At 21:00, when you said, "...you're going to have that 'Ah-ha!' moment, and this is all going to seem so simple to you...", I had that lightbulb finally turn on in my head whenever I went to school for HVAC. For years, I had read countless books, and watched countless TH-cam videos about Electrical Theory. But I could never fully grasp the entire concept of what Potential Difference was. And believe it or not, it wasn't even my instructor at school who was teaching me whenever it all finally hit me; it was a TH-cam video that I had watched! Thank someone above for TH-cam! Your videos are just as great and informative as the one mentioned above! Please don't quit making these videos; they truly are a blessing to some people, such as myself.
Your teaching style is Really good ! I'm 56 and am finally learning vehicle electrics . For some reason I always thort it too complicated so formed a "mental block" !! Thankyou so much . I'll be showing other poor fools , that we can learn , if our teachers explain the basics so it can "sink in" . Cheers mate .
you broke it down better than an unnamed powersports instructor @ an unnamed manufacturer's school in the powersports industry. i was lost in class today & watched a couple of your videos that were able to tie it all together. THANK YOU
After studying and watching scanner Danner lectures (Paul Danner) I came back to this video and understand it much clearer I just needed a little more explaining but now all this makes great sense! Thank u!
You can never get tied up In high technology things And forget the basics comprehending circuit design and knowing what To expect when measuring 👍👍great refresher video
Pete, thank you for covering this topic. I taught for ACDelco and this was EL-3, which I encouraged techs to bring their own meters. At the dealer, confirm the concern, check all electrical items, but creates a roadmap to the problem. Starting like you said the health of the electrical system at battery, loads on-engine off, I checked drops from battery to chassis, engine and alternator. I always tell the DIYer to add a nice ground from the end housing of the alt. to the engine as this is where negative is created. Paint, grease, loose on their restoration of uncle Jakes Mustang, Chevelle or Charger creates "Problems" when repairing or installing wiring as it is a hundred+ individual circuits protected by fuses that some single fuse protects 3, 4 circuits. Using an amp clamp to size a fuse, use "Star" washers on grounds + dielectric grease to protect that connection. But most find it hard to think new wire, new connectors, switches all have my minor losses of voltage across them. Today, digital meter are better and lower priced compared to other equipment. But Red or Blk, it shows a (-) negative symbol but the same reading. How to I link this video in a comment section when in this topic? Many are visual learners and can grasp the idea better by watching! DK, ASE Master Tech since 78, retired.
1. Check the fuse and battery. 2. Check for broken wires, loose or corroded connections. Unplug and re-plug. This rubs tin oxide coating off tin coating on the connections. 3. Check grounds.
Thank you good friend for explaining so clearly your knowledge and troubleshooting skills. I will watch this over several times. Can't wait to watch more of your videos
Made it soo simple to understand basics of voltage drop. I have seen soo many videos making it more confusing but it was spot on sir Lots & lots love and respect
Thank you so much for making this tutorial video your teaching skill is second to none you some how managed to get me to understand how Electricity works and how to test it very effectively where my previous teacher failed to get me to be able to understand whats going on in a circuit. You just break it down so simply and are so thorough it just sinks in to my Brain 🧠. Thank you very much Sir for your help.
Very good info! Very well presented! As you were going through I began to understand the voltage drop issue and how to apply it on my vehicle. Thanks so much for putting this here for me to find!
Amazing video I'm subscribing been a mechanic since I left school and always struggled with electrics and diag hopefully I can watch your videos and learn
This guy should be inducted into the ATEE automotive teachers of electrical engineers Hall of Fame because he is the best of any who even tried to teach the theory of voltage drop Justin Miller I thought at the time with his trainer board does an exceptional job but this Master Meier guy has a way of really letting you understand the voltage drop thing because he does a few different videos on the same topic to make sure you understand along with great graphics on screen with explanation. Thanks A LOT PETE YOUR A GREAT MAN with a special skill of teaching that very few people are capable of doing. THANKS MR MEIER
Well done sir. Really effective explanations. Just one comment--the schematics shown were not utilized in any meaningful way--were they shown just for "visual interest?"
Your meter lead connections and diagrams starting at 7.26 do not correspond for example at 7.32 its not the resistor dropping the voltage fact is you have both leads on the negative side
Good job though ‘perfect’ in the English language means ‘as good is it can possibly be’. Your alternate use of the word was confusing. May I suggest using absolute zero instead of perfect zero? ps this is a similar method of how I was taught fifty years ago in the U.S. Keep up the good work.
The components I work on sometimes have DC motors with a suppression diode in parallel with the motor, and activated via interlocking devices. Voltage drop testing is useful when troubleshooting these circuits but I get stuck like a truck when voltage drop is half or less than source voltage or greater than zero. Source voltage that is present between the positive and negative side of a load means that everything else behind the load is working properly is that a fair statement?
What you read on your meter is absolutely dependent on where you are placing the leads. If you leave your negative lead referenced to the "source" ground, you should always read NEARLY source voltage before the load and NEARLY 0.0v after the load, with the load operating and current flowing. If you're reading significantly less before or any significant amount after, that's the side with the problem. Does that help?
Ok so if I could clarify something. A voltage drop equal to source voltage after a load means the load is “working” but a voltage drop equal to source voltage before a load means the load can not and will not “work”
With your negative meter lead referenced to the battery negative post - Reading the exact same voltage before the load means no current is flowing - hence, no voltage drop. The open can be in the load or in the circuit path after the load. Reading exactly the same before the load AND after the load indicates the open is in the circuit path after the load. It also indicates that the electrical path through the load is intact but if the device is electro-mechanical, it can still be nonfunctional. Reading exactly the same before the load AND reading a perfect 0.0v after the load indicates the open is in the load. Does that help?
Really enjoying the video until the subtitles got covered up with an ad towards the end. Don't mind the video being interrupted for an ad but the small ones at the bottom that cover up the lower part of the screen pisses me off.
Great video Mr mier, it took like 10 times watching the video to understand the concept, it is hard for some one like me than don't know much about electricity but like it a lot, thank for your time and I wish you and your family a happy merry xmas and prospero new year 2020, from Ontario ca.
Learning the concept of voltage drop is one of those things that will frustrate you until you get it. THEN, you'll go back and say "Wow - that was simple!"
I don't understand why #2 (#1-6), would show that 0 volts at the ground side shows open when the load is supposed to have used up the electricity? What am I missing?
The key here is that you're reading a PERFECT 0.0v. Because there is still a long way to go before the electrons make it home, there is still other (minor) sources of resistance to come (connectors, splices, switches perhaps). So there should be a few tenths of a volt left for them. The PERFECT 0.0v indicates that no current is flowing - so no voltage drop. And since we had a good Open Circuit Voltage reading on one side but not on the other, the ope has to be somewhere between those two test points. I stress "test points" because in some cases you can't get right on top of the load - like a fuel pump, for example. Does that clear it up?
We very often become complacent knowing the "what" but never learning the "why". I personally have a tough time textbook learning. I need to see it, touch it as well as hear it. As always, you do a fantastic job explaining in this video. Thanks Pete. Hope to see you soon friend. Ride safe
Correct! If the reading is identical to source voltage on both sides of the load, there is an open circuit. But consider - isn't an open circuit the most severe case of a second major source of resistance? It can't get much higher than that! :-) The difference is, we are not measuring voltage drop - we're measuring OCV, or Open Circuit Voltage. There is no current flow, therefore - no voltage drop.
How many voltage drop videos do you have? Can you do can bus diagnostics? Lin bus? Most bus? Scope captures good and bad. Or even ford economist break down video idk
I have done a few! It is one testing method that is widely misunderstood. I meet techs all the time that still struggle with it. So as long as there's someone who needs the help, I'll keep trying. And I'll see what I can do about adding network diagnostics to our library in 2020...thanks for the suggestions!
I can think of one other. GM used two cooling fans on one of their platforms a long time ago. To operate the fans in "low" speed, they used relays to connect them in series. With the voltage now split between the two, the fans ran at half speed. On high speed, they were two separate circuits with one load a piece. You can see that in this video: th-cam.com/video/TjRZwX_WXeA/w-d-xo.html
Pete, I could sit in a class with you teaching and * Never get bored, and.. * Knowing at the end of the day I was able to learn and retain the information because of your style of teaching. I am amazed you don't have more subscribers. Always looking forward to the next video. Happy holidays to you and your family.
Great video again - The car you have there with one dim headlamp would be an excellent practical example of where there was likely to be an excess voltage shown on the ground side, following through such an example to its conclusion, and fixing the issue with a repeat test would really drive that home.
Yes, you got that right. Be it Automotive, electrical there's always something in your head that clicks and tells you Snap out of it 😂 and this here is like playing music, guitar what ever it is you play you are always, always learning something new. Just thought I'd put the latter in there 😅
I wish you were my electrical trainer during my apprenticeship as a automotive technician...would have been so much better... excellent video...great info...
Pete i learned a lot in this video i always watch your videos regard to electrical voltage drop i like very much, the way you explain in such a simple way to get basic concept of electrical circuit great work thanks
Learn so much due to the step by step process. Does it change with source voltage from module’s ? Would you use the ground of the module or the negative source from the module?
At 21:00, when you said, "...you're going to have that 'Ah-ha!' moment, and this is all going to seem so simple to you...", I had that lightbulb finally turn on in my head whenever I went to school for HVAC. For years, I had read countless books, and watched countless TH-cam videos about Electrical Theory. But I could never fully grasp the entire concept of what Potential Difference was.
And believe it or not, it wasn't even my instructor at school who was teaching me whenever it all finally hit me; it was a TH-cam video that I had watched!
Thank someone above for TH-cam! Your videos are just as great and informative as the one mentioned above!
Please don't quit making these videos; they truly are a blessing to some people, such as myself.
That's great to hear. Electricity is invisible so you just have to keep at it until you understand.
Your teaching style is Really good ! I'm 56 and am finally learning vehicle electrics . For some reason I always thort it too complicated so formed a "mental block" !! Thankyou so much . I'll be showing other poor fools , that we can learn , if our teachers explain the basics so it can "sink in" . Cheers mate .
Im a DIYer and have spent the weekend taking notes on these videos absolutely gold! TY SO MUCH!
Great! That’s what I like to hear.
you broke it down better than an unnamed powersports instructor @ an unnamed manufacturer's school in the powersports industry. i was lost in class today & watched a couple of your videos that were able to tie it all together. THANK YOU
I'm glad you found it helpful.
After studying and watching scanner Danner lectures (Paul Danner) I came back to this video and understand it much clearer I just needed a little more explaining but now all this makes great sense! Thank u!
I’m not a mechanic, but this has helped me immensely to understand my problems on my Freightliner. THANKS!
Glad you found it helpful.
You can never get tied up
In high technology things
And forget the basics comprehending circuit design and knowing what
To expect when measuring
👍👍great refresher video
Pete, thank you for covering this topic. I taught for ACDelco and this was EL-3, which I encouraged techs to bring their own meters. At the dealer, confirm the concern, check all electrical items, but creates a roadmap to the problem. Starting like you said the health of the electrical system at battery, loads on-engine off, I checked drops from battery to chassis, engine and alternator. I always tell the DIYer to add a nice ground from the end housing of the alt. to the engine as this is where negative is created. Paint, grease, loose on their restoration of uncle Jakes Mustang, Chevelle or Charger creates "Problems" when repairing or installing wiring as it is a hundred+ individual circuits protected by fuses that some single fuse protects 3, 4 circuits. Using an amp clamp to size a fuse, use "Star" washers on grounds + dielectric grease to protect that connection. But most find it hard to think new wire, new connectors, switches all have my minor losses of voltage across them.
Today, digital meter are better and lower priced compared to other equipment. But Red or Blk, it shows a (-) negative symbol but the same reading.
How to I link this video in a comment section when in this topic? Many are visual learners and can grasp the idea better by watching!
DK, ASE Master Tech since 78, retired.
Great comments! Look below the player and you should see a Share option. That will open up options including a URL you can post anywhere you like.
Your electrical principles explanation has been the best i have found on youtube... And i have watched a number of them
1. Check the fuse and battery.
2. Check for broken wires, loose or corroded connections. Unplug and re-plug. This rubs tin oxide coating off tin coating on the connections.
3. Check grounds.
Great vid, as usual. But excess electrons are concentrated at the negative pole, not the positive. Not that that matters all that much :)
great videos, its been damn near 20 years since I was taught this stuff and this was the refresher I needed. Thanks a bunch.
Thx for the video. I have/use a LoadPro and really like it. Same as you're doing here, but can also find a mV problem. Cheers.
Thanks heaps, learned some great tips by a great teacher. Diagrams made it easier to understand and the explanations were plain and simple, thank you.
Brilliant explanation. If we understand the basic concepts, life becomes so simple. You made it so simple to understand. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Im starting to understand this a lot more, thank you for being such a great teacher !
Thank you good friend for explaining so clearly your knowledge and troubleshooting skills. I will watch this over several times. Can't wait to watch more of your videos
I've struggled with this system .Got a power probe and it helped me test components .
These videos are not only helpful, but are worth their weight in gold. Thank you!
Made it soo simple to understand basics of voltage drop. I have seen soo many videos making it more confusing but it was spot on sir
Lots & lots love and respect
Glad you liked it!
I never find a person who teach like this, i am honer to watch you sir
awesome explanations, thanks for being diligent in teaching this instead of alot of short handed explanations on here
You're such an awesome teacher, I almost feel guilty for not paying for this!
Did you watch some ads before this video? then you kinda did pay for it. Lol
@@ageedtahir3128 😁 good point, though for me personally ads are not very effective, I like to do my own research before spending money
@@The3rdCoat that’s what we all say. Lol
Thank you so much for making this tutorial video your teaching skill is second to none you some how managed to get me to understand how Electricity works and how to test it very effectively where my previous teacher failed to get me to be able to understand whats going on in a circuit. You just break it down so simply and are so thorough it just sinks in to my Brain 🧠. Thank you very much Sir for your help.
Glad it helped you. There is a lot more content just like this on our home page - be sure to check it out!
Thanks for answering my questions so far...you have a lot of patience.
Tomorrow I´ll check my car headligts that are very dim, using your useful video, thank you a lot.
Thanks for making these videos, Pete. They're so good.
Voltage drop test explained in most simple and convenient way.
thank you pete meyer.
Very good info! Very well presented! As you were going through I began to understand the voltage drop issue and how to apply it on my vehicle. Thanks so much for putting this here for me to find!
Amazing video I'm subscribing been a mechanic since I left school and always struggled with electrics and diag hopefully I can watch your videos and learn
Real pro
This guy should be inducted into the ATEE automotive teachers of electrical engineers Hall of Fame because he is the best of any who even tried to teach the theory of voltage drop Justin Miller I thought at the time with his trainer board does an exceptional job but this Master Meier guy has a way of really letting you understand the voltage drop thing because he does a few different videos on the same topic to make sure you understand along with great graphics on screen with explanation. Thanks A LOT PETE YOUR A GREAT MAN with a special skill of teaching that very few people are capable of doing. THANKS MR MEIER
Well done sir. Really effective explanations. Just one comment--the schematics shown were not utilized in any meaningful way--were they shown just for "visual interest?"
Awesome The Trainer!
👍new subscriber here. Just found your channel. Excellent lessons. Clear and well conveyed. Thank you much for sharing! Stay safe and well my friend!
thanks for the video uncle am in training
Your meter lead connections and diagrams starting at 7.26 do not correspond for example at 7.32 its not the resistor dropping the voltage fact is you have both leads on the negative side
I was going to type what John Turner just said in the comment below, but he beat me to it! Thanks Pete!
Pete, now you've done it. I've got it, and I won't forget it. This is the video I needed.
Good job though ‘perfect’ in the English language means ‘as good is it can possibly be’. Your alternate use of the word was confusing. May I suggest using absolute zero instead of perfect zero? ps this is a similar method of how I was taught fifty years ago in the U.S. Keep up the good work.
Great video sir. You can buy more resistance. You can buy more voltage. You can’t buy more amperage. Dan Sullivan. Love this analogy.
Absolutely an excellent video, thank you Pete for all you do
Fantastic video series. Top notch instructor. Thanks, Pete!
The components I work on sometimes have DC motors with a suppression diode in parallel with the motor, and activated via interlocking devices. Voltage drop testing is useful when troubleshooting these circuits but I get stuck like a truck when voltage drop is half or less than source voltage or greater than zero. Source voltage that is present between the positive and negative side of a load means that everything else behind the load is working properly is that a fair statement?
What you read on your meter is absolutely dependent on where you are placing the leads. If you leave your negative lead referenced to the "source" ground, you should always read NEARLY source voltage before the load and NEARLY 0.0v after the load, with the load operating and current flowing. If you're reading significantly less before or any significant amount after, that's the side with the problem. Does that help?
Motor Age got it! Yes it does help!!
Ok so if I could clarify something. A voltage drop equal to source voltage after a load means the load is “working” but a voltage drop equal to source voltage before a load means the load can not and will not “work”
With your negative meter lead referenced to the battery negative post -
Reading the exact same voltage before the load means no current is flowing - hence, no voltage drop. The open can be in the load or in the circuit path after the load.
Reading exactly the same before the load AND after the load indicates the open is in the circuit path after the load.
It also indicates that the electrical path through the load is intact but if the device is electro-mechanical, it can still be nonfunctional.
Reading exactly the same before the load AND reading a perfect 0.0v after the load indicates the open is in the load.
Does that help?
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. You are a blessing!
Really enjoying the video until the subtitles got covered up with an ad towards the end. Don't mind the video being interrupted for an ad but the small ones at the bottom that cover up the lower part of the screen pisses me off.
Hit the x in the top right of the ad to close it.😉
Thank you for the cool video.
well put by Richard Jones, Thanks Pete
Cool session
Brilliant explanation,sometimes we all need to get back to basics.
Like always, great information Pete.
thanks Pete, thats explained a few things for me, and helped out . subbed.
Thank you Mr.Pete. It was extremely usful for me.
Glad it helped you!
Precise, clear and straight to the point, Thanks a lot for making such an educational video.
Thank you!
Very excellent teaching Sr.
This is an incredible video. Never fully understood voltage drop or what it meant until now. Thank you
Glad it helped!
Great video Mr mier, it took like 10 times watching the video to understand the concept, it is hard for some one like me than don't know much about electricity but like it a lot, thank for your time and I wish you and your family a happy merry xmas and prospero new year 2020, from Ontario ca.
Learning the concept of voltage drop is one of those things that will frustrate you until you get it. THEN, you'll go back and say "Wow - that was simple!"
I'm keeping this as a reference!
Great breakdowns and HUGE thanks Pete for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thanks Pete!
I think I just learned more in 20 mins than what I learnt in 2 years of electrical engineering in college. Thanks!
Thank you!
And now its all gone.
I don't understand why #2 (#1-6), would show that 0 volts at the ground side shows open when the load is supposed to have used up the electricity? What am I missing?
The key here is that you're reading a PERFECT 0.0v. Because there is still a long way to go before the electrons make it home, there is still other (minor) sources of resistance to come (connectors, splices, switches perhaps). So there should be a few tenths of a volt left for them. The PERFECT 0.0v indicates that no current is flowing - so no voltage drop. And since we had a good Open Circuit Voltage reading on one side but not on the other, the ope has to be somewhere between those two test points. I stress "test points" because in some cases you can't get right on top of the load - like a fuel pump, for example. Does that clear it up?
NOW I GET IT!!!
Have a happy holiday.
This was your BEST video on voltage drop. (I am a subscriber for MANY YEARS)
please get rid of the music so very distracting
Very good, thank you.
Nice !
We very often become complacent knowing the "what" but never learning the "why". I personally have a tough time textbook learning. I need to see it, touch it as well as hear it. As always, you do a fantastic job explaining in this video. Thanks Pete. Hope to see you soon friend. Ride safe
Number 6- if you see source voltage on ground side of load you have an open ground wire
Correct! If the reading is identical to source voltage on both sides of the load, there is an open circuit. But consider - isn't an open circuit the most severe case of a second major source of resistance? It can't get much higher than that! :-) The difference is, we are not measuring voltage drop - we're measuring OCV, or Open Circuit Voltage. There is no current flow, therefore - no voltage drop.
How many voltage drop videos do you have? Can you do can bus diagnostics? Lin bus? Most bus? Scope captures good and bad. Or even ford economist break down video idk
I have done a few! It is one testing method that is widely misunderstood. I meet techs all the time that still struggle with it. So as long as there's someone who needs the help, I'll keep trying. And I'll see what I can do about adding network diagnostics to our library in 2020...thanks for the suggestions!
great video thank you! I was wondering can you use these same voltage drop techniques to troubleshoot an AC Circuit ?
Good question! I don't have enough experience with AC to answer that.
Thank you Pete. Good job. Have a blessed and safe week.
Thanks!
I just learned more in 20 minutes than I have in the past year about basic electrical diagnostics thanks. I’ll be watching more of your videos!
Really glad you found it useful!
But what if we have 2 loads on the circuit , with the faults you mentioned?
It is rare to have two loads wired in series. If you did, each would have a reduced voltage supply. Do you have a specific example in mind?
Blower motor resistor is the only example I can think of on cars and trucks
I can think of one other. GM used two cooling fans on one of their platforms a long time ago. To operate the fans in "low" speed, they used relays to connect them in series. With the voltage now split between the two, the fans ran at half speed. On high speed, they were two separate circuits with one load a piece. You can see that in this video: th-cam.com/video/TjRZwX_WXeA/w-d-xo.html
There's a subliminal photo right after he says "you just might see" start at 18:29 and it's somewhere before 18:31
You got me!
@@MotorAgeMagazine pete, something blips on the screen right after you said, "see."
Free jump scare!!
Pete,
I could sit in a class with you teaching and
* Never get bored, and..
* Knowing at the end of the day I was able to learn and retain the information because of your style of teaching.
I am amazed you don't have more subscribers.
Always looking forward to the next video.
Happy holidays to you and your family.
Thank you...and stay tuned! We're planning on hosting training events in 2020, starting May 9 in Chicago!
I couldn't agree more. He's a great teacher
Great info!!
I agree with you John, Pete is alright. I put him in the top 20 speakers on TH-cam nationally.
it is helpful informative and nicely put together. I thank you
Best video about voltage drop.
Great video again - The car you have there with one dim headlamp would be an excellent practical example of where there was likely to be an excess voltage shown on the ground side, following through such an example to its conclusion, and fixing the issue with a repeat test would really drive that home.
Good Afternoon Pete Meier motor age Take care and have a great day 👍
Thanks 👍 Great tutorial 👌
From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
Thank you!!! Iam watching you from Kazakhstab..Almaty city
Thanks for making these videos ,it's accelerating my understanding on elec diag
thank you for passing on your knowledge Sir.
Yes, you got that right. Be it Automotive, electrical there's always something in your head that clicks and tells you Snap out of it 😂 and this here is like playing music, guitar what ever it is you play you are always, always learning something new. Just thought I'd put the latter in there 😅
I wish you were my electrical trainer during my apprenticeship as a automotive technician...would have been so much better... excellent video...great info...
Pete
i learned a lot in this video
i always watch your videos regard to electrical voltage drop
i like very much, the way you explain in such a simple way to get basic concept of electrical circuit
great work
thanks
Oh man...thank you for explaining so well!
Learn so much due to the step by step process. Does it change with source voltage from module’s ? Would you use the ground of the module or the negative source from the module?
I understand more now about how voltage REALLY works than a whole lifetime!
thanks teacher!!. God bless you!. Regards
U are a great teacher on a earth and appreciations for all the job u give to us making me a new born in technology thanks allot from her 👌🇩🇰
Thank you! I’m glad it helped.
Excellent training. Thank You for the lesson.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
You explained it really well!
You are a great teacher
Straight up spitting knowledge here
Excellent Video Tutorial !! Excellent Professor !! Thanks A Lot For Sharing
Very helpful! Thank you! God bless
excellent video , well explained , great teacher
This was an incredible video. Thank you