I recently purchased this unit. It came without a probe. I could find no info about it or how to make a probe. I'd appreciate any info available. Thanks!
Unfortunately the probes for the ShorTrack are longer made. They were essentially an inductive probe that used a 220mH inductor in the tip.
Search eBay and you might find what you are looking for.
I just bought a Shortrack 90 too. shoot, I didn't know it takes a special probe. It was cheap, so, it's ok.
Thank you for sharing the value of the inductor. this is the same inductor value used in the Polar Toneohm 950's "current Drive Source probe" ACC114.
https://www.polarinstruments.com/products/accessories/manufacture_pcb_repair.html
but, If I remember correctly the current probe for the toneohm has a resister in the plug and also has current / voltage source leads as well.
I made it for the 950 Toneohm I have. This was 1 of the 3 probe sets used for that unit. I think all 3 sets cost over $700. Heck, I paid less for the unit...made them all and never used them except when I was looking for a pain in the neck and frustration.
anyhow, the one I made works great with the toneohm 950. Since I already had a thermal camera I never learned how to trace shorts in a timely manner using my ears. I guess there is a learning curve in using your ear to find shorts. What I am trying to say is thermal camera is the way to go in finding shorts.
But I think I found a use for these type of instruments, they're very helpful in tracing and finding tracks in between layers and approximate location of connected pins across pcbs....much like a wire tracker in buildings and networking.
The Polar Toneohm 950 makes a very useful companion to the Huntron ProTrack. I was lucky to get one through Ebay from Florida with all the Probes.
Thurlby Thander Instruments also make a current Probe under the name i-Prober 520 current Probe.
But the Polar is far more flexible to use.
Package arrived, got the shortrack. it turns on. but there is no battery compartment. it probably needs to get opened up. No leads either :'(
and anyone knows what type of connector is that on the board, please?
Jvthorsley, Thanks. this may be going off the subject for this thread but. I looked up the i-prober 520. I like it. looks like this one measures amp! I will put it in my wish list.
I am very curious how do you mean Polar toneohm 950 is a useful companion with ProTrack? how and what do you use it for, while diagnosing?
There is a link to the Shortrack manual in the forum topic:
https://huntron.com/forum/index.php?topic=291.0 (https://huntron.com/forum/index.php?topic=291.0)
The Polar Toneohm 950 is very useful for finding shorts.
The ProTrack will tell you there's a shorts across a power line.
And the Toneohm 950 will tell you which of the many decoupling capacitors is the cause of the problem.
You can even put probes at the four corners of a circuit board and close in and locate a short across bus plane.
I don't think I'm upsetting Curtis here as Polar no longer manufacture the Toneohm 950. But they do still supply the Probes. And just to show how old the 950 is it uses a Z80 Zilog microprocessor. But this does not detract from its usefulness in the workshop.
The i-prober 520 is very useful for working on switch-mode power supplies and no danger of shorting things out with a current probe.
Sorry Curtis gone off-piste a bit here!!
oh ok, short finding. I got it. thank you .
Back to the main subject, the Shortrack, correct me if i am wrong, but I think the connector for the lead is a Mini XLR 3 Pin Female Solder Connector, part number RT3FC-B.
The original part number was a Switchcraft TA3FL.
Data sheet for Switchcraft TA3FL.
Got it thank you. ;D Couldn't find the part.
Mouser recommend an ulternate part,
502-TA3FLX
I added it to my basket
;D