Notes on using an electric tester that you should not ignore

The electric tester is one of the essential hand tools to test the electrical connection in the home. In this article, Tnhelearning.edu.vn will share with you the notes on using an electric tester to ensure safety!

Learn about electric testers

What is an electric tester?

An electrical tester is a tool used to test whether an electrical circuit has current or not. This product is popularly used to test power meters, sockets, switches and other conductive devices.

Electrical tester is a tool used to check whether an electrical circuit has current or not

Pros and cons

Advantage:

• Easy to use: The electric tester has a simple design, compact size, so users can easily hold and use.
• Convenience: Because the size of the product is quite compact, users can carry it with them during work.
• Cheap price: Electrical testers have a selling price ranging from 45,000 – 710,000 VND (updated June 2023 and may change from time to time), relatively cheap compared to other specialized electrical measuring devices.

The electric tester has a compact size so you can easily hold and move it to serve the job

Defect:

• Limited functionality: This pen line is only used to check whether current exists in the circuit or not, but cannot provide accurate information about voltage levels like specialized electrical measuring devices.
• Poor safety: If you do not know how to use the electric tester, the product may give incorrect and inaccurate results, which is dangerous to the user.
• Not suitable for testing complex electrical circuits: Because the electric tester cannot accurately measure the parameters of voltage, impedance,…

The electric tester cannot accurately measure the voltage, impedance, … of the power supply

How to use electric tester safely and effectively

Electrical test with AC power line

First, put the pen into one of the 2 pins to distinguish the hot and cold wires inside. If it is a hot wire (phase wire), the lamp of the tester will immediately light up and vice versa, if it is a cold wire (neutral or no power) the lamp of the tester will not light up. .

However, in the process of testing the pen, when touching the phase wire or but the light is on, there is a high possibility that the power source is having a problem, so check the source immediately, to avoid danger when using electricity because the neutral wire is a non-zero wire. There’s electricity so the lights can’t come on.

Put the pen into one of the 2 pins to distinguish between hot and cold wires

Distinguish AC from DC

To do this, you need to observe carefully when the neon bulb of the electric tester is energized, at this time only the pole connected to the negative pole of the DC power supply will glow .

In the case of testing with an AC source, both poles of the neon light bulb will alternately be the cathode and anode, so both poles will light up .

In addition, when connecting the tester to the positive and negative poles of the DC circuit, only the pole connected to the negative pole of the power source will glow.

Observe the neon bulb of the electric tester to distinguish AC from DC

Notes to use the electric tester safely

• Do not use a pen to test DC voltage: The principle of operation of this device is to take the parasitic capacitance on the human body as a conductor, so if used for DC voltage, it will cause damage. shock if the internal bulb or resistor is touched.
• It is necessary to place the pen perpendicularly between the pen and the measuring position to reduce the risk of direct contact with conductive parts, thereby ensuring the safety of the user.
• On the market, there are many different types of electric testers such as wall pens, touch pen, electronic pen, etc., based on the purpose of use to choose the most suitable pen.

It is necessary to place the 140 mm Tolsen 38114 electrical tester perpendicular to the measuring position to ensure safe use.

The above article has shared with you the notes to use the electric tester safely and properly. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below to be answered!