Multimeter

Hi all,

I am looking to buy myself a Multimeter, not that I need one but it's just something I want to learn to use, could come in handy some day! I look after 2 fairly modern boilers so it could prove useful if one ever develops a fault.

So my questions are, how hard is it to learn to use one? And are there any which should be avoided?

Reply to
gremlin_95
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Depends on the accuracy you require (and calibration). Difficult? Not really - GCSE stuff. I take it that you wouldn't connect an ammeter in parallel or anything daft like that?

Reply to
Part Timer

what do you actually need to measure? If it's basic continuity etc then a multifunction electrical tester will probably be cheaper, more robust, and more reliable.

this sort of thing

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Owain

Reply to
Owain

In message , gremlin_95 writes

Can yoy tie your own shoelaces

How far does your budget run?

You can buy one for under a tenner that will "do", but one with decent probes that is auto-ranging would be better

Reply to
geoff

Easy to use -just Google for "Youtube Multimeter" and you will find many video tutorials.

They all work in a similar way. You can purchase one for as little as little as £3.30 including postage but paying a couple of quid more will get you a basic version in a more rugged case. For instance:

I would however recommend one with auto-ranging. A basic version can cost £15/20.

I have one auto-ranging multimeter and an fair number of the cheap models (from CPC when they were around £2). I keep the cheap ones in the car/shed etc.

You can find units at much higher prices but unless you are going to use them everyday and/or in a professional capacity where periodic calibration is mandated it is probably not worth the expense.

One thing to note. Most(all) take a standard 9V battery and when it starts going flat the multi-meters tend to give high readings. You will get the high readings long before the LCD display fades. On the more expensive models there will be a battery compartment. On the cheap modules you will have to split the case apart. If you are only going to use it, say, once a year then replacing the battery before use may be a wise move.

Reply to
alan

Don't spend more than £10, and I think I've picked up ones which would do for starters for under £5. (You might quickly wreck it.) Pop in to a local Maplin and see what they've got in the offer bins.

Also, buy some batteries, matching torch bulbs and lamp holders, and some single core hook-up wire. That will give you something to experiment using the meter on. There are probably some small books on how to use a test meter - again you might find one in Maplin.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

This reminds me of a "technician" at uni. He was asked to draw a circuit of how he'd check a fuse. He drew the fuse in series with a switch directly across the mains. If the fuse blew, it WAS a good'un.

Learning to use a multimeter is pretty much a doddle. Ones with an audible continuity tester are nice as are ones which measure AC current but you don't normally get one for

Reply to
brass monkey

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a rock bottom =A32 one does fine for diy. Avoid the ones that lack basic ranges, its all in the article. A plus with those =A32 things is you can buy several and put them everywhere you might need one: home, business, car, etc. They pay for themselves with one use.

They're easy enough to use, just realise that if you ever prod an energised circuit when on curent or resistance range, its likely to be bye bye meter.

NT

Reply to
NT

Congratulations - every man should have at least one ;-) (ok, I admit I am a sad bastard!)

Indeed - they are invaluable for all sorts of diagnostics.

They are easy enough to use - its more a case of learning how to apply them productively and learning to interpret what they can tell you.

There is some introductory stuff here:

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it might be interesting to write a DIY focussed practical uses of a multimeter type of article. Stuff like working out where your heating system controls are going wrong, or testing if a fuse or lightbulb has actually blown etc.

Reply to
John Rumm

It soon becomes second nature to check before use. Mind you, long-term use of an autoranging one might lead to lazy habits of not checking properly.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

Yes, I know, I've over-simplified here.

Reply to
brass monkey

Probably trhe most misleading for non-electronic use are the cheapest digital multimeters. Because of their very high input impedance they're llikely to show voltages that don't exist in real terms, such as those induced in adjacent wires or very slight leakance through plaster-embedded switches.

TBH I'd prefer a simple test lamp consisting of a 15W bulb in a holder with a couple of test leads.

Seriously, in your case a test lamp would seem preferable to a fancy digital meter.

t#o mnev

Reply to
Frank Erskine

In the real world, sods law says that the fuse would probably remain intact, and the switch would fail ;)

Reply to
Jules Richardson

The very cheapest will probably do all you need, but if your budget will run to seven pounds, there are some, especially model DT9205A from various sellers on eBay, with even more useful ranges and a buzzer and LED for continuity checks. I've bought three from two different suppliers with different names on them, and their calibration comfortably meets the spec. The supplied probes are a bit dangerous though, so it's worth spending a further couple of pounds on decent probes with proper insulation on them and their wires, or even more for a set with insulated crocodile clips and insulated hooks.This may also apply to the very cheapest.

Reply to
Martin Crossley

Go for an analogue one not a digital one as these can show intermittent and varying resistance faults far easier than digital ones do. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

brass monkey wrote on Aug 25, 2012:

I bought a Fluke 25 years ago and I've never regretted it. It works as well now as the day I bought it. It's auto-ranging and virtually indestructible - I could put it across the mains in any range and it would merely switch to an appropriate range,

Reply to
Mike Lane

I knew there was a use for the AVO 8!

Reply to
Bob Eager

i bought a Fluke about that time. regrettably the display has become impossible to read.

Reply to
charles

I have a cheap analogue multimeter and a cheap digital one. Analogue is probably easier for a quick idea of what is going on but my I now have a digital one for areas where it might take a knock. It has the advantage of a buzzer for continuity checking. I would need shunts or far more expensive meters for amps but for volts and ohms I find mine OK. Never had a decent meter even when I did things for which I sometimes needed an oscilloscope or frequency generator. Now very much only use for finding out why basic appliances or the car won't work.

Reply to
Hugh - in either England or Sp

they do the same things as a new one, just with extra ugliness.

NT

Reply to
NT

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