How To Check Christmas Lights With A Multimeter

Set up the multimeter to measure the resistance in your christmas tree lights by following the manufacturer s instructions.

How to check christmas lights with a multimeter.

When this happens use a non contact voltage detector to determine exactly which light bulb is faulty. In one of the female socket insert one of your multimeter probes. The unit of resistance is ohm symbol ω. A multimeter provides a convenient way quickly to find the dead bulbs that will need to be replaced in order to restore your holiday decorations to their fully lit glory.

A decent mid range multimeter will likely cost between 50 100 usd. In some cases a faulty power plug is the main culprit for the absence of the current in the string of lights and identifying this problem early can save you a lot of time. In this section we ll see how to test leds and measure resistance. Sometimes a couple of bulbs or the entire light string doesn t light up when you plug the cord into a power outlet.

You will end up having two probes plugged in the multimeter. Place the probes of your digital multimeter at both ends of the power plug. To test led lights you will need a multimeter with a diode setting. After learning about the basic details of an led the next step for any aspiring robot or electronic circuit builder is to learn about how to test an led which is much the same as the method used to test any diode with a multimeter.

On the male plug touch the remaining multimeter probe into one of the prongs. But this doesn t always happen. Check online or at your local hardware store for mid to high range multimeters which are more likely to have this feature than inexpensive models. How does it work.

Christmas lights are wired to stay lit even if one of the bulbs burns out. Only measure resistance with circuit de energised you and your dmm don t like volts applied. If your christmas lights are fine the next step includes checking the power plug.