Triplett The Hound 2 Instruction Manual

TRIPLETT

TONE

     HI

     LO

CONTINUITY

TALK

WARBLE

OFF / LINE POLARITY

MULTI-WIRE CABLE

TERMINALS

TARGET

WIRES

PUSH

ON/OFF

– VOLUME +

TRIPLETT

TONE

     HI

     LO

CONTINUITY

TALK

WARBLE

OFF / LINE POLARITY

PUSH

ON/OFF

– VOLUME +

MULTI-WIRE CABLE

TERMINALS

TARGET

WIRE

Instruction

Manual

TRIPLETT

Triplett Corporation     One Triplett Drive     Bluffton, OH  45817

800-TRIPLETT          FAX:  419-358-7956          www.triplett.com

Hound

The

DESCRIPTION:

The 

HOUND 2

 (PN 3236) is a small, hand-held In-

ductive Amplifier (also called a “Probe”) that, when

used in conjunction with the 

Triplett

FOX

 or 

LAN

FOX

, aids in locating, tracing, and identifying wires,

cables, and other conductors. Often, wires can be

identified without piercing their insulation, and their

location can be determined behind intervening non-

conductive surfaces, such as plastic, wood, or dry-

wall. The 

HOUND 2

, with its convenient Volume

Control and LED signal indicator, is useful for wire

tracing in numerous applications, and has been

used in the telephone, electrical, security, sound

reinforcement, automotive, and boating industries,

to name a few.

HOUND 2 PROBE FEATURES:

1)

 Contains a hi-gain, hi-impedance amplifier

2)

 Has a rugged, moisture resistant, mylar

    cone speaker

3)

 Volume / Sensitivity control

4)

 LED signal indicator

5)

 Powered by a standard 9V battery

SPECIFICATIONS:

Battery:

  9 volt alkaline, NEDA 1604A, such

              as Eveready 522

Size:

      Diameter: 1.5" (body), 1.9" (at speaker)

              Length: 8.25"  (including probe tip)

Weight:

  Less than 8 ounces with battery

BATTERY REPLACEMENT:

Unscrew speaker grill cap. Remove speaker, be-

ing careful not to damage wire connecting to

speaker. Remove foam pad. Replace the battery.

Reassemble.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS:

Two different basic tracing methods are commonly

used. 

Figure 1

 illustrates the “LINE/GROUND” con-

nection, and 

Figure 2

 illustrates the “LINE/LINE”

connection.

FOX LINE/GROUND Connection:

The LINE/GROUND connection produces the stron-

gest tracing signal, but also creates “crosstalk” of

the signal into other wires in the cable. If the user

is trying to identify a cable, and not an individual

conductor in the cable, the LINE/GROUND method

usually produces the best results. This method has

been used to trace electrical wires (like Romex),

speaker wires, intercom wires, thermostat wires,

alarm wires, cable television wires, etc. through

drywall, wood flooring, and carpeting.

A “good” earth ground is usually not required. In

fact, a large metal object like an office desk, a file

cabinet, or a metal plate on the floor, can be used.

On vehicles, the metal chassis of the vehicle can

be used as the ground. A metal hulled boat can

use the hull as a ground, and a wood or fiberglass

hulled boat can use the surrounding water as a

ground (make connection to a metal fitting in con-

tact with the water or drop a wire into the water).

The ground connection is only required at the 

FOX

end of the cable or wire, however, a ground con-

nection at the far end is handy for positive identi-

fication of the target wire (read following text on

tracing).

To setup the LINE/GROUND connection, clip one

alligator clip (either color) of the  

Triplett

FOX

 to

the “ground”, and the other alligator clip to the

wire being traced (see Figure 1).

FOX LINE/LINE Connection:

The LINE/LINE connection is useful for identifying

a pair of wires in a multi-wire cable, or for identi-

fying a pair of wires in a bundle of wires.  When

wires are “paired” in a cable, they are often twisted

together in a manner that reduces crosstalk of any

signal on the wires into adjacent wire pairs. Tele-

phone cables are constructed in this manner, so a

LINE/LINE connection is often used to trace tele-

phone cables (see Figure 2).  The 

FOX

’s modular

plug applies a LINE/LINE connection when plugged

into its mating modular jack (connected to a tele-

phone line).

Initial Setup and Testing:

Whether the LINE/GROUND or LINE/LINE connec-

tion is used at the 

FOX

, the use of the 

HOUND 2

for tracing the signal is the same. In general, the

HOUND 2

 is used by bringing it into proximity with

the wire/cable that is being traced, listening for the

TONE signal from the 

FOX

, and moving the 

HOUND

2

 in such a manner as to increase the loudness of

the TONE signal from the 

HOUND 2

’s speaker.......

i.e. searching for the loudest TONE signal. The

HOUND 2

’s Volume Control is adjusted to a com-

fortable level. Usually, it is set to maximum when

the tracing wires through walls and ceilings, and

is set to a lower setting when in close proximity to

the signal carrying wires. The 

HOUND 2

’s LED

glows brighter when the sounder from the speaker

is louder. In situations where there is a lot of acous-

tic noise, observing the brightness of the LED may

prove more useful than attempting to hear the sig-

nal from the speaker.

To begin using the 

HOUND 2

, turn the volume all

the way up by rotating the VOLUME thumbwheel

towards the speaker. Depress the Power Button

on the 

HOUND 2

.  It is normal to hear a humming

or buzzing noise coming from the 

HOUND 2

’s

speaker when it is in an area with fluorescent lights,

neon signs, transformers, etc.  In fact, an easy test

to verify the 

HOUND 2

  is working is to move it

toward an operating fluorescent light and note that

the buzzing sound gets louder, and the brightness

of the LED increases. When used out-of-doors,

away from power wires, the 

HOUND 2

 may make

only a slight hissing noise.

Before attempting to trace a wire/cable, set the 

FOX

to the TONE mode, and depressing the 

HOUND 2

’s

Power Button, bring the 

HOUND 2

’s  probe near

the 

FOX

’s alligator clips. The TONE should be heard

from the 

HOUND 2

’s speaker. If the TONE is not

heard, check the batteries of both the 

FOX

 and the

HOUND 2

.

After verifying that the 

FOX

 is generating a TONE,

connect the 

FOX

  to the target wire/cable in the

desired fashion. Once again, test the 

FOX

’s output

signal by depressing the 

HOUND 2

’s Power But-

ton and bringing it’s probe near the 

FOX

’s alligator

clips (this is called “probing” the wire/cable). The

TONE should be heard from the 

HOUND 2

’s

speaker. If the TONE is not heard, the wire/cable

may be shorted. The 

HOUND 2

  cannot trace a

shorted wire.

If the LINE/GROUND connection is being used, the

alligator clip connected to the ground should have

very little signal on it when probed by the 

HOUND

2

. The other clip attached to the wire/cable should

have a strong signal on it.

LINE / LINE CONNECTION

Figure 2

LINE / GROUND CONNECTION

Figure 1

PUSH

ON/OFF

– VOLUME +

A

Probe Tip

B

LED Indicator

C

Volume Control

D

Power Button

E

Speaker Grill

F

Battery Connector

G

Foam Pad

H

Battery

I

Speaker

B

D

C

I

G

F

E

H

A

2