Voltsticks

[ackbarthestar]

I found a very useful application of a voltstick, besides checking for lost vibrators up you know where :wazzzup: :-------:

that is running across dodgy pendant light fittings that have dangerously exposed conductors protruding out of a ceiling rose. Specifically where there are multiple rewireable boards and that isolation and the use of GS38 VT probes cannot be guaranteed / assured to give a result without getting too close to the suspect conductors.

Anybody else have useful tips on what to do with a Voltstick?

 

[Phil]

they are great for stirring coffee

 

[Adam W]

They're good for checking to see if cables are live without having to cut into them so you can get your probes on; by the time you've done that it's a bit late if they were live.

 

[trev]

Mine is great for checking if wood is live. Apart from that, stirring tea or coffee as Phil said.

 

[JD6400]

Good for throwing at stupid people , or just killing the ones that trust the useless thing to tell you the same result twice !

Said it before and will say it again , they are the devils work and should be tread as such .

 

[ackbarthestar]

There must be somewhere else that it could be stuffed into or around ?

Stiring a latte is a poor use: I use a lump hammer myself !

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Pretending you're doctor who beating the cybermen with a sonic screwdriver

 

[Adam W]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: they have their uses in the right application. Mine says on it "For use by competent persons only". Maybe i shouldn't be using it then...

 

[JD6400]

As a competent person you know to shut your eyes when cutting or get the apprentice to cut the cable for you and then lick it to check for isolation so you will be fine !:grinningelf:
Its the others i worry about ?:Angel_anim:

 

[MarkieSparkie]

It's coming to that time of year when the voltstick becomes a valued diagnostic tool, they are great for quickly finding the dead or loose bulbs in a unlit series string of Christmas fairy lights.

 

[davelerave]

whats with all the hating on voltsticks?

they are a great troubleshooting aide

 

[Guest111]

whats with all the hating on voltsticks?

they are a great troubleshooting aide

I,ve got one that detects magnetic fields as well,great for contactor coils and solenoids.

 

[timo1]

Yep have to admit I'm a fan of mine. I think as long as you know the limitations they are good as an indication to live cables, plus customers think they are amazing lol

 

[ackbarthestar]

Good idea, free voltstick with every board change. That should give the customers something to play with after you're gone

 

[trev]

plus customers think they are amazing lol

Our daughter think my voltstick is amazing. Then again. she is blonde...very very blonde. Some would use the term "bloody idiot" but she's ours so we have to accept some degree of responsibility

 

[ackbarthestar]

Our daughter think my voltstick is amazing. Then again. she is blonde...very very blonde. Some would use the term "bloody idiot" but she's ours so we have to accept some degree of responsibility

I agree, you'll need to educate her in the ways of safe isolation. Not sure about being blond though. Many members of the opposite sex tend to deceive us males by dying their hair to give the impression of not having the full complement of Kangeroos in the top paddock.

 

[chrish_1977]

I got called out to a washing machine that the owner kept getting a shock from every time she got the washing out of the drum, checked with my stick and sure enough lit up near the drum, then checked with my megger, 75volts, traced it to several sockets on kitchen ring wired incorrectly (but my father in law did it and he knows why he's doing), lucky cause the sink is right next to the appliance and you would put your hand on it instinctively to stand up

Chris

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Welll, it ain't rocket science, ay it. So said the builder ringing cos the light was stuck on.

Hopefully its still on!

 

[Thomas123]

Useful to find a break in a conductor aswell

 

[mayfair]

Its a voltstick OK it costs less than 15 quid it works ........get a life FFS. what a bunch a sad moaning gits.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

awesome tools! Great for tracing cables under floorboards. Lifted a couple of boards in Brother in Laws house - rats nest of connector blocks and spurs off ring etc. Left sockets circuit on only, waved voltstick around and identified all parts of it easily.


They are like any tool - they have a particular application, which if used properly for that application, can be very useful.

 

[MDJ]

I always carry 2 actually, although they cannot be relied upon, having 2 is the best way, I hold them together, usually at least one lights up when checking for juice lol, and they look good in the top pocket above the company logo haha.

 

[ackbarthestar]

I always carry 2 actually, although they cannot be relied upon, having 2 is the best way, I hold them together, usually at least one lights up when checking for juice lol, and they look good in the top pocket above the company logo haha.

I bet they look really cool, lol If you hold them back to back and swing them around your head you might be able to audition for the latest Star wars....
They are looking for replacement for Darth Maul and Count Dooko :45::45: :devilish:

 

[MDJ]

I bet they look really cool, lol If you hold them back to back and swing them around your head you might be able to audition for the latest Star wars....
They are looking for replacement for Darth Maul and Count Dooko :45::45: :devilish:

haha, they do look good in the dark though :devilish:

 

[ackbarthestar]

Well its about time I went down to the wholesalers and did an evaluation. I'm always looking for tools and instruments that make identification, fault finding, tracing circuits as easy and reliable as possible.

Instruments in the armourment

1/ a rather expensive cable tracer that injects a 25kHz signal into a live circuit so that you can trace it all over the installation, up to a 600mm deep, needs alot of interpretation. Very good for finding buried JBs on lighting and ring circuits.

2/ GS 38 voltage indicator - of course, a must

3/ Plug in polarity teaster

4/ Pipe and cable tracer, again needs a lot of interpretation

5/ A neon screwdriver - did I say that?

6/ A Fluke 75 multimeter - useful for any circuit with electronic equipment

7/ Microwave leakage indicator

8/ two lux meters

9/ Cat5/5E cable tester

10/ Plus all my electrical test instruments

11/ numerous lights and led lamps .

12/ Tuning fork

So I might as well invest in a light sabre just so I can keep the Empire at bay

 

[Rockingit]

My Di Log cable tracer has a non-contact mode which is admittedly quite useful and I guess is basically just doing the same job.