Lamp Testers

A lamp tester is a piece of electronic testing equipment that is used to carry out essential lighting tests. It is a simple and cost-effective way of safely establishing the presence of voltage in lamps and testing filament continuity.

How do lamp testers work?

Generally, a screwdriver is touched to the conductor being tested (for example, a wire in a switch) to establish whether current is flowing through that component. This allows faults to be detected and resolved by tracing the root of the problem.

Types of lamp testers

Two of the most common types of lamp tester are two-contact and one-contact testers.

• Two-contact testers: Two-contact lamp testers include an earth wire, so that there is a safe route for the current to flow in the event of a live wire contacting the tester.
• One-contact testers: This type of lamp tester contacts a single side of the circuit under test, and relies on a single wire and current to complete the circuit.