\nYou hear the phrase “continuity tester” often in the context of repairs of electrical items. Yet, what is one, really? Moreover, how do you know if it works?<\/p>\n
\nIn my experience, a continuity tester usually refers to the “Ohms” setting (denoted by Ω) on a multimeter. <\/p>\n
I haven’t used the one here in a long time; the other day I dug it out, wondering if it even still works. It’s digital: turning it on, then turning to the lowest setting in the Ω region (200Ω), I saw a 1, meaning “infinite resistance”. That’s a good sign if the probes are just touching air.<\/p>\n
Next, I wondered: “Does it always say 1 or will it detect low resistance (aka continuity)?” For instance, the reading when the probes are touching ends of a conductor should be close to 0, or at least under 200Ω.<\/p>\n
How, then, to test if the meter can detect low resistance (aka continuity)? Touching the probes to each other should result in a reading less than 100; depending on how clean the probes are, and how well they contact, the reading may be close to 0. Then, it’s confirmed the meter can detect continuity.<\/p>\n