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Triplett hotwire fox Instruction Manual
Summary of hotwire fox
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Triplett hotwire fox & hound live wire circuit tracing kit instruction manual 84-877 7-10
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Page 1 features .................................................................. Introduction ............................................................ Warnings and cautions ........................................... Specifications for hotwire fox ................................ Specification...
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* trace live 120vac and 220vac power lines * locates wires through drywall, plaster, wood, cement, etc. * locate wires up to 3ft away (in open air) * locate buried wires up to 6” * trace wires up to 1000ft in length * uses common 9v batteries * carrying case included * warranty: 1 year 1: overall fe...
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Page 3 the triplett hotwire is a wire tracer for 120vac and 220vac circuits. It consists of the hotwire fox transmitter and the hotwire hound receiver. The hotwire fox applies a radio frequency (rf) tracing signal to the wire to be traced, and this rf signal propagates down the wire radiating the si...
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Page 4 * the hotwire is designed for use on 120vac and 220vac circuits. It is intended to be used on fused circuits that are not considered ‘high energy’. This generally means that the circuits are appropriately fused to prevent explosive ‘follow on’ currents that can develop in response to an accid...
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Page 5 * operating frequency (rf): 400khz to 500khz * operating frequency (af): 800hz to 2400hz * output voltage (rf): adjustable from approx. 5vpp to 30vpp (open circuit) * output voltage (af): fixed, approx 10vpp (open circuit) * tracer tone: warble or pulsed, high or low pitch * truetrace: tracer...
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Page 6 * operating frequency (rf): 400khz to 500khz * signal indicators: speaker outputs tracer signal and led indicates signal strength * earphone jack: accepts 1/8” mono or stereo earphone plug, 8 ohms to 50 ohms. Automatically mutes speaker. * headlights: 2 high brightness white leds * speaker: r...
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Page 7 there are many different types of wire tracers using different technologies to trace wires. While a single technology can be used to trace wires in many different scenarios, there is often a specific technology that works best for a specific scenario. While this instruction manual provides in...
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Page 8 the hotwire can be used to identify, for example, the end of a specific cable tv wire among a group of cable tv wires. However , if the wires are bundled together, crosstalk between the wires can make iden- tifying a specific wire problematic. The triplett wiremaster coax or the triplett wire...
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Page 9 throughout this instruction manual, the user will be reminded of instances in which a ‘false trace’ can occur. After the user has some experience with using the hotwire , and sees firsthand how it behaves in various test scenarios, he will become more proficient at using the product, and reco...
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Page 10 the hotwire hound senses rf current flowing in a conductor or the electromagnetic waves in free space. In our application, we are interested in sensing the rf current in a conductor. In order for current to flow, there must be a complete ‘circuit’. When it comes to rf, the ‘circuit’ is not o...
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A: antenna b: led headlites c: signal strength indicator d: power button e: volume / sensitivity control f: earphone jack g: battery connector h: battery strap i: battery cover j: 9v battery k: speaker page 11 7: hotwire hound control locations a) antenna this area contains the rf sensing antenna. W...
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Page 12 c) signal strength indicator the signal strength led is used to indicate the presence of a signal when it may be difficult to hear the signal coming from the speaker (because of high ambient noise levels). It will glow brighter as the received signal strength increases. The brightness will b...
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Page 13 g) battery connector observing proper polarity, attach to 9v alkaline battery h) battery strap slip over battery before installing in hound. Position tab so it can be grabbed with fingers. This allows bat- tery to be removed easily when it needs to be replaced. I) battery cover removed and r...
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Page 14 1) function switch 2) unlock button 3) battery test / cadence led (green) 4) voltage present led (red) 5) pulse / warble button 6) truetrace on/off button 7) rf level control 8) test leads (pigtails) 8: hotwire fox control locations 8) test leads (pigtails) 9) magnets 10) screws (4 places) 1...
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Page 15 1) 24” test leads 2) 60” test leads 3) pointed test probe 4) flat test probe 5) alligator clips test leads hotwire fox control description 1) function switch the function switch has 3 settings…… off / voltage test, trace / battery test, and continuity beeper. A) in the off / voltage test set...
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Page 16 4) voltage present led (red) this led flashes when ac or dc voltage is present (see specifications for details). In the off / voltage test and continuity modes, the flashing is accompanied by the beeper sounding. In the tracer tone mode, the voltage present led will flash to indicate a volta...
Page 18: Warning:
Page 17 installing / replacing battery refer to the hotwire fox and hound control locations drawing. To install or replace the 9 volt battery in the hotwire hound , remove the battery cover (i) by pressing the release tab towards the nose end of the case. Remove the battery connector (g) and the bat...
Page 19: Warning:
Page 18 basic operational test hold the hotwire hound and press its power button. The white led headlights should come on. If they don’t come on, replace the battery. Rotate the volume / sensitivity thumbwheel to its mid position and hold the nose of the hound within a few inches of the fox. The fox...
Page 20: Warning:
Page 19 the different lengths of test lead wire are provided not only for convenience in testing, but in some tests, the length of the leads has an effect on the traceability of the wire or circuit. This will be explained in more detail later. Off / voltage test function the hotwire fox has a built-...
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Page 20 tracer tone test function several different methods can be and should be employed to trace wires. Set the function switch to the tracer tone position. The battery test / cadence led must flash. If it does not flash, replace the battery. Select the pulse or warble mode as desired. If the pilo...
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Page 21 the null method the concept of the “null” is illustrated in the following drawing. When the hotwire hound is passed perpendicularly over the wire with the hotwire fox ’s tracer signal, a strong signal will be picked up on either side of the target wire, and a ‘null’ (dead spot) will appear r...
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Page 22 hotwire fox connected to wall outlet tracing wire in wall identifying breaker by locating the “null”..
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Page 23 helpful hints it is usually best to start with the rf level control all the way up on the hotwire fox , adjusting the sen- sitivity on the hotwire hound so the tracer signal produces a comfortable loudness. If it is found that the sensitivity of the hotwire hound is turned almost all the way...
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Page 24 hotwire fox connected to boundary wires hotwire hound locates boundary wire using null method. Improving null with earth ground when tracing a wire and the actual earth ground is available, it may be possible to improve the null effect and create a stronger tracer signal for the hotwire houn...
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Page 25 hotwire fox on ‘earth’ connect the red pigtail to either the 2’ or 5’ red test lead (use the shortest one you can), and connect the other end of the test lead to the wire to be traced. In the following photo, the target wire is connected to a wall outlet. Single test lead in wall socket.
Page 27: Caution:
Page 26 caution: if the wall outlet is ‘live’, the black test lead will be live also. Use ap- propriate caution. Failure to do so could result in user injury. When using ‘single wire’ connection, the hotwire fox will not indicate if the target wire is ‘live’. If you do not know if the target wire is...
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Page 27 the peak method the concept of the ‘peak’ method is illustrated in the following drawing. When the hotwire hound is passed perpendicularly over the wire with the hotwire fox ’s tracer signal, a strong signal will be picked up as the hound passes over the target wire. The signal will be stron...
Page 29: Caution:
Occur that the tracer tone on the adjacent wires can be almost as large as the original tone on the target wires. This can make it difficult to identify the target wires with the hotwire hound . To aid in identifying the target wires, the hotwire fox uses truetrace. ... A test technique which greatl...
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Page 29 wires usually do not radiate rf signals in a circular pattern around the wire. There is often a ‘lobed’ pat- tern, with the size and the shape of the lobes determined by various factors, including the construction of the wire, the placement of the wire in relationship to other wires or condu...
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Page 30 noise pickup: the hotwire hound is tuned to the frequency of the hotwire fox. Rf noise is also found in this same frequency range. Noise comes from light dimmers, motor speed controls, power paks (wall warts), computers, etc. The hotwire hound may also pick up radio or tv stations. Because e...
Page 32: Warning:
The following items are included with the hotwire fox and hound hotwire fox ………………………………….… part number 3388-fox hotwire hound …………………………...............Part number 3388-hound carrying case …………………………………… part number 10-4300 instruction manual ……………………………… part number 84-877 two 2’ test leads (1 red,...
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Page 32 triplett product return instructions in the unlikely event that you must return your triplett equipment for repair, the following steps must be taken. 1) call 1-800-triplett to obtain a return material authorization (rma) number from customer service. 2) enclose a copy of the original sales ...
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Page 33 14: triplett one year limited warranty triplett warrants instruments and test equipment manufactured by it to be free from defective material or workmanship and agrees to repair or replace such products which, under normal use and service, disclose the defect to be the fault of our manufactu...
Page 35: Triplett
Triplett tdr cable fault finder instruction manual triplett test equipment & tools www.Triplett.Com 850 perimeter road, manchester, nh 03103 phone: 800-triplett fax: 603-622-2960