Auto Technician Electrical Tools

Test Light
A test light is employed to verify for electrical continuity within a circuit and aids to ascertain if power is present within the circuit being tested. The typical test light resembles a screwdriver and will have a light bulb inside of a clear manage, a lengthy wire ending in a clamp attached for the deal with, and a pointed metal probe opposite the deal with. The test light is utilized by connecting the clamp to a solid metal ground, and touching the pointed probe to the connections or wires to become tested . If the light bulb inside the handle lights up, the circuit is energized and receiving electrical power, if it does not, there exists a break someplace within the circuit.

Multi-Meter
A multi-meter is often a solid state device which is applied to measure the amperage, volts, and resistance within circuits. To test for amperage, the device is connected as a direct a part of the circuit to become tested. This causes the electrical energy within the circuit to pass via the multi-meter, which then measures the total amperage passing by means of the circuit.

To test for volts, the multi-meter is connected parallel towards the circuit to be tested, not inside the circuit itself. The multi-meter then can measure the total voltage present inside the circuit and reveal drops and modifications in voltages as various variables or situations are checked inside the circuit.

To test ohms, or resistance to the flow of electrical current within a circuit, the multi-meter is connected towards the component or circuit to be tested exactly where it then measures how much resistance the circuit or element has for the flow of current. The readings are when compared with the manufacturer's specifications on the circuit or element and reveal when the resistance is within the appropriate range.

Jumper Wires
Jumper wires are simply pieces of wire that have clips, probes, or clamps on each end. They are made use of to bypass sections of a circuit in order to isolate faults or breaks within the circuit, and to test for component failures. To find breaks inside the circuit, one end with the jumper wire will be connected to a known good connection, and the other connected to different points along the circuit until a fault is found. To test a element the jumper wires will be utilized to connect the electrical component directly to a energy source to determine when the component operates or not.

Scanner
A scanner, or code reader as it is sometimes called, is a portable device which connects to the diagnostic computer port of a vehicle and reads the error codes contained inside the vehicles onboard computer. Each of these error codes relates to a specific problem or failure inside the engine or electrical system . These codes are then utilized to identify the source of your problem by comparing them to the manufacturers list of code error descriptions.