Amprobe AT-4000 User Manual

Users Manual

AT-4000 Series

Advanced Wire
Tracer

AT-4000 Series

Advanced Wire Tracer

Users Manual

AT4000CON_Rev001
© 2008 Amprobe Test Tools.
All rights reserved.

English

1

Limited Warranty and Limitation of Liability

Your Amprob e produ ct will b e free fr om defects in material a nd workm anship f or 1 year fr om the
date of purchase . This war ranty d oes not cover fus es, di sposa ble bat terie s or damag e from ac cident ,
neglec t, misuse, alt eration , conta minatio n, or abn ormal condition s of oper ation or handling .
Amprob e’s warra nty ob ligatio n is limite d, at Am probe ’s option , to refun d of the pur chase p rice, fr ee
of charge r epair, or re placem ent of a de fecti ve produ ct . Reseller s are not au thorize d to ext end any
other war ranty o n Ampro be’s beh alf. To obtain s ervi ce during t he warran ty peri od, ret urn the pr oduc t
with pro of of purc hase to an authorize d Ampr obe Test Tools S erv ice Cent er or to an Am probe d ealer
or distr ibutor. Se e Repair S ecti on for details. T his warr anty is y our only remedy . A ll other w arranti es ­whethe r expre ss, im plied or s tatutory - incl uding im plied wa rrantie s of fitne ss for a pa rticul ar purp ose
or merch antabi lity, are h ereby ex cluded. Neith er Ampr obe nor i ts pare nt compa ny or affil iates sh all be
liable fo r any spec ial, indi rect , incide ntal or co nseq uential d amage s or loss es, arising fro m any cau se or
theor y. Since so me sta tes or cou ntries d o not allow the exclu sion or li mitatio n of an impl ied warra nty
or of incid ental o r conse quenti al damag es, thi s limita tion of lia bility m ay not app ly to you.

Repair

All test t ools re turned f or warran ty or no n-war ranty r epair or for calibr ation sh ould be ac compan ied
by the foll owing : your nam e, company’s nam e, addr ess, t eleph one numb er, and pro of of purchase.
Additio nally, ple ase incl ude a bri ef desc ription o f the prob lem or th e serv ice requ este d and incl ude
the tes t leads with the me ter. Non- warranty repa ir or repl acement charge s shoul d be remitted in t he
form of a check, a mo ney order, credit c ard with e xpirati on date, o r a purcha se orde r made pa yable to
Amprob e® Test Tool s.

In-Warranty R epair s and Replacement – All C ountries

Please r ead the wa rranty s tate ment and check your batt ery be fore req uest ing repair. During the
warrant y perio d any defe ctiv e test to ol can be returne d to your Am probe ® Test Tools dis tributor for
an exchan ge for th e same or li ke produc t. Please chec k the “Where to Buy” sec tion on w ww.amprobe .
com for a lis t of dis tributo rs near y ou. Addi tionall y, in the United State s and Can ada In- Warrant y
repair an d repla cement u nits ca n also be s ent to a Am probe ® Test Tools Se rvice Center ( see below for
address).

Non-Warrant y Repai rs and Replacement – US a nd Canada

Non- warrant y repai rs in the Un ited Sta tes and C anada s hould be s ent to a Am probe ® Test Tools
Serv ice Cent er. Call Amp robe® Tes t Tools or inq uire at you r point of p urchase for cur rent rep air and
replacement rates.

In USA In Canad a

Amprob e Tes t Tools Amprob e Tes t Tools
Everet t, WA 9820 3 Missis sauga, ON L4Z 1X9
Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Non-Warrant y Repai rs and Replacement – Europe

Europea n non- warrant y unit s can be re placed b y your Amp robe® Tes t Tools dis tribut or for a nom inal
charge. P lease c heck the “ Wher e to Buy” se ctio n on ww w.ampr obe.co m for a list of distr ibutor s near
you.

European C orresponden ce Address*

Amprob e® Te st Tools Europ e
Beha-A mprobe GmbH
In den Eng ematt en 14
79286 Glo tter tal, Germany
Tel.: + 49 (0 ) 7684 8 009 – 0

*(Co rresp onden ce only – no r epair or r eplace ment ava ilable fr om this ad dress . Europ ean cus tomer s
please c ontac t your distribut or.)

2

AT-4000 Series

Advanced Wire Tracer

CONTENTS

Precautions ................................................................................................... 4

Introduction .................................................................................................. 4

AT-4000CON Product Description ................................................................ 5

Unit Description ....................................................................................... 5

Application Notes ......................................................................................... 9

Using the R-4000CON with Thumbwheel ............................................... 9

Using the T-4000 Transmitter ................................................................ 10

Using the A2202 Clamp-On Transmitter Accessory .............................. 11

Finding Opens ............................................................................................ 12

Finding Ground Faults ........................................................................... 13

Tracing Wires in Conduit ....................................................................... 14

Locating Circuit Breakers Or Fuses ........................................................ 14

Tracing Energized Wires ........................................................................ 15

Tracing Unenergized Lines and Finding Shorts .................................... 15

Locating Individual Wires in a Bundle (Energized and

Unenergized Lines) ................................................................................ 16

Locating Outlets From The Breakers Panel........................................... 16

Locating Buried Conduit or Metal Pipe ................................................ 16

Maintenance ............................................................................................... 17

Changing Batteries................................................................................. 17

Changing Fuse ........................................................................................ 17

Replacement Parts.................................................................................. 17

Troubleshooting ......................................................................................... 18

Specifications .............................................................................................. 19

3

PRECAUTIONS

FOR PERSONAL AND INSTRUMENT PROTECTION

IMPORTANT:

Before using any electrical instrument, it should be checked to 1.
make certain it is operating properly.

In many instances, you will be working with dangerous levels of 2.
voltages and /or current, therefore, it is important that you avoid
direct contact with any uninsulated, current carrying surfaces.
Appropriate insulated gloves and protective clothing should be
worn.

Before attaching any of the conductors, make sure the voltage 3.
present is not beyond the range of the instrument.

When not in use, keep the instruments in their carrying case.4.

When the R-4000CON or the T-4000 will not be used for a period 5.
of time, remove the battery to prevent leakage in the instrument.

INTRODUCTION

AMPROBE ATP SPX is dedicated to designing, manufacturing
and marketing high quality, reliable instruments for the skilled
professional. The AMPROBE ATP SPX current tracer has a history
of providing safe, reliable operation in tracing energized wires,
locating circuit breakers and locating wires shorted to the ground.
The AMPROBE ATP SPX open tracer has the capability of tracing
unenergized wires, locating open breakers and locating open wires.

The AT-4000CON Wire Tracer Upgrade System combines both the
current tracing CT- 100 and the AT-2000 series into one versatile tool
providing the ability to solve virtually all your tracing problems. In
addition to the above features, the receiver provides a non position
sensitive when tracing wire and the transmitter provides a visual
indication to the user when the traced line is energized. The level of
the signal transmission is also indicated on the LCD of the transmitter
unit.

4

Having confidence in an instrument is an important part of using
the instrument. All applications are different and unique. An
understanding of the system’s operation could mean the difference
between several minutes or several hours on the job.

Please read this manual carefully. Take the time to learn how the
instrument operates. The operation is user friendly and easy to learn.
Test it in a variety of situations. You will soon have the confidence
to use it on a daily basis to solve problems that were previously
unsolvable.

AT-4000CON PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The AT-4000CON consists of two units:

T-4000 Transmitter (32.768KHZ, 9-600 volts AC or DC)

R-4000CON Receiver( Non-position sensitive, Open / Short Tracing)

Unit Description

R-4000CON Receiver

It has two built in detectors that are tuned to pick up the 32.768Khz
signals generated by the T-4000 transmitter. The R-4000CON is
designed to display the signal strength to enable quick locating of the
conductor carr ying the signal.

T-4000 Transmitter

When connected to an energized circuit, the T-4000 will filter the low
frequencies up to 400Hz and rapidly indicate on the display that the
wire is energized. When the user starts the transmission, a combination
of signals is injected on top of the 50, 60, or 400Hz that cause a slight,
periodic current fluctuation and allows the power line to emit its
own, traceable signal. This signal can be detected back to the main
generator. However, the signal will not interfere with any sensitive
electronic equipment and does not require power interruption. The
unit is intrinsically safe and has a ‘LOW’ signal transmission setting that
must be used when tracing GFCI-protected circuits.

When connecting to a circuit as a load, the signal will be present

5

➋

➊

➍

➎

➌

R-4000CON
Reciever

➊ LED Indicator:

ON - OPEN
OFF - SHORT

Mode Control

➋

Sensitivity Control

➌

Thumbwheel

LED Indicator:

➍

ON - High Sensitivity
BLINKING - Medium
Sensitivity

OFF - Low Sensitivity for
breakers

Sensitivity Control

➎

Power ON /OFF

➏

LED Indicator:

➐

Green - Unit ON
Red - Low Battery

6

➏

➐

➊

➋

➌

➍

➎

T-4000
Transmitter

➊ Banana Plug Jack

Signal Level Switch

➋

Power ON /OFF

➌

Fuse (inside) Holder

➍

24 Volt Jack

➎

9V Battery Compartment

➏

7

➏

anywhere between the T-4000 and the power source. (Line side or
Upstream) - no signal will be present on wiring on the other side of
the transmitter(load side or downstream). For example, a transmitter
connected to a circuit breaker will produce no signal on that circuit. It
will, however, cause a signal to be generated between that panel and
the transformer…and beyond. When connecting to an unenergized
circuit, the live indication on the display will remain ‘OFF’. When the
user starts the transmission, the transmitter injects a combination of
signals onto the conductor. The signal will travel along the conductor
until it ends. There is no difference in the functional mode of the unit
when tracing energized circuit and unenergized circuits. On an open
line, no current will flow, so the injected signal will present itself as a
voltage spike along the wire which is detected by the R-4000CON in
the ‘OPEN’ mode. When the conductor is part of a complete circuit,
the voltage causes a current to flow which produces a signal that is
detected in the ‘SHORT’ mode. The T-4000 contains a 9V battery. A 24V
input jack accepts the B2024 rechargeable battery or the B2025 110V
converter, both use when a very strong signal is necessary.

(Note: When using the battery booster ( B2024 or B2025) the unit will
work in ultra high “U-HI” mode only. Remove the battery booster to
return to normal operation.)

A2202 Clamp-On Transmitter Accessory

Enables the T-4000 to induce its signal onto an unenergized or
energized circuit. Plug the A2202 into the T4000 and clamp it around
any conductor in an unenergized circuit, or the hot wire in an
energized circuit. The signal will be induced on top of the 50,60,or
400Hz frequency which may be present. The AT2201 acts like a 1/2
Volt battery when clamped around a conductor. On a complete circuit
this voltage will cause about 80mA of current to flow on top of the
whatever frequency is present.

To increase the signal strength, loop the wire around the clamp a few
times or use the B2024 battery Pack. The A2202 will allow wire tracing
without the need for direct connection. (Note: When using the batter y

8

booster (B2024 or B2025) the unit will work in ultra high “U-HI” mode
only. Remove the batter y booster to return to normal operation.)

B2024 Battery Pack

24 Volt Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable cell custom designed for light
weight, small size, and durability. Used to boost the output of the
T-4000. Consult the specs for the boost levels. Includes a self-resetable
fuse. Be sure to charge fully before use.

(DO not use the B2024 when tracing energized lines.)

Note: When using the battery booster (B2024 or B2025) the unit will
work in ultra high “U-HI” mode only. Remove the battery booster to
return to normal operation.

B2025 110V Converter/Recharger

Can be used to either recharge the B2024 or directly boost the T-4000.
To recharge the battery, leave it connected for at least 8 hours. (DO
not use the B2024 when tracing energized lines.)

Note: When using the battery booster (B2024 or B2025) the unit will
work in ultra high “U-HI” mode only. Remove the battery booster to
return to normal operation.

C2901 Pigtail- Banana Plug Cord set

For use on 110VAC receptacles.

C2902 Alligator-Clip Banana Plug Cord set

For direct contact to bare conductors

MTL-G Grounding Test lead And Alligator Clip

APPLICATION NOTES

Using the R- 4000CON with Thumbwheel

Turn ON unit by pressing the ON/ OFF push button.1.

Press MODE push button to select the sensitivity level2.

OPEN Tracing: LED ONa)

9