Greetings

Mike and I have been experimenting with the new K110 Autonerdz micro amp probe.  We have gotten a few really neat captures.  Since we are going to try to put the reference files here with the pictures, we will be breaking this up into a few posts.

Ever work on a Honda CRV with a wheel speed sensor code?  It's the diagnosis we hate to see.  Check the wiring (page and a half).  Replace the speed sensor.  If still there substitute known good abs control unit.  Yes, right, got one of those just hanging around.

We have been unable to get a real reading off of those magneto resistive wheel speed senosrs.

Until now!

Here's a capture froma 02 CRV. The amp rpobe was zeroed, the signal has a base current of about 9 milliamps, that goes up to about 16 milliamps.  We included the last capture where we shut it down, just to show that.

And now we know.  The speed sensor is good.  No selling the sensor and then calling the customer to say " oh, and by the way you need a control module too".

For the record, this car did not have an abs problem, it was just an opportunity for us to get a capture.

John and Mike

---

Ok, so the first thing I forgot! The new version "closes" the notes, I have to remember that!  Sorry!

A and B are hooked up normally to the 2 wires to the speed sensors, and read the voltage.  A is obviously ground, and B signal.

C is the K110 on a +- 2- milliamp scale

John and Mike

And as is probably not obvious, the first capture was taken at idle, with the wheels up in the air turning a few MPH.  The second is zoomed the same, but we ran it up to a higher speed.

Here's one that did indeed have a ABS problem.  07 Ford Escape 4WD with code for right front, and low speed abs activation when it was not supposed to activate.

A is the microprobe on 20 milliamp scale.  B and C are voltage of the 2 wires, B obviously volts and c ground.

Right here you can see what is wrong with this car!  It's there in the picture.  Ford tone rings do not have a signature mark like their CKP sensors!

Once again probe is zeroed, it has a base current of about 8 milliamps and a peak of about 13.

We cannot think of any other way to see this.  Ford lists a "mystery" tester with flashing lights, but very little info is available on that.  Perhaps someone here has seen one.

More to follow!

John and Mike

---

And here is the other file.  These are large, so we have to post in seperate pieces.

---

john racic wrote on Jun 10^th, 2010 at 5:20pm:

And as is probably not obvious, the first capture was taken at idle, with the wheels up in the air turning a few MPH.  The second is zoomed the same, but we ran it up to a higher speed.

Hi John,

It did take a minute before I realized that the wheel speed had increased. Nice work with this new probe, thanks for sharing.
Do you have some other uses for this probe?
What size wire will the probe fit around?

Thanks,
Earl

Ok, so then our next thought was what about using the frequency measurement channel in the new version to see what is happening.  Not really what we expected.  Apparently the measurement is very sensitive to noise, but it does provide a neat picture anyways.  

Channels are exactly the same as the previous posts, but we added D.  It is a set of leads piggybacked right onto the K110.  The glitches are, according to Tom, due to excessive sensitivity, and will be addressed as Pico perfects the frequency measurement.  But it does show the frequency.

Mike and John

---

On the Ford Escape captures they are NOT zoomed the same.  The idle capture is zoomed at 8x, and the higher speed one is zoomed at 64x.

For some reason the capture shows a square wave on the idle capture, and a more rounded one as the speed increases.

The Honda capture was zoomed the same.

The Escape has a cracked tone ring.  That's what caused the "signature" in the waveform.  We will try to get a picture and post it for those who have not seen this.

John and Mike

Earl Davis wrote on Jun 10^th, 2010 at 5:40pm:

Do you have some other uses for this probe? What size wire will the probe fit around?

Earl

Sorry, was on autopilot, and didn't realize you had posted a question.

Yes, we have tried a few other things with this probe.  MAF and we are still trying to get neat AFR captures.  This is obviously the way things are going, microamp analysis will certainly become more and more useful.  Those posts will be here soon!  Anyone with other suggestions, we are certainly interested, please pass them on!

The probe looks like a normal amp clamp that went through the "honey i shrunk the kids" machine.  Handy to get into tight places.  I would guess it would fit around a #12 wire.  Since it only has a capacity of 450 milliamps, that is big enough.

The electronics are located in a box, like the way the Fluke PV350 is, with the same kind of B plug connector, on the end of a few foot cable, so it does not get in the way.

John and Mike

Hi John and Mike

The voltage waves can be rescaled to show the square waves like I have seen before.

Nissan versions of these sensors will not give you that on the voltage line, so I would love to see a nissan abs sensor please.

It did a great job on the cracked tone wheel.

Thanks for putting the probe to the test

Mick

Mick wrote on Jun 10^th, 2010 at 7:14pm:

The voltage waves can be rescaled to show the square waves like I have seen before.

mick, i was gonna ask about that.  the voltage trace isn't as nice as the amp trace, but i think there is some value in it.  especially if you add some vert zoom.  but you say nissans don't do this?

---

crackerclicker wrote on Jun 10^th, 2010 at 7:48pm:

Mick wrote on Jun 10th, 2010 at 7:14pm: The voltage waves can be rescaled to show the square waves like I have seen before. mick, i was gonna ask about that.  the voltage trace isn't as nice as the amp trace, but i think there is some value in it.  especially if you add some vert zoom.  but you say nissans don't do this?

That is correct. I think I have some captures of nissans somewhere but flat lines are boring to post. ;)


Mick

Very cool! I can't wait to get one.

Thank you John and Mike.   8-)

I could be mistaken, but I think this is another Autonerdz first.  I don't think anything like this has ever been seen before.   :o

Would this be advanced Buttonology®?   ;D

Here's a picture of the tone ring.

---

Gotta love those Escape tone rings! ;D

OK Earthlings, here we go again!

Our special thanks to Mick, who by requesting Nissan wheel speed sensors has made sure we went 2 weeks without a late model Nissan!  (except an 08 Versa without ABS)  That is really a good thing.

But today we got 2 05's in, and grabbed patterns on both.

Once again lots of stuff we don't quite understand, hopefully someone can help.

First is an 05 Nissan Murano.  It is exactly like Mick said, virtually a flat line on the volts.  Odd thing noted is that the volts sit at about 6.5 and -6.5, in round numbers.

Once again going to break this up into pieces.  Files way too big for here, will post on drop site.

John and Mike

---

As you can tell frequency in that picture is kind of a waste, so we pushed it off the picture in the next picture

Both of these are
A:volts on sensor wire
B:volts on sensor wire
C: milliamps on sensor wire
D: frequency

Next car is an 05 Nissan Maxima

Completely different.

---

Some of the things we noticed and cannot explain.

The maxima has a small voltage trace showing.  It's voltage is more normal, about ground and battery.  But the signal is in the ground side of the wire.

The Murano had virtually no voltage trace, and the voltage was floating, half above and half below ground

Here's what really gets me.  The voltage trace on the Maxima basically shows a digital style square wave.  The milliamps trace shows a sin wave.  How does this happen?

John and Mike

john racic wrote on Jun 29^th, 2010 at 5:12pm:

OK Earthlings, here we go again! Our special thanks to Mick, who by requesting Nissan wheel speed sensors has made sure we went 2 weeks without a late model Nissan!  (except an 08 Versa without ABS)  That is really a good thing. But today we got 2 05's in, and grabbed patterns on both. Once again lots of stuff we don't quite understand, hopefully someone can help. First is an 05 Nissan Murano.  It is exactly like Mick said, virtually a flat line on the volts.  Odd thing noted is that the volts sit at about 6.5 and -6.5, in round numbers. Once again going to break this up into pieces.  Files way too big for here, will post on drop site. John and Mike

That's the best selling feature that I have been waiting for.

Question on both vehicles, did you try the probe on either wires for the sensor? If so were the results the same?

Maybe I should know how these sensors work, but does it really matter when you got a tool to show if it’s working or not!

Great work lads.

Mick

Mick wrote on Jun 29^th, 2010 at 6:14pm:

Question on both vehicles, did you try the probe on either wires for the sensor? If so were the results the same?

Mick

You know i kept thinking the laws of physics would tend to say that both wires should be the same for amp flow.

But next one we will try and see.  Up until now just been grabbing whichever wire was easier to get.  So far we have always gotten good patterns. And our luck says if only one had a signal we would always, always grab the wrong one!  Certainly worth trying to see.