Manufacturers of wire harnesses and cable assemblies ensure that their products are properly assembled by using a programmable tester like the NX Wire Harness Tester from Dynalab Test Systems. The NX Wire Harness Tester validates that the wire harness is properly assembled by using continuity testing. The tester verifies that each defined circuit in the wire harness is properly wired by verifying electrical continuity through the circuit. If continuity does not exist for a defined circuit, the tester indicates this by displaying an OPEN error condition. The NX Wire Harness Tester also tests for unwanted connections that result from improperly assembled wire harnesses. The tester does a continuity test between all connection points of the wire harness. If it finds an undefined circuit, the NX Wire Harness Tester indicates this by displaying a SHORT error. This type of testing constitutes a thorough validation that the wire harness is properly assembled. However, additional testing is necessary to find intermittent problems. These are fault conditions in the wire harness that manifest themselves for a short time usually in response to mechanical flexing or bending of conductors.
The problem of finding intermittent open or short circuits in a wire harness or cable assembly is no problem for Dynalab’s NX Wire Harness Testers. The NX Tester offers the option to test continuously, allowing the operator to manually flex and bend the wire harness conductors while the tester looks for open or short error conditions. This capability is available at no extra charge – every NX Wire Harness Tester is capable of continuous testing for the purpose of finding intermittent open and short conditions.
The NX Wire Harness Tester is programmed using Dynalab’s NX Editor software. The NX Editor provides the means to program the NX Tester to perform continuous testing. This is generally done after a normal test has been completed, verifying that the wire harness is properly assembled. When specifying the continuous mode, the NX Editor allows the user to select from one of three durations for continuous testing. The first selection allows the user to program a specific number of test cycles. The second selection allows the user to program a specific time interval. The third selection allows the user to program an indefinite time interval which ends when the operator presses a button on the front panel of the NX Wire Harness Tester.
Dynalab’s NX Wire Harness Testers provide the means to thoroughly test a wire harness. The scope of the testing ensures that the wire harness has been properly assembled and that there are no intermittent faults.
Dynalab’s NX Wire Harness Testers have many more features and capabilities. To learn more, please visit the company’s website Dynalab Test Systems or call 1-800-SOS-DYNA (USA/Canada Toll Free) or +614-729-6550
A collection of articles about improving the wire harness testing process. From Dynalab Test Systems
