Volty Switch Manual

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

 

  

Power Switch:

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 switching.

Using the conductive pointy tip will lockout other modes to prevent test interference.

Reboot with the switch to re-enable all modes.

DC Meter (1V - 30VDC):

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

  • 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 30 VDC.
  • Resolution: 0.1VDC
  • Testing batteries above 3V 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. This is an 18VAC security power supply. Wear safety gear (Goggles and Electrically Insulating Gloves) while testing any device that shares a grid connection!

  • Use proper safety gear while doing AC tests.
  • 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!

  • Always use protective sheath and wear insulated gloves!
  • The EMF sensor is not on the tip but the sides of volty switch.
  • Detect if a spark plug wire or coil pack has “juice”.
  • 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 wire suspected of EMF.

Rechargeable Onboard Battery:

  • Put the switch into the ON position before charging the battery.
  • Connect a DC source from 3-18VDC and charge for 30-60 minutes.
  • To keep your onboard battery in good condition, please recharge your Volty at least once per year.
  • The switch on the back physically disconnects the battery to prevent self discharge.
  • Volty should be powered off and stored properly after taking readings to extend the working life of the onboard battery.
  • Volty's LEDs will continuously display source voltage readings while charging. If it turns solid, your switch is off.
  • A standard 9V battery should be able to fully charge Volty over 50 times.

 

Tempy Mode (Experimental):

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)
  • Can be calibrated in 1 degree increments but don’t expect perfect readings across the entire testing range.
  • Not for professional use.

Auto vs. Manual Tempy:

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

Setting Manual Tempy instantly forces temperature readings and also will disable automatic temperature reading even after reboot.

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.

DC Parasite Finder:

STEP 1: Leave the switch off during this test

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

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

STEP 4: The LED will turn SOLID RED to indicate the voltage has either dropped or risen by 0.05VDC. In parasite mode you can pull fuses / circuit branches one at a time with a wait period to let the battery recover some voltage or in reverse: remove all fuses and insert one at a time with a wait period for each.

Low Temperature Operation:

Shorty and Body Mode mode get disabled when the temperature is below 40F. If you need to access these modes in low temperature, you will need to warm the unit with your body before use.

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: