Good cheap multimeter?

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Tommygun45

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I have spent far too much on this hobby the past year. I already have the Pila charger and I know my batteries are fine but I am just sometimes curious as to what their charges are. Nothing too serious. What do I need to be able to read their voltage? Is it called a multimeter? Is there a good cheap one out there? I have shopped around but its just a bit confusing when im not 100% sure what I am looking for.

I have a bunch of AW 18650's, 17670s, rcr's, and a set of callies customs 3100mahs.

Thanks guys.

-Tom
 
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?283653-Cheap-Multimeter
The harbor freight ones on sale are decent. As far as knowing the charge using the voltage as a reference is not typically an accurate way to do so unless you are very familiar with the charge left at the resting voltage of the particular battery. Meters cannot measure capacity left without draining a battery to do so.
 
Do you live anywhere near a Harbor Freight Tools? If so, I suggest you pick up one or two of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-90899.html

Now, you are not going to get deluxe quality or durability for $4.99, but it will be a perfectly serviceable tool to learn what a multimeter is and how to use it. I have a few of them and they are quite accurate and functional.

But just in case you are tempted, don't go anywhere near mains circuits with them, stick to low powered batteries. They don't have any safety standards at that price point.
 
Just to give you a quick heads-up: you measure lithium ion voltages with the DC volts setting on the meter, for example the 20 V scale on the Harbor Freight one. If the cell reads 3.7 V or less it needs recharging. When freshly charged it should read between 4.1 V and 4.2 V. If it reads less than 4.1 V when freshly charged it is showing signs of wear.
 
Is a cheap multimeter all that is needed ?

I have a cheap one but is something like a ZTS Multi Meter going to be an advantage or is knowing the voltage enough ?

I have an Ansmann battery tester but sadly it does not work with the more exotic battery types such as 18650 etc.
 
Tommygun45 said:
I already have the Pila charger and I know my batteries are fine
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You cannot possibly know that your Li-Ion batteries are fine without an accurate means of measuring the open-circuit battery voltage ... The state of charge of a Li-Ion can be easily checked by simply measuring its rested voltage ... There are tables available on CPF that will give you the Percentage Charge in the battery ... Obviously a reasonably accurate DMM is required , or a precision reference with which to check your meter.

No-one should put their faith implicitly on the charger alone ... That is irrespective of the make of the charger and its apparently good reviews ...

I use cheap meters but I know they are very accurate as I check them against a known high accuracy voltage reference device ... I check all my meters regularly and if one is not the same as the others , it is usually because the battery in the meter needs replacing ... If (or when) a meter is out of my limits , it is either thrown away or given to someone who doesn't need this degree of accuracy ... So far , I have only given away one cheap meter ...

My meters are all identical to the Harbor Freight cheapies and bought here in the UK for less than £5 each.
.
 
I've had a few really cheap DMM's over the years. They've all been pretty crappy, and I don't know how dependable the readings have been...
I recently got a Fluke 17B from China, for <$100.
I'm very impressed and completely satisfied with it, and expect it to last reliably and dependably for many years to come.
If you're looking for something at around the USD$80-100 price point, I highly recommend the Fluke 17B.
Cheaper than that, and while you'll get readings, you have to make sacrifices in terms of quality and reliability; in my experience.
 
Mr Happy said:
Do you live anywhere near a Harbor Freight Tools? If so, I suggest you pick up one or two of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-90899.html

Now, you are not going to get deluxe quality or durability for $4.99, but it will be a perfectly serviceable tool to learn what a multimeter is and how to use it. I have a few of them and they are quite accurate and functional.

But just in case you are tempted, don't go anywhere near mains circuits with them, stick to low powered batteries. They don't have any safety standards at that price point.
Click to expand...

I can vouch for the HF multimeter -- I've had mine for about a year an used it on my rechargeables and my car with pretty good results. Nothing to complain about for $5.
 
My favorite cheap DMM is my Equus Innova 3320... I'm more inclined to take it out of the house since it only cost me $20 and has taken many harsh falls without breaking... I also have a JLY A830L that I got from one of "those" sites for something like $9 shipped that has gone through several battery changes without dying on me.
 
shao.fu.tzer said:
My favorite cheap DMM is my Equus Innova 3320
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Yes, I like that one too. Nice quality feel, big digits on the display, very small, wrist strap for working in confined spaces (wear it like a wrist watch), good robust case. Can find it in WalMart.

However, since it is sold and intended for automotive applications it is probably best not to use it on mains circuits just like the Harbor Freight one.
 
One "cheap" meter I thinks look good is the Vichy VC99, some of the good points are:


  • Display can show 6000, i.e. with LiIon batteries you get an extra digit (Like 4.123 volt, most meters will only show 4.12 volt).
  • No shared volt/current terminal.
  • It has fuses on both current terminals.
  • It has a nice selection of ranges.
  • Precision looks good
  • Has a yellow rubber protection around the meter.
But I have not used it enough to say how it stands up to daily use (I nearly always uses my expensive meters).

DSC_9723.jpg


Only problem I have seen with the meter is the blue lettering, it is difficult to see.
 
I'm going to disagree about the Harbor Freight suggestion. I went and bought one of these on a similar suggestion. Lasted all of about 20 minutes until one of the plugs broke. Went to Walmart and bought the Innova Equus 3300. About $11. The HF unit was so cheap I swear it weighed about a third of the Innova unit. Spend the 6 bucks extra. I checked it against my uncle's Fluke and it's good enough for me. BTW, like you, I only use it for battery testing. I'm sure it's good enough to learn on if you want to do more.
 
shao.fu.tzer said:
My favorite cheap DMM is my Equus Innova 3320... I'm more inclined to take it out of the house since it only cost me $20 and has taken many harsh falls without breaking... I also have a JLY A830L that I got from one of "those" sites for something like $9 shipped that has gone through several battery changes without dying on me.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Equus 3320. Picked up one recently and have been pleased. Think Amazon has for about $16
 
Sci Fii said:
I'm going to disagree about the Harbor Freight suggestion. I went and bought one of these on a similar suggestion. Lasted all of about 20 minutes until one of the plugs broke.
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Yeah, that happened to one of mine too. But I bought four of them on sale at $2.99 each, so I was not too concerned. They are basically disposable at that price, and if you get the odd failure you just take the rough with the smooth.
 
I have had one of the HF multi's for about two years. I have mistreated it becuse it was so cheap and i bought more than one. The thing still works great and is my general purpose go to multimeter. I dont have to worry about losing it or tearing it up. I do agree that spending a little more may buy you a better multimeter. But there is always lemons in everthing you buy.
The ideal setup would be one or two cheap meters and one accurate dependable meter.
 
It's not just that Mr Happy. The dollar amount here is not the important thing. There's something about using such low quality stuff that's it's almost demeaning to the user. Some low dollar stuff is OK or even quite acceptable. This is not one of those cases.
 
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Sci Fii said:
It's not just that Mr Happy. The dollar amount here is not the important thing. There's something about using such low quality stuff that's it's almost demeaning to the user. Some low dollar stuff is OK or even quite acceptable. This is not one of those cases.
Click to expand...
OK, but I don't have the same experience. I broke the plug on mine because I was heavy handed and forced it. Apart from that the quality seems fine. It works, it's accurate, and the display is very readable with good contrast.
 
I have a half dozen harbor freight Dmms. I bought 3 and inherited 3 and all of them seem to work fine. I think they are on the cheapest side of the "good" multimeter. I have a craftsman DMM that has broken once needing repaired already that cost more than the 6 harbor freight meters. If you only need one meter you may consider investing in a $20 one instead of a cheap one. I prefer to have a good meter and a cheap one I can toss a cheap one in my car, keep two in the garage, 2 in the house and loan one out and still not have to worry about my $20 meter.
 
I have to also recommend the Innova 3320 from Walmart. It's accurate, and the only thing you gotta do is change out the leads to heavier gauge shorter wire if you're planning to do current measurements.
 
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