Digital Multimeter Which One?

[crofty]

Cheesy, Well it clearly is accurate, Thanks for the offer but I couldn`t possibly take it of you. I`ll get a new one of the bay. :thumbsup:

TinderBox, That`s a bit pricey for my current needs and it`s not likely I`ll ever need an all singing all dancing meter, so I`ll keep that in mind incase I ever do, thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[yaesumofo]

I am a fan of FLUKE meters.
They are accurate and heavy duty. they are also protected by a domestic (USA) warranty.

There is no doubt that meters have become cheap. they have also become LOW quality devices. Cheap meters have the potential to be inaccurate as well as to break easily.

IMHO you would be jut as well off going to radio shack (they have those in the UK right) or a good hardware store that sells meters and buying one there rather than buying an unknown meter from a ebay seller.
If you can I highly recommend that buy local. The price might be a little higher but if you have a problem you will have somebody to go to.
Another option is to look for an electronics shop locally and finding a meter there. A USED meter like a fluke is likely better that a NEW cheap low quality meter.
BTW if somebody offered me a free meter and I needed a meter I would take it. Iam sure it is offered in the giving spirit f the CPF. Take it. use it until you feel ready for a higher end unit then give it to another new CPF'er.
Have a great day.
Yaesumofo

 

[DocD]

I have two fluke meter's a 179 and a 83 mrk 5, go with the most expenise one you can buy at the time, i aimed for 200 pounds, these are easy to use and everwere sell's spares like clips leads IMO you can't go wrong with fluke
as my father would say "There is no quality in the word cheap"

 

[Tomcat!]

Yours for free.

As you can see, I've cleaned it up in the third and fifth pictures. The protective film is still in place (the bubbled effect).

The only defect is a broken black probe end, it can be epoxied or Rapid have replacements for ~£1.50.

PM me your address if you want it.

If you want, I'll take it to work and compare readings with a Fluke DMM with a valid calibration certificate.

EDIT: Incidentally, it's this one here and don't bother with Rapid for the leads as they'll want another £6 for delivery.


Kev.

Crofty, you should go for it. Cheesy's tested it and quite honestly it's as much as you need right now until you learn how to use a meter and discover whether you want to go further and get a more serious meter. As you've seen, there are plenty of people with quality equipment who can recommend or advise but for now, cheap is fine. Of course free is even better!:twothumbs

DocD and Tinderbox (UK) - Let's not frighten off Crofty with overkill kit too soon. It's like trying to convince someone they want a Polarion HID when what they came in for was a nice keychain light for finding their keyhole. This is his first meter and he doesn't know how to use it or if he really needs anything more. He should discover for himself what his needs are and when Crofty comes back for advice on his next purchase... then we can empty his bank account. :devil:

IMHO you would be jut as well off going to radio shack (they have those in the UK right) or a good hardware store that sells meters and buying one there rather than buying an unknown meter from a ebay seller.
If you can I highly recommend that buy local.

We used to have Radio Shack here in the 70s but they traded under the name of Tandy, though all the own brand products were marked as Radio Shack. They disappeared from our high streets in the early 90s and the gap in the UK market for a nationwide chain of electronic components stores was filled by Maplin. They have expanded all over the UK and basically do for the British what Radio Shack does for the Americans. So any Brits getting advice from an American to visit Radio Shack, think Maplin and you'll be on the right track. :wave:
There's an entry in Wikipedia about Radio Shack. I used to live 40ft away from one as a kid and was forever collecting their free batteries and torches. They are responsible for my flashaholism!

 

[crofty]

I agree, a fluke would be an ideal choice. I`m a fan of paying a bit more for quality too (just bought a Pila IBC) however, flukes are a big spend for something that`s way overkill for my needs and Cheesy has proven that a £12 meter works well enough for what I need it for.

One day when I`ve got enough spare cash to burn I`ll treat myself to a fluke.

EDIT:
Arg Tomcat you keep posting while I`m replying ... reading..

 

[crofty]

Crofty, you should go for it.

After the postage, new leads and possibly a battery. The same model new is only a few quid more, I`ve got a bit for a meter just not 100+ for something that`s overkill and won`t get fully utilised. So while appreciative of Cheesy`s offer I think it would be better kept as a spare or given to someone with zero £ who really needs a meter.

Let's not frighten off Crofty with overkill kit too soon.

Yes and stop tempting me :devil:

when Crofty comes back for advice on his next purchase... then we can empty his bank account. :devil:

Fine by me as long as your the one to fill it back up again hehe

They are responsible for my flashaholism!

In my case that would be you lot

 

[Tomcat!]

Arg Tomcat you keep posting while I`m replying ... reading..

Cover up that webcam and I won't know what you're up to!

 

[precisionworks]

I am a fan of FLUKE meters. They are accurate and heavy duty.

as my father would say "There is no quality in the word cheap"

+1

A Fluke 179 is my 'at home' DMM, and a Fluke 87V is used at work. Fluke's don't lie to you ... they are consistently accurate.

Most everything else is less than dependable

 

[crofty]

shame there are no PP3 LSD`s

Well thankfully, I was wrong.

 

[UnknownVT]

Yours for free.

Just can't beat that price :thumbsup:-
now that is extremely generous.....

That pictured DMM looks a lot like the very ubiquitous Digital MultiMeter for $5.... in the USA, and sold in a different color by Harbor Freight (when on sale it can be as low as $2.88) - lots of people use these and they are about as accurate to the least significant digit.

That is the question now, imagine we know a battery is 3.7v. As long as the meter reads it as 3.7v and not 3.8 or 3.6 for example that`s the accuracy I`m looking for.

This may be a problem...
not for the DMM - any DMM at that -
but the battery -
most Li-Ion rechargeable batteries are marked as 3.7V (or 3.6V) -
BUT as most people know when freshly charged they are about 4.1-4.2V and when fully discharged they are about 3.5V.

I think Cheesy's very generous offer above is great, and the accuracy shown on his pics with the power supply about all one really needs, and I'll bet when Cheesy compares it against a certified/calibrated Fluke DMM the accuracy is going to be within the least significant digit - I'd be more than happy with that - and would have already jumped at his very generous offer......

 

[crofty]

most Li-Ion rechargeable batteries are marked as 3.7V (or 3.6V) -
BUT as most people know when freshly charged they are about 4.1-4.2V and when fully discharged they are about 3.5V.

You`ve took that out of context. It was a hypothetical question, I know battery voltages fluxuate

 

[TorchBoy]

Interesting thread. I've been comparing my three digital multimeters recently because I've found pretty much by accident that the resistance of their 200 mA range differs a lot between them. What's a reasonable resistance for that range?

What I should have said is that NiMH run at lower voltages than primaries and most measuring devices are designed to operate at a specific voltage.

That is also not true. Most of the life of an alkaline cell its voltage is below that of a similarly loaded NiMH cell. Have you seen the PDF by curious_character on that subject?

But like you say, the trouble with self discharge tends to rule NiMH out.

This is the stuff thanks guys, I`ve learn`t a lot.

Next lesson... "learnt" doesn't have an apostrophe.

Great pics Cheesy, and great offer.

 

[crofty]

I've been comparing my three digital multimeters recently because I've found pretty much by accident that the resistance of their 200 mA range differs a lot between them.

What`s that all about, have I purchased something that`s not so accurate after all?

the trouble with self discharge tends to rule NiMH out.

Accept LSD`s

Next lesson... "learnt" doesn't have an apostrophe.

Thanks for pointing out that typo, grammer nazi.

 

[Mr Happy]

Interesting thread. I've been comparing my three digital multimeters recently because I've found pretty much by accident that the resistance of their 200 mA range differs a lot between them. What's a reasonable resistance for that range?

It's always going to be fairly high, at least on every meter I've tested. Maybe really expensive meters like Flukes are better, but I don't have one to test.

Basically I always use the 10A range for measuring currents in lights, even for lower currents. The 200 mA range is best used for current regulated circuits where the increased resistance of the meter won't affect the reading.

 

[Meterman]

Basically I always use the 10A range for measuring currents in lights, even for lower currents. The 200 mA range is best used for current regulated circuits where the increased resistance of the meter won't affect the reading.

Mr Happy is right as usual.

For example my Metrix mtx 3282 (much too expensive) has the following resistances for A DC:

1000μA > 170Ω
10mA > 17Ω
100mA > 1.7Ω
1000mA > 0.17Ω
10/20A > 0.03Ω (no typo)

Don't forget the resistance of the test leads when measuring high currents! I've measured a few of them and found them between 21mΩ and 25mΩ each.

Wulf

EDIT: To avoid voltage loss when measuring currents I prefer the use of a special current clamp, ranging from 1mA to 4500mA.

 

[Cheesy]

my Metrix mtx 3282

What do you think of it? (other than the eye-watering price tag)

I am considering a MTX3282-COM, could you start a new thread and post some photos? I'm not 100% clear on what you get in the box.

Also, is eur516 a good price.


Kev.

 

[TorchBoy]

Accept LSD`s

I certainly accept LS'Ds - Eneloop in particular. There awl eye ewe's these daze. I suppose 9V Eneloops will arrive eventually, but in the meantime NiMH isn't a good long-term option. And my England is good grammar.

EDIT: To avoid voltage loss when measuring currents I prefer the use of a special current clamp, ranging from 1mA to 4500mA.

Doesn't that add its own load to the circuit, thereby resulting in a voltage drop? Thanks very much for the measurements. :twothumbs

 

[Meterman]

What do you think of it? (other than the eye-watering price tag)

I am considering a MTX3282-COM, could you start a new thread and post some photos? I'm not 100% clear on what you get in the box.

Also, is eur516 a good price.


Kev.

The mtx 3282 is an excellent multimeter with a giant range of measuring possibilities, including a graphic display and a memory (data logger). I'd for sure buy it again, but may be in the bluetooth version.

Without photos and so on (in the above shown link you find a lot of pictures) I think we can keep it in this thread, even if the question was merely thought for cheap DMMs. It may be interesting for some people though to see what can be done with a multimeter.

The content of the box is given at the end of the description and the lowest price for the mtx 3282 com I could find in Germany is 510.51EUR including taxes (19%).

Wulf

 

[Meterman]

(Originally Posted by Meterman:
To avoid voltage loss when measuring currents I prefer the use of a special current clamp, ranging from 1mA to 4500mA.)

Doesn't that add its own load to the circuit, thereby resulting in a voltage drop? Thanks very much for the measurements. :twothumbs

You are quite right in saying that there is a load added when measuring by means of the current clamp, as there is no measurement in the world possible without influencing the measured object.



But as I'm using the upper clamp with probably one ore more hall generators in the jaw (and not the lower Fluke clamp, which is only a transformer for AC) I think the load will be neglectable as it is when you measure the voltage of an 18650 cell with a high impedance DMM.

Wulf

 

[Wok]

Hi Meterman,

Is the small DCA an add-on to a standard DMM? Supplier/manufacturer links?

eng hoe