conductivitygoldprobetest-equipment
I found around a couple of damaged "gold coated" probes, after checking the inner wire it happens to be made of cooper, my questions here are simple
1) Why coat the tips if the rest of the probe is just copper?
2) In order to decrease the total resistance of the probes shouldn’t the entire wire be made of gold? (Common sense says that’s a bit expensive)
3) How can a simple gold coat help with measurements?
One variant of this is called "shrouded" probes.
These may have covers which are spring loaded and move away or the shroud may stay in position and need the tested point to intrude into the shroud end.
Just what the doctor ordered:
Fused probe bodies with 4mm contact tips. The tip are covered with a spring loaded sheath for added protection. Unscrew the tip to access and replace the fuse. Probe bodies are marked with the rating of the internal fuse.
From Cal Test electronics $14.93.
Materials: Body: Polyamide (Nylon); Contact tip: Brass, Nickel Plt. Banana Contact: BeCu, Nickel Plt. Set available in red and black pair
RS India grip probe.
Made to grip a standard test point
Extech TL810 Electrical Test Lead Kit, Double insulated with CAT III-1000V safety rating, Two 40" (1m) PVC lead extensions (1000V rating) with shrouded banana plugs on both ends, Two very sharp, extra long 0.3" (7mm) stainless steel tipped plug-on test probes, Two stainless steel flat tip test probes (0.6"/15mm long), Two plunger activated retractable jaw clips with a wide 0.75" (19mm) jaw opening (TL-810 TL 810) $45/set From
Double Insulated 4mm jack Conforms to BSEN61010 Fully Shrouded and insulated to HSE GS38 Suitable for all BS7671 BSEN61557 Alphatek - Metrel testers Other colours available . From
Same people
Double Insulated 4mm jack Conforms to BSEN61010 Fully Shrouded and insulated to HSE GS38
As a long-suffering hobbyist happy to finally have a grown-up multimeter, I was surprised this wasn't more intuitive. I think I've worked out a decent way to wrap it:
Leads remain plugged into terminals, wires wrap around sideways. Start at the bottom and wind your way up towards the dial. For the last wrap across the face, angle back down towards the terminals. Then on the back hook the leads under the lip of the tilt stand and route them out the notch. The probes will just reach their slots with a bit of stress relief and the foot of the kickstand should keep them from unwinding.
It took me a few tries to wrap so there was enough (but not too much) slack, but after getting the hang of it I can wrap it fairly quickly without worrying too much about the precision of it.
I'm not sure if this is less or more stressful to the leads than the alternatives—but to avoid loose, tangled wires without a pouch? I'll take my chances!
Best Answer
They are gold-plated because gold tarnishes far, far less readily than copper. Its purpose is not to provide a low-resistance conductor but to prevent tarnishing of the probe surface from affecting the measurement.