Multimeter leasds (2023 Update)

[pinnerite]

I have a "Precision Gold" PG 017 multi-meter that came with two probes (red and black) with hard points on the ends.

Now though I need probes with grips to hold small wires. When looking at the adverts, I cannot tell whether the plugs will fit the PG 017.

Can anyone advise?

[Theo]

Good old Maplin!

Most multimeter leads have 4mm banana plugs. Some of the more basic Maplin ones had 2mm plugs. You should be able to (crudely) measure the diameter of your probes to find the right size.

Theo

[Chris Green]

If it's like my Precision Gold meter then the leads are standard and just about any you buy will fit. I've bought quite a few from CPC for my meters and they are (just about) all interchangeable.

Try CPC codes IN05825, IN05826 and IN00724.

[Paul]

Alligator clips come in a couple styles.

Some have a rounded end, and the concept was, the multimeter leads would "plug in" to the back of the alligator clip. I don't think any of my lead sets here, have the correct diameter for this to work. So it must have been some kit I used elsewhere, where this worked.

The other kind are a sort of "solder-tail", in the sense that there's a hole for a wire to go through, and the body of the wire is held in place by the bendy bits on the end. You bend those over once the soldering is finished, to give the wire some support. You have to wait for the work to be well-cooled, before working the bendy bits.

Now, you can use alligator clip sets like these. You slide one end down over the probe tip. The other end then clips to the work.

If you have an electronics store handy, you can buy all the bits to make those yourself. Alligator clips, sleeves, and wire, then make up your own lead sets.

This style has a screw for fitting a wire, so no soldering required (on this end). You still need a banana plug for the other end. I only have a couple of these as samples, and don't use them.

*******

The best leadsets, come with all sorts of items thrown in for convenience. What is noteworthy about the probe on this one, is the threaded section near the insulation. That screws nicely into the back of the alligator clips with the boxed opposite end on them.

So this one could be screwed onto the previous link. That gives the best combination for adhesion. Even though the boxed end is *not* threaded, and it's still a compression fit. But it's a compression fit involving a screwing action.

As long as a lead set has the more-or-less-standard plug end (banana plug with shroud), it should work with a meter.

And meter probes, the working end does not take a lot of abuse. It's possible to snap the plastic in two pieces. This can happen if you drop a probe onto the floor. If the tip hits at an angle, that's enough to snap the (brittle) plastic in two,

Paul

[Andy Burns]

I think the O/P is after "hook clip" or "grabber clip" style leads, not alligator style?

[alan_m]

Possibly 2mm shrouded

The electrical contact is a 2mm banana plug inside a plastic tube of around 8mm diameter.

[Paul]

I think I used an oscilloscope lead once, that had that style of Pomona grabber on the end.

I can't remember if I had any multimeters like that.

On oscilloscopes, the "good stuff" had some pretty tiny tips. I think our favorite was the oscilloscope lead with the "coil spring ground pin", so that the two probes from the scope could be 0.1" apart. The ground was a spring steel thing, and you could have 0.1" spacing or a slightly longer spacing.

But multimeters have been mostly "pig slop" when it comes to innovative probing. I guess this is what happens when you use too many Harbour Freight meters. You don't even get a decent needle tip.

Paul

[Dave W]

I use insulated alligator clips. I've bent the wire-grip section into a suitable diameter to grip my thin multimeter probes when I insert them into the grip.

[newshound]

Agreed; Google "meter probe hook grip" or similar throws up the sort of thing. Fluke ones are expensive but there are cheaper clones.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

I used to use two crocodile clips suitably bent and squashed where the wire goes in to grip the probes, If you get the clips with the little plastic booties than it used to work a treat and any pull on the cables resulted in no damage to the circuit, the probes simply pulled out. Brian

[John Taylor]

Hi pinnerite

sorry to ask but I have a Precision Gold 017 and was wondering if when you change the battery you could make a note of the PCB solder position number of the buzzer wires as mine have both disconnected when changing the battery and I'm bu##ered if I can see where the go back, i would really appreciate it