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Hi as a hobby mechanic I try to save money on some tools (not handtools),
I have made something similar to Power probe, dont have a photo for it, but here is the schematic and parts I used:
How it works;
Hook to the car battery using aligator clips (the wire is long enought to reach any place on the car);
Switch 1 position 1 – Looking for power (if the light is on you have 12V)
Switch 1 position 2 – looking for ground (if the light is on you have ground)Switch 2 Position 1 – Provide power
Switch 2 Position 2 – Provide Ground
There is a 9A circut braker after switch 2, if you short out, the circut braker will break the circut – once it cools down you can use it agien, no need to change fuses. For more information about this circut braker google RUEF900Spent about 15$ for the materials.
Both switches and circut braker are taped togather and about 50 centimeters away from testlight. Switches are in different collors so I know which is for testing and which for providing power and ground.
Be careful by providing power or ground, there is a 9A protection, but often times 9A can be enought to damage some electrical components if provided to the wrong place.
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Along the lines of electrical trouble shooting. I have wired a push to reset circuit breaker to use in place of a fuse while doing electrical work (see link below). I also use it when testing used electrical items (car amplifiers for example). I wired the terminals of the circuit breaker to a short length of 16 ga wire and soldered insulated alligator clips to the end. Be sure to use inslulated connectors to connect the wire to the circuit breaker. A short at that point would be the same as a piece of wire in place of your fuse! The idea is that you push the button back in if the short occurs instead of replacing the fuse each time. Since most automotive fuses are 15 or 20 amp, I used a 15 amp breaker. Use a 5 or 7 amp version for the 10 amp fuses. If your car has the old glass type fuses, the alligator clips will clip to the fuse tabs in the fusebox. For the new plastic blade type fuses I break the plastic off the metal fuse blades and insert blades into the fuse box. The alligator clips can connect to the metal blades. –Gen3
http://www.iboats.com/SeaDog-Thermal-AC-DC-Circuit-Breakers/dm/cart_id.563180690–session_id.511180952–view_id.39683
Easy one is to bend the end of a thin flat head screwdriver about quarter ways to adjust the idle on a updraft carb on a opposed aviation engine. Can’t get too close to the spinny thing in the front!
When dealing with stuck screws I’ve put a set of lock-grips on a screwdriver and hammered in the head to get leverage. Worked too. Does that count?
Quoted From southpark:
relay tester, spark tester, leak down tester, etc. have a drawer full of modified/repurposed tools.
Can You give a description about relay tester, spark tester, and leak down tester, how did you made them?
Quoted From gatiszvejnieks:
Can You give a description about relay tester, spark tester, and leak down tester, how did you made them?
the relay tester is a normal automotive relay wired up to a two way switch and a dual filament light bulb. when the switch is off the lower filament is lit. when the switch is turned on it supplies power to the control curcuit of the relay, thus closing the relay and illuminates the upper filament in the bulb.
the spark tester is a spark plug mounted in a piece of white conduit. the conduit has a window cut in it near the end of the plug so you can observe the spark. the other end of the pipe has a nut jbwelded into it. a bolt with a sharpened end passes through the nut and creates the ground for the plug. a wire and alligator clip have been soldered to the end of the bolt.
the leak down tester is an old compression tester hose that I’ve taken the schrader valve out of and fitted with a regulator. not too original but it works for me.
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