Volty Switch 2 Manual

CAUTION: Use at your own risk, wear proper safety gear.

 

  

Power Switch:

Above: Volty Switch 2. The power switch disconnects the onboard battery. The switch has a high quality polyamide slider and gold plated internal contacts. Rated for 10,000 cycles.

Think of the power switch as the Battery Disconnect.

Auto Mode Switching:

When you turn on Volty's switch, it is set for auto mode switching.

Using the conductive pointy tip will lockout other modes.

Reboot with the switch to re-enable all modes.

DC Battery Range: 1V - 50V DC:

Above: In this example, a conventional 12V motorcycle battery is tested using a metal key as the negative terminal.

Use proper safety gear while testing high amperage batteries (Insulated Gloves, Leads and Safety Glasses).

  • Use Tip (The pointy end) as your Positive Terminal and Base as Negative.
  • Green LED: 10V each
  • Yellow LED: 1V each
  • Red LED: 0.1V each
  • Reverse polarity protection up to 50 VDC.
  • Resolution: 0.1VDC
  • Testing batteries 4.2V or higher charges Volty Switch.

LED Reading Chart:

AC Meter (5-24VAC) No high voltage! Do not do this unless you know what you're doing!:

Above: in this example a screwdriver with an insulated handle and conductive shaft along with alligator clip complete one leg of the circuit to an 18VAC security system power supply. 

  • Use proper safety gear while doing AC tests (Insulated Gloves, Leads and Safety Glasses).
  • Testing AC sources above 24VAC is dangerous and can lead to electric shock and will permanently damage Volty Switch!
  • Used primarily in HVAC, Alarm Systems, Access control, CCTV Cameras, Audio Gear and more!

Shorty Mode (Continuity):

Above: Volty Switch emits a solid red indicator when tip and Volty base are connected. All "Shorty" tests should be done out of circuit. 

  • Test Cables.
  • Identify Switch Terminals.
  • Test Fuses.
  • Test HVAC Ignitors and Thermostats.

Body Mode (Low Voltage DC Only):

Use the tip as Ground and your finger as positive to illuminate RED LED while touching a low voltage potential (6-18V DC Max). Used for traditional car, motorcycle and marine 12V system troubleshooting. Holding a screw or paperclip with the other hand can help penetrate any surface corrosion on your test point.

Sparky EMF Mode (Experimental):

Do not use Sparky EMF Mode for confirming the presence or absence of high voltage!

  • If using the protective sheath keep in mind: the switch can be turned off when applying the sheath, typically stopping just before the LED is covered works the best (This will also increase the sensitivity of the readings)
  • Detects Inductive Coupling between cables with EMFs.
  • Sparky Mode can detect some but not all EMFs.
  • Sparky Mode has a strange affinity for old Refrigerators and Toaster Ovens.
  • Never rely on Sparky EMF Mode to provide accurate or repeatable readings.
  • Sparky EMF Mode is disabled until reboot if tip modes are used.
  • A green blinking LED indicates Sparky Mode is active.
  • Never directly touch a bare wire suspected of EMF.

Rechargeable Onboard Battery:

  • Put the switch into the ON position before charging the battery.
  • Connect a DC source 4.2V or higher and charge for 4-24 Hours.
  • Volty will continuously output the source voltage for about 30 minutes and then idle. If Volty was fully dead, you will see parasite mode activate (SOLID), leave connected for 10 minutes and try again.
  • To keep your onboard battery in good condition, please recharge your Volty yearly.
  • The switch on the back physically disconnects the battery to prevent self discharge.
  • A standard 9V battery should be able to fully charge Volty over 50 times.

 

Tempy Mode (Experimental, Can be disabled via settings):

Above: Volty Switch was booted at room temperature and placed in the pathway of a heat pump air handler. 

  • Stores and displays the highest or lowest temperature reading since boot.
  • Temperature Range: 0F - 140F (-18C - 60C)
  • You can change between C and F readings in the settings.
  • We recommend checking / documenting your under arm body temp for future reference in case you find yourself without a dedicated thermometer and want to measure deviation from your "normal baseline". Keep in mind under arm measurements are more likely to be effected by ambient temperature.
  • Not for professional use.

DC Parasite Finder:

STEP 1: Leave the switch off during this test

STEP 2: Connect Volty to a Conventional Car, Marine or Motorcycle Battery.

STEP 3: Wait for 3 DC readings to complete, LED will then turn SOLID YELLOW.

STEP 4: The LED will show GREEN on rising and RED for dropping voltage (0.05V TRIGGER).

Advanced Boot Features:

If you short Volty's base to tip while powering on, the green LED will blink: Release at the blink you want to invoke.

Auto vs. On-Demand Tempy:

Volty Switch comes with Auto Tempy Enabled. "Auto" stores its temperature at boot. If Volty then sees a 10F degree deflection after you turned it on, it will output the most extreme temperature reading since boot.

Setting On-Demand, instantly forces temperature readings and will disable automatic temperature readings even after reboot.

Leatherman Compatibility:

We are shipping volty with an "untrimmed" shank. We made volty slightly larger than it needs to be due to manufacturing tolerances in printed circuit boards. You will need to trim one of the 4 edges of volty's shank with a file or knife edge to get a proper fit that "clicks" into a leatherman bit holder. So far we have confirmed compatibility with the following models:

  • Leatherman ARC
  • Leatherman Signal
  • Leatherman Wave
  • Leatherman Charge
  • Leatherman Skeletool (Won't articulate, but still good for testing larger batteries).
  • Leatherman Surge
  • Leatherman Bit Extender

Do not use a leatherman for AC tests or EMF tests without proper safety gear.

 

Volty Switch Demo Reel: