Cheap eBay mains voltage tester. (10 to 380V)

When I was an apprentice my first set of "test lamps" was a very basic Steinel tester with two LEDs that simply indicated the presence of voltage at a reasonable test current between the range of 6 to 415V and also indicated the polarity if it was DC.
I noticed that they sell similar devices quite cheaply on eBay, so I bought a few from different sources to compare.
I'd say that I would not fully trust them for use on an industrial supply, but for home wiring they are infinitely better than the very dubious neon screwdrivers and a much more reliable indicator than the simple and sometimes vague non-contact detectors.

[@MrJay_White]

nice to know that if nothing else, a neon screwdriver will tell passers-by you are part of a live circuit and not just sleeping.

[@Graham_Langley]

Back in the days of analogue multimeters I was taught to always return it to the highest voltage range when you'd done with it and it's something I still do.

[@drkastenbrot]

Thats the safest thing to do.

[@jusb1066]

+Graham Langley yes that was in the avo days, in the days of digital, it would still be switched on using power, a good multimeter design has the high voltage right next to the off, so ac is next to off, and amps the furthest switch position from off, for safety reasons.

[@Graham_Langley]

+jusb1066 That falls down when the the DVM has a separate on/off switch, as a couple here do. But one of them gets a point for having shutters over the terminals which open when the appropriate ranges are selected.

[@keithking1985]

I do that with my meter that has an on switch instead of being switched by the rotary.

[@DoRC]

I'm a visual person. Can you demonstrate the meter blowing up please?

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Kenny Downs I'm just waiting on the other meters for the test to arrive before the "tests".

[@freshkryp69]

+bigclivedotcom In a real spectacular fashion!! Worse case scenario..

[@chrissouers8576]

+bigclivedotcom You can always count on Clive to display "excessive force".

[@bosapiutsa3829]

+bigclivedotcom Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! I can't wait for papa Clive to do the "tests".

[@DoRC]

Wheel of dmm!

[@nialldewar]

One of those neon screwdrivers saved my life by glowing when i was working on something i was convinced was dead. I was only using it as a screwdriver, not as a test.

[@davey2k12]

my favorite screwdriver but don't last cus i use it for everything lol

[@miallo]

If you use it as a safety test: always check if the light is working first! A friend of mine was switching lamps and always checked if the circuit breaker was out with such a screwdriver. When he screwed in the bulb he was a bit surprised about it lighting up. Nothing happened, but that was a lesson for him and me...

[@johnpotter4750]

All we had back in the day ! wouldn't let a mate loose with an AVO

[@bubblet321]

I really like how you use nice close ups of the products and circuits. Nice informative videos.

[@bentearne4057]

Another great video Clive. As an electrical engineer myself your videos always remind me how much trade electricans know and how valuable what they have to say is. Thanks again!

[@heavydiesel]

Had a Steinel tester similar to the one you had,lost count of the number of rcd's i tripped testing things. Makes you very unpopular on farms at milking time as all the lights go out and the vacuum goes dropping all the clusters off the cows.... On a different note, friend of mine as an apprentice dropped his bosses neon screwdriver in water and never said anything, he wasn't popular that day.

[@Killamarshian]

Although I have very very little electrical knowledge, I find your videos totally engrossing and entertaining. Thanks.

[@AntCooke]

Great video thanks Clive. Love that you go to the trouble of ordering several so we get a real idea of what's out there.

[@elesjuan]

What?! Duracell batteries leaking and destroying a piece of test equipment?! I've never had that happen before........... /sarcasm off

[@davidworsley7969]

I'm at 4 minutes and have no idea what you are talking about-yet I find it somehow soothing and relaxing.

[@lazaglider]

I think the appeal is that these vids present an intelligent and civilised atmosphere. How much technical you take from them depends on your knowledge, but everyone can take something. It's a nice place to be.

[@davidworsley7969]

lazaglider Couldn't agree more.

[@gedtoon6451]

Motivated by your video I cracked mine open. I found that replacing the indicators with high efficiency red LEDs improved the tester, particularly at low voltage.

[@DjEnests]

I really appreciate the "Close up" Photo that is together in the "walkthrough" makes things easier to read and Follow along.

[@douro20]

I used to have an electric field sensor in the form factor of a screwdriver. This thing had a FET and an LED in one end and it was sensitive enough to detect the potential induced in a TV aerial.

[@theoneohmresistor]

could you maaaybe give me a scheme, I would like to make it.

[@petemoss1938]

Neon screwdrivers not much use in a 66kV substation either as they light up in your pocket due to the corona effect from the busbars!

[@hunter00047]

When I was a kid I used a neon screwdriver on the HT output on a TV it lit up like a strobe tube and I ended on the other side of the room..........Never again........i lived and learnt...... never again!

[@therealjammit]

I made my own "idiot" test lamp. Similar to your Steinel tester, but in place of a PTC I use a 240 volt, 5 watt incandescent lamp in series with the two green/red LED's. The 5 watt lamp limits current to around 21 ma. A bit much for an LED, but good enough. Since I live in 'merica I can't easily get 240 volt lamps, so I use two 120 volt, 5 watt lamps in series and throw in a 10 ohm in series.

[@pikeyandclaire]

Had a neon tester for years. Not for testing live circuits, but found they fit better in ceiling roses when connecting. Also rather the longer version. In the 80’s used to have lighting and socket versions.

[@userPrehistoricman]

As for those neon testers, I think we should see photonicinduction's video about it.

[@petekleinschmidt4251]

It’s amazing how much your voice has changed in your newer video’s!

[@bigclivedotcom]

In what way has it changed? It's always hard to judge the sound of my own voice. Is it a good or bad change?

[@AkshayPatel18252]

I managed to stick the probes of my multimeter (while it was in the wrong setting), directly to mains (here in the US, it's about 120V AC). Yeah...there was fire...and smoke. The probes looked like they were mini firecrackers and flames shot backwards right towards me. Luckily, I was able to pull the probes out quickly, but the solder and everything melted right off. Not fun times. Also, I was a young lad at the time. Not the brightest bulb in the box...

[@PhattyMo]

+Akshay Patel When I was younger I stuck an NE-2 neon directly into the mains with no resistor. There was a bang and a flash,and a permanent black mark around the outlet. I then realized what the resistor was for.

[@AkshayPatel18252]

PhattyMo Yikes!

[@jusb1066]

+ELECTRONTHORP for the chinese ebay sellers, they want to appear at the top of the cheapest list, so every penny does count for some items, if you want a bit more decent device, you have to search out something else, usually pay another 2-3 pounds gets you a bit better multimeter, there are fair ones around a tenner (with autorange if you want, fuse and ptc protection etc) compared to paying the 4 pounds for an 830b variant.

[@g0fvt]

+PhattyMo me too!

[@AkshayPatel18252]

jusb1066 Never thought of it that way. Hmm. I guess they really don't care about safety at all haha Live dangerously, my friends!

[@SeanBZA]

Have 2 of the Steinel in green, plus a newer one as well. Very useful. Also have the old moving iron version, which has the added function of being able to test RCD devices, as it has around 50mA of current flow when you press the button to measure the voltage.

[@68MalKontent]

Neon probes are superior in one case - when you are quickly checking wires sticking out of the ceiling or wall, and a known neutral or ground connection is not available/practical. In Poland in older installations there's no ground at all, and wires are not colour-coded, so identifying them and checking whether the circuit is live or not would require a probe of that LED+PTC variety with a looong wire connected to a known ground point. I've seen a light switch on the neutral side more than once for example. Good neon probes have a decent hi-V resistor, or two in series, so I wouldn't dismiss them, they're indispensable :)

[@Yuri-xs9de]

Ja też wolę stare dobre neonówki są małe proste w budowie i przydają się do odkręcania kostek elektrycznych aczkolwiek problem pojawia się gdy pracujesz w pełnym słońcu.

[@RawbLV]

@@Yuri-xs9de what?

[@memylastname9972]

Great info as usual Clive. Just a suggestion, please mention it is a good idea to check the tester on a known live connection just before use because there is always a chance there is a break somewhere in the tester's circuit or lead and you might think the circuit you are working on is dead.

[@Hendlton]

My dad has a good neon screwdriver that glows pretty visibly when connected to mains voltage but I just don't like touching things that are connected directly to mains so I never use it.

[@jusb1066]

+Hendlton the very old testers were indeed brighter than the modern ones, so must have a lower rated resistor, even less safe ! lol, i have a very old mains tester from the 60's it is indeed pretty bright, but you can feel a little buzz when you touch the end of it.

[@Hendlton]

***** He had it when I was a kid and he still has it. Like jusb1066 said, it's probably an old one. I don't think it's from the 60s but it's pretty old.

[@codebeard]

Great video, very clear explanations. Thanks for taking the time to print out enlarged photos too. If you have any non-contact voltage testers I'd also be very interested in a tear-down and your thoughts on their suitability too.

[@AnthonyBate]

I use my neon driver every day. It helps if you touch earth with your other hand and it will glow a lot brighter. As Clive said, sometimes you can feel a bit of a tingle if your arm is pressing against an earthed surface, the thinner skin feeling more I guess. I'm a service technician working on single and 3 phase, I find having the neon useful to quickly dot around, testing each component in-line for fault finding. Been at it 12 years, not dead yet!

[@AnthonyBate]

However: I once accidentally used a neon on the output side of a fly-zapper transformer. That gave me a bit more than a tingle!

[@Solocat1]

Not approved in Canada.

[@anthonyortega4536]

I have a screwdriver / neon tester that dates back to the early 1980s, for me it is very useful and quick to work. It is a very useful tool

[@michael-gary-scott]

Calling the resistor overcurrent protection gave me a good chuckle

[@GadgetBoy]

Demonstration of exploding meter? :-p

[@_MisterG]

+Gadgetboy Yeah - I couldn't believe bigclive would let that go with just a mention.... Thumbs up for explosions!

[@OAleathaO]

+Gadgetboy --> Kinda anti-climatic but here's a KZbin link to someone blowing up almost the exact same meter. Only difference seems to be model numbers. And, of course, one is yellow and one is black. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ3dfZ-GhJt2oLsm42s

[@TankR]

EEVblog has a video of dumping a HUGE capacitor bank through random meters. some are quite energetic, others are more '...well shit, that meter is dead.'

[@willybee3056]

Good job Clive,,, Here is an oddity. I had a small neon bulb that I used to check the spark on a chainsaw. The way it was used, was to tape it to the insulated part of the spark plug wire. So when you pulled the starting rope, you could see if the power was being supplied to the plug. Now for the odd part, we had a wool carpet in our house. And I could light up the neon light by holding on to one lead and walking across the carpet....

[@kevinhardisty6465]

No end of fun and useful info. Helps testing signs here in Las Vegas

[@R4MP4G3RXD]

I have an original Iskra branded neon mains tester, and it's bright enough to see outside when the sun is out(in the shade ofc) :P

[@OriginalUsername9000]

+R4MP4G3RXD Hurray for Yugoslav electronics! I often see hobbyists here using Iskra soldering irons which are 30+ years old, they're extremely heavy but don't ever seem to die.

[@parkerproffitt3012]

Hey lets make a screw driver that you stick into a mains outlet.

[@letter_n]

If you do that ur scrwed!

[@triathlontim]

Found this video just after I'd ordered a new version of one of these - a 6-380V "8-in-1" AC/DC voltage tester for £4.99 from eBay. Has 8 LEDs - +/- 6V (for DC), then 12, 24, 50, 110, 220 and 380V LEDs. Have tested on 240V and all the LEDs seem to light up brightly; the 380V one perhaps slighlty dimmer; on 8V DC you get one of the 6V LEDs brightly and a slightly dimmer 12V LED. So it looks as this will be good for car circuits as you get a decent light output from the 6 & 12V LEDs, as well as useful as a voltage tester to prove a 240V circuit is dead. I haven't put it through an ammeter as yet to see whether it pulls

[@michaelhenwood4046]

Wow! I haven't seen one of those little neon lamp testers for years.They usually used an NE-2 lamp and a resistor.

[@topilinkala1594]

About the nean screwdriver: My father had one and told me that it was useful when he was working with lighting fixtures. When you're up near the ceiling and the fixture is not lit up and you want to test if the wiring is good you can see the nean if you use steel ladder. Wooden ladder won't work. The new ones I saw in 80's didn't even have the flat end but just cylidrical. So they weren't screwdrivers.

[@johnseth-watkins6036]

It's like JW with less verbal inflection. "Please blow up a cheap meter" seconded!

[@whitesapphire5865]

I beg to differ, Clive, those cheap neon mains testers are very useful. I have one that I use and rely on all the time........ I wedge it under the door to keep it open. It's been reliable thus far! Seriously though, if your hobby is restoring vintage TV sets, those neon screwdrivers are handy at detecting HF/HV activity around the line output stage. Crucially, there is no need for a physical connection, just waving it around near the LOPT is enough for it to strike.

[@bobsmith24868]

Funny; I've made that very mistake with an identical looking multimeter a few years back - the fuse in the multimeter blew after first welding and detaching one of the probes, in the 240v wall socket I had poked it in. very exciting!

[@stridermt2k]

Always interesting Clive!

[@eimantasmatuzas]

it goes bang very nicely

[@douro20]

You're thinking of the Steinel Volt-Check. They also made a similar Master-Check which has multiple LEDs for different voltages, a Combi-Check which is the same thing with a continuity test function, and the Digi-Check which adds an LCD readout.

[@QoraxAudio]

The Fluke DMM's have a rubber case around it. So if the hard plastic explodes, the flying particles are contained within the rubber case. A friend of mine got shocked by a screwdriver like that, the screwdriver had condensation inside, near the resistor.

[@buythingsinchina6314]

Good tip, I will order one to replace my neon screwdriver.

[@mbainrot]

can we please have a demo of the cheap meter being explody?

[@johnstewart7059]

My first tester was a Simpson 260. We use the neon screwdriver for 12 VDC systems, and there is a terminal on the top for a ground. Oh so many years. I now use a Fluke 289, and for my controls work, a Beamex MC6. those dodgy volt testers make me a bit nervous

[@JohnHessGA]

Great video and explanation; it took me a moment to translate 'neen'

[@Torch70]

Those little meters are great to keep with tool kits in cars and motorcycles for emergency road side troubleshooting. Harbor Freight gives them away for free and I have at least a dozen of them.

[@jusb1066]

suprised you didnt have one of those old rubberised bulb testers as an apprentice, martindale drummond i think made them

[@BaronVonBeef]

The more you speak about meters blowing up the more I want to see you blow one up. For science.

[@pfeerick]

+Max Beefsteak Indeed... we need to see the dinky meter put to the current test at industrial type voltages... for information and safety purposes of course! :)

[@OAleathaO]

+Max Beefsteak --> Kinda anti-climatic but here's a KZbin link to someone blowing up almost the exact same meter. Only difference seems to be model numbers. And, of course, one is yellow and one is black. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ3dfZ-GhJt2oLsm42s

[@keithking1985]

Oh wow I just found one of those in the press the other day.... mine have 3.5V DC with polarity and 380VAC. Handy.

[@gnormhurst]

I'd like to see an episode on NCVs, non-contact voltage detectors, which I suppose are the modern equivalent of that glowing screwdriver. I recently did some volunteer wiring in a developing country and despite having shut off the breaker on the circuit in question, the NCV showed the neutral was hot. It turned out that they use a "floating neutral" arrangement which is a euphemism for no safety ground/earth/tierra. I measured about 60 VAC between the neutral leg and the service entrance panel's metal frame, but could not tell if this were leakage or something with some real oomph behind it (and not wanting to touch it to find out). I ended up carefully disconnecting the "neutral" feed line from the box, fully isolating the building.

[@jordanjohnson714]

You get a special feeling when you watch a video before anyone but the uploader could have watched the whole video

[@sirseriously]

+Jordan Johnson (Mighty Burger) Is that another way of saying 'First'?

[@jordanjohnson714]

Jacob Abercrombie That would be commenting before anyone else did

[@robber576]

There was a time when these screw drivers had a prpoper high voltage resistor in them, it was a ceramic metal oxide i think, it was a ceramic cilinder coated in something conductive(metal oxide?) and the ends where silver plated

[@stonent]

Well as any good Clive video would have, I think he should upgrade the LEDs.

[@Mr.Magpie]

Love the channel

[@dreddwailing6395]

I inadvertently left a little meter on the 10A range and connected it across a 230V AC motor once, it jumped up into the air with a bang. It smelled too bad to check if any ranges had survived

[@TheJohn8765]

What's your opinion of those "warble" inductive voltage testers that make a sound when inserted into a plug or near a wire? Mine are rated for Cat3 (600v AC). They don't discriminate for voltage levels (iirc), but are pretty popular around here,

[@paulsengupta971]

The neon screwdrivers I have seem to have a different layout - they have a tubular neon and the resistor is some sort of carbon tube with metal ends, making contact with the end of the tubular neon. The resistor looks better than the one used in the tester in the video.Mine also seem quite visible.

[@CrazySparkie63]

Hi Clive, I use an AmeCal ST9030 which test at low current by default but by pressing buttons on both handles it then measures at high current which is handy for checking it's not leakage current (like on two way lighting circuits) also handy for tripping RCD's without going back to the consumer unit (I have a spare one with broken probes (but still working) where I fell off the ladder). If you would like to contact me I will send it to you to tear down).

[@carlrobson5745]

Guilty as charged used one of those neon death drivers when I was very young best place for those is at the bottom of the sea

[@ivo215]

I used to have one of those cheap multimeters, but mine had a 10A fuse. So it didn't die a violent death. But I did blow the fuse a couple times.

[@FrancGorenc]

+ivo215 mine has a 500mA fuse and a separate 10A connection which is unfused (voltcraft vc222)

[@ClarkeZor]

Have you tried the rolson tester screwdriver that has the LED indicator and does continuity testing, I found it quite useful to have in your pocket.

[@oaxelo1]

Hi. I really enjoyed this video as i happen to have one of those old Steinel volt check testers. And they beat the chinese ripoffs hands down, the diodes light up quite visibly down to 1.8 volts. As i watched you testing the chinese ones i could not resist testing the steinels. Why would they call them "volt check" is my question when all they show is the polarity?? But they have come in really handy for fault finding in cars and motorcycles through the years so i still hang on to them

[@TobyRobb]

i used the Fluke T140 for many years to prove de-energised for isolations for a large power distribution provider. The internal board was quite complex with an MSP 430 as the main microcontroller..

[@timbdotus]

All their modern bench multimeters use MSP430s as well. Very nice little microcontrollers. Fun Fact: Modern Tektronix (mid-2000’s on) meters are just rebadged Flukes.

[@MrSleepProductionsInc]

Had a co-worker have one of those meters blow up and burn is face and hands. I think he had it on amp setting instead of voltage setting and went to test mains voltage. Can’t believe they make and still sell a non fused meter like this.

[@SlyPearTree]

A cheap electrical test device from China that won't kill you, I'm impressed.

[@yaziyo]

When I grow up I'm gonna be a PTC Thermistor

[@danblundon2838]

Would these still work properly under reversed polarity? I ask because plugs in this country are often wired backwards by shoddy electricians. Mostly I'm just curious, Ive learned to be quite careful with the power in Ecuador.

[@crocellian2972]

The Fluke probe set has a device which may be a PTC. It was unlabeled but I used a heat gun and DMM to test. Seemed right to me.

[@flukenine4901]

+bigclivedotcom. Are these available in the old style 6 volt upwards like the Steinel Tester.

[@tyttuut]

What's in a PTC fuse? All I know about them is something about crystallization, but I have no idea what it is that's crystallizing.

[@pierreuntel1970]

well.. if you use the neon pen then you must stand bare feet on earth or holding earth wire, I've poke that to USB port of a cheap Chinese charger (not pink) and it shines very bright. I opened it and found out the transformer is somehow shorted inside so I just connect the 5v GND from it directly to earth and it went bang with magical smoke come out of it

[@LakeNipissing]

Some of these like the Klein ET100 have so many LEDs (12, 24, 48, 120, 208, 240, 277, 347, 480, 600 volts), they might as well just use a digital display!

[@Dennan]

mains voltage testers are very intressting

[@icesoft1]

Since you were pulling out all the various styles of mains tester, I was waiting to see you pull out a solenoid-type voltage tester a.k.a.-a 'Wiggy'...

[@benadams6332]

I stopped using the screwdriver testers after I used one where the resistor was shorted. Nearly knocked out my friend standing behind me with my elbow.

[@yagoa]

ptc thermistors are awesome, I keep lots at home

[@martintube1414]

My previous boss bought similar types of this testers. All of it goes after month directly to trash. We goes back to use SN-4 (red).

[@sovietsanta1]

I remember getting one of those neon screw driver testers when I was a child not sure what age I was, before 10 i'd say. All I can remember thinking after reading how to use it in the little manual was something like "WHAT! who would use such a thing no way was I going to stick my finger on the end of that thing" scared me half to death, the idea of sticking one end in an electrical socket and touching the other end. just thought I would share my story.......

[@ozzlander88]

could you swap the leds for brighter ones?

[@GeorgeLeite]

i have a cheap mains tester that will tend to spark when I use them now and then. What can cause that? And I'm obviously in the market for a good mains tester

[@sparkyprojects]

The resistor in that neon screwdriver is not like the older ones, it used to be a carbon slug, Many have a problem with neon screwdrivers, i don't, but you must get a good one, and know the limitations, they were only designed as a quick test, i would always test for live, then watch it go out as the power was isolated, and may even turn power on and off a couple of times. Even if the resistor goes short circuit, you are unlikely to get a shock (if you know about electricity), because unless you were touching earth etc you will be sufficiently isolated from ground through your shoes, sure you'd effectively be live. There's many times i've purposely touched live wires in my time, even in one of my vids. When i was 16 and working in a telephone exchange (installation), there were a couple of guys near where i was working, and were testing a busbar at a height, they couldn't understand why the neon wasn't working, they got a couple more to recheck, i pointed out that they were standing on a wooden ladder and should touch the trunking to get a circuit, they told me to get on with my own work.

[@Billy-rr7re]

actually, your yellow meter has a weak point that works like a fuse. I am referring to the test leads. the cable in those things is so thin that just burn when the current increases.

[@kubeek]

Could you take that cheapie yellow DMM, put nice beefy wires in the 10A socket and ground and show what happens when you accidentaly measure 240V mains like that? I couldn´t find anyone else doing it.

[@OfficialLukeyz]

Hi Clive, or anyone reading this that is smart with electronics. I bought 4 garden lamps of eBay that looks really bright in the picture but there very very dim with 2 low power LEDs, how could I make them brighter? Thanks

[@JasperWaale]

I got a Neo one for finding the Neutral on ACDC setup

[@james42519]

the screwdriver one works good for dc i think. you are supposed to connect the other end to ground i think.

[@squeak83uk2]

So a very crude style of auroranging for the leds?

[@WadeCatrett]

Out of curiosity, could you put a lower value resistor in to make it suitable for say 12V for vehicle use? Or just change the LED? The only mains I work on is at home (in the USA) to change the occasional light fixture or ceiling fan and I usually just kill the breakers. If I'm in doubt I kill the main breaker. If I'm really in doubt I kill the breaker at the Meter. Just ignore the rest... Usually though I just do the quick touch test. Tingle = power. No Tingle = no power

[@jusb1066]

+Wade Catrett buy one of those 12v testers with a small lightbulb, is my advice they are already cheap, and have a sharp needle to puncture insulation

[@WadeCatrett]

+jusb1066 I was just wondering if it was possible, seems like it should be. Thanks for the recommendation, I have one of those but prefer my multimeter to it for some reason.

[@jusb1066]

Wade Catrett yes you could remove the ptc and resistor, put in a resistor to match the led's to 12v, but then youd have something incredibly dangerous if someone used it for normal ac!

[@WadeCatrett]

+jusb1066 True. Sounds like a good gift option for "friends".

[@Penryhigginbottom]

Sorry if this has already been suggested, but 380v is arounf the pk-pk value of 240vrms. So maximum rating accounts for rectified mains? Just a thought...

[@jusb1066]

there are a ton of chinese variants ac testers, some with lcd, some the screwdriver with batteries and an led, loads of different ncv ones, perhaps you could do a mega review of every design under a fiver on ebay

[@oldscoolgaming.5040]

I've just got myself a handy little Ac/dc 12-250v digital voltage tester from Pound land.There is absolutely no chance in hell i'm sticking it anywhere near 250v.The thing just told me my kitchen tap was 12v.

[@BedsitBob]

As a teenager, while playing around with a Circuit Tester (the sort that uses 2xAA batteries), I made the mistake of probing the output terminals of a Scalextric transformer, while holding the plug. Not a pleasant experience.

[@harviecz]

Is it safe to use these two-lead testers by holding the ground lead in one hand and sticking the other lead to live voltage? It sounds quite silly and probably is. However sometimes you don't have voltage testing screwdriver which is designed to that kind of operation and you can't really trust that ground wire is properly connected, so it can mislead you.

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Harvie Not a good idea. If you provide a good ground path enough current will pass to give a significant shock.

[@harviecz]

That seems likely. That makes neon screwdriver only kinda safe way to test if wire is live. If you have 2 random wires sticking from wall, you can never be sure that one of them is neutral. That makes two probe testers unsafe, since you can still get shocked by live even without touching the neutral directly. But test lamp will not iluminate if you don't touch it directly to neutral (which might be corroded or disconnected in the midle of wall).

[@zx8401ztv]

That neon screwdriver is just cheap crap, the decent ones are made with a custom made metal film resistor, and its large, the neon lights fine at mains voltages. . Never had a problem clive, but there are those odd looking screwdrivers with an led and a fet transistor inside + batterys, you get it near the terminal and it lights up. They work too :-D.

[@jusb1066]

+zx8401ztv yeah they do work, but suffer from the same as the other light up testers, false readings and too much sensitivity, the simple martindale testers with the bulb was the defacto tester back when the guy in the factory was testing 3 phase for it being live..

[@zx8401ztv]

+jusb1066 I had a powercut a week ago, but i wasnt sure if it was in the house or outside, so i touched the end of the fet assisted led on the plastic cover of the 100A fuse, nothing, not even a blink. When the power returned i found it lit on anything carrying live, negative lines did nothing. . This type you can reverse and use to test fuses and wires, touching your fingers on both ends lights it. I can hear you saying "Too sensitive" ,nope it works well for two thirds of sod all lol :-D

[@jusb1066]

zx8401ztv there is an easier powercut tester, fire up your phone, ipad or other and look for wifi ssid's if there are none in range, its a powercut!,

[@zx8401ztv]

+jusb1066 LOL your so right there, im surrounded by wifi signals, i changed my ssid to something silly so i could detect mine quickly. Another typical one is the street lights, if its a really big bang then they dont light eather. The underground wires and substation transformer date back to around 1927, im supprised they dont fail more, but they knew how to make stuff in those days ;-D

[@nimeq]

+zx8401ztv And my neon screwdriver resistor was made by nubile virgins from elephant phallic bones. I don't know if you're joking or not, but don't. No matter what resistor is in there, it can fail due to manufacturing or environment issues. Don't joke about people sticking metal rods in live mains.

[@darkbyte2005]

awwwhhh Clive, I have got 2 of those screw drivers and also I have got one of those DMM and now hearing all this I have chuck them both in the bin and buy new stuff. what do you recommend for hobbyist?

[@bigclivedotcom]

+darkbyte2005 Keep the meter, but don't use it on the mains supply.

[@Ni5ei]

What's the common listing title for these on eBay? Tried "voltage tester "and "'mains voltage tester" but can't find them cheap.

[@Bladsmith]

I actually found some under multimeter.

[@ZeedijkMike]

Does the tester indicate which is live and which is neutral? The neon version does, though it might be dim.

[@bigclivedotcom]

If you probe between live/neutral and earth/ground it will indicate which is live.