How to set this multimeter for 3.7v battery ?

[Spypro]

Hi !
I got this (cheap) multimeter and I wonder how to set it to know the exact voltage of my 3.7v rechargeable battery.

There is a picture of it:



Thanks !

 

[TigerhawkT3]

That setting looks fine. It's at "10DCV", which will read voltages up to 10 volts DC. Try it out.

 

[Norm]

Your meter is set correctly, just read the bottom black scale. Very hard to get an accurate reading with this type of meter.
Norm

 

[Spypro]

Thanks !
I'm building a Mag85 so voltage is pretty important here
I think I'll buy a digital multimeter tomorrow.

Another question: I know that my 3 battery are more than 10v when I put them togheter. How do I set the multimeter ? Is it better to have a multimeter with an autorange function ?

Thanks again !

 

[TorchBoy]

I think I'll buy a digital multimeter tomorrow.

Good idea. It'll handle 19.99V, so it'll be more useful for you. No, it doesn't need to auto-range. If you can't find the budget for it, no huge loss.

 

[MrAl]

Hi there,

Yes that's a nice little meter, but as you noticed it's an analog meter
and not digital. The digital meters are a bit better for measuring
battery voltages. The analog meters come in handy when you need
an average DC value as the analog meter movement has a way of
averaging the pulses out to an approximate dc value that is the
average of all the pulses over time. In other words, dont throw it
away too soon but yes the digital will be better for measuring
your cell voltages.

To measure voltages a little over 10 volts with your analog meter...
Well, unfortunately your meter has a 10 volt range but then it
jumps up to a much higher range: 250v, which means the accuracy
for measuring say 11v wont be very good at all. You need the
digital for that, or if you are interested in purchasing a few inexpensive
1/4 or 1/2 watt resistors i can show you how to increase the range
of your analog meter by connecting a series resistor to one of the input
probes. You could make your own zero to 25v scale with the external
resistor and then connect your batteries and read off the 250v scale,
dividing each reading by 10 to get the true voltage.

 

[sysadmn]

Hi there,
The analog meters come in handy when you need
an average DC value as the analog meter movement has a way of
averaging the pulses out to an approximate dc value that is the
average of all the pulses over time.

It's funny, "true rms" is moving down into the sub $100 price range. Not into the sub $50 yet. Pretty soon, reading an analog meter will be a lost art

 

[NA8]

Another question: I know that my 3 battery are more than 10v when I put them togheter. How do I set the multimeter ? Is it better to have a multimeter with an autorange function ?

Your best approach with that meter would be to measure each battery on the 0-10 volt scale and then add the three measurements up. That will be an accurate value of the 3 batteries in series.

Autorange isn't a high priority. Accuracy and suitable voltage ranges for your intended use are more important.
For example if you're going to be measuring 12-15 volts, a 0-250 volt range would be less accurate than a 0-20volt range.

Some downloadable info here:

http://us.fluke.com/usen/support/ap...ukeProducts)&parent=APP_NOTES(FlukeProducts)#

 

[Aircraft800]

I like your cheap meter!!

I have one almost the same, but I found a Steal at a local pawn shop, a Fluke 77 for $34. Once I found it Necessary to have a Analog Meter, If you need to read the trouble codes for older cars, you need to be able to count needle sweeps, Impossible with a Digital Meter.

Yours should do everything you need though.

 

[dave w]

It's funny, "true rms" is moving down into the sub $100 price range. Not into the sub $50 yet. Pretty soon, reading an analog meter will be a lost art

Yup, sorta like the slide rule.

 

[TorchBoy]

Yup, sorta like the slide rule.

Hm, can't say I miss that skill every day either.