Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits _ Article

What is a short circuit in a series circuit?

• A resistor acts as a straight piece of wire with little or no resistance.

• A resistor increases its resistance to infinite levels.

• A component has all the voltage dropped across it.

• A component appears burned or warm to the touch.

How can a short circuit in a parallel circuit affect the system?

• It can cause extremely high currents to flow through the short.

• It increases the resistance to nearly infinite levels.

• It causes the circuit current to drop to zero.

• It only affects the current through one branch.

What is a common cause of short circuits?

• Device failure, moisture damage, and solder migration.

• Poor connections or faulty components.

• Visual inspection revealing burned components.

• Measuring voltage levels at the fuse.

How can an open circuit in a series configuration affect the circuit?

• It renders the entire circuit inoperative.

• It only affects the current through one branch.

• It causes the voltage across all branches to drop to zero.

• It leads to sluggish or non-operational devices.

What is an effective method for locating an open circuit fault?

• Measuring voltage levels at the fuse and working towards the circuit ground.

• Using current and temperature probes.

• Removing the fuse and using an external load.

• Checking for voltage loss in each portion of the circuit.