Quick checks for clicking or haunted relays

[Riftborn]

You’re checking a board and everything looks good until the relay starts making those strange clicking sounds. Before you assume the relay is at fault, what quick meter checks, scope tricks, or voltage tests do you perform to track down those sneaky problems?

 

[LEDZepp]

Last week, I came across an issue everything seemed alright until that relay started making noise like a mini jackhammer. I usually grab my meter first to check for any stray voltage, then I take a look at the circuit before pointing fingers at the relay. This way, I save myself a lot of frustration.

 

[shortedtwice]

Isn’t it funny how a perfectly functioning relay can suddenly sound like it’s gone mad? I start with some quick checks to see if the supply and coil voltage are fine, and I’ll take a look with a scope if necessary. I only label it as dead when I’ve exhausted all other options. This approach helps me avoid unnecessarily swapping out parts.

 

[voltagepathmaker]

I had a circuit board do the same thing during a weekend project. What I do is isolate the relay, test for continuity while keeping an eye on voltage drops, and watch out for sneaky ground faults. Most of the time, the relay turns out to be just fine!

 

[barfle]

I have a Zektor switch in my home theater setup that I use to switch multichannel audio from various quadraphonic decoders into my preamp-processor. It’s basically just a field of dry-contact relays, but one of them isn’t closing. For the moment, I’ve worked around that by not using that channel, but I need to get after that. The weather sucks, so I should have time this winter.

 

[voltagepathmaker]

I have a Zektor switch in my home theater setup that I use to switch multichannel audio from various quadraphonic decoders into my preamp-processor. It’s basically just a field of dry-contact relays, but one of them isn’t closing. For the moment, I’ve worked around that by not using that channel, but I need to get after that. The weather sucks, so I should have time this winter.

At least you have a solution for the time being. Winter projects are great since there’s no hurry you can just take your time and work on them when the weather forces you indoors