How to Make a Temporary Incandescent 12v Test Light
Video tutorial on how to make a cheap and easy temporary test light. If you have all the materials laying around, you should even be able to make this for free! This test light can be used to determine if you are receiving power at a certain area. This is a 12V application. The test light is unable to determine how much power an area is getting, but you will see if there is a drop in voltage if the light is dime or not as bright when it is connected directly to the battery.
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Tools/Supplies Needed:
-wire strippers
-electrical tape
-12V light bulb (tail light, brake light, marker light, reverse light, etc)
-two 12" lengths of wire or one double moulded 12" length of wire
Procedure:
-find an appropriate light bulb for the application, mine came from the tail light
-cut a length of wire to the appropriate size using the wire strippers
-strip the casing off the wire on each end, 1/8" to 1/4" in length of bare wire exposed
-using the electrical tape, secure on wire to the side of the light bulb casing which is the negative contact
-using the electrical tape again, secure the other wire to the bottom contact of the bulb which is the positive
-add extra electrical tape if needed
-test light on battery to ensure it works
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© 4DIYers 2013
All Rights Reserved
No part of this video or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author.
Пікірлер: 37
Awesome thank you! You know, your video is the ONLY one that actually simply teaches this - others are 18+ minutes FILLED with 12-15 minutes of total annoying ego rambling so yours is very much appreciated!… & helped me to ultimately diagnose an electrical problem with my car using parts here I had lying around (including solder lol) just had to say thank you!
Simple to make, great if stuck for buying one, I need one in morning but stores won't be open till later, cheers fella, very useful ...
@4DIYers
4 жыл бұрын
Happy to help and thank you :)
I used to set VW beetles timing with a lightbulb tester . Works amazingly well, thank you
@polypetalous
3 жыл бұрын
Nice, exactly why I clicked on this video!
Thanks! I've read a 21W bulb is essential for diagnosing some common issues with my car, as LED and other test lights don't have enough draw to pin down marginal wires that signal or feed sensitive components.
@4DIYers
7 ай бұрын
You’re welcome! That is correct, an incandescent bulb tends to be better for testing than compared to an LED as it has more of a draw.
great video...what voltage or amps light bulb do you recommend for a/c compressors
Very cool!
@4DIYers
2 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Thanks. This came in very handy.
@4DIYers
3 жыл бұрын
Awesome to hear and thank you for the feedback!
I made one and it works great
@4DIYers
6 жыл бұрын
Awesome to hear and thank you for the feedback :)
Thanks so much for this idea... i'm going to try a 12v halogen landscape bulb and in case it an empty clear fuse box and attach alligator clips to the wire ends.
Just tried this and worked great! So bulbs work. Now, how do i trace why reverse lights on '88 VW cabriolet don't work? that's my next step:)
can i use this as a fuse tester? my strong little 1993 toyota corolla has a couple fuses that are out and im assuming there is a regulator inside my car's fuse box that controls the voltage so i dont pop a 6v fuse using this, correct?
If you have a alligator clips that would help out on a negative end, and in a pinch a nail on the positive end can help out to find a positive source.
@4DIYers
10 жыл бұрын
Excellent tip, thank you for sharing!
Can I use this method to determine the positive and negative of the car light bulb wiring? I need to wire the reverse camera and need to determine the polarity of the reverse light. I plan to connect the wire to the car body (as a ground) and connect the tip to each of two wires of the reverse light. I assume if it lights up, it means the wire is positive and if not, it is negative? Thanks
@4DIYers
4 жыл бұрын
Yes you can and that's exactly how you'd do that too.
@zayyarwin8684
4 жыл бұрын
@@4DIYers Thanks a lot for your answer. I know I can use multimeter but don't want to buy something just to test for the polarity. I appreciate your answer. I now did it and it worked! Thank again... :-)
Great video Finaly can test fuel pump on my corsa
What if I wanted to test the bulb within the lamp console which is a single wire??
@4DIYers
5 жыл бұрын
it won't be a single wire, the casing will be the ground. You need a ground and power source for a bulb to work.
Good idea.
I already burn down my router while trying to connect with my solar system (due to wrong wire connection) now I am thinking to create this wonderful thing
thnx
Thank you trying to diagnose why my DTR 125 won't spark :(
How to do same with LED bulb
Crimp a nail into one side of a barrel crimp.
Canadian content .... funny . CTC battery .
Will this find a drain
@4DIYers
7 жыл бұрын
No, you will need to do a parasitic draw for that. I will have a video for this soon, currently in the process of putting it together.
can i use this as a fuse tester? my strong little 1993 toyota corolla has a couple fuses that are out and im assuming there is a regulator inside my car's fuse box that controls the voltage so i dont pop a 6v fuse using this, correct?
can i use this as a fuse tester? my strong little 1993 toyota corolla has a couple fuses that are out and im assuming there is a regulator inside my car's fuse box that controls the voltage so i dont pop a 6v fuse using this, correct?
@4DIYers
8 жыл бұрын
This will work fine. You can also use this video for further info on testing fuses as well kzread.info/dash/bejne/mX-bz6ucndOdldI.html