Electrical Continuity Tester- Electronic Component
A Electrical continuity tester is a device which measures whether there is continuity or not in a circuit or a component.
What is Electrical Continuity?
To make more sense of what an electrical continuity tester is, let's first go over what is electrical continuity, so you absolutely have the clear picture.
Electrical continuity is a condition of a circuit where there is no break in the circuit. This is why it is called continuity. When a circuit or component has continuity, or is continuous, current is able to flow through it.
Below is an example of a wire with continuity:
It has continuity, because there is no break in the wire. In other words, it is continuous. If placed into a closed circuit, current can flow through it, since there is no break. Thus, when the probes of the continuity tester are placed on the ends of the wire, it will light up, signaling there is continuity.
Below is an example of wire with no continuity:
It does not have continuity, because there is a break in the wire. So if placed in a closed circuit, no current
can flow through it, because there is a break.Thus, when the probes of the tester are placed on the ends of the wire, it does
not light up, signaling no continuity.
The electrical continuity tester is a good device to have, especially since it's cheap (under $5). If you have to do continuity testing, to check to see if there are any breaks in a circuit, this single device is sufficient for doing so. This can check to see if a circuit is not working due to internal breaks in the wire. Checking for wire breaks throughout a circuit is something that is common and routinely done by engineering technicians. When troubleshooting a circuit, a likely occurrence why circuits don't work is because of accidental breaks in the circuit. If there is a break in a circuit that causes discontuity, the circuit will not work properly. So checking for points of discontinuity in a circuit is routine.
This continuity tester is a good device if you lack a multimeter or lack one which doesn't have continuity testing, though most do.