Signal injector

[adsm08]

So I have found myself in a situation caused partly because I wasn't careful enough, and partly because someone else didn't follow my instructions.

I have two dogs on an invisible fence. When the fence was installed three years ago I told the installers to run the perimeter wire along the edge of the drive way and around a light pole in the front yard to avoid hitting the wires to the pole, or having to cross the side walk that cuts through the front yard to the house. They did not listen and ran it about 2 or 3 feet from the edge of the house. So two years ago when we put a garden in we rototilled the area, leaving about 1.5' from where I told them to run the wire, and hit it anyway because it wasn't where it was supposed to be. I pulled it out, moved it back, and repaired it and the fence continued working. The plan was to put in hollow cement block around the edge of the garden and runt he wire through them, so we didn't re-bury it. Last week I hit the exposed portion with the mower near where it went back under the ground, which cut it off, right at ground level, or possible pulled it out and the end is now buried. Either way I can't find it.

Now I know about the TV remote and AM radio signal tracer method, but I have only ever had any luck with that when I have been able to get the remote right against the wires, and within a foot or so of the break. By length of wire the closest section I know for sure where it is is almost 300 feet away. I don't have or know anyone who has a metal detector.

What I do have is this:

What I want to make is this:

I can read a diagram, but I am no electronics engineer.

Anyone have any ideas how to do this?

 

[Curious Hound]

Let me get on the computer later so I can see the pictures bigger. You should have the components for that circuit. That machine reminds me of the Heathkit experimenter board I had as a kid. I actually had to build it before I could start doing the experiments.

You may also be able to use a " fox and hound" tone generator set. They are used by telephone technicians and you might be able to get one at a big box home improvement store like Lowe's, home Depot, Menard's, etc.

 

[adsm08]

Let me get on the computer later so I can see the pictures bigger. You should have the components for that circuit. That machine reminds me of the Heathkit experimenter board I had as a kid. I actually had to build it before I could start doing the experiments.

You may also be able to use a " fox and hound" tone generator set. They are used by telephone technicians and you might be able to get one at a big box home improvement store like Lowe's, home Depot, Menard's, etc.

My budget for this is roughly zero. If it comes to it I know the approximate area the wire runs through, and can dig it up farther down the line, I just don't want to.

I agree, that I should be able to build the device with that board, I can see all the components, its just figuring out the order of the connections that I'm not confident in.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

This is precisely why I've been wanting to buy a Power Probe set with the signal generator/tracer included. They'll even tell you where the break in the wire is at.

 

[Curious Hound]

That will be my after dinner project

 

[adsm08]

This is precisely why I've been wanting to buy a Power Probe set with the signal generator/tracer included. They'll even tell you where the break in the wire is at.

I'll have to look at mine. I have a PP4, which may have a signal injector function. I don't have the PP receiver though.

 

[Ranger850]

I actually have a metal detector. Its very generic and old, bit it works like a champ. You dial in the sensitivity, which is more like a depth gauge (more is deeper), and tone, the manual says thats to select different metals but i can't figure out what it really does, besides change the tone of the device. I mostly use it to find lost nuts and bolts in grass. Never even took it to the beach.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

I believe you'll have to have both the transmitter and the receiver..

https://www.powerprobe.com/web-store-1/pnect000r-ect2000-receiver

https://www.powerprobe.com/web-store-1/pnect000t-ect2000-transmitter

 

[Snoranger]

This is precisely why I've been wanting to buy a Power Probe set with the signal generator/tracer included. They'll even tell you where the break in the wire is at.

I use the PP short finder all the time at work, it works great for open circuits. If the wire has a strand or 2 still holding, not so good. If it's a short to ground you'll get a signal from everything on the damn truck.

 

[adsm08]

t finder all the tim

I believe you'll have to have both the transmitter and the receiver..

https://www.powerprobe.com/web-store-1/pnect000r-ect2000-receiver

https://www.powerprobe.com/web-store-1/pnect000t-ect2000-transmitter

You are talking about this kit:

I have this:

It has a mode for open wire testing, but it acts as the receiver, it needs the blue box from theh ECT2000 kit to work.

 

[Snoranger]

If you lived closer, I'd let you borrow it.

 

[Curious Hound]

to make the circuit above on your experimenter board, make the following connections;
each "___ to ___" is a wire from terminal ___ to terminal ___

175 to 96
93 to 74
45 to 74
47 to 55
56 to 75
75 to 176
49 to 75
48 to 91
92 to 73

"probe" will be a wire connected to 175
"earth" will be a wire connected to 176

You only had one capacitor of the correct value, so I made a close substitution using two other capacitors in series. It should still function. I'm not sure how you plan on using this. But good luck. There may be an experiment in the manual that would be useful. Some kind of simple transmitter might work, connecting to your electric fence wire instead of the antenna on the experimenter board.

 

[adsm08]

to make the circuit above on your experimenter board, make the following connections;
each "___ to ___" is a wire from terminal ___ to terminal ___

175 to 96
93 to 74
45 to 74
47 to 55
56 to 75
75 to 176
49 to 75
48 to 91
92 to 73

"probe" will be a wire connected to 175
"earth" will be a wire connected to 176

You only had one capacitor of the correct value, so I made a close substitution using two other capacitors in series. It should still function. I'm not sure how you plan on using this. But good luck. There may be an experiment in the manual that would be useful. Some kind of simple transmitter might work, connecting to your electric fence wire instead of the antenna on the experimenter board.

Thanks.

I was planning to just hook the fence wire right to the "To Probe". Not sure where I'm going to ground it. Possibly to the 12V backup ground on the board.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

You are talking about this kit:

I've been meaning to buy the master kit. It's a better deal. You can get it with with the receiver and transmitter, as well as several other probe ends, etc.

I was just posting what was relevant to your thread as far as sending a signal.