Multi-meter

[micky]

About 35 years ago, I bought a Lafayette FET-meter. FET meters were around only for a short while. They were analog and had the input impedance of a VTVM but didn't require house current.

I measured a voltage when the rotating swich was in the Off position and burned some part out. It was a bad design, that connected the printed circuit traces even when the meter was Off. Took it to Lafayette and it took them 6 or 10 months to replace it. I almost went out to Long Island to demonstrate at their main store and HQ (although maybe that was for the settings book for the tube tester they sold me. That also took 10 months, but when it came, it was the factory book, complete with plastic binding, not a photocopy.)

I've also had several Harbor Freigh meters, including several that cost $3, when on sale, and they've all worked fine for years. If maybe they're off by !0 or 20% I don't know and I really don't care. Most of what I do doesn't require much accuracy. And if it did, I'd use the Triplett meter or one of the others.

[Stormin Mormon]

Interesting. My old Radio Shack one must be 40 years old and still works. Googling up a new analog one there shows it costs only $25.

[Frank]

I've never used it on house current or high voltage items. Just use on batteries or transformers and the like. Don't know how it would behave otherwise.

[micky]

I've used one or more to see if there IS house current, and iirc they always said 117. Certainly between 115 and 120. My willingtness to accept one that was 10 or 20% off was never needed.

[micky]

Google still finds them under Contact East, but I also found

"While some of you know us as Stanley Supply & Services, others still remember us as Contact East or Jensen Tools. For more than 50 years, we have been a leading supplier of products and services for the electronics MRO industry and maintenance, installation and repair professionals. Although our name changed to Stanley Supply & Services in 2006, we continue to focus on providing your business with high-quality, brand-name products and services. We're proud to be a division of The Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) and we're excited to offer you some of Stanley's innovative products and brands."

After all this, since I don't know the Stanley Tools logo by memory, I still can't tell if that who is talking here. I think so.....

I was so happy when I got a meter that measures temperature, but it's been years and I havent' needed it yet. Still, I'm glad I have it.

[micky]

And capacitance and humidity!!

Do you think it has auto-polarity even though it doesn't say so?

I've been using analog meters to check capacitance. All I can do is watch the resistance go from very low to quite high as the cap fills, then reverse the leads and watch it happen again. I'm figuring this would show a shorted or open cap. (except the small ones fill so quickly I can't tell if it's open or not.) But I certainly can't tell if they are the marked value.

[Ralph Mowery]

Getting slightly off topic, there is a nifty device that will check almost all small electronic components. It will do capacitors to about 100 pf or so. It is just the electronics without a case,but the price is right shipped direct form China for about $ 25.

Ebay number 221197915142

[micky]

Certainly is an interesting page. Keep scrolling down to see the whole thing.

It's times like this I wish I were a pro just so I could buy all this test equipment.

Just like I wish I had my own business so I could buy lots of busilness equipment, color laser printers, etc.

[sms]

Get this one:

For your "free gift" you can select a second meter.

[jeff_wisnia]

I'd cry like a baby if the Simpson 260 I've owned for over 50 years gave up one me.

I treat it like a baby and religiously return the selector switch to the

1000 volt setting when I'm done using it.

But, I see there are lots of them on eBay for prices around $50. Chances are they are probably in good shape.

[Ralph Mowery]

I have one that is over 25 years old and would hate do with out it. I don't use it very much as I usually use a Fluke digital, but there are things that I would not like to use any other meter for. The Simpson still checks out for calibration.

I also try to turn it to the highest voltage scale when I am done with it and make sure the switch is in the off position. Not that it really cuts it off, but jprobab ly puts a short across the meter so it will self dampen when in motion.

If you need a schematic or the calibration for one look at this site.

[Art Todesco]

To dampen the meter movement, when I used to use analog meters, you put it on the highest current reading, not voltage. That will put a low resistance shunt across the movement and provide the best damping for the movement.

[Ralph Mowery]

For the meters that did not have the off position the highest current range would provide the best dampning.

I just found it beter to put them in the highest voltage range so if someone picked up the meter and put the probs across something with voltage on it the meter would not likely be dammaged Jeff probably did that for the same reason.