A tick tracer is a non-contact voltage tester, a pocket pen with a sensor in its tip that detects the electric field around an energised AC conductor and answers with a light, beep or ticking sound. It is handy for a quick check of a wire, receptacle or cord through the insulation, and for finding which wire in a bundle is hot. It cannot prove a circuit dead: a dead battery, shielded cable or DC voltage gives no signal, so a contact tester is still required before work.
Heard on the job
Tick tracer says it's dead, now check it with your meter, both sides, before you put your fingers in there.
Also heard as
- volt stick
- VoltAlert
- non-contact tester
- NCV