What´s the best "cheap" voltimeter on DX??

[acbezzi]

I´ve seen that most people here consider important for 18650 battery users to have a voltimeter. my questions are;

• is it really necessary?
• is there a good "cheap" one on DX or other worldwide free shipping site?

 

[Scott Packard]

$100 multimeter shootout:
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/07/11/e...probe-bk-precision-ideal-uei-uni-t-part-1of2/
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/07/11/e...probe-bk-precision-ideal-uei-uni-t-part-2of2/

$50 multimeter shootout:
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/06/04/eevblog-91-50-multimeter-shootout/

 

[StarHalo]

$3.50 + cheap shipping: http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-90899.html

 

[mrartillery]

I own several of these, not the most expensive thing out there but they do work great. No problems to date.

 

[lightwait]

Yes, you really should have a meter to check your batteries. Li-ion user or not, I think any basic tool kit should also include a multi-meter.

 

[acbezzi]

thak u all!!!

 

[senecaripple]

guess a typical battery tester wont work on these esoteric batteries.

 

[march.brown]

$3.50 + cheap shipping: http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-90899.html

These get good reviews on CPF.
.

 

[acbezzi]

what do u guys think of these???

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.29865

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.594

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.619

it-s easier for me (i live in brazil) to buy from DX!

 

[HKJ]

I would avoid any meter where V and mA are on the same terminal. mA must be on its own terminal or shared with A for safety reasons.
If V and mA are on the same terminal you just need once to accidentally turn the switch into the mA range while measuring volt to destroy the meter (or at least a fuse).

This restrict you to the DT9205A, it is not a good meter (None of the cheap ones are), but it can do the job. I used it for my DMM guide (Together with a much better and much much more expensive meter).

 

[tankahn]

I bought this and it seems reliable enough. Uses AAAs.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9636

 

[adnj]

This one from Amazon is under $20 and is pretty highly rated (4 1/2 stars). I bought two for general testing. They are very accurate at current and voltage measurements.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVYGZA/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[march.brown]

I use two very cheap Digital meters almost identical to the harborfreight ones.

I also use a "Precision Voltage Reference Source 5.000 Volt , 0.02% accuracy" ... This is actually certified as 5.0002 Volts at 72 degrees F ... It runs off a 9Volt battery ... I know that one of my meters is spot-on and the other is 30 milli-volts out ... The advantage of the reference is that it can check any voltmeter ... It was on Ebay at $14-55 plus $5.60 postage to the UK ... I think this is well worth the money ... The seller is not advertising any at the moment.

If you are any good with a soldering iron , you can make one even cheaper ... There are only a few components plus a small IC to assemble and there are threads on CPF showing the schematic diagram and component values.

Both my meters use the same two terminals for Volts and Amps but they do have a seperate terminal for the 10A range ... I don't find this any problem ... I have used multi-meters regularly since 1955 and all have had only two terminals ... I haven't blown anything up yet.
.

 

[acbezzi]

thanks a lot y'all!!:twothumbs

 

[hyperloop]

what do u guys think of these???

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.29865

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.594

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.619

it-s easier for me (i live in brazil) to buy from DX!

The DMM (digital multi meter) above is the one i have, it uses 9 volt batteries and hasnt failed me as all i use it for is to check voltage levels (too inept to do anything else with it lol)

 

[pae77]

I got a version of the "DT9205A" with the "Excel" brand name on it from DX that looks just like the (cheap) one in HKJ's DMM guide. Cost, including shipping, was about $13. It has an auto off feature which turns it off after about 5 minutes and saves the battery in case one forgets to turn it off.

I mainly use it for checking battery voltages. It seems to work reliably, has a large easy to read display, and came with a working 9 volt battery installed. It consistently reads .01 volts lower than the voltage report of my Liteflux LF2XT but I don't know which of the two is more accurate. One of these days I hopefully will be able to check it against something with known voltage to determine how accurate (or how far off) it really is.

 

[malow]

i don't recommend the sku.619 cause i have it, and the power button broke in a week, and sometimes the measurements go all over the sky, requiring turn on-off-on-off sometimes to get it back.


i will see the vicky vc99 review, cause it have "6.000" voltage measurement, so i can get the extra digits while measuring li-ion ;P

 

[ODatsBright]

You get what you pay for, remember that. Remember that there are exceptions to every rule too! I have a Fluke 189 (~$400 DMM accurate to something like 0.025% in low range) and a freebie DMM that I won somewhere. The elcheapo freebie seems to be just as accurate to 3 significant figures (0.01V) as my Fluke. The cheaper ones all depend on the luck of the draw. Food for thought.

 

[timtim2008]

I own several of these, not the most expensive thing out there but they do work great. No problems to date.

i agree with the sears one, and even the harborfriehgt one..


i paid only $1.99 for the HF one.


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

 

[malow]

mm, the vicky vc99 is very accurate on voltage metering (in my case, the main use)

not so fast reading, and slow continuity probe, but...

its on DX, but not listed on multimeters:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.37082