I don't know if it's been in the UK stores yet, but I picked up this today. Not bad for the money - a definite cut above the normal cheap shit. It's not a Fluke, but for that money, do you expect one?
I wonder what the "electricity" range reads? It's nice to know the included battery is an alternative to 250V - it's a long time since I had a meter which needed a mains supply.
From the little detail there, it looks like the type of meter I've bought for under £3 in the past, which has worked fine.
index_34099.htm
You might be surprised at how good it is - especially if you can compare it with a Fluke. I bought a similar sort of thing a while ago, although mine (M92A) was from Aldi. It's been great as a second meter. I would recommend finding a new pair of test leads though. The supplied ones are probably the nastiest part of the package.
In article , Andrew Gabriel writes
I got one as a spare to have in the car so I have one wherever I drive to (sorry, can't test your broken now as I don't have my meter with me).
I imagine the 'electricity' range comes from a poor translation of current from German but of course nobody checked it.
I think it is one above the cheapest of meters for the AC (true rms) and DC current measurement ranges, usually missing on the cheapest. It's not autoranging which I quite like when repeatedly measuring something in a known range. Also, it has an outer compliant boot to protect it if dropped but the leads are cheap (overly rigid).
Least useful is the push button on off switch which of course will get operated in the car or any toolbox but at it least has auto off.
A fairly useless battery (1.5/9V) test function which I though might load up the cell to read on-load voltage, and it does, but only by a mA so pointless.
Overall I'd say a keeper but I'm not so sure about the overpriced autoranging stud finder I bought at the same time.
That's a test instrument for a women to use and not for you.
As ever I shall take on board your expert advice :-D
The standard leads Fluke supply are rubbish too - rigid PVC. Genuine Fluke silicone rubber ones expensive. Which is taking the p**s given the actual difference in production costs between silicone and PVC, and the high price of the Fluke.
IIRC they were called 'vacuum tube voltmeters', which must have been the American term. Very high input impedance, and a lot of drift.
Has anyone managed to produce a stud finder which really does find studs behind lath&plaster, rather than just saying 'might not work' ?
A key difference is that professional test leads are fused, whereas hobbiest ones aren't.
Never heard the term 'vacuum tube voltmeters', but they used nixie tubes for the digital display, and yes, very high input impedance, but so do all digital test meters today.
on this side of the pond they were simply Valve Voltmeters (VVMs) - renowned for their high input impedance
Think valve voltmeter was meant. Before the days of FETs, used for a high input impedance meter. I've got a Heathkit one which still works. But the high impedance DVM at a couple of quid killed them off.
I vaguely remember them as being made to a standard of sorts with a 10 megohm input impedance on all ranges, as against the 20 kohm/ (full scale) volt of the industry standard Avo meters.
I'm not sure, but I think only Fluke include fused leads (as standard?). They are very expensive things to add later! Whether they are justified for a hobbiest is something else. The test meter will almost certainly include fuse(s) so fused leads only protect against, for example, mechanical damage to the lead during a test. Of course, if you have 10A fuses in both meter and lead it's a race to see which blows first. :)
Not fused, but these look reasonable for the money (Voltcraft MS-4 series):
Voltcraft? Not very nice crap made in Poland. Conrad sell 'em by the shed load to people who don't appreciate quality.
In message , mick writes
That's easy. It will either be the one that you don't have a spare for, or the one that is most difficult to access. Normally one and the same.
Most of the meters I've seen are fused on the Volts/Resistance/mA input. For the (typically) 10A current range they are unfused and of course it is very easy to forget after measuring current and go on to measure voltage with the lead in the wrong connection and effectively a dead short.
SteveW
So unless we are rich, it's a choice of the nasty Chinese-made crap that comes as standard or the possibly slightly less crap from Poland?
I appreciate the quality of Fluke fused test leads, but I'm not likely to buy some at 42 quid (the FTL660) to put on a 8 quid or so multimeter. Having had to change the fuses in my other meter, that didn't leave a lot of change from 8 quid either! I think I can regard the meter as disposable. lol Actually, the leads that came with my Aldi meter aren't too bad really. Hardly quality stuff, but usable for most things.
In article , Grimly Curmudgeon writes
Bought one last week; display only showed the decimal point; :( took it back and it was replaced with no fuss' replacement one looks quite good and it will supplement my old AVO 8 and my even older Russian multimeter. (Remember them? Very cheap in the 70s, and very reliable.)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.