Finding wires

Search for 461-1028-nd and it should come right up on the second item-

neat looking job i have something similar only find it good on the heavien wires though. thinner ones seem to get mashed and pushed aside. just left my box in her house today i'll post a pic of the stanly. i find it good for all gauges..Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill

Darren Power

Yeah, I have a different type that attaches to the tip of the probe, and has a needle in the middle of a V-groove, but it's not all that good for the thin stuff, because it lets it slip to the side. It has to be braced with a finger behind it anyway, so most of the advantage is lost; except it's maybe just a bit less likely to take a blood sample than an open pin.

Did some poking around and saw these too- $14 each or $49 for 5, maybe split up the set between your buddies and pick a color-    These are supposed to handle wire sizes down to 0.050 to 0.150, so that might cover a pretty good percentage of the wires you'd want to probe.

natsys wrote: Dualsport, Where do you get that thing? I didn't realize that I've gotta have it until I saw it. -Rob

Really.......?

Yeah, really. I've been using an alligator clip on my ground lead to attach to good metal, and sharpened my positive probe to a pinpoint to probe wires. It works great for piercing all gauges of wire to determine voltage and polarity but if I have to hold the wire to probe it or separate it from a bundle, I run the risk of the point rolling off of the wire and into my finger. It helps to angle the probe in the direction the wire runs, but a tool that will hold the back of the wire and insert a probe without drawing blood seems like a good idea to me. Okay, I admit, I did use hyperbole to express my excitement over finding out about a tool that I didn't know existed, but can most certianly use and will definitely buy.

go with the stanley knife takes i while to make but works a treatWhy oh Why didn't i take the blue pill

Darren Power

This is a closeup of the business end of the probe- It has a nice wedge taper to slip inside a bundle of wires, then you just push the spring loaded release in the rear of the probe, turn it sideways and hook the wire you want to probe, pull back lightly to keep the wire centered in the V-groove, release the probe, and the spring does the rest. With the banana jack on the end, you can hook it up to your DMM with a dual banana plug test lead. The tip is nicely centered in the V-groove, so it can work with thin gauge wires as well as thick ones. If you have unusually hard insulation, it helps to rock it back and forth a couple times to help the tip penetrate the insulation. With the kinds of wires you'd typically be dealing with for automotive installations, this is a one handed affair. I got that five pack, but you really only need one, because I figure just one should last forever with reasonable care (such as using it for voltage and resistance probing only, not pushing high current through it, where you run the risk of melting the tip). Worth having the spares in case it gets lost somewhere though. Afterwards, a little massaging of the insulation leaves virtually no trace. If it's an exterior wire, you could apply a dab of sealant to make sure you haven't given corrosion a toehold. Try it, you'll like it.. nifty-