What is this weird Multimeter setting?

[Bonky]

Just got a new cheapy DMM from ebay for testing my lights, and it has the following setting that was undefined in the 'manual' that came with it. Never seen it before on a DMM. Can anybody tell me what this is/used for?

***image deleted

Thanks!

 

[odessit]

maybe it is frequency?

 

[65535]

I agree looks like a setting to measure frequency. Most meters us Hz but you never know.

 

[Illum]

maybe its like an oscilloscope, that function allows you to test the waveform of either a drive circuit, or the output condition, usually used for things that are cycling, like boost/buck ICs.

Don't ask Mr. Happy, he doesn't know the details:D

 

[PeAK]

.
.
.Never seen it before on a DMM. Can anybody tell me what this is/used for?
.

On my equally inexpensive DMM, it outputs a 2V peak square wave at 30 Hz. The amazing thing about the meter is that it measure to within 2mV of my more expensive meter...so cheap can be good...especially in the era of ICs.

P.S. When the "battery low" indicator comes on, I used another meter to find the battery was putting out 7.4V. Replacing it with an adjustable power supply, I found that the readings were consistent from 9V down to 6.4V...great design!!!

PeAK

 

[dilbert]

Looks like the square wave symbol :shrug:

 

[Wattnot]

Yeah, it looks like a square wave generator. I'm not sure what it's used for . . . maybe calibrating an oscilloscope?

 

[TakeTheActive]

...it has the following setting that was undefined in the 'manual' that came with it. Never seen it before on a DMM. Can anybody tell me what this is/used for?

Connect a (disposable / inexpensive / EXPENDABLE) 8 ohm speaker to the meter leads and see if you hear a tone. :thinking:

If you do, you can use that setting for tracing wire pairs. For example, you have several UNLABELLED CAT5 cables terminating in a basement utility room coming from all over the house. Put a 'tone' on a pair and take a speaker around the house to 'listen' for continuity. With just a 'plain old-fashioned VOM', you could SHORT a pair in the utility room and then check for 'not infinity' around the house.

Maybe? :anyone:

What did you pay for it, what size battery does it use and what are the 'specs'?

 

[Bonky]

You're going to laugh.. I got it from ebay for about $16 including shipping. The meter itself is labeled a "FTIKE" but on the packaging it's called "ALSABEK." I got it because it was one of the few cheapies that was NOT being shipped from HK, (wanted something fast.)

PeAK seems to have the same one, since mine uses a 9V battery but in the instructions mentions a "7V" battery.. so it appears it works until the thing gets below 7V? Dunno.

I'll see if I can find the little sheet it came with for more details.

So you're saying it OUTPUTS a square sine wave? I still don't understand how this could be used in a way that the continuity tester couldn't ??

 

[65535]

Not a square sine wave a square wave. Two different beasts. At 30Hz a sine wave would sound like a low tone, but a square wave would sound like a vibration.

 

[Mr Happy]

Ask Mr. Happy, he'll tell you the details:D

Mr Happy says: I have not seen this meter before and so I don't know what it can do I'm afraid :)

 

[Russel]

Looks like a setting to measure pulse width of a pulse width modulated signal.

What does the display show when set to the "Square wave" symbol? Hz? Ms? anything?

 

[StarHalo]

It's a Flux Capacitor waveform meter, do not use above 88 mph..

 

[Bonky]

When the 'square wave form' is selected it just displays a '1'..

and I placed the leads on the 3.5mm plug of a pair of headphones and sure enough I hear this weird.. "electrical" sound. Ever unplug a guitar from an amp with the amp still turned on and the amp makes a sort of electrical humming/buzzing sound? This does the same.

Why in the world................ ?

 

[Bonky]

I take it back. It seems to make the buzzing noise on POWERED headphones/speakers, but not on unpowered ones. ?

 

[gSPIN]

When the 'square wave form' is selected it just displays a '1'..

its a logic probe function.
short the leads together if it shows a zero.

 

[StarHalo]

Ever unplug a guitar from an amp with the amp still turned on and the amp makes a sort of electrical humming/buzzing sound? This does the same.

That would be an AC 60Hz cycle hum, so it probably is some sort of Hz counter.

But I still wouldn't recommend exposing it to anything over 1.21 jiggawatts..

 

[Bonky]

It does not display anything other than '1'.. even with leads shorted or when making powered speakers buzz.

 

[FRANKVZ]

This looks like the same multimeter with a different symbol in that spot: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LCD-HANDY-D...3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1318

 

[Bonky]

yup, that's it all right. They're branded by about a dozen different companies but all are the 'A830L' model.. only thing is, that model is supposed to come with a 1.5V batter tester feature in that spot. Mine comes with ... that weird square wave thing that I can't figure out what it does.

I've searched online and found other DMMs with "square wave output" but nobody has indicated what in the world they would be used for and they're usually adjustable.