On Sat, Nov 27, 2021 at 12:56 PM Steve WD8DAS via ARC5 <arc5@mailman.qth.net> wrote:
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Over the years I've been frustrated by failures of alligator clip leads. Nothing is worse than thinking the device under test has a problem when in fact it turns out a bad test lead that are the issue.
This has only gotten worse in recent years, as most of the commercially-available clip leads have become complete junk: A few strands of weird metal inside stiff plastic insulation, with cheaply-made alligator clips loosely clamped (not even crimped) on the ends.
My old leads are wearing out so a couple weeks ago I bought some new clip leads from a reputable vendor. They turned out to be the worst ever - half of the leads had no continuity right out of the package. I tried soldering the wires to the clips but the few strands of wire did not seem to want to take solder - very odd stuff. I trashed them and went on a search for good test leads. I first sought good test-lead wire and clips to make my own - the minimum quantity of the wire was too high.
I found some ready-made leads from Cal-Test Electronics. I asked and confirmed they are made from real test lead wire, soldered to good quality clips:
https://app.caltestelectronics.com/product-list/product-page/view/CT2394/
and bought them from DigiKey, but others sell them as well:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/cal-test-electronics/CT2394/5028475
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Cal-Test-Electronics/CT2394?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtJbfcMcIM8CEmjI6%2FR0hxQbyY9pD4jm%252Bw%3D
They are more expensive than the junk, but the two packs I received show the quality I was seeking.
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