Triplett FOX User manual

Instruction
Manual
84-616 Rev B 9/01
TRIPLETT
Triplett Corporation One Triplett Drive Bluffton, OH 45817
800-TRIPLETT FAX: [phone] www.triplett.com
ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
The Triplett Corporation warrants instruments and test equipment manufac-
tured by it to be free from defective material or workmanship and agrees to
repair or replace such products which, under normal use and service, disclose
the defect to be the fault of our manufacturing, with no charge within one year
of the date of original purchase for parts and labor. If we are unable to repair or
replace the product, we will make a refund of the purchase price. Consult the
Instruction Manual for instructions regarding the proper use and servicing of
instruments and test equipment. Our obligation under this warranty is limited
to repairing, replacing, or making refund on any instrument or test equipment
which proves to be defective within one year from the date of original pur-
chase.
This warranty does not apply to any of our products which have been repaired
or altered by unauthorized persons in any way so as, in our sole judgment, to
injure their stability or reliability, or which have been subject to misuse, abuse,
misapplication, negligence, accident or which have had the serial numbers al-
tered, defaced, or removed. Accessories, including batteries and fuses, not of
our manufacture used with this product are not covered by this warranty.
To register a claim under the provisions of this warranty, return the instrument
or test equipment to Triplett Corporation, Service Department, One Triplett Drive,
Bluffton, Ohio 45817, transportation prepaid. Upon our inspection of the prod-
uct, we will advise you as to the disposition of your claim.
ALL WARRANTIES IMPLIED BY LAW ARE HEREBY LIMITED TO A PERIOD OF
ONE YEAR FROM DATE OF PURCHASE, AND THE PROVISIONS OF THE WAR-
RANTY ARE EXPRESSLY IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESSED
OR IMPLIED.
The purchaser agrees to assume all liability for any damages and bodily injury
which may result from the use or misuse of the product by the purchaser, his
employees, or others, and the remedies provided for in this warranty are ex-
pressly in lieu of any other liability Triplett Corporation may have, including
incidental or consequential damages.
Some states (USA ONLY) do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental
or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply
to you. No representative of Triplett Corporation or any other person is autho-
rized to extend the liability of Triplett Corporation in connection with the sale of
its products beyond the terms hereof.
Triplett Corporation reserves the right to discontinue models at any time, or
change specifications, price or design, without notice and without incurring
any obligation.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights
which vary from state to state.
Fox
Checking Continuity:
The FOX can be used as a visual continuity indica-
tor. Set the FOX’s Function Switch to CONTINUITY/
TALK. When the FOX’s red and green alligator clips
are touched together, the LED will light, indicating
continuity. To check continuity, connect the red
and green alligator clips to the circuit under test
and observe the LED. Continuity from zero to 10K
ohms will be indicated by the brightness of the
LED. The LED will be bright at low resistances
and dim at high resistances.
NOTE: Do not attempt to measure continuity on a
powered line. Prolonged connection to a short cir-
cuit (zero Ohms) may damage the FOX.
Supplying Talk Power:
The FOX will supply power to operate handsets.
This feature is particularly useful when two install-
ers are working at terminal panels that have at least
one identified pair connected between them, but
are not yet connected to the CO battery. The FOX
allows the installers to communicate using their
handsets. Set the FOX’s Function Switch to
CONTINUITY/TALK and connect the handsets as
shown in Figure 2. The FOX’s LED will light when
supplying Talk Power.
NOTE: Some handsets may not operate properly
at the power level supplied by the FOX.
Using a Nicad Battery:
The FOX can recharge a 9 volt Nicad battery by
using CO power. To use this feature, simply re-
place the standard 9 volt battery with a 9 volt Nicad
battery. To charge the Nicad, set the FOX to OFF/
LINE POLARITY, and connect the alligator clips to
the line in Reversed Polarity (Red to positive and
Green to negative). Connecting to the line in Nor-
mal Polarity WILL NOT CHARGE the battery. Ap-
proximately 16 hours is required to fully charge a
typical Nicad battery (refer to battery manufacturer
specs).
Emergency Fast Charge:
The FOX’s circuitry incorporates a fast charge
mode. This mode is not recommended for casual
use because it exceeds the battery’s nominal
charge current and will shorten the battery’s life.
Charging current could be as high as 90 mA.
To use this feature, set the FOX to CONTINUITY/
TALK and connect the alligator clips to a powered
line in Reversed Polarity (Red to positive and Green
to negative). DO NOT charge the battery for more
than 30 minutes. Irreversible shortening of the
battery’s life may result. DO NOT connect to the
line in Normal Polarity. Damage to the battery may
result.
Ringing Current:
The FOX will signal the presence of ringing cur-
rent by flashing its LED. This indication is obtain-
able in either the OFF/LINE POLARITY or TONE
mode. Depending on the phone system, the LED
may indicate ringing current in either Normal or
Reversed Polarity. To perform this test, simply
connect the alligator clips or the modular plug to
the line to be tested. The FOX will not seize the
line on most phone systems.
BATTERY REPLACEMENT:
Remove the screw on the back of the case. Re-
move the case front. Replace the battery. Reas-
semble the case.
A
LED
B
Function Switch
C
Tone Switch
D
Modular Plug
E
Alligator Clips
B
TRIPLETT
TONE
HI
LO
CONTINUITY
TALK
WARBLE
OFF / LINE POLARITY
C
D
A
E
Figure 1
TRIPLETT
TONE
HI
LO
CONTINUITY
TALK
WARBLE
OFF/ LINE POLARITY
TALK SETTALK SET
WIRE PAIR
The

DESCRIPTION:
The FOX (PN 3380) is a small, multi-function,
hand-held instrument for testing telephone lines.
In addition, when used in conjunction with an In-
ductive Amplifier, like the Triplett HOUND or
HOUND 2, the FOX can be used for identifying, lo-
cating, or tracing wires inside of or behind sur-
faces that are electrically non-conductive (like dry-
wall).
When used for tracing wires, the FOX can be used
with non-energized electrical power wiring, alarm
wiring, speaker wiring, coax, cable harnesses, and
numerous other wires and cables. For more com-
plete information, see the HOUND or HOUND 2
Instruction Manuals.
To facilitate testing, the FOX uses two alligator clips
and a modular plug. These allow the FOX to be
quickly connected to stripped wires, terminal pan-
els, or a standard RJ-11 modular jack (single line).
Two selector switches set the test function of the
FOX, while an LED acts as a visual indicator. By
setting the selector switches appropriately, the FOX
generates three distinct tracer tones, which, as
previously mentioned, can be used for locating
wires or cables with an inductive amplifier such
as the Triplett HOUND or HOUND 2.
FOX FEATURES:
1) Line powered in the TONE Generator mode
2)
Generates 3 distinct tones for wire tracing
3) Indicates Line Polarity, Continuity, and Ringing
Current via the LED
4) Supplies “Talk Power” to allow communicating
between handsets (aka: talksets or “buttsets”).
5) Provides recharge current for a Nicad battery
SPECIFICATIONS:
Output TONE Level: Approx. +3 dBm, 600 ohms,
with fresh battery
Output TONE Frequency:
LO: approx. 800Hz square wave
HI: approx. 1000Hz square wave
WARBLE: alternates between HI and LO
Output Protection: Will withstand 56V with 400
ohms series resistance applied across the
outputs. Will withstand 175V peak with 100
ohms series impedance superimposed onto
56 VDC for 100 mS (Standard Telco Signals).
DO NOT CONNECT ACROSS AC POWER LINES
Nicad Charging Power: Approx. 9mA
Max. CONT/TALK Current: 35mA (leads shorted)
Battery: 9 volt alkaline, NEDA 1604A, such as
Eveready 522
Size: 3.7" x 2.4" x 1.1" (93mm x 61mm x 28mm)
Weight:
Less than 7 ounces with battery
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS:
Checking Line Polarity:
The FOX indicates proper line polarity by lighting
its LED. To perform this test, set the FOX’s Func-
tion Switch to OFF/LINE POLARITY. Attach either
the alligator clips or the modular plug to the con-
nection to be tested. The FOX’s LED will light when
the Red alligator clip is connected to the Ring wire
(negative) and the Green alligator clip is connected
to the Tip wire (positive), or, when the modular
plug is inserted into a properly polarized single line
modular jack. Although the LED will light on a
BUSY (off-hook) line when performing the test, the
LED will light much more brightly if the line is
CLEAR (on-hook). The FOX also indicates line
polarity, when the line is CLEAR, in the TONE Mode.
However, the line polarity LED may or may not light
in the TONE Mode, on a BUSY line.
NOTE: LINE POLARITY can only be measured on
lines powered by the Central Office (CO) battery.
Wire Tracing / TONE Generation
The FOX can generate one of three distinct tones;
LO, HI, or WARBLE. This feature allows 3 FOXes
to be used on the same installation site to trace 3
cables at the same time, without creating confu-
sion. To “send” a tone, set the FOX’s Function
Switch to TONE, and select LO, HI, or WARBLE
with the other switch. Connect the pair of wires to
be traced to the FOX’s alligator clips or modular
plug. The FOX can be connected to powered (CO
battery) or unpowered phone lines. The far end of
the cable being traced can be located by using a
handset, when metallic connections are possible,
or with an inductive amplifier such as the Triplett
HOUND or HOUND 2. For alternate wire tracing
methods, refer to the HOUND or HOUND 2 Instruc-
tion Manuals.
Line Powering:
In the TONE Mode, the FOX can be powered from
CO current. The FOX’s internal 9 volt battery is
not needed. To use this feature, simply connect
the FOX’s Tip and Ring wires (either clips or modu-
lar), in either polarity, to the powered line on which
the tone is to be sent. The FOX will not “seize” or
“capture” the line of most phone systems.
NOTE: Although the FOX does not require a bat-
tery when generating a tone with line power, if a
battery is in the FOX, it will be used as part of the
FOX’s power source. Due to the FOX’s internal
circuitry, less battery power is used if the FOX is
connected to the line in Reverse Polarity, i.e. Tip
to Negative, Ring to Positive. Therefore, for great-
est battery life, connect to a powered line in Re-
verse Polarity.
***WARNING***
The FOX is designed to work on non-energized (ex-
cept telephone lines) wires or cables. Attempting
to test energized wires may damage the FOX, cause
user injury, or both.
THE FOX AND ACCESSORIES:
The Fox 3380
The Hound 3390
The Hound 2 Probe 3236
Fox & Hound Kit (includes case) 3385-K
Fox & Hound 2 Kit (includes case) 3245-K
LAN Fox & Hound Kit (includes case) 3249-K
LAN Fox & Hound 2 Kit (includes case) 3248-K
F&H Carrying Case 10-3983
TRIPLETT
TONE
HI
LO
CONTINUITY
TALK
WARBLE
OFF/ LINE POLARITY
TRIPLETT
MULTI-WIRE CABLE
TERMINALS
TARGET
WIRES
LINE / LINE CONNECTION