If I'm willing to pull the cover off the breaker panel and probe
individual wires, am I likely to have greater success? The CS-500A that
I've got doesn't seem to get any luckier when it has access to
individual wires......

Frank

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:27:40 -0500, Paul Franklin
wrote:

On Sun, 04 Nov 2007 15:44:12 -0800, Frank B Denman
wrote:

I've got a Sperry CS-500A that is essentially useless. It is never able
to narrow its detection to a single breaker.

Would appreciate recommendations for a better tool, if one exists. The
budget is ~$100.

Thanks!

Frank

Frank Denman
Denman Systems
(please remove the x from my email address)

I've used a few different ones. The GB Instruments Get-1200 I have
now is the best so far, but...

I would say I get the right breaker on the first try about 2/3 of the
time. Maybe 75%. If you have half inch breakers or duplex breakers,
it's almost impossible to pick the right one with certainty, because
they are both connected to the same leg within inches of the breaker.

It's a difficult technical problem. You are trying to identify very
small differences in signal strength from breakers that are all
connected together very close to where you are trying to measure. The
only thing that gives you any chance at all is that every other
breaker connects to the opposite side of the line.

HTH,

Paul F.



Frank Denman
Denman Systems
(please remove the x from my email address)