hen really tough

jobs come into the

shop, you need
technicians with
the skills to diag-
nose the problem
and find the solution. What those
technicians need are the right
electronic test tools that will lead
to a fix that is both complete and
profitable. Finding the best elec-
tronic test equipment for your
shop takes planning and organi-
zation.
The first step is to analyze your
business operation. What kinds
of jobs do you really do? The
work at most independent shops
might be a blend of conventional
or routine jobs that dont require
much electronic test gear to oc-
casional specialty or diagnostic
24 May 2014
ELECTRONIC
TEST TOOLS
BY MIKE DALE
Selecting the most appropriate electronic
test equipment for your shop is only the
beginning of your responsibility.
Learning to use it to its fullest potential
while keeping it up-to-date and in working
order are equally important.
P
h
o
t
o
i
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
:

H
a
r
o
l
d

A
.

P
e
r
r
y
;

i
m
a
g
e
s
:

T
h
i
n
k
s
t
o
c
k
25 May 2014
jobs that do. Other shops, includ-
ing dealerships, will specialize in
one type or brand of vehicle and
may need special tools for that.
Analyzing your shops workload
can help you answer the ques-
tion, Do I have enough work
coming in on a regular basis to
justify the purchase of this new
electronic test equipment?
Then theres the question of
simply keeping up. Nowadays
you need tools to program sen-
sors and tools that can update
computer software. This is a con-
stantly changing business and if
you dont keep up, well, before
long youll fall behind.
You could help yourself with
these questions by data mining
a stack of old invoices. Divide
your completed invoices for the
last year into two pilesone for
routine jobs and the other for the
more difficult diagnostic jobs. No
doubt the larger pile will be the
routine jobs you and your staff
handled just fine.
As for the difficult jobs, was
there some special tool or train-
ing that would have helped?
Maybe you lost profits on some
jobs because you had to send the
work out to a specialty shop or
dealership with more advanced
capabilities. That stack of old in-
voices is reality; it shows what
really happened at your shop. It
can help you better understand
where your shop going and what
you need to do next.
If yours is a specialty shop, do
you have the basic tools needed
to do your specific kind of work?
A brake shop might need an
ABS system scan tool that
wouldnt really get much use at
an HVAC specialty shop. If you
specialize in VW products, say,
you may need tools that wouldnt
be justified for a we fix any-
thing kind of shop. It seems ob-
vious, but keeping your business
and your tools focused on what
ELECTRONIC TEST TOOLS UPDATE
Many devices, like the Snap-on MODIS, use touchscreen controls with icons. This display
technology uses walk-through menus that guide the technician through the repair.
Any good measurement starts with a good connection at the vehicle, and well-engineered test leads (left photo) are the place to
start. Test leads can be made stronger to endure the rigorous automotive testing environment. In the photo on the right, the
strain relief added to the base of the probe reduces the chance of the leads being pulled or broken.
26 May 2014
P
h
o
t
o
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

F
l
u
k
e
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

S
n
a
p
-
o
n

T
o
o
l
s
youre really good at is crucial to
your success.
It could be that youre looking
to buy something new because
you want to branch off into work
youre not doing now. This is
okay, so long as you have all of
the other pieces of the puzzle in
place. Its reasonable to expect
that most technicians can use a
test light and a DMM. Its a dif-
ferent story when it comes to os-
cilloscopes, flash programming
devices and other sophisticated
pieces of test equipment.
Youll need to do your home-
work regardless of what equip-
ment you may have in mind to
purchase. OBD II Generic scan
tools can be had for as little as
$50. Much more capable scan
tools can cost thousands but do
so many more things. Bluetooth,
wireless and internet-connected
tools are currently popular. It will
take time and effort to compare
the capabilities of the testers vs.
their cost and your shops gen-
uine needs.
Its reasonable to be a little cau-
tious of outlandish claims for any
piece of test equipment, but its
natural to want to make one pur-
chase that satisfies all possible
needs. That said, the one-size-fits-
all concept is hard to turn into re-
ality. There are just too many dif-
ferent systems and variables with-
in those systems to be considered
to test them all in the best way
with a single device. Its better to
consider your actual needs and
then find the testers that will
meet them.
To make any test equipment
purchase pay for itself, you have
to have a steady flow of work
ELECTRONIC TEST TOOLS UPDATE
This Picoscope device converts four-channel signals from oscilloscope probes into
graphical data that can be viewed, stored and analyzed on laptop computers. The cart
in the foreground is great for holding and protecting the equipment.
This specialty box from Picoscope has all of the tools and con-
nectors needed for diesel equipment service. All of this is
meant to hook up to a laptop for displaying voltage, current,
pressure and other electronic waveforms.
This low-current probe attaches to leads that will connect it to
a conventional DVM. This uses and expands the test capabili-
ties of existing equipment without having to buy all new.
28 May 2014
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

P
i
c
o
s
c
o
p
e
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

P
i
c
o
s
c
o
p
e
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

A
E
S

W
a
v
e
coming in that will use that equip-
ment. You also must have the
technicians who can make the
equipment perform, along with
the ability to charge for the use of
that equipment. The equipment
cannot do it on its own; you need
all three pieces of the puzzle.
Once you figure out the busi-
ness planning side of it, then it be-
comes a question of what to buy.
For the tools to really have value,
they must match the skill sets of
the technicians wholl be using
them.
At the basic level is the automo-
tive technician whos been to a
trade school and has had electri-
cal system training. At a bare min-
imum, this person needs a digital
multimeter and a scan tool. Youd
expect this person to be able to
read electrical diagrams and be
able to troubleshoot power win-
dows, alternators and starting sys-
tems. Using the scan tool, he
should be able to replace sensors
and actuators as needed.
At the middle level is the tech-
nician with years of experience
and factory training in addition
to a trade school background.
Hes able to pick up a lot from
on-the-job training. In addition
to the basic test equipment,
these technicians will need ac-
cess to higher level diagnostic
tools. Often the special tools
needed for this kind of work can
be shared among all the techs in
a shop, since theyre not needed
by every technician every day.
The highest level technician
whether you call him an automo-
tive electronic technician, a diag-
nostics expert or a driveability
techis the fellow who can go
after issues the scan tools dont
define and where changing parts
can get to be a very expensive,
much-too-experimental way to
solve problems. Techs at this lev-
el need to be fluent with the os-
cilloscope and other advanced
diagnostic tools.
Traditionally, automotive techs
have been expected to buy their
own tools, and this is still true for
the basic stuff. For more expen-
ELECTRONIC TEST TOOLS UPDATE
Test bundles like this one are intended to supply all of the needed test gear for specif-
ic applications. In this case, all of the related equipment is for HVAC testing.
Test lead kits can actually expand the utility of test equipment by
providing better electrical access to the test points youre trying
to reach. Some kits are designed specifically for automotive use.
A key element in any oscilloscope reading is knowing what a
good waveform is supposed to look like. Waveform libraries can
be offered by the test equipment manufacturer, the iATN net-
work and OEM sources. You can also build your own library.
30 May 2014
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

H
L
P
c
o
n
t
r
o
l
s
.
c
o
m
.
a
u
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

A
u
t
o
n
u
m
e
n
.
c
o
m
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

F
l
u
k
e
sive electronic test equipment
tools a tech may not use on an
everyday basisit may make
more sense for the shop to buy
and maintain it. Sophisticated
scan tools and flash program-
ming devices, for example, may
require purchase of an annual
software update package. A tech-
nician may not have enough use
for an expensive advanced tool to
justify the purchase of one on his
own.
The issue of tool ownership is
not just about dollars and cents.
Its also about who will have own-
ership in terms of taking care of
the equipment, making sure it
gets updated when needed and
repaired when it breaks. Owner-
ship also means making sure the
tools are kept clean, treated gen-
tly and put away safely at night.
Regardless of how you choose to
run your shop, you should assign
one person the responsibility for
maintaining and safeguarding
costly electronic equipment.
The most important part of any
test equipment purchase is the
training and service that should
come with it. Over time, it has
been shown that hands-on class-
room training is the most effec-
tive way to teach. Its also the
most expensive in terms of time
off the job, meals and hotels, etc.
All test instruments come with
instruction manuals. The ques-
tion is whether your techs pa-
tience and reading skills are really
good enough for them to learn
that way.
Something of a middle ground
in training are online videos.
These can be set up to show how
the equipment connects to the
vehicle, what the measurement
being made looks like and what
to do in response. What can be
particularly effective is to have
the equipment seller come in,
show the video, demonstrate the
machine and then answer ques-
tions. This can often be done
over the lunch break.
Of course, it depends on what
you buy, but dont forget to con-
sider what happens to the equip-
ment once a new model comes
out. In making your business
plan for the tool, its reasonable
to plan on a five-year life for any
test equipment. Youll want to
know from the seller what hell
do to keep your tool up-to-date
and effective into the future.
Youll also need to budget and
plan for this annual updating ex-
pense. Believe me, it always
comes as an unpleasant expense
when it comes due if you havent
budgeted for it. Lots of test
ELECTRONIC TEST TOOLS UPDATE
32 May 2014
Circle #19
equipment becomes obsolete
because the updates for it were
never budgeted for.
Especially for automotive ap-
plications, the desirable thing in
electronic test equipment is
portability. Equipment that can
move to the service bay and even
out on the roads for active diag-
nostics is a big plus. All of this
depends on batteries. For shared
tools, it can be very frustrating
for a tech to come to use a piece
of equipment, only to find the
last user didnt recharge it. Some
dealerships keep the tools in the
parts department where one per-
son is assigned to check out the
tools, make sure they stay in us-
able condition and see that the
batteries are fully charged.
By their nature, test probes
and other connectors seem vul-
nerable to breakage. This is es-
pecially true in the automotive
service environment. Even in
laboratory usage, scope probes
just get used up. You can save
yourself a lot of heartburn by
making sure to get the wear &
tear items repaired or replaced
when necessary. Your equipment
suppliers should be able to tell
you how this can be taken care of
and what will it cost.
Another side of this is to have a
good look at the probes, test
leads and connectors being of-
fered with any piece of equip-
ment you might be looking at.
These connectors can be some-
thing of an afterthought instead
of the critical interface between
very sophisticated test equip-
ment and the vehicle. Its also a
great place to look to judge the
quality that has been built into
your big-ticket purchase.
Aftermarket universal test
probe kits are available that fit a
variety of test devices. These
probe kits can actually expand
and improve the underlying test
instrument by giving better ac-
cess to test points. Backprobes,
insulation-piercing probes and
current-sensing probes can all
add value to the underlying me-
ter or instrument.
Devices such as pressure trans-
ducers and thermal couplers can
add capabilities to existing test
equipment. These devices convert
measurements into data that can
be read on a DMM. Another
good example of this are the scope
kits that can turn laptops into os-
cilloscopes capable of converting
variable voltages and currents into
time-related information.
Its unfortunate, but equip-
ment does get broken. Laptops
can fall off a fender, cables can
ELECTRONIC TEST TOOLS UPDATE
33 May 2014
Circle #20
get pulled, stretched or pinched.
You need to be prepared for it.
The first defense is equipment
that has been built for the envi-
ronment in which it will be used.
Tablet-type computers with rub-
ber bumpers on the outside will
simply outlast laptop computers
originally designed for offices.
The rubber not only reduces
shock damage, but also the risk of
the test gear sliding or falling off
the surface on which its resting.
Your goal should be to buy only
what your shop genuinely needs
and can effectively use. This re-
quires focus and planning. Your
first task is to identify the test ca-
pability you need. The internet
can then be a great help in terms
of identifying all of the possible
suppliers of that kind of equip-
ment. Further reading will show
you how the different machines
compare. Once the machine is
selected, it then becomes a mat-
ter of installation and training. If
youve done your homework and
planned well, what happens after
that will be profits.
ELECTRONIC TEST TOOLS UPDATE
34 May 2014
This article can be found online at
www.motormagazine.com.
Circle #21 Circle #22
This CAN breakout box is a tool for advanced technicians knowledgeable about data
bus structures and problems. By giving full access to the system without disturbing it,
it opens the door to more diagnostic information.
P
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

O
T
C