Good Testers?

[Neon Ninja]

After some research was looking at picking up these two tester:

Swiss XMT-120A DMX Measurement tool http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XO2DGW0/?tag=controlbooth-20

TCNT2 Network Cable Tester http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YT6ZMAE/?tag=controlbooth-20

Good, bad anything i should look out for or maybe not get these and get a different one? Also what about Sacopex tester, is that a good investment also?

 

[MikeJ]

The Swisson is pretty good. It has a chart type readout for DMX in, for output it does individual channels, all, interleave 2,3,4, or stored scenes. You can also build fixture profiles for testing moving light attributes more easily than just running up channels. Its a great tool for troubleshooting; I use it a lot. ?There is a fancier RDM model, but to me its not worth the extra money.

The network cable tester seems pretty straight forward, and its much cheaper than a fluke, but looks pretty basic. It does not look like it has very advanced diagnostic tools, and unless you are running a lot of install cable a tester like this might be a better choice for checking cables where both ends are together, and is a great cable tester in general. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...bDP18gCFdU6gQodC40NMw&is=REG&m=Y&A=details&Q=
Don't be afraid of the fact that its Pyle; this thing is built like a radial DI, and tests almost any common cable. It also does continuity by plugging leads into the banana jacks, so you can check soca or really anything else.

I would not worry about a soca tester unless you are terminating a lot of cables.
Get a Decent Multi-meter if you don't have one.
A Gamcheck would be useful if you do a lot of conventional lighting using stage pin connectors(Bates).

 

[techieman33]

I'm a fan of the two piece network cable testers. Having to pull a snake all the way back to test it would suck and pay for itself in labor costs pretty quickly. Also as we get more and more into networking it can be a useful tool for figuring out which cable is going where when you run into poorly labeled gear or spaces.

 

[Neon Ninja]

I'm a fan of the two piece network cable testers. Having to pull a snake all the way back to test it would suck and pay for itself in labor costs pretty quickly. Also as we get more and more into networking it can be a useful tool for figuring out which cable is going where when you run into poorly labeled gear or spaces.

Do you mind if i ask what cable tester you would suggest then please

 

[Neon Ninja]

The network cable tester seems pretty straight forward, and its much cheaper than a fluke, but looks pretty basic. It does not look like it has very advanced diagnostic tools, and unless you are running a lot of install cable a tester like this might be a better choice for checking cables where both ends are together, and is a great cable tester in general. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...bDP18gCFdU6gQodC40NMw&is=REG&m=Y&A=details&Q=
Don't be afraid of the fact that its Pyle; this thing is built like a radial DI, and tests almost any common cable. It also does continuity by plugging leads into the banana jacks, so you can check soca or really anything else.

was looking at this tester, seems about the same if I'm right?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085GYT30/?tag=controlbooth-20

 

[Footer]

That network tester only tests for continuity, it does not test for crosstalk. Most of the time that a cat5/6 cable goes "bad" it is due to the twists getting kinked up and the connection becoming noisy. Not saying the continuity tester won't be useful, but it can lead you down the wrong path. It will make you think you have a good cable when you actuality you don't.

 

[MikeJ]

I have bought a couple with different brand names, as far as I can tell its all the same OEM and everyone sticks their name on it and sells for a different price. Here is another http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1112371-REG/kopul_cbt_12_12_in_1_cable.html/prm/alsVwDtl

They are all the same, but there are some variants in connector type(usb a-a vs usb a-b, etc). I have several of the Pyle that I posted, and they are very good, and the best price I can find.

 

[MikeJ]

I'm a fan of the two piece network cable testers. Having to pull a snake all the way back to test it would suck and pay for itself in labor costs pretty quickly. Also as we get more and more into networking it can be a useful tool for figuring out which cable is going where when you run into poorly labeled gear or spaces.

Meh. If its a snake on a show site that is suspect or unriliable, I will just switch to a spare line, and put a note on it to check it in the shop. The remote tester is useful for pulling install cable and checking termination on both ends, but like footer mentioned, these cheap ones cannot measure quality or report cable length, etc, so in the case of being an installer a real network tester is a much better choice.

The Pyle tester is fine for checking continuity if you have both ends, and does most other industry cables.
A simple cable tracer that hooks to one end and sends a tone down the line and has the handheld sniffer, works pretty well for finding unlabeled cables.
For the $60 spent on that remote tester, you can buy the Pyle, and a cable tracer...and a beer.

 

[microstar]

Chauvet has just come out with their RDM2GO tester at LDI. Might be worth checking out. I have the Swisson XMT120 and it's solid as a brick.

 

[gafftaper]

DvsDave and I had a good chat with the people from NLFX Professional at LDI. First off, they are really awesome people. We were extremely impressed with their cable tester. Great build quality, really nice collection of cable test options, easy to use, and nicely priced at $39.

http://nlfxpro.com/nlfx-professional-cable-testers/

They also had some really nice looking mic cables, custom made audio patch panels, they make these nice audio + power cables for your powered monitor needs.

 

[MikeJ]

Chauvet has just come out with their RDM2GO tester at LDI. Might be worth checking out. I have the Swisson XMT120 and it's solid as a brick.

It appears to be the same OEM as the Swisson RDM tester, the step up from the 120a

DvsDave and I had a good chat with the people from NLFX Professional at LDI. First off, they are really awesome people. We were extremely impressed with their cable tester. Great build quality, really nice collection of cable test options, easy to use, and nicely priced at $39.

http://nlfxpro.com/nlfx-professional-cable-testers/

They also had some really nice looking mic cables, custom made audio patch panels, they make these nice audio + power cables for your powered monitor needs.

Looks exactly the same as the others, which means that its actually a really good tester.

 

[gafftaper]

Looks exactly the same as the others, which means that its actually a really good tester.

The tester I purchased last year tests the same cables, but it's control interface is really confusing. I keep the manual nearby to decipher the controls. This one was much easier to understand. Plus the build quality on the case itself was very nice.

 

[Brentgi]

That network tester only tests for continuity, it does not test for crosstalk. Most of the time that a cat5/6 cable goes "bad" it is due to the twists getting kinked up and the connection becoming noisy. Not saying the continuity tester won't be useful, but it can lead you down the wrong path. It will make you think you have a good cable when you actuality you don't.

Are you implying that there are testers that will test specifically for crosstalk?

 

[MikeJ]

It appears to be the same OEM as the Swisson RDM tester, the step up from the 120a


Looks exactly the same as the others, which means that its actually a really good tester.

Update. The Chauvet Tester is NOT the same as a swisson, but is a really nice and full featured tester. Nothing else even comes close to matching it's price/function combo. It spanks a Swisson 120 and costs a lot less. If anyone wants a Swisson 120 I will be selling one or 2 and replacing them with the Chauvet RDM to GO

 

[Roger L. Lattin]

You get what you pay for there are network cable testers that are just ,"fox'n' hounds" that send tone down the line like a continuity tester. the more expensive network testers and DMX testers { DFD-Gismo, Goddard- DMX'ters, Artistic Lic. Micro scope, Swisson- 120, 130?} send a signal down the line and look for the quality of the waveforms. What level of troubleshooting are you going for will dictate what level of test gear you want to purchase.

 

[Chris15]

Are you implying that there are testers that will test specifically for crosstalk?

Absolutely.
TDRs - time domain reflectometer.

An intermediate level tester runs a couple of grand.
A proper link qualification tester runs the best part of 10k in Aussie dollars, then you start getting modules for fibre, cat6, cat6a, etc...

 

[RonHebbard]

Absolutely.
TDRs - time domain reflectometer.

An intermediate level tester runs a couple of grand.
A proper link qualification tester runs the best part of 10k in Aussie dollars, then you start getting modules for fibre, cat6, cat6a, etc...

As an installer, I sure slept better at night knowing my cables and fibers worked up to snuff before I flew back home.
The testers were also good from the standpoint of knowing which links were problematic BEFORE you turned them over to the client.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.