testing continuity and tracing circuits 39fuses bus baralligator clipspositive negativeFor this example, connect the transmitter at the source
of a circuit on a small fuse panel. Clip the transmitter’s
red lead to the output, or DC positive, side of the fuse,
and clip the black lead to the terminal on the panel’s
DC negative bus bar. Notice that both of these leads
are bundled together in a harness with four other wires
as they head away from the panel, so the signal gener-
ated from the tool will be able to bounce off the leads
as the signal travels the length of the harness.
Follow the harness to another point in the boat. You’ll
know the circuit is still intact because the tracer/receiver is
sending out a loud tone, and the light at the top of the tool
continues to glow. If the light goes out and the sound
stops, an open circuit is indicated. If you have or can gain
access to the harness throughout its run, you can pinpoint
the break by tracing back to the point where the tone and
light come back on.will often not have that luxury on many instal-
lations because many cable runs are routed
through conduits or behind installed cabi-
netry. That said, the device is useful for identi-
fying which wires are which as they reappear
at the opposite end of a hidden run, as long as
there are no breaks along the way.
The photo sequence illustrates the Ancor
tracker tool in use.
Note: The power must be turned off either
at the DC main on the panel or at the battery
master switch on the boat when using this
tool; it can’t share power transmission and its
own signal.
Frequently a harness will disappear behind a panel or into
a conduit. At the opposite end, use the tone-generating
circuit tracer to identify the conductor/pair you’ve been
tracing. As long as the circuit has continuity up to that
point, the device will glow and sound off when you touch
the receiver unit against the correct wire.132