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There may be several cases where are you working on different electrical circuits or electrical devices and encounter a short circuit problem. This becomes an even bigger problem when a short circuit might permanently damage your electrical circuit or circuit board. As a result, finding a short circuit is highly important so that you can get rid of it.
One of the most fundamental checks you can do with a multimeter is to look for short circuits. The resistance setting is used on the most basic meters; fancier models feature a continuity option that flashes a light or beeps a tone to indicate a short circuit.
While there are numerous ways to do the same, using a multimeter is considered one of the simplest. As a result, we are here with a complete guide on how to check a short circuit with a multimeter. You can also learn more about multimeters and short circuits by going through this guide till the end.
What is a Short Circuit?
A short is an indication of a break or fray in the wire that causes an electrical system to malfunction. It is generated when a current-carrying wire comes into touch with a neutral or ground in a circuit.
If you witness fuses blowing frequently or a circuit breaker trips repeatedly, this might be an indication of a short circuit. You may also hear loud popping sounds when the circuit is activated.
A multimeter is one of the most important tools that you can use to check for short circuits in your home’s wiring. It may be used to check for electrical faults such as a short to the ground with it. A multimeter can even detect short circuits on a circuit board, such as on a desktop computer
It can also detect a short circuit in your car’s electrical wiring.
Causes of Short Circuits
The following are some of the most common causes of a short circuit:
- Damaged or degrading insulation on wires can cause live and neutral wires to short out. As a result, a short circuit is possible.
- A faulty wire connection
- Equipment with faulty wiring
- When a short circuit is detected, an important technique can be carried out to pinpoint to the exact location.
- It is necessary to find the broken circuit breaker.
- All plugs connected to the tripped breaker must be examined for damage.
- To reset a tripped circuit breaker, first turn off the breaker as well as any surrounding lights or appliances.
- Turn on one outlet at a time, such as a lamp or appliance, until the broken circuit is found.
- Using a multimeter, assess if the fault is with the circuit or the wiring.
- A digital or analog multimeter may be used to measure current, resistance, and voltage.
How To Check Short Circuit With Multimeter
Follow these procedures to find a short circuit with a multimeter.
Step 1: Ensure Safety and Preparation
It is vital to ensure that everything is done safely before using a multimeter to identify a short circuit. It ensures that neither your electrical circuit nor your multimeter is affected during the search for a short circuit.
Before you proceed with anything, ensure that your electrical circuit is switched off. This involves removing the batteries as well as the power adapters.
Note. You might get a severe shock or electrocution if you don’t switch off all electrical power to a circuit before testing it. As a result, double-check that the circuit’s power is turned off.
Step 2: Turn the Multimeter On and Set it Up
Turn on your multimeter after you’ve double-checked that everything is safe to use. Then, using the selector knob, set it to either continuity test or resistance mode, depending on the capabilities of your multimeter.
Tip: If your multimeter has multiple resistance settings, use the lowest resistance scale.
Step 3: Test and Adjust the Multimeter
To guarantee that your multimeter provides you with all relevant measurements, you should test and calibrate it before using it. Make a connection between the probe tips of your multimeter to do this
If it’s in resistance mode, the resistance value on your multimeter should be 0 or almost zero. If your multimeter is reading significantly higher than zero, calibrate it such that the value is zero when the two probes are pressed together. If it is in continuous mode, a light will flash or a tone will ring, and the reading will be 0 or almost zero.
Step 4: Determine the Location of the Circuit Component
After you have set up and calibrated your multimeter, you’ll need to find and identify the components of your electrical circuit that you’ll be checking for short circuits.
The electrical resistance of the component should most likely not be zero. For example, the input of the audio amplifier in your living room next to your TV will almost definitely have a resistance of a few hundred ohms (at a minimum).
Bonus: When picking these components, make sure that each one has some resistance; otherwise, finding a short circuit would be difficult.
Step 5: Probe the Circuit
After finding that component you will be checking for a short circuit, connect your multimeter’s red and black probes to the circuit.
Connect the metal tip of the black probe, to the ground or chassis of the electrical circuit.
Then attach the metal tip of the red probe to the component being examined or the section you believe has a short circuit. Make sure that both probes are touching with a metal component, such as a wire, a component lead, or the circuit board foil.
Step 6: Examine the Display of the Multimeter
Finally, pay carefully to the readings on the multimeter display when you press the red and black probes against the metal elements of the circuit.
Resistance Mode – if the resistance is low and the measurement is zero or near to zero, the test current goes through, and the circuit is continuous. If there is a short circuit, the multimeter display will show 1 or OL (open loop), indicating a loss of continuity and an electrical short circuit in the device or circuit under test.
To indicate continuity, the multimeter shows a zero or almost zero reading and generates a tone. However, there is a break in continuity if the multimeter reads 1 or OL .In the gadget you’re testing, a lack of continuity implies an electrical short circuit.
Tips on Using a Multimeter to Check a Short Circuit
A multimeter may be used to analyze short circuits and the functioning of your circuit because it can function as a voltmeter, ohmmeter, and ammeter.
Choose the Correct Device
To check for short circuits in an electrical circuit, use the right type of multimeter. While all multimeters can measure current, voltage, and resistance, higher-end multimeters can do more. For a more flexible multimeter, this might include additional readings, attachments, and modes.
Get to know the Features and Parts
A vast display, a select knob, ports, and probes are the essential components of your multimeter. Earlier, analog multimeters include a scale and a pointer instead of a digital display. The ports can have up to four in number, with half of them being red and the other half being black. The black port is for the COM port, other three are for readings and measurements.
Recognize The Ports On Your Device
While the black port is utilized for COM connection, the other red ports have various functions. The following ports are included:
V – a measuring unit for resistance, voltage, and continuity tests.
AmA is a unit of current measurement in a circuit.
10A – used to measure currents of at least 200mA
Also Read: How To Test Low Voltage Transformer With Multimeter?
Conclusion
After reading this article, you should have a good understanding of your multimeter and how to use it to test short circuits. Indeed, we have provided a comprehensive explanation of how to discover a short circuit with a multimeter above. This will allow you to quickly determine whether or not you have a short circuit in a certain circuit. There are also instructions on how to operate a multimeter and its many components.