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Topic: seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls (Read 5923 times) previous topic - next topic

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #15 –
i use to have a fluke77 that i could arrange the leads and put the meter in line.  Both of my Ideal ones have clamp on for ac and dc current.

when i saw the light glow, i thought,,humm,, theres a load so lets see what the voltage is if i put my volt meter in series with the battery cable and the large yellow wire.

Meter was fluxuating but holding about 7vdc.  I shouldve clamped on to the lead and found out what the current draw was with the bulb glowing.  I suppose doing that at the time really did nothing for the problem and felt rather useless.  Last time I did this whole episode,, i clamped on to the battery pos and it was showing a draw less than an amp so I knew it right then it was going to be a pita to find.

Yep,, you did say radio,,nailed it from 300 miles away:bowdown:
Maybe i should have unplugged the radio a long time ago.  At the time on the last go around with this issue, unhooking the radio showed no real useful results that stood out from anything else i did.
I found a socket for that lil bulb and made it into a tool from now on since the bulb will glow with such low current.

BTW,, bronco just started right up like nothing ever happened.

thanks everyone.

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #16 –
Here's one of those $2.99 meters reading a current draw of 1.33ma or .00133A(was testing a old tube)... Even has a 1A fuse for protection, but can still be smoked... Yes I have a extra set of test leads... But to it's credit I got that one tangled up in some 2KV RF working on a old oscilloscope... Not likely you'll have occasion in automotive work to try one on 2000V...

This meter and a $300('84) Simpson 467 digital meter I have, generally agree within a half of percent of each other... Glad I wasn't using the old Simpson when I got careless on the 2KV...

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #17 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;217057
Didn't I mention radio in my 1st post??? Can't say I've seen a aftermarket unit screw up, but have seen two OEMs with a similar problem...

I had an Sony head unit screw up a few years ago. Took a while to figure out.

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #18 –
Must be 40 years since Ive seen a tube tester.

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #19 –
Quote from: softtouch;217164
Must be 40 years since Ive seen a tube tester.
Well Dayum, it's your lucky day... I got lots of em'...

The B&K 707 was mfg'd in '72, picked it up a couple months ago at a old electronics whse for $25... In it's condition they regularly sell on ebay for 10X that amount(no I ain't planning on selling it)...

The Precision 912 was mfg in late '39... It's restored and works fine...

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #20 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;217




Maybe for the shade tree mechanic, but I can guarantee a well trained tech uses a ammeter or at least a light he knows approx what the approx current draw is by the brightness of the bulb...


true, but i dont bother with those  meters, they piss me off.
If it can be done simple and free why do it any other way?
Just have am amperage gauge hooked to the battery and start puling fuses, when it stops going down you have a winner! I have to do it to my stang, it drains the battery.
RIP 1988 and 1990 Lincoln Mark VII LSC
I welcomed the dark side and currently am driving a 2000 Dodge Durango SLT plus, with a 5.9, Code named project "Night Runner"
Shes black on black, fully loaded, with headers, 180 tstat, e fan, straight exhaust into a cherry bomb vortex ler, full tune up, ported intake and T/B, MSD coil, and round aircleaner.
Mods to come: Fully rebuilt and heavily modded 46RE, and a richmond rachet locker.
my $300 beater ;)
R.I.P Kayleigh Raposa 12/18/90 - 2/24/07

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #21 –
Amazing!! Back in the 50's every hardware store had one. It sat on top of the cabinet that held the new tubes. People would bring in all the tubes from their TV when they had problems.

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #22 –
I built a tube tester and a VTVM with Heathkits in 1955 I think it was.

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #23 –
I haven't seen a tube tester since I was a kid in my dads TV shop (mid 70s)
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seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #24 –
Quote from: softtouch;217212
I built a tube tester and a VTVM with Heathkits in 1955 I think it was.


Got a Heathkit tube tester 'round here as well... And some Triplett's, a pristine '36 Supreme, in fact all totaled must have 30 or so... I lost count at 20(all my fingers and toes)... There's at least a half dozen CRT(picture tube) testers out there as well...

Have 3-4 VTVMs, 7 oscilloscopes(5 are newer solid state and the only ones that function)... Also have half dozen or so tube type signal generators... A couple Simpson digital meters, plus a 260 buttstuffogue and the competing version VOM Triplett marketed(forget it's model number)... Lessee, there's also a Fairly new Leader Stereo generator, a B&K frequency counter and one of the O'scopes has built in freq counter and volt/ohm meter functions...

Plus there are a couple dozen antique and small buttstuffog meters I haven't even counted, plus some transistor testers... The list just keeps going...

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #25 –
You running a museum?

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #26 –
Once you enter toms world,, you dont wanna leave.  Real fun stuff to fidgit with laying around and stashed everywhere.

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #27 –
Quote from: softtouch;217253
You running a museum?

Nope, I fiddle/repair/restore old tube radios from the 20s to the 50s... Also have built a few mini AM transmitters(mostly when the O'scopes get a work out) to rebroadcast programs or music to play thru them... Also have 6-8 old tube TVs, one a 1950 model Philco is earmarked for a full resto, just not sure when I'll get to it...

Much of my goodies came from a deceased friends old TV shop... His wife called me and said come get what you want, as we're tearing down the building and it will all go in the dumpster... The left overs and building filled three construction dumpsters... The Precision 920 tube tester(on with the little VOM) was his regular bench tester till he closed the shop in the mid '80s... Basically he just closed the door and most everything was still as it was 20 years later...

seriously at my limit with this,,advise pls

Reply #29 –
Quote from: EricCoolCats;217311
Here Tom, you'll get a kick out of this then. ;)

I don't have a I-poo...

Have one better anyway, mine's got 12 toobs... :hick: