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Diagnosing electrical faults is arguably the toughest task most technicians face. Reliance on simple voltage tests with a traditional test light or multimeter and/or checking component or circuit integrity statically with an ohmmeter often allows a fault to go undetected, frustrating techs even further.
As contributing editor and educator Joe Glassford shares in his June 2012 feature on this same topic, “Think current path, not circuit path”. Current is what makes an electrical component work. If there are problems in the current path, the current supply to the component will be less than it should be, causing the component to work poorly or not at all.
Voltage drop testing is one answer to finding those problems quickly and efficiently.
The testing method itself is simple. It’s understanding what the results are telling you that tends to throw off those new to the testing method. In the June 2012 edition of “The Trainer,” Motor Age technical editor Pete Meier gives you an explanation of what voltage drop testing is, how to perform the test on common circuits, and tips on understanding the test results. Click this link to subscribe to Motor Age! http://bit.ly/MA_YT_freesub