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Author Topic: Cable tester recommendation  (Read 2863 times)

Jason Glass

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2021, 12:53:02 AM »

As long as you need to test only DC continuity for the BNC cables; this unit can not test impedance or performance at any frequency other than 0Hz.

So much THIS^^^^^. A huge steaming bowl of it.

Russell Ault

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2021, 01:03:07 AM »

As long as you need to test only DC continuity for the BNC cables; this unit can not test impedance or performance at any frequency other than 0Hz.

... and ditto for 8P8C cables.

-Russ
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John L Nobile

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #12 on: November 25, 2021, 10:56:14 AM »

As long as you need to test only DC continuity for the BNC cables; this unit can not test impedance or performance at any frequency other than 0Hz.

Continuity is all I'd test for and all I'd expect at these prices.

All these units are similar but what's selling me is the USB A -B tester. I use a lot of those cables in my IT gig and a few in the audio one as well.
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Brian Jojade

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #13 on: November 25, 2021, 07:00:17 PM »

Continuity is all I'd test for and all I'd expect at these prices.

All these units are similar but what's selling me is the USB A -B tester. I use a lot of those cables in my IT gig and a few in the audio one as well.

The danger of relying on a simple continuity tester for things like USB cables is often that will give you a false sense of security.  I've personally had a lot of 'bad' USB cables. Not a single one failed a continuity test.
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Brian Jojade

Steve-White

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #14 on: November 25, 2021, 08:53:32 PM »

The danger of relying on a simple continuity tester for things like USB cables is often that will give you a false sense of security.  I've personally had a lot of 'bad' USB cables. Not a single one failed a continuity test.
Yep.  Any line that carries signals with higher bandwidth than audio could show good for continuity and not work.  Ethernet, BNC, USB, even possible with DMX stuff.

These types of testers are most useful for speaker cables, 1/4" phone jack cables and XLR cables.
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John L Nobile

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #15 on: November 26, 2021, 10:16:37 AM »

The danger of relying on a simple continuity tester for things like USB cables is often that will give you a false sense of security.  I've personally had a lot of 'bad' USB cables. Not a single one failed a continuity test.

I'll keep that in mind. But how else would you test a USB cable? And how long before they're obsolete. I have a box full of obsolete cables. I keep them around "just in case".

I just got my PO approved and I ordered the Hosa tester.
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Stephen Swaffer

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #16 on: November 26, 2021, 10:16:26 PM »

I think this is a case of sometimes the "wrong" tool that you can afford is sometimes all the tool you need-as long as you understand it's limitations.

Almost always I'll take a skilled tech with limited tools over a button pusher with all the fancy tools in the world.  Anyone ever had a mechanic swap parts till he found the problem even though he had a fancy code reader?
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Steve Swaffer

Steve-White

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2021, 12:30:52 AM »

^^^ Hence the term Swaptronics - sometimes that's the way to get it done and sort out the details later.
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Chris Hindle

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #18 on: November 27, 2021, 06:22:53 PM »

I think this is a case of sometimes the "wrong" tool that you can afford is sometimes all the tool you need-as long as you understand it's limitations.

Almost always I'll take a skilled tech with limited tools over a button pusher with all the fancy tools in the world.  Anyone ever had a mechanic swap parts till he found the problem even though he had a fancy code reader?

In a previous life I was a licensed mechanic at a GM dealership.
i got the cars the "PartSwappers" couldn't fix.....
Scanners and diagnostics said which system was fucked up. NOT which part/parts.
Our shop also got cars from GM zone that couldn't be fixed at other dealers...
Chris.
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Ya, Whatever. Just throw a '57 on it, and get off my stage.

Steve-White

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Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #19 on: November 27, 2021, 10:52:38 PM »

In a previous life I was a licensed mechanic at a GM dealership.
i got the cars the "PartSwappers" couldn't fix.....
Scanners and diagnostics said which system was fucked up. NOT which part/parts.
Our shop also got cars from GM zone that couldn't be fixed at other dealers...
Chris.

Oh yeah, self-test or what is referred to as BIT (Built In Test) in the industry I work in is for the High School level educated techs.  The engineers get the more difficult stuff.  Having worked both aircraft level and back-shop avionics and automatic test equipment over the years the only thing BIT is good for is when doing a quick down and dirty self-test at power-up - nothing more.  There's only so much self-test that can be engineered into a system for a myriad of reasons.  When it fails to identify the problem the real troubleshooting starts.

The real fun one's are when a component fails BIT, pull it and send back to manufacturer and it comes back as serviceable without any repair being performed.  Those are called "CND's" or Could Not Duplicate Failure Mode.  Then we look into overall system integration among other things and may in some cases relax tolerances or change system timing.

You must know what you're doing to get the problem children.  :)
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Cable tester recommendation
« Reply #19 on: November 27, 2021, 10:52:38 PM »


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