• Velcrostrapwrapsaroundandhangs
fromnon-magneticobjects.
Theory of Operation
Thetracerconsistsofatransmitterandareceiver.Thetransmitterproducesaunique
signalontothecircuittobetraced.Thereceiverdetectsthisuniquesignalwhenplacedin
theproperorientationtothewiresbeingtracedorbreakersbeingidentified.Thereceiver
providesanumericvalueandavariablepitch/tonethatincreaseasthesignalbecomes
stronger.
Thetransmittersendsa32kilohertz,fixed-amplitude,time-modulatedsignalthatinjectsa
voltageontothecircuittobetraced,whichtheninducesanelectromagneticfieldontothe
circuit.
Whether the circuit is open or closed greatly affects the strength of the electromagnetic
field.
Inanopencircuit,nocurrentcanflow,sotheelectromagneticfieldproducedismuch
weaker.However,inaclosedcircuit,theinjectedvoltageinducesacurrentflow,which
producesamuchstrongerelectromagneticfield.Thisistheoptimalmethodfortracingas
thismuchstrongersignalallowsthereceivertodetectitfromagreaterdistanceawayfrom
thecircuitbeingtraced.
HerearesomeexamplesofOpen/ClosedCircuits:
RemoteReturnPath
Electromagneticfieldsradiatecounter-clockwiseinrelationtothecurrentflow.For
example,currentflowsoutonahotconductorandreturnsontheneutral.Thischangein
oppositecurrentflowalsocreatesopposingmagneticfields.So,whenthesetwoopposing
conductorsareclosetogether,thetwomagneticfieldstendtocanceleachotherout.This
cancelingeffectdiminishesthecircuit’sabilitytoradiatethetransmitter’sstrongsignal
makingitmoredifficultforthereceivertodetectthesignal.
Page 10
Breaker
Energized
Breaker
Energized
Breaker
Energized
LightOn
(Load)
Breaker
De-Energized
ClosedLoop
ClosedLoop ClosedLoop
ClosedLoop OpenLoop
OpenLoop OpenLoop
Stronger
Stronger Stronger
Stronger Weaker
Weaker Weaker
Page 11
Toavoidthecancelingeffectoftheopposingmagneticfieldsandoptimizethe
transmittedsignal,theconductortobetracedshouldbeseparatedfromthereturn
conductorbyutilizingaremotereturnpath.
Thesimplestmethodistousethe25’testleadtoconnecttoaremotereturnpath,such
asaneutralorgroundfromanothercircuitorawaterpipe.Whenidentifyingbreakers,
thehotandneutralarealreadyseparatedattheelectricalpanelsotheuseoftheAC
outlet adapter is sufficient.
Ifunsurethattheremotereturnpathchosenisagoodone,useamultimetertomeasure
theresistancebetweenthecircuitneutralandtheremotereturnpath.If>100Ω,a
differentreturnpathshouldbeselected.
Applications
Pre-test Operation
Priortofindingabreakerortracingacircuit,itisgoodpracticetotestthereceiverby
holdingitnearthepoweredtransmitterorinductiveclamp.Anumericindicationof“99”
andstrongaudiblesoundensuresthatitisworkingproperly.
WeakSignalSetup
SignalsCancel
StrongSignalSetup
NoSignalCanceling
StrongSignalSetup
NoSignalCanceling
Circuit
under
test
SeparateCircuit
WaterPipe
Page 12
Locating Circuit Breakers and Fuses
Applicationsincludeidentifyingthebreakerthatprotectsthecircuitundertest,findingthe
correctbreakertode-energizethecircuit,andlabelingabreakerpanel.
1) Connectthetransmittertothecircuitthatneedstobeidentifiedandpoweriton.
Theprocedureisthesamewhetherthecircuitisenergizedorde-energized.But,a
muchstrongersignalisproducedusinganenergized(closed)circuit.
2) Turnonthereceiverandgotothepanel.
a) Ifmorethanonepanelexists,setthereceivertomodeandtouchthenose
toeachpanelcoveruntilthepanelwiththestrongestsignalisidentified.
b) Ifthereceiverisdetectingmorethanonepanelwithastrongsignal,reducethe
sensitivityrangeandrepeatthestepabove.
3) Openthepanelcover,setthereceivertoBreakermode.Thereceivershouldbe
positionedonitssidetoorientatetheantennaproperly.
4) Slidethenoseofthereceiverdowneachbreakerinthepanel.Thebreakerwiththe
highestnumericreadingisthecorrectbreaker.
Iftwoormorebreakershavethesamenumericvalues,tipthenoseofthe
receiverupandthendownat45ºanglesandnotethenumericvaluesoneach
ofthequestionablebreakers.Onlythecorrectbreakerwillshowastrongsignal
inallpositions.Or,pullthepanelcover,andplacethenoseoneachofthe
individualhotwiresforamorecertaindetermination.
5) Whenthecorrectbreakeristripped(opened),thesignalwilldropsignificantly.And,
thewilldisappearfromthereceiver’sdisplay.TheLEDonthetransmitterwill
also turn off.
Tracing Wires
Applicationsincludefindingthelocationsofcablerunsandidentifyingotherdevicesand
loadsonthecircuit.
1) Connectthetransmittertothecircuittobetracedandpoweriton.
a) Foroptimaltracing,leavethecircuitenergizedtocreateaclosedloop.
b) Ifthecircuitisde-energized,thenconnecttransmittertotheneutralandground
conductors to create a closed loop.
2) Turnonthereceiverandusethedefaultmaximumsensitivity().
3) Startingseveralfeetfromthetransmitter,useasweepingmotionandthebackofthe
receivertofindthestrongestsignallocationbehindthewall,abovetheceiling,orunder
thefloor.
a) Ifthesignalistoostrong,reducethesensitivityrange.
b) Ifthesignalistooweak,utilizearemotereturnpathforthetransmitter.Then,reduce
thesensitivityrangeonthereceiverandrepeatstep#3.
4) Continuefollowingthehighestreadinguntiltheendofthecircuitisfound.
Tracing Low Voltage and Data Cable
Applicationsincludetracing
coax,twistedpair,Cat5,alarm
andtelephonewire.
Followtheinstructionsfor
TracingWiresbehindwallsusing
thede-energizedmethodanda
remotegroundforareturnpath.
Page 13
StrongerSignal
Connectto
Ground
(ShieldofCoax)
Ifpossible,ground
thefarendofthe
cableshield.
OR
WeakerSignal
Finding Opens
Applicationsincludelocatingdeadcircuits,findingthesourceofanopen(brokenpoint)in
ahot/neutral/groundconductor,anddeterminingtheendofacircuitrun.
1) Connectthetransmittertotheopencircuitandpoweriton.
2) Turnonthereceiverandusethedefaultmaximumsensitivity.
3) Startingseveralfeetfromthetransmitter,useasweepingmotionandthebackofthe
receivertofindthestrongestsignallocationbehindthewall,abovetheceilingor
underthefloor.
a) Ifthesignalistoostrong,reducethesensitivityrange.
b) Ifthesignalistooweak,connectoneleadofthetransmitterintotheopenconductor
andconnecttheotherleadtoaremotereturnpath.Then,repeatstep#3.
4) Continuefollowingthehighestreadinguntilthesignalstartstofalloff.Thisisthe
locationoftheopen.Reducethesensitivityrangeandusethenoseofthereceiverto
pinpointtheopenonthecircuit.
Iftheopenisnotfoundaftertracingthelengthoftherun,theconductormaybecapacitively
coupled.Thisconditioncausesasignalbleed-offontotheotheradjacentconductors.To
removethiseffect,groundtheadjacentconductorsandminimizethedistancebetweenthe
transmitterconnectionandtheopen.
Page 14
SeparateCircuit
Finding Shorts
Applicationsincludedeterminingcausesofbreakerstripping,fusesblowing,andcurrent
leakingonthegroundconductor.Thetracerlocatestheoriginofthegroundfaultordead-
shortinthesecircuits.
1) Connectthetransmittertotheshortedcircuitandpoweriton.
a) Oneleadshouldbeconnectedtothefaultedconductorandtheotherleadto
ground.
b) Ifthegroundfaultisinmetallicconduit,thentheconduitistheground.
c) Ifpossible,groundtheadjacentconductors.
2) Turnonthereceiverandusethedefaultmaximumsensitivity().
3) Startingseveralfeetfromthetransmitter,useasweepingmotionandthebackofthe
receivertofindthestrongestsignallocationbehindthewall,abovetheceiling,or
underthefloor.
c) Ifthesignalistoostrong,reducethesensitivityrange.
d) Ifthesignalistooweak,connectoneleadofthetransmitterintotheopenconductor
andconnecttheotherleadtoaremotereturnpath.Then,repeatstep#3.
4) Continuefollowingthehighestreadinguntilthesignalstartsweakening.Thisisthe
pointofthefaultasthesignalflowstogroundinsteadofcontinuingstronglydown
thehotconductor.Reducethesensitivityrangeandusethenoseofthereceiverto
pinpointthesourceofthefault.
Page 15
Tripped
Circuit
Breaker
StrongerSignal WeakerSignal
Short
toGround
Breaker
Panel
Page 16
Sorting Bundled Wires
Applicationsincludeidentifyingaspecificcircuitamongstseveralcircuitsinafilled
conduit,sortingwiresinawireharness,identifyingcoaxcableandtwistedpaircableina
terminationbox.
1) Connectthetransmittertothecircuittobetracedandpoweriton.
a) Cliponetestleadtotheknownendofthewiretobetracedoridentified.
b) Cliptheothertestleadtoaremotereturnpath.
2) Turnonthereceiverandsetittotheleastsensitivity().
3) Gototheotherendofthewirerunandsortouttheindividualwireusingthenoseof
thereceiver.
a) Ifthesignalistoostrong,separatethewiresmorefromthebundlewhentesting.
b) Ifthesignalistooweak,thenincreasethesensitivityrangeonthereceiverand
repeatstep#3.
4) Continuesortinguntilthewirewiththehighestreadingisidentified.
Page 17
Tracing Underground
Thesecircuittracersarenotundergroundcablelocators.But,insomeenvironmentsthey
canbeusedtotraceburiedcables,conduit,ormetalpipe.
1) Connectthetransmittertothecircuittobetracedandpoweriton.
a) Ifpossible,createaclosedcircuitbygroundingtheotherend.
b) Ifpossible,groundtheadjacentconductorstoeliminatecapacitive-coupling
effectsthatcancausesignalbleed-over.
c) Utilizearemotereturnpathtomaximizethesignalproduced.
2) Turnonthereceiverandusethemaximumsensitivitydefault().
3) Useasweepingmotionandthebackofthereceivertofindthestrongestsignal
underground.
a) Ifthesignalistoostrong,reducethesensitivityrange.
b) Ifthesignalistooweak,thencheckthequalityofthegroundconnections
(<100Ω)andrepeatstep#3.
4)Continuefollowingthehighestreadinguntiltheendofthecircuitisfound.
OR
Service
Panel
Outside
Receptacle
Keeptwo
pathsseparate
fromeachother
25Feet
Distance
Connectto
GroundRod
Page 18
Inductive Clamp Applications
WARNING: Theclampdoesnothaveanyindicatorstosenseifacircuitis
energized.Thelineenergizedfeature()onthereceiveronlyworkswiththetransmitter
(TR-955).
Theinductiveclampispoweredsolelybythebatterypack.Itgeneratesitsownspecific,
timemodulatedsignal,andbytransformeraction,couplesthatsignalontotheenergizedor
de-energizedcircuittobetraced.
Alwaysdisconnectthebatterypackfromtheclampwhennotinusetoconservebattery
power.
Fortheclamptopropagateasignalontothecircuittobetraced,thecircuitmustbeclosed
attheendwheretheclampisapplied,ataminimum.Tomaximizethesignalproduced,
bothendsofthecircuitshouldbeclosedtocreateacompleteloop.Refertothediagrams
for proper setup.
Threetypicalapplicationswheretheinductiveclampmaybeusedinreplaceofthe
transmitter:
• Identifyingdownstreamloadsfromabreaker
• Tracingconduit
• Tracingindustrialcontrolcircuits
Page 19
Identifyingdownstreamloadsfromabreaker.
1) Removethepanelcoverandclamparoundthehotwireoftheenergized(closed)circuit.
• Tomaximizethesignal,closethefarendofthecircuitbyplugginginandturning
onaworklightorotherloadintothefurthestoutlet;hence,makingacomplete
loop.
2) Hangthebatterypackontothepanelwiththemagneticstrap.
3) Plugtheclampintothebatterypack.
4) Setthereceivertothehighestsensitivitymode()andtracethecircuittothefurthest
outletwhileidentifyingalloutletsandloadsconnectedtothecircuit.IftheReceiveris
saturated,reducethesensitivityrange.
TracingConduit.
1) Clamparoundthemetallicconduittobetraced.Ifpossible,groundthefarendofthe
conduittoclosetheloop.Thiscanbecreatedusingthe25’leadandalligatorclipstoclip
ontotheendoftheconduitorelectricalboxwithoneclipandaremoteneutralorwater
pipewiththeotheralligatorclip.
2) Hangthebatterypackontothepanelorconduitwiththemagneticstrap.
WeakerSignal-Open
StrongerSignal-Closed
LightOn
(Load)
Breaker
Energized
Breaker
Energized
Page 20
3) Plugtheclampintothebatterypack.
4) Setthereceivertothehighestsensitivity()modeandtracetheconduit.Ifthe
Receiverissaturated,reducethesensitivityrange.
Tracingindustrialcontrolcircuits.
1) Ensurethatthecircuitisenergized(closedatthepanel)ataminimum.Tomaximizethe
signal,closetheotherendofthecircuitbyturningonaload,suchasamotororpump.
2) Clamparoundthehotwireofthisenergized(closed)circuit.
3) Usethemagneticstraptohangthebatterypackontothepanelor themotorcontrol
cabinet.
4) Plugtheclampintothebatterypack.
5) Setthereceivertothehighestsensitivity()modeandtracethecircuittotheother
end.Ifthereceiverissaturated,reducethesensitivitymode.
Battery Replacement
Note:Useonlygoodqualityalkalinebatteriesformaximimumoperatinglife.
Alwaysreplacewithacompletesetofnewbatteriesofthesametype.
Removebatteriesassoonastheybecomeexhaustedtoavoid
damageduetoleakage.
Transmitter:
Ensurethatthetestleadsareremovedfromtheoutput
jacksandthecircuitundertest.
1) Removethebatterycapbylooseningthescrew.
2) Replacebatterieswith(4)newAAbatteries.
3) Re-fitcapandre-tightenthescrew.
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