ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Wiggy?

What on earth is a Wiggy?.
I've heard this term used around the Gen.Disscusion Forum.
Is it a tool or a technique or something else?.
Could some-one please help?.

ahh the wiggy is a voltage tester with electic solonid inside it will buzz when apply to voltage the higher volts it will buzz more rapaid also it will tell between ac and dc by the light on the tester too


merci marc

Trumpy, check this link. http://www.mytoolstore.com/klein/69115.html

Thanks, Marc,
So a Wiggy, is just a Duspol(Brand name)Voltage Indicator, you would know them, from working in France, they are more or less a European thing, but they are very popular over here in New Zealand, most, if not all Sparkies over here carry them as part of thier kit, they are robust, dependable, and never fail, I've had my set for close on 10 years, but they have never let me down.
Real Quality,eh!.

Trumpy,

Here's a picture from Klein Tools:

trumpy:
indeed i used in both usa and france and it is very popular device i have one with me for over 15 year both duspol and amprobe devices and i have good luck with them. and alot of american electican use wiggie also. almost all have them oneway or other includeing hvac contracters use them too . ( sorry i try to scan a pic but my scanner wont work on me [swearing in french ])

merci marc

Hello Trumpy,

I seem to remember something from my industrial days about how Wiggy's could detect a grounded or "dark" leg of an ungrounded three phase delta system. I can't remember the specifics but I remember the old timers telling me that my VOM was pretty much useless and would get me killed. The input impedence of a Wiggy is very low compared to a standard VOM, allowing it to detect voltages that a VOM does't even know are there.

I wish I would have paid more attention to these old sparky's but booze and women were all I cared about then.

I have one of the Ideal testers model 61-092, can be found here under digital voltage testers http://www.testersandmeters.com/tm/ElectricalTesters.nsf/ElectricalTesters?OpenF rameSet

I also have a wiggy but when I saw the Ideal I figured I could give it a try, so far so good. Anybody else out there using them?

[This message has been edited by JCooper (edited 03-11-2003).]

Don't worry Trumpy -- I asked the same question when I first joined ECN as I'd never heard of a Wiggy either!

The low impedance makes the solenoid-type tester much better for testing whether a circuit is actually energized or not.

DMMs are so popular these days, but the high impedance (typically 10 MEG) means that capacitive coupling effects can give rise to all sorts of confusing readings. If you look back through the archives you'll see several threads relating to this.

Also good for checking window indicator-type fuses so common anymore, they often can open but the high input impedance of the DMM can be fooled by reading voltage through the indicator. However the wiggy is never fooled this way.

Rich

I have been carrying an IDEAL solenoid type tester for 13 years in my tool bag and it still works great. Unusual reliability these days.

[This message has been edited by Nick (edited 03-12-2003).]

"Wiggy" is a registered brand name of Square D. This solenoid style voltage tester was originally made by a company called Wiggington. Klein tools resells this Square D tester.

Solenoid type testers have much lower impedance than electronic and neon style devices. One advantage of this tester is the ability to not indicate voltages caused by leakage currents and capacitive coupling currents (these are some causes of digital meters indicating voltage even if they are just "laying on the table"). A disadvantage of these testers is, the low impedance causes high inrush and "chattering" currents which can be damaging to electronic switching devices.

Thanks, guys for all of your input.
It helped heaps!.
Paul, I was wondering if a Wiggy, was the same sort of thing as a Wedgie, but in a different dialect.
JBD, Solenoid Type Testers, prevent "Ghost-Voltages", caused by induced voltages in cables.
My Duspol, draws 240mA, very handy for testing RCD's too, only on Trip though!

OOoops!

[This message has been edited by txsparky (edited 03-13-2003).]

remember you do put a load on what you are testing , and it does blow fractional fuse
sometime, learned it the hard way. GEO

What I like about the Wiggy:

<OL TYPE=A>

[*]Rugged as heck! (dropped mine about 100 times and it still works great!),

[*]Great for testing and tripping GFCIs!,

[*]Great for working on an Ungrounded Delta (the initial Capacitance can be seen as a quick pulse, but then decays away to nothing),

[*]Great for quick checks to verify blown fuses or bad breakers,

[*]Very helpful when troubleshooting an open noodle situation,

[*]Visual and Audible response to live circuits (also can feel the vibrating solenoid).
</OL>

As with Nick, have had my Ideal "Vol-Con" Wiggy for eons! Got it back in the early 1980's when the "Vol-Con" line was new.

Scott35 S.E.T.

Scott35

I am with you after a while you can tell the voltage by how it jumps in your hand.

My set is rated at 600V and I have used them up to 550V (buck boosts for a foreign motor) at 550V they nearly jump out of your hand.

I am in the same boat as the other IDEAL people here... the Vol-Con tester is an excellent tool. Up here in Canada, it is common for commercial and industrial 600V applications.

The Vol-Con is extremely reliable, can be dropped (an Ideal rep, to demonstrate its durability and reliability, threw it 20 feet in the air and let it drop on concrete, then took the thing and smacked it a few times against the wall, and it still worked as good as new!) and the built in continuity tester is great for testing bad fuses and stuff.

Well worth every penny spent on this tool.

The tester we use is the 61-076 under the 'Solenoid Voltage Tester' heading.

Here is the link.... http://www.testersandmeters.com/tm/ElectricalTesters.nsf/ElectricalTesters?OpenFrameSet

[This message has been edited by Sandro (edited 03-15-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Sandro (edited 03-15-2003).]

I like the continuity tester of the Ideal Vol-Con. But nothing is rugged as the old Wiggy- made by Wgginton. If you are careful you can tell the voltage drop in a coil with the old style wiggy. I've checked a million-it seems that many- Allen Bradley coils in my days as industrial electrican with Reynolds Metals.

I have watched this thread and I just wanted to put my two cents in too.

In my opinion, I do not think the wiggy (or any solenoid type device) is a safe tool to use. Yes, I used to use a Wiggy up to about eight years ago. I finally dropped one too many times. I put off buying one. Instead I got used to my volt/ohm meter. After blowing two models because I forgot to change the setting/function, I discovered a Fluke auto everything meter. Paid about $70. Still have it and use it as my main piece of test equipment.
Coincidentally about six years ago, an electrician entered a high voltage / low voltage area of a plant to check for voltage on a service call. Armed with his faithful Wiggy, he landed on probe to ground and the other lead holstered in the meter, landed it with his left hand on high voltage......... The solenoid shot out of that thing..... He never knew what pierced his chest. It all happened too quick.

Since that day I have been glad of my good fortune each time I had previously used my Wiggy.

Sorry, I did not mean to cast a bad light on Wiggy's or the alike. I just felt compelled to share the story of an unfortunate local electrician.

Dave

Just goes to show you need to know what you are working on. Sorry to hear about our fallen comrade.

I use either depending on the situation.

Try this: swing a lead of a DMM around in the air, the voltage indicated will change with the speed of rotation. We all know why.
Jim