How To Make Your Own Test Lights
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Date: 2020-08-05
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Comments and reviews: 10
Russell
One of the most fascinating things I find from the various professional, DIY, and personal experience videos on diagnostics and repairs are the divergent methodologies.
Obviously, everyone has to use the processes and procedures of personal taste and situation application.
For example, a retail shop will most likely throw on a complete set of plug wires even if only one wire is faulty. The object in this case is to solve the current issue and hedge bets the customer won't be back in a week with another aging wire problem. Makes perfect sense. And it's the wise thing to do from the shop and customer's prospective.
Me, on my cars? I cut the bad end off the wire, re-crimp, and continue motoring happily for months or years.
The same goes for testing. I love all the professional-grade tools. But, I don't require them all that often and the cost for spotty occasional use prohibitive (says the guy with a highly pimped out 20 ton press in the garage. In addition, my speed-to-resolution doesn't need to have the same shortened time constraints as a retail shop. So, I can afford the delay and effort to fabricate probes out of scrap copper Romex, safety wire, shipping box copper plated staples, and alligator clips for each occurrence.
Basically, the point of this comment is, keep mindful of the efficient intersection of cost, effort, frequency-of-use, speed-of-solution, end-customer needs, etc, and come up with a situationally optimal solution.
Love the videos, by the way. I've learned a ton of valuable information concerning scan-tool/oscope aided diagnostics which will, no doubt, come in mighty handy at some point in the future.
reply
One of the most fascinating things I find from the various professional, DIY, and personal experience videos on diagnostics and repairs are the divergent methodologies.
Obviously, everyone has to use the processes and procedures of personal taste and situation application.
For example, a retail shop will most likely throw on a complete set of plug wires even if only one wire is faulty. The object in this case is to solve the current issue and hedge bets the customer won't be back in a week with another aging wire problem. Makes perfect sense. And it's the wise thing to do from the shop and customer's prospective.
Me, on my cars? I cut the bad end off the wire, re-crimp, and continue motoring happily for months or years.
The same goes for testing. I love all the professional-grade tools. But, I don't require them all that often and the cost for spotty occasional use prohibitive (says the guy with a highly pimped out 20 ton press in the garage. In addition, my speed-to-resolution doesn't need to have the same shortened time constraints as a retail shop. So, I can afford the delay and effort to fabricate probes out of scrap copper Romex, safety wire, shipping box copper plated staples, and alligator clips for each occurrence.
Basically, the point of this comment is, keep mindful of the efficient intersection of cost, effort, frequency-of-use, speed-of-solution, end-customer needs, etc, and come up with a situationally optimal solution.
Love the videos, by the way. I've learned a ton of valuable information concerning scan-tool/oscope aided diagnostics which will, no doubt, come in mighty handy at some point in the future.
reply
Gearhead
My main load substitution tool is a plastic Project Box with six holes drilled in it and fitted with 1156 sockets. 1157s work even better but I was sent these by mistake and didn't catch it until I couldn't return them. You wire the six sockets in parallel and can even add banana jacks on the side of the box for a convenient voltage drop test point. Then you run wires out the other side of the box and put alligator clips or banana jacks or whatever you want on the end. In the case of the 1156 bulbs, each one represents about 2. 25 amps. You could add or subtract bulbs depending on the load you're trying to simulate up to almost 14 amps. Pretty handy tool to have. Also works well in place of a fuse when you've got a short to ground. Puts a load in so there's no longer a short and when you find the source of the problem, the bulbs go out.
reply
My main load substitution tool is a plastic Project Box with six holes drilled in it and fitted with 1156 sockets. 1157s work even better but I was sent these by mistake and didn't catch it until I couldn't return them. You wire the six sockets in parallel and can even add banana jacks on the side of the box for a convenient voltage drop test point. Then you run wires out the other side of the box and put alligator clips or banana jacks or whatever you want on the end. In the case of the 1156 bulbs, each one represents about 2. 25 amps. You could add or subtract bulbs depending on the load you're trying to simulate up to almost 14 amps. Pretty handy tool to have. Also works well in place of a fuse when you've got a short to ground. Puts a load in so there's no longer a short and when you find the source of the problem, the bulbs go out.
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Pet
Thanks for illustrating one of the major problems with test lights: there is no one size fits all test light. You have to have multiple test lights with different amperage draws in your tool box in order to ensure you can diagnose electrical problems on all the circuits found on a car. I prefer a simple multimeter and voltage drop testing. I only have to have multimeter in my toolbox and there are way more uses for a multimeter then a test light. Tools that have multiple uses are always a win, IMO. Just sayin'.
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Thanks for illustrating one of the major problems with test lights: there is no one size fits all test light. You have to have multiple test lights with different amperage draws in your tool box in order to ensure you can diagnose electrical problems on all the circuits found on a car. I prefer a simple multimeter and voltage drop testing. I only have to have multimeter in my toolbox and there are way more uses for a multimeter then a test light. Tools that have multiple uses are always a win, IMO. Just sayin'.
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Paul
I have now sourced the parts and made a number of test lights and some back probes with wire and 4mm sockets on then, what a simple and brilliant idea. So far they work as promised, thank you. I did find some small diameter brass tube, 2. 5mm OD x 0. 5mm wall and crimped a short length of this to the pin before soldering.
Stay safe in these difficult times.
reply
I have now sourced the parts and made a number of test lights and some back probes with wire and 4mm sockets on then, what a simple and brilliant idea. So far they work as promised, thank you. I did find some small diameter brass tube, 2. 5mm OD x 0. 5mm wall and crimped a short length of this to the pin before soldering.
Stay safe in these difficult times.
reply
Ghetto
At the pick n pull you can get factory connector ends too and make PLUG IN tester harnesses lol or like get both sides and split the wires in the middle so you can make a little tester adapter. Get both sides from all makes and models lol. Oh I breathed in solder fumes in this video and I died. :D
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At the pick n pull you can get factory connector ends too and make PLUG IN tester harnesses lol or like get both sides and split the wires in the middle so you can make a little tester adapter. Get both sides from all makes and models lol. Oh I breathed in solder fumes in this video and I died. :D
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Larry
I find that if I use a 1/4 length of. 062 ID brass tubing (K&S, available at any hobby shop, most hardware stores, Amazon, etc) or a non-insulated 22ga butt splice, the soldering goes much faster and is easier. Love the videos of this type; keep coming up with similar vids.
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I find that if I use a 1/4 length of. 062 ID brass tubing (K&S, available at any hobby shop, most hardware stores, Amazon, etc) or a non-insulated 22ga butt splice, the soldering goes much faster and is easier. Love the videos of this type; keep coming up with similar vids.
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Ozzstar's
As a middle aged married male with children I really enjoy making test lights on Friday and Saturday nights. We make it a family affair and sit around a 12 volt battery and try them out for fun. Brightest bulb wins! Quality family time together, thank you Eric O.
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As a middle aged married male with children I really enjoy making test lights on Friday and Saturday nights. We make it a family affair and sit around a 12 volt battery and try them out for fun. Brightest bulb wins! Quality family time together, thank you Eric O.
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jake
Using the trusty TestLight could be Abolished? A Chevy tech rep visited the shop and announced, these newer car's (2018+) computers will get internal damage if a test light is used during troubleshooting because of a design change. What have you heard about this?
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Using the trusty TestLight could be Abolished? A Chevy tech rep visited the shop and announced, these newer car's (2018+) computers will get internal damage if a test light is used during troubleshooting because of a design change. What have you heard about this?
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Christopher
The eas wave kit has the variable resister with banana jack leads. Works well for bypass testing with data pids. Not that Ive used it to simulate a load. But with ohms law you could use it. The bulbs are much faster for sure.
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The eas wave kit has the variable resister with banana jack leads. Works well for bypass testing with data pids. Not that Ive used it to simulate a load. But with ohms law you could use it. The bulbs are much faster for sure.
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Brian
I use the headlamp bulb test light for all kinds of circuit integrity testing to make sure it can carry a load. Last time was on a power windows switch. Switch could handle 12 volts, but couldn't carry the current. (Amps. lolol
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I use the headlamp bulb test light for all kinds of circuit integrity testing to make sure it can carry a load. Last time was on a power windows switch. Switch could handle 12 volts, but couldn't carry the current. (Amps. lolol
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