How to use your trashy meter without blowing it up (much)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2024
- Your first multimeter can initially seem a bit daunting with all the modes, but the only way to learn is to get one and play with it. I damaged my first meter when I was young by using it on the incorrect range. You can damage these cheap meters, but at the cost you don't have to worry about it too much.
I probably made this video too long and complicated, but it's useful to know how things work as well as how to use them.
The very cheap meters sold for around 5 $/£/€ are usually pretty accurate for their cost and very usable. Once you've mastered using one you can move up to something with more features or more suitable for industrial work. These cheap meters are NOT suitable for poking around in distribution boards or industrial equipment with high fault current.
Meters have a category rating as follows:-
Cat I - electronic use (these cheap meters)
Cat II - electrical appliance, but not fixed wiring or distribution boards
Cat III - general electrical maintenance in panels and machines
Cat IV - utility level work with very high fault currents
For industrial work I recommend Fluke as it appeases the clipboard warriors. There are many other brands suited to industrial use too. Beware cheap meters with fake category ratings.
The Fluke meter in the video is an original American made unit, and was my first ever real industrial meter. It cost a lot, but has lasted well.
I recommend getting these meters from a prominent supplier in your country to ensure they comply with local regulations. The one I demonstrated is from CPC/Farnell and definitely better quality than the eBay imports.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of TH-cam's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
#ElectronicsCreators - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Clicks video of "trashy meters," sees own meter...
Clive, is it time for a few cheap meters to meet 240v mains in the garden? An explosive demonstration of their limits would be fun.
I too am saddened as no meter was exploded.
A long time ago I worked at Jaycar (electronics retail shop) with a guy who decided it would be fun to test the cheapest meter in the range (~$5 AUD) by plugging it into mains. Unfortunately he had it set to a current range rather than voltage. He found the limits of that meter (and his trousers) rather quickly. The boss never found out, we just scrubbed the scorch marks off the wall, reset the GPO breaker, and pretended everything was fine.
Yes!
@@sixstringedthing I'm sure when he scorched his trousers he was rather embarrassed.
@@ro63rto That would be a great suggestion for him 😀
"there's alot of snobbery..." - somewhere Dave is feeling attacked!
I had a HF meter in one of my videos, and some wank had to take the time to make a snide comment and dump on the whole project because of its presence.
@Stolen Election "Anyone else hearing Mickey Mouse...?!"
Isn't there videos of him praising cheap meters like Aneng? It is very very accurate. I use them now for a lot of dangerous voltage stuffs and is my only meter. However, I do admit hde don't recommend it nor do I. And yeah, he's very opinionated about a lot of devices and I think most of his points are valid. What do you think guys?
"If the shoe fits...."
Halfway through the 2nd video I watched, of his, I closed the window and have never seen another. That's my level of being a snob. "Only "wanna be" electronics folks watch his "whatever" videos. (Me: EE, class of 79, Mechanical Eng, class of 92) If Dave" tried to hold a candle to Clive, he'd get woofled to shame.
And so he should. After the first video of his that I watched that TH-cam recommended, where it was Fluke this Fluke that, "That's a bit how you doin" - Fluke wouldn't do that etc, I never watched another video of his for several years. Even now I skip most of them and when I do, I tend to skip through them. I'm sure that with some of the comments he makes his mouth operates 1/2hr before his brain.
The beeper delay is a show-stopper for me. I want to be able to drag the lead around to find quickly where something connects on a board. A cheap meter I bought 13 years ago from rapid online for about 20 pounds handles that perfectly. There's no need for an expensive meter, just one step above those extremely cheap ones.
Yes, it's FRIGGING ANNOYING for that reason.
We have three multimeters at work - Fluke, Agilent and Keysight. Let's say they have all pretty much the same functions. I always automatically reach out for the Keysight because it's the only one from the three that has instatenous beep. While the Fluke has awfully long delay with super loud beep. Interesting how such petty feature can make all the difference.
There’s one at ‘The Range’ for around a tenner or so, their own brand ‘Saber’, I have 2 of them and they have been brilliant. They have instant beep on diode/continuity.. and I mean instant. If you ever need a new one that would work for you
Edit: it’s the red one, they also have a smaller orange one which I haven’t used to know if it also works the same
@@Preidaq Which Fluke is that ? I have a few 70-series Flukes and they're fast (and also have a fast bargraph under the display). But I've used cheaper meters that are slow. I agree it's very important but I think Fluke usually get it right.
I have even had expensive meters that have continuity beep delay. I hate it. I had an expensive 1998 Fluke that had that delay. Plus that Fluke go to "sleep" after non-use for about 15 minutes. BUT! My batteries were still going dead so I used another meter to measure battery current and found that when it went to sleep it only drew about half the operating current. Good grief! And to top it all off was the battery compartment that "met" CE requirements so it required a screw instead of just a snap off with finger battery cover.
The 24V satellite equipment we were making had knurled nuts to open the face plates because you had to get into it all the time. But CE required us to change it to screws requiring a screw driver. So all our customers just took the faceplates off and tossed them aside permanently.
One of my cheapy units surprised me when I blew the fuse, by having a spare fuse clipped into the back panel. Amazing!
Ha! Brilliant stuff, talk about thoughtful!
I wish my BM269 wouls have a spare fuse in it, especially the 200mA...
have often wondered about that 10A fuse.....i recently measured some amps test on my solar charger and the leads was getting very hot at 6A. also my previous one while working on the car did something stupid that pushed way passed it's 10A but fuse didn't blow....leads kinda melted. later confirmed load was in range on 13A......
@@jacquesb5248 In my inexperienced opinion DC voltage on a car battery shouldnt be able to do that unless you had the leads in the wrong connection port 12:05
@@ryanvess6162 what? Car batteries can easily source hundreds of amps.
Similarly folks playing with Arduinos can just do very well with one of these cheap units. I was very cynical when my local makers club "had" to buy the most expensive Fluke a few years ago and all it's used for is measuring 5 V circuits and do continuity tests.
Lmaooo fluke. You could buy an oscilloscope for that. Will be more useful for microcontrollers.
I can see it for something like a maker space, as long as they were going for one of Fluke's "rugged" or "industrial" models. If you're going to be loaning out the meters to inexperienced or moronic people, you need something that can handle serious abuse.
@@jcon6734 I bet that ten of these sh*tty meters would do the job very well. Or twenty - cheaper anyway.
@@jcon6734 fluke meter $140. Harbor freight meter $7. Will the fluke last 20 times longer? Doubt it.
Plus the most common issue meters lost or stolen. Is just made worse by the more expensive meter.
Electrician of cuz fluke.
But normal electronic, I think uni-t is best choice. Cheap and accurately.
I was half expecting a LPL crossover: "I'll pick it again to show it's not a Fluke."
I wonder how many of us watch both channels and don't mess with locks or electronics lol
I'm really grateful for the hours of content both create that helped me build the confidence to get started in both arenas after years of lurking!
@@madisntit6547 i love mine! Expecting the tension tool expansion to come in today :) i think people thought it was a dark or destructive hobby, but I'm taking a locksmithing course and was able to help out a nonprofit in my city with changing locks when it wasn't in their budget. Understanding tools and machines - locks, multimeters, cranes, trains, HVAC systems - helps keep us all safer as consumers and community :)
@@madisntit6547 I've bought several! I really like the sparrows cut away progressive locks, and the sparrows revolver. The cut away is not the best for practice, but amazing for understanding the mechanics of what you're doing. When I didn't want to be tempted to peek, I just put some tape over the cut away. Not the cheapest, but I really like the quality
You ruined me watching LPL clips..🤣
@@ShowAndTool Appreciation for using the locksmithing word to reference the building aspect rather than as a lame excuse for possessing burglary tools. While I would love to pick my old locks before re-pinning, I prefer not to risk getting listed as "problematic" while trying to get government clearance for other things.
This brought a sentimental moment. I miss my AVO 8MKIII multimeter - it sailed round the world in the 50s in a merchant navy vessel radio room and was the meter I learned electronics with. Never failed until it accidentally fell off a crane about 12 years ago! Went through a few cheap DMMs before buying Flukes, all of which still work too, one being 30+ years old now.
I used to carry my Avo meter home with me every night as a status symbol.
My AVO 8 is a mark V (5) but faulty - DC voltage range isn't right. Needle doesn't move at all on a 1.4V cell on the 3V range.
Hmm, maybe brass oxide doesn't conduct. Used test least off newer meter - 1.4V cell reading 0.6V on 3V range and 0.8V on 10V range.
(1.4V cell is an alkaline one with a use by year of 2008 - which is not as old as the Safeway (supermarket) brand 1.559V cell in the AVO)
The cheapos are surprisingly accurate, I work in a calibration lab and have played with several of them. Wouldn’t go poking around a consumer unit with one though 🤣
I've only tested one that was way off calibration. The accuracy of most of them is surprising.
I have put a couple of them through a calibration routine with a Fluke 5520A and they were surprisingly good.
My own Brymen BM869s and Uni-T thingy were spot on.
The DC units Volts, Amps, Ohms is pretty easy to get right nowadays, with multi-slope ADC's.
I also work in a cal lab. Most of these meters are perfectly accurate for their precision, usually 3.5 digits. Its all done in the chip and the divider. This sort of DMM is what I use at home, in my tool-box, etc and they are perfectly fine as long as you know how to use them. At work, I use highly accurate 8.5 digit meters - horses for courses, as they say - pointless using an 8.5 digit meter to test a 9V battery!.
Although, sometimes the safety aspect may be lacking - I agree I would not use some of these on high energy circuits like your fusebox/consumer unit.
It drives me nuts when a certain Dave disparages cheap meters. No, you shouldn't use them with mains. But they're a fantastic value, especially for beginners.
I would be nervous using them on 3 phase trouble shooting.
I use my Harbor Freight $5 specials on 120VAC all the time, but the leads are where they cheapen out on the construction. Some are thin wire and probes that fall apart or the connection to the probe falls out. They are OK for the car glovebox (sorry I don't know the proper UK equivalent) or the traveling emergency toolbox.
@@jamesvandamme7786 yeah, I use them on 120VAC too. Mainly threw that in for those crazy Europeans running that deadly 240VAC. 🤔😉
For testing if high AC voltage (230/400V) is present or not, it's working just fine.
Not everyone can afford a duspol.
Just check if the leads are undamaged every use and check multiple times, if your are on the correct setting.
@@tonysheerness2427 Dave made a point of saying a cheap meter is perfectly fine for learning about electricity.
12:00 - A point I’d make is either do not keep your leads plugged into the meter in the storage case, or if you must, always make sure it’s put into the case with the red lead in the usual +V/Ohm socket.
Once upon a time years ago I just pulled my Tandy DVM out the case to check if mains was getting to a washing machine heating element.
It’s surprising how big a blue flash you can generate trying to measure voltage through a 10 amp shunt
I say, Don't start with a *Digital Volt Metre !* Coz you're going to want to measure more than just Digital Volts !! Start with an Analog Multi Metre, yes the ones with poiner / needle that sweeps across face of the metre. They are, in fact, far more accurate.
i can relate, trying to mess with a electric gate and at time i didn't know the fused was to test amps and i thought it was to test higher voltage, it was beautiful a blue spell with 220v, it melted both tips, black the connectors and permanently disarmed the gate circuit breaker
I still do it. To the point where the burn marks almost meet now across the fuse holder 😂
@@manuelh.4147 Nop, no vinyl here ! All Polycarbonate and Silicone-arsnide ceramics. What's your point ? You think a Digital Volt Metre is better than a Multi Metre ? Hmmm, I smell a bad habit...
yeah that big blue flash will get ya every time.😱😖
I'm a heating engineer, mostly testing mains voltages, low voltage DC and resistance. I've had the same Ex-tech multimeter for years, it was about £40 and it's manual range and it's never let me down. I once managed to put the probes across 240v with it in the current positions but it just blew the probe tip to pieces and I had to replace a cheap little fuse inside the meter but I bought a decent set of probes and leads and it works fine to this day. The little £5 meters are still ok for testing resistance, it usually the cheap leads that really let them down.
I would also be more worried about insulation of the sometimes skimpy probes than the meter itself.
And as soon as you get into the ranges of a proper CAT III/IV 600V or more meter, you spend enough to have a halfway decent one anyways.
Looking only at those categories CAT II 300 V should be fine for everything you plug into an outlet in your home. But it may go boom if you happen to put the probes across phases. (at least here in Europe where three phase is more common and provides about 400 V between phases)
But as Clive said, it is mostly the current settings where they go boom, just for convenience I have to admit preferring a clamp meter for that if possible. They also have a lot lower tendency to got boom. but with them you usually also just left the department of just cheap stuff.
@@alexanderkupke920 it's been a few years since I worked in this field, but in America here I believe it's a Delta three phase or something, and between two of the phases it's okay but between the third phase and one of the others you get something called a wild leg I've heard. It's voltage can range upwards of 600 V or more I believe. Someone with more experience or memory at this might be able to explain it better.
@@NEW_INSITE Mhmm, that sounds more like something "made up" in not real three phase installations. As the voltage between phases also depends on the phase angle a "real" three phase supply would always be all phases 120 ° apart.
But I remember having heard about something called red leg, which I assume may just be a different name for a wild leg. If memory serves me right that might happen if you have a transformer providing a three phase 240 V service and create two 120 V split phases between two of the three phases. But from what I remember reading about it some time ago, third phase to neutral would be only 208 V then. But I can't tell for sure as I honestly lost track with the different three phase services available in the USA where phase to phase voltage can be anything like 208, 240, 400 or up to 600 V. Only this would not make sense with 400 or 600 V as that would provide split or single phase circuits with 200 or 300 V.
Also this is somewhat confusing to me as living in Germany I am used to houses having actual three phase services most commonly. There may be rare exceptions in rural areas or old services, and in some older apartment buildings the single apartments may have a single phase service within the building only. But we are used to single phase outlets with nominal 230 V (or if you look across Europe, somewhere between 220 and 240 V) single phase to neutral or ground, where the main difference is the average voltage with tolerances ranging between 200 and 250 V for all of these. Three phase is considered to be either 380 or 400 V, depending on your nominal single phase voltage. Any other voltages used in industrial applications are not actually services, but a custom site transformer which may be hooked up to 7.2 or 10 kV grid lines. But you will find those really only in industrial plants requiring higher voltages. Everything else will be 380/400 V. Oh, and of course no split phase here. That would surely violate any electrical codes I can think of.
With 230 V as regular single phase outlets providing up to 16 A peak (or 10 A continuous, not sure what the load cycle would be for higher Amps, I think you are supposed to have at most 80 % as regular load on normal circuits) we don't even have something like dryer outlets. Actually you will usually not even find a three phase outlet in a common residential home (some may have one in the basement or garage). Usually those are installed if someone wanted to use some three phase machine like a welder or air compressor or construction equipment. Though they sort of get more common in a dedicated sealed version to connect EV chargers. In Europe you can easily identify those by the common red CEE three phase high amp socket (available in different sizes from 16 up to 125 A if interested search for CEE plug). For single phase high amp we have blue ones, as our normal sockets across Europe (Schuko in Germany, CEE F in France and what else there is) rarely is designed for more than 10 A continuous. Small devices (like USB power supplies) may even have a Euro Plug limited to 2.5 A.
@@alexanderkupke920 well this was back in 1988, and I just started learning how to do electrical installation after getting out of the military. I was in radio repair and electronics communication for ten years in the military. But getting into high voltage Industrial wiring I was just learning. One of the older guys told me that on this particular industrial site, and I think he said something about it being a Delta Transformer Arrangement or something, that you had to be careful on one of the legs to neutral or one of the legs to one of the other phases that were stable that they had what's called a wild leg and you really could not be sure what voltage it would put out, but it was extremely higher than what was expected on the other stable legs. That's all I know. I was only into the high-voltage industrial wiring for about 2 years and only heard that comment once. But thank you for your in-depth description and Analysis of what are some of the wiring configurations that you've experienced and that you have over in Europe.
@@NEW_INSITE except for those ominous ring mains the Brits use it overall looks pretty much the same here.
Some changes in code every now and then how the panel has to look like (from no GFCI s when my parents built their home, to one for "wet" rooms, which would be a messed up translation i guess but just means bath and kitchen to one for the whole house as in mine to recently one to each row of breakers. Well, our panels look vastly different and especially here in German, the meter is in the panel/ breaker box. And of course either wire color standards. Which makes it quite interesting to me to look at American installations.
But in comparison with that multitude of system ours really are boring. I still prefer it, as there really is only one system and no differences. And even one or two phase services are just running only one or two of three phases to a house (can be found in some other European countries) it remains the same there phase system.
For the everyday user it doesn't matter. What you are facing. Electricity comes from plugging into a socket, that's all you have to worry about, unless the electrician screwed up (oh and You won't believe what electrical screw ups I have seen in hotel rooms across Europe over the years. France seemed to be the worst)
I never worked as electrician, but I had electrical engineering as part of my studies for a "Diplom Ingenieur" before we adopted the bachelor and master system. (For an engineering degree there had been some general fundamentals like maths, physics etc, no matter if it was electrical, mechanical or in my case computer engineering)
I cannot even remember what for I had to read into those details.
But there is one thing I can imagine what the older guy meant. The higher voltages use to be phase to phase. Any phase to neutral usually would be assumed to be 120. And here you are with a leg that would provide 208 phase to neutral.
I guess plugging in a 120 V device without knowing, of someone had the strange sense of humor to actually wire a socket like that, sure would be a nasty surprise. I bet if I got surprised by that you might even learn some new curse words from me. But I can't imagine how you would get to higher voltages.
Very well done. I showed this to a friend for his opinion as his understanding of technology stopped at the spoon. He understood almost everything and other than asking me what a diode was used for and why V=IR, thought that this was a great way for someone with his abilities to learn.
"Stopped at a spoon" hahaha that is brilliant!! 🤣
Cstjackal, The world is full to the brim of people for whom technological advancement basically stopped with: The Knife. Or possibly the Fork. As Bob Dylan once noted about hungry people: "they got a lot of forks, and knives, and they gotta *cut* somethin'". Except that the human desire to "cut something" doesn't stop with hungry people, it includes the well off and the well fed, sigh.....
Sounds like his abilities are just fine.
@@illustriouschin Yep ability =/= knowledge! :)
Him knowing his limitations is a good thing. The problems usually arise from people who believe they are experts, but really know very little (with fatal results sometimes).
I do occasionally used the gain tester on a meter for go/no-go on transistors, and for odd transistors I'd salvaged from hard rubbish circuit boards. That was, until I got one of those whizz bang microcrontroller with a screen testers.
Likewise, my meter spends most of it's time on continuity/diode mode.
Also; I thought it was a really good video, Clive. It covered good basic meter usage for those newer to the hobby. I was given a meter as a gift when I was 11 or so, and it really started me on the path to discovery.
These µC testers are actually cool, multifunctional and very informative; although, for in-circuit (like runtime voltage) measurements you better have a galvanically isolated tool, while fancy testers tend to drain batteries significantly faster, so I usually run them off of 9 or 12 volts power supply.
Those testers are great I got one for $20 inside a case and use it all the time.
@@uK8cvPAq I also experienced the process of soldering it all together myself, so double the fun. ;D
Those screen testers are very nice. I have one. Important thing to remember with these is to discharge your caps before testing.
Many years ago I worked in a "Calibration" lab (We really just checked calibration on equipment and sent it to better labs if it was out of spec) when it got slow I brought in my own cheap torque wrench and cheap multimeters. All of them were shockingly accurate within a few % across all ranges. More than accurate enough for most home use.
Oh that is funny. After working on B-52s for so long, I avoided click type torque wrenches, because I knew I could not get them calibrated regularly after I changed career fields. I was worried they'd all be garbage. I stuck with needle type good name brand torque wrenches. I am rethinking that now. Thank you (in aircraft mechanics, you get everything ever wanted to know about torque wrenches, and triple doses of it, and tested on it regularly until you can regurgitate it on command)
Ll
My dad was an A&P mechanic, and later an FAA inspector. He passed away earlier this year. I found his Fluke 87 multimeter. It was last calibrated in 2000 by Capital Aviation so he definitely used it at work. It's the nicest multimeter I've ever used, and is in excellent condition, especially given that it's probably 25 years old.
My Fluke 87 also came from an airline and still works perfectly fine. The certification sticker just makes it even cooler.
My £2 meter from Maplin is over 25 years old, probably nearer 30, is kept in my toolbag (with tools, no case!), and is as good as the day I bought it. Oh, apart from the battery now occasionally showing that it might need replacing soon!
@@paulsengupta971 I wouldn't have thought that you could get a £2 meter 25 years ago. The cheapest I ever recall seeing any multimeters 25 years ago were around US$20.
If it's an 87 it could date from the mid 80s like the ones I used to use
Still using my Fluke model 87 that I purchased in 1986. Probably on my third set of test leads. Great meter.
My experience with about a dozen of those meters (and their even cheaper analog cousins) over the years, is that their main failure point are the flimsy leads they come with. These break/go open loop WAY before you manage to damage/wear the actual meter through regular (ab)use. Somehow they manage to churn out a fairly complex PCB with a reasonably reliable mechanical rotary switch by the millions, but they are totally lost when it comes to a pair of cables.
And if you use alternate cables then you run into a risk of shorting out to the shunt that's located just below the VmAΩ port if their banana plugs happen to be longer than the ones provided with meter.
@@mibars *VΩmA
Ye. One of the best upgrades you can do is to make your own leads with some nice silicone cable and some fairly decent probes and plugs.
Cmon a good pair of cables would cost them like an extra dollar and we cant afford that
@@Palmtop_User Well, considering that the final price of these meters to the consumer is often in the single digits, every dollar in mfg costs counts.
I maintain some model railroading equipment so have to deal with low voltage DC, and I always cary one of these cheap multimeters with me. For anything 12-20V DC or AC, they are perfectly fine. The modern train control is DCC (digital control) using a square wave signal, and the AC part becomes handy to know if there's a signal (knowing that the voltage value is wrong), and the DC part can be used to know if there's a residual DC offset.
For $20, or so, you can get one of those preassembled mini scope kits and just look at the waveform. 👍
Another vote for the pocket oscilloscopes, they’re very useful.
Clive has broken the laws of Physics, yet again! 👍
For the first time in know history, Clive has managed to have 3 portable VOMs in one place and all 3 have good batteries! I can't even keep 2 cheap meters working at the same time! 😂👍😂
Thanks Clive! I thought you photo shopped the thumnail to show 3 working meters!
Folks, a meter is an active and mobile part of your circuit. Be careful where you insert it, and you'll save $5 every time. Good luck to you!
Through several decades of mechanical work, I've gained quite a collection of meters. The cheap 'give away' meters are actually some of my favorites because you don't cry when you drop it and watch helplessly as it disappears under a passing truck. 😅 If my Simpson meter so much as got a scratch on it, I'd probably cry. One thing I will point out in addition to everything you said here is that analog meters still have their place in the world. A digital meter has a slight lag before it starts displaying, where an analog meter has a vastly shorter lag. If you are trying to find the point where a set of contacts come together, analog is the way to go (if you don't have a test light or there's no power in the system).
Totally agree analogue have a place. They ignore spurious voltages and are great for battery charging circuits as the circuit powers them. I've left one in circuit charging a friend's car battery for 6 days or so - waiting for the current to stabilise to indicate fully charged.
Analogues are vital to test audio transmission, due to the varying ac signal... there are some digital meters have a moving line display, an oscilliscope, I've even got one that displays a wave (not exactly a oscilloscope) but they all have time lag.
I have a cheap analogue meter for two reasons,
1) to see ripple that may be filtered out on a DMM, both voltage and current
2) to look like im a pro when I get asked why I have it. LOL
You can also measure ripple on a DC supply by simply measuring it in AC and it will show you the AC component of the supply.
That's a coincidence Clive. This video notification popped up at exactly the perfect moment. Only yesterday, I bought a cheap Ferrex branded multimeter from Aldi. This morning I thought, maybe I'll see if Big Clive has done a multimeter instructional video so I don't blow it up like the last one I had. It was also a cheap one from Aldi so no big deal.
Aldi do really good electrical screwdrivers. Any time they’re in I’ll pick some up, they’re like £5 for a whole set. How are you getting on with the meter?
@@WineScrounger haven't used it yet, but the last one worked very well until I put it across my car battery on the wrong setting. 🥴 Aldi had the screwdriver sets in yesterday when I was there. This time they're Wera clones, with the same handle shape. I was tempted but there's nothing wrong with the last set that I've used for about 8 years.
Yesss. I didn’t buy myself a self-ranging meter until I’d been doing this stuff for a decade, we learned on the cheap ones in school for exactly the reasons you stated at the start.
yeah it's cheaper to blow up a $5 cheapo than a $200 proper one eh?
I have never trusted auto-range. Learned on analog meters back in the day and studied diagrams of early digital meters passionately. Quite disappointed at factories making 3.5 digit meters calibrated to only 1% instead of going the final step of keeping the precision parts 0.1% with other parts getting their imprecision canceled out.
i can imagine someone getting a manual multi meter after having only automatic one's, it would freak them out, like cars, better to learn on a manual and get the manual car licence, that way you can drive an auto after that, but always have the option of driving any manuals that come bye or crop up, bothy my brothers have automatic car licences, they cant legally drive a manual on the road, not that they know how or want to, but one day they will run into the manual paradox, they will need to move house and the only moving equipment they can hire is manual trucks and the dont have a manual licence or the will or interest to learn how, so i will have to drive it for them, because i learned to drive a manual and i am so glad i did, i still drive a manual today, i love being in full control of the car, one day when i get old like 70 or so i may buy a automatic and retire from manuals !!!
Use care when checking continuity on PCBs, sometimes the meter will beep even though there is no actual continuity. An example would be through a diode or an IC that conducts between pins. Capacitors can also trigger a short beep (depending on there capacitance) as they are charged by the test current. Transformers will also trigger a beep as they have a very low DC resistance.
IMO, one of the nicest uses of the diode mode is the Louis Rossmann short-to-ground check. You attach the positive lead to the ground and probe whatever terminal you want to measure with the negative lead. Due to the inherent clamping diodes in any silicone chip, you will almost certainly get a forward diode drop. If it reads overload / open line, it's an open. If it reads 0v, it's a dead or low resistance to ground (but not via silicone).. It's not only useful for circuit boards, but also automotive etc.Just make sure the device is powered down.
Dave actually prefers the "latching" type, a third type to your selection.
There are scratchy beepers, slow beepers and latching beepers that react immediately (unlike your cheap one) but then latch for a few milliseconds.
Also, worth mentioning that probes can make all the difference, my cheap ~$8 meter at first glance is rather slow like Clive's here but if I swap the probes, with the ever so slightly better ones from my $20 meter, it becomes very responsive like Clive's preferred meter, it's a massive difference and makes my $8 meter a lot better, so even for bottom barrel meters it may be worth it to buy some decent $20-30 probes.
@@vgamesx1 Functionally speaking, the probes do make the most difference in operational user interface between the high end meters and the cheapest. Pliable silicone test leads with good probe tip profiles vs plastic insulation that like to stay in a set position.
Cheap meters are also very sensitive to the contact resistance in the rotary selection dial, and will read incorrectly if you let them sit for long periods unused, letting oxidation set in. You have to rotate it to clean out the contacts if that happens.
Also the other main issue is if you see a low battery indication on the HF meter, the readings will no longer be accurate, since it relies on the battery being high enough for generating a reference voltage for measurement. Higher end meters can be used with no dropoff in accuracy all the way out until the display is too dim to see.
The ONLY correct method of learning how to use these is to forget the leads connected in the amps measuring position and then try to measure mains voltage. After a couple of times, it becomes a reflex to double check.
Oh Clive, how did you know I have a trashy meter just like that?
You are the best!
Got the all yellow one. Best fiver I ever spent. About 12 years old, and the 9v battery it came with still works!!!!!!!!!
I actually used the diode tester on my cheap-o meter last weekend! I have a grow lamp where half the LEDs won't light, and I was able to prove that all of the LEDs on that panel are fine by lighting them up individually, and that none of the solder joints were bad. I was able to conclude the driver itself is toast. Though now I'm stuck trying to figure out the right specs for getting a replacement driver, since that board has zero search results. Maybe I should try measuring the amps on the good one.
Great video. When I was using old analog meters in the military, we were taught to always store them with the highest voltage selected. So the next sailor, if he wasn't paying attention, wouldn't 'blow' the thing up no matter what he connected it to. And it wouldn't drain the battery inside the meter. :)
Not the dreaded Avo,by any chance.
@@flatmoon6359 Nah... basic 'Simpson 260'
When I was in the millitary we would set the Meggers to the high voltage setting to shock people. "Hey, can you hold this leed for me"
@@seth7745 Surprising how sadistic us tech's can be. Get your fun where you can.
@@seth7745 Reminds me of the old capacitor joke. 😊
From a beginner myself, that was super informative.
Got two of the one on the right for a fiver in Maplin, in about 1998. Still use them, still as good as the day they were made, and I would estimate better than 1% basic accuracy when compared against my fancy-pants ones. Might take the back off and see how much the PCB has changed.
I have loads of the cheaper ones. Bought from Maplins when they were £2 or £2.50. Some had a large blue rubber protector which is still good after almost 20 years. Same can not be said of some of my more expensive meters where the rubber covers fell apart after a year or so (whilst stored in the original box). Budget 9V battery lasts years and years also, Perfect for automotive and battery testing.
I just found your channel and I love the intelligent & informative dialogue. You're the AVE of the electronics channels. I've learned more from you and him than I ever learned in school.
They are known to each other. Look in the background in the live streams and you'll see Clive has an AvE hammer.
My dad bought me my first test meter in 1978, It was a Japanese analog unit with a back-mirror needle display. Then I was recruited into the RAF and got to use AVO meters, along with the fantasticHewlett Packard 4276A LCZ meters, primarily for testing components. I can't recall the brand of my own first bench digital meter, but it had a light blue plastic casing and had a red LED display at the front, not on top.
As someone with red-green color blindness, have an auto-ranging meter (for resistance) is a must; sometimes the third color band can be real difficult. I like the continuity range to have the “instant” beeper. 🥰
That is why i love Clive he appreciates the simple thing in live. Not everyone needs expensive tools, so many so called professional on TH-cam immediately reject the notion of cheap meters.
I've got a Fluke meter but only because where I worked closed down and I rescued it from the bin. This was very interesting for me as an amateur tinkerer who doesn't completely understand the meanings of what the meter says apart from continuity and voltage.
Thank You. You confirmed I was using my meters correctly. I was introduced to electricity by my Dad when I was 5. I really did not pay attention. So when I became 35, my wife and I decided to to build a house. I went on the internet and studied the current codes for residential wiring for Montgomery County, Texas. At that time it was allowed for an unlicensed to wire their own with inspection. It passed with compliments for a professional layout.
When I found your channel, I found a teacher; albeit way above my head.
What I did pickup was a basic, and safe, testing method for circuits.
I am still a hack and still learning.
Finished my MoD apprenticeship in 1992 and they let me keep the Fluke 77 i was using for that time. Still works like a champ to this day. Great bit of kit.
We learned to use multimeters in O-grade Physics back in the 1980s. In First and Second Year, though, we had huge, ancient Avometers with tattered leather straps. I was fascinated by the clicking sound as I turned the dials: it sounded, to me, like someone trying to crack a safe.
With a needle swing of about a mile
@@NamirredAnd often bent because someone used the wrong range
@@theturtlemoves3014 , Reverse the test-probe polarity and touch it once again to the overly high voltage, to bend the pointer back the other way and straighten it!😁
@@goodun2974 😂
One poor connection in a circuit. Needle waving like in the wind. The fluorescent light was driving power into the circuit. Who knew.
This got my attention as the one I use is the exact one that you actually do the demo with!Lightsaber builder here; indispensible tool.👍🏻 Brilliant explanation as always,thank you Clive.🏆
I absolutely love your videos about super cheap crappy gear that actually does the job and does it very well despite it's price
E.g. this and the cheap lcd calipers vid
As someone who works on CH boilers, CH Controls & AC. I always recommend to colleges to buy a cheapo Autorange multimeter. They’re as cheap as chips these days & invaluable.
Every household should have a multimeter & householder should know how to use it.
Clive & others have great tutorial videos on using them.
Thanks Clive, as always very informative👍👍
I've still got one of the Tandy ones, still working perfectly after 40+ years.
It a Micronta with a digital display and a spare fuse, never used, in the battery compartment.
Which model, 22-195 ?
@@millomweb 22 - 188.
I think my 22-204C (analogue display) might be older than yours, and of course a) it still works just fine, and b) the spare 20mm glass fuse is still a spare!. It might still have the original 4mm banana plug test leads.
@@cypeman8037 Not the same as mine then ! Is it a 'bench' type - so it has a carrying handle that doubles as a rest to angle the meter up to make the screen more visible ?
@@millomweb Google the image. It's a no nonsense hand held straight forward looking meter, no frills.
My trashy meter and I appreciate this recognition. 💜
Clive thanks for the heads up on this video coming out. I posted a link to the Forum I am part of. The Forum is an automotive one and that is where I run into a lot of guys that don't know how to use a meter.
I got two of those cheap yellow ones many years ago - you could get them in packs of two for not much more than a single one, and I quickly learned the benefit. Yep, I did the typical, checked a mains supply with it set on ohms. It literally blew apart. Very entertaining. The second one still works all these years later.
Spare fuse - huh - SPARE METER !
I bought some of them many years ago from Maplin when they were selling them cheap at £2 each. I think I have two out of the cases and one still in its box/wrapping unopened. After probably over 25 years, the one I use regularly is now showing that the battery is low. I have a new 9V battery ready to put in it.
@@paulsengupta971 I buy meters similar to the all yellow one from AliExpress and Harbor Freight (the HF meters are red for some reason, on sale they are about $5). The leads that come with them are useless, I replace the leads with something slightly better, they used to be a buck or two but now they cost more than the meter at $7 or so. Even with that, the cheap Harbor Freight meter plus decent leads is still cheaper than most other meters. I do change out the cheap zinc carbon batteries for an alkaline battery before I use them.
Regarding the continuity beep, I agree that the instant and scratchy beep is very handy. Of the 6-7 meters I have the more expensive is only about $60 AUD, I can't afford to spend anything more being a disabled father on a disability pension.
Great video, very insightful. 👍
For diagnosing electrical faults on cars, my dad used to use a 100W light bulb 'meter' as a continuity tester. If the bulb flickered you knew there was a dodgy connection.
I'm surprised he didn't use his electric welder on 200A setting. Just trace the source of the smoke to find where the fault is.
As a hobbiest i've found that having 3 or 4 cheap meters is way way more useful than having 1 really good meter. Sometimes I have to measure current and voltage at the same time, or take a 4 point resistance measurement, and theres no real way to do that with 1 meter without spending hundreds of dollars.
My cheapy Maplin meter does that scratchy beep on the continuity test. I thought it was because of low quality or broken, but now I know different. Great video Clive.
I bought several of them as they were £2 in the sale. Still using the first (and second) one.
+++ good advice. Was good to mention that, although cheap, these units are accurate enough for non professional/lab use. Getting all pent up about accuracy/calibration/number of decimal digits is a waste of energy for most hobby electronics. Save the money for components!
I would say that 40% of my meter usage is comparing measurements or quick (1/2 decimal place) voltage measurements when, to be honest, accuracy is not important.
Why they still put transistor testing on them is a mystery, I don't think in 40 odd years I have ever used that feature on the meters I have owned! (which is many)
"I don't think in 40 odd years I have ever used that feature on the meters I have owned! (which is many)"
Do you go through that many meters ?
In 40 years we're up to 3 meters. The first was an analogue 'freebie', the second an AVO 8 which still works on some ranges (voltage is way off on one range now???) and the Micronta 22-195 (Intertan) from Tandy - which I used to reduce the voltage supplied to the house. When the man came to check oursupply voltage, I said what I was reading and he physically implied he was getting the same value.
He said that he'd go and 'adjust the tappets'. I said nothing.
@@millomweb tappings? Maybe he meant transformer tappings.
@@WineScrounger I presume he did too !
Came across a Yank talking about the 'commentator' on an armature a year ago or so - and made comment. Result was he turned comments off on his videos :)
And one well-educated guy at work said not to reboot computers in a short space of time 'as it warps the discs' in the hard drive.
The only time you need a decimal point is when you test the voltage of batteries. Other than that, rounding to the nearest whole works fine.
@@williamhuang8309 Precisely - depends entirely what you're measuring and why.
Great introduction to your first multimeter. I wish this video had been around when i got my first meter in the early '70s, long before I could (hypothetically) watch digital video on my phone from inside a self-driving electric car.
Oh my god, _I live in the future_ !
Clive that was a real down to earth explanation of meter use I've heard and easy to comprehend great vid
Wow. 12 hours ago, for reasons I can't adequately explain even to myself, I was watching some 11 year old multimeter video from Dave. Lo and behold you post this the very same day. (Watching videos about multimeters is not a regular activity for me so an interesting coincidence, IMO.)
Thank you Clive for this fantastic tutorial on a cheap but essential piece of equipment. Back in the days of moving coil analog meters you needed to know a lot more about the internals and how they worked because they typically had much lower internal impedances (voltmeters). Modern digital meters are so good that we often take them for granted but knowing what is going on inside is still really useful to get the most out of them.
I worked electronics decades ago while in the Navy, when digital meters were just making their debut. Your tutorial would have been very welcome back then. Todat, for me, it is still educational and entertaining. Thank you.
I loved the colour version, I also love the grey scale version. Great work guys. See you soon.
Oh hell yes I love it when Clive starts talking about test equipment or troubleshooting!
I remember looking at multimeters to buy a few years ago, and my friend was like "oh no, dont buy a cheap shitty one, it will die of you put 240 volts across it" and i was like "well i.... wont then? I just want to know if my arduino works and if i made a good solder joint, im not rewiring my house"
I have a cheap UNI-T, bought it 7 yrs ago for around $25, I'm still using it almost every day, dc ac, they're super reliable
This is exactly what I thought when Clive mentioned people criticising the cheap ones. Also what I thought when I first saw the 200 & 500v options on my cheap home meter: "No way I'm actually gonna put 240v through it."
@@Vousie I routinely put 230V through my cheap meters. None has died on me or tried to kill me yet. They are more than rated for mains by Indian standards, which is that they don't blow up immediately
@@Vousie Oh and once I put 230V through a cheap meter while plugged into the 10A mode. I was holding the meter in one hand. Sharp crack and the power went out. The meter survived. The leads survived. I survived.
nothing wrong with a cheapo , just use it correctly and if it doesn blow up well it was cheap....and most can measure 220 to 280V AC
I'm very much a novice with stuff like this, but I've had my cheapy meter for a few years now and it's been incredibly useful, even if it's just for measuring the voltage of batteries, checking earths on my car with the continuity tester and helping me wire in the new head unit and subwoofer in my car. Can't reccommend these enough to someone in a similar situation to me.
Best non clickbait ever, i have two of those cheap multimeteres, left and right!
Thank You Clive. I have learned so much from you. My wife and I love your channel, keep up the good work.Too bad I can't give you two thumbs up!
My advice for the next step up is to get a meter which automatically powers down after a while as it is infuriating to go to your cheap meter and find the PP3 battery has gone flat as you accidentally left it turned on. Invariably this happens when you really need the meter and you can't find a spare (also, keep a spare fuse or two).
Otherwise, it's like that old adage of measure twice, cut once. In this case, check the scale you are set to (including the sockets the test probes are plugged into) twice before measuring...
I open up my multimeters and fit a little 3mm red LED into the front panel that lights up when it its on. Only takes a few milliamps but saves a mountain of batteries.
And null those leads.`
I have the CPC and it does self power down, after giving a few awning beeps first
Every piece of wire is a spare fuse
Great video Clive 👍 useful explanation for us old newbies !
just got my uni multimeter. I used to use these kinds of meter. I used the cheapest one you featured, only big downside is that the enclosure can break fairly easily.
I've been subscribed for a couple of years and I've learnt more about multi meters in the last 23 minutes than I ever did while I was at work (not that I had much call to use one).
I have the M830B that you show but as you point out it doesn't have the beeper, I've just ordered the D03047 from Amazon for £12.00 inc postage.
We had Fluke meters at work but they are out of my price bracket. Thanks for the very informative video.
Thanks for this quick tutorial Clive! I have a decent Radio Shack meter I bought a few years ago. I've been wanting to learn more about it's capabilities rather than mains checking and battery checks. You're a great teacher, loved your channel for a few years now. Keep up the great content :) -Montana, USA
Great video Clive.
My first meter was one I built as an apprentice back in the 70s. I've still got it somewhere but I blew the diodes many years ago and never got round to replacing them. I still picked up a few things from your video that I'd either forgotten or just never really appreciated.
My first meter was a Tandy which was identical to the mainstream unit, except the case was blue, which indicated it was the kit.
Great run down on the little tester meters. You described to a T my experience of using these little meters on a multitude of tasks over many years. First class description, thank you.
I have several of the free harbor freight meters. I keep one in each of my older vehicles and my work on the rental house toolbag. They are close enough for what I am going to measure and not one of them have failed. Thank you Clive for breaching this subject.
For the very cheap multimeters, I recommend the maximum voltage that you test with them be 70V AC or DC. The supplied leads are not really suitable for use at higher voltages. And on some of these multimeters, the terminals are not really suitable of voltages higher than 70V. Keep in mind that the typical recommended clearance/creepage for mains voltages is 5mm.
I've used my Skytronic 600.035 on household mains.
On one occasion, I used it to trace the wiring, when my brother took down a ceiling rose, without marking the wires. 🙄
I use Flukes because, as AvE says, "Sometimes you just need to whip out a 10 inch Fluke and slap it down on the table to get the sparkies to take you seriously."
I use my 287 a lot, it's a nice meter and the logging feature comes in handy.
However I'll admit when I went looking for a solid professional tier meter...I went with the 287 for the peen factor.
I'll say this though- I've got a Fluke 88 that was charred in a house fire, with the case melted down in a blob, with the rotary dial stuck together with the case and the fuse exposed through a gaping hole.
I cleaned it up, cut away some of the plastic to get the dial to rotate again, and it still operates fully, even in spec when tested with lab calibration equipment.
I tried to contact Fluke if a replacement housing was available, but they never even responded. I suppose their customer service doesn't need to be very responsive because they don't see that much activity.
I still use it to this day as is, battle scars and all-
Absolutely. Who among us hasn't bought an over-kill tool to mask our insecurities? 🤑
He also said nobody's ever gotten fired for buying Fluke.
Haha! Fluke... damned if you use one and damned if you don't!
Retired lab tech here. We used high-end Flukes. They are great meters until the zebra strips connecting the display to the circuit board start failing. I was taught how to clean them by a Fluke tech. After the first time you clean those strips, you will be continuing to clean them more often than you change the battery.
Another great video. Wish this was around when I was starting. Clear and accurate information.
Good video, Clive. I don't use the transistor test range, but I'm not a snob about it like Dave. His whining about cheap multimeters is so annoying. My first meter was an analog VOM which had a sensitivity (load factor) of 20,000 ohms/volt. It took me a while to figure out that that didn't mean the meter loading changed when the voltage changed. It was the loading for each range. So the 10V range was 200k ohms. It had a mechanical buzzer for continuity which was very fast, but it worked in the OFF position so sometimes I'd hear it getting accidentally activated in my tool bag! My next meter was a kit 3.5 digit DMM which still works after 45 years. My favorite meter is a Fluke 289 logging meter.
Chris, Since you brought up the subject of meter loading, it may be useful for anyone here who is learning to work on vintage equipment, especially test equipment, that specifications given on the schematic for in-circuit voltage measurements were often made with analog meters that had a much lower input resistance than modern digital meters,, and therefore voltage given on the schematic might include the voltage drop caused by the analog meter being in circuit! I know from experience that trying to calibrate or test the calibration on a Hickok tube tester will not be accurate unless you either use an analog meter or put a shunting resistor across the probes of your digital meter to roughly match the lower resistance that an analog meter would have introduced into the circuit. On the other hand, if the equipment was originally spec'd out and schematic voltages given with reference to a Vacuum Tube Volt Meter (VTVM), the impedance of that device would be more similar to a modern digital meter.
My first multimeter was a beckmann that I bought for around 200 USD. The display went bad after about 2 years and I discovered that the little conducting rubber pads that connect the display with the PCB has become dirty (how?). While cleaning the pads, I broke the super small hooks that hold the display tight against the board. My affair with electronics took a break.
Sometimes, when working on more exotic high impedance circuits, we are reminded of the loading factor even with a new DVM which has a typical input impedance of 10M ohms.
@@janami-dharmam , the conductive, carbon-impregnated rubber buttons in a remote control often suffer a similar oxidation process. Cleaning the buttons and the PCB foils ( which are sometimes carbon, not copper) with a pencil eraser, q-tips and alcohol usually fixes the problem.
I've seen blocks of rubber, almost like a kids eraser, with carbon tracks passing right through the rubber from one end to the other, used to connect an LCD display to the driver board.
For the sake of completeness , perhaps showing the effects of one of the destructive/no-no combinations ?🤔🙂
Indeed, a fuse blowing demonstration would be lovely!
Come on this is Clive, let's see if he can blow the whole meter.
@@natemauger9757 I was thinking more smoke and flames akin to Mr photonicinduction 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😱
Clive, you should include the word "multimeter" in your title. I searched for "how use multimeter" here on YT and your video didn't show up in the top results. Which is not good, because this inexpensive multimeter is what most of the planet has and your video on this subject is the best I have seen.
It has multimeter in the tag and description. I'm surprised it didn't show up. I wonder if it's because TH-cam has not been pushing my videos recently.
@@bigclivedotcom Oh well. I have noticed YT search has become really bad recently, it shows me all kinds of irrelevant garbage. Especially the "previously watched" and "others also watched" sections are annoying.
Those $5 meters last a long time and have served me well. Accuracy is all I need.
They do. Generally they don't break down. Pretty accurate too.
Clive; I'll echo the sentiment of Harbor Freight meters. They are inexpensive, basically a "throw-away" item [especially since they have now soldered the fuses in place]. But, for the casual user, they work exceptionally well. I think I've had mine for over 10 years now; the only problem I've had is changing the battery.
In 30+ years I've had to change the batteries in my meter as they've corroded!
Unfortunately, Harbor Freight seems to have stopped giving these away. It appears they have ended all of the free stuff coupons. Sad day.
My £2 Maplin meter is just starting to show the battery low indicator.
After about 25 years.
@@paulsengupta971 Never had that from my Tandy/Micronta meter. Just need to change the batteries as they're starting to corrode.
I always thought 0L was "over limit", but I could have made that up :)
OTL could mean "Output Transformer-Less", or it could mean "Out To Lunch! " 🤣
OL- Oh ''L that's too big !
Apparently it's "Overflow".
Not only is this a superb vid, but it beautifully compliments the approach from people like John Ward who show you the features of professional gear. Between them we get the whole picture.
100% agree with you on the beeper, accuracy is more helpful than a decisive beep
We soldered together DMM kits a lot like the small yellow one in an intro to electronics class in high school learning how to solder. Still have it and still runs. Only wish it also did AC amps (does DC only)
I've got all 3 of these and I tend to use the cheapest on more often (at home).
At work it's the Fluke all the way, though. It's not much more accurate, but it excels at durability.
I got the same cheap yellow meter about 30 years ago, and it's never let me down. I've repaired loads of Spectrums and Reel to reels with it. It's a cheap, low voltage workhorse.
This came up in my recommendations just now. What @Barszczu Garage said in a previous comment bears repeating: some of these meters have the 10 A shunt directly under the sockets, and their factory leads have special shorter banana plugs. A normal banana plug creates a short against the 10 A shunt, unless it has a plastic tip.
“Cost less than replacing the fuse in your Fluke” lol, yep.
seconded. I've had to send one back for this operation. It aint cheap
Fluke really extract the micturate with the pricing of their bespoke fuses.
more cost effective blowing up say 5pound unit than a 200 one eh?
@@jacquesb5248 well in the case of the dweeb I worked with who blew up a Fluke 75, he promptly did it again. People like that get very expensive to employ, very quickly (and frequently get promoted to management/paperwork positions to stop them breaking things)
He also did it to a £200k precision Anritsu vector analyser. Thankfully his employment didn't survive that (we all heaved a sigh of relief)
@@miscbits6399 he should've had a fuse on his employment.
Thanks! I got a couple of good new insights! One problem with the cheap meters for me is the too-symmetrical indicator bar on the rotary switch: more than once I've tried to measure something with the selector at 180 to the desired position. BTW, I've also enjoyed using the arduino-based TC-1 multifunction tester for testing various components, as it can measure capacitance and inductance, which you can't get in any other cheap piece of kit.
Yeah I have had the same problem with the rotary switch putting in the wrong position. I found that a dab of white out on the pointer end usually helps.
Many years ago during a brain fart moment, I checked some mains AC equipment was "off" using my meter, but had the meter in DC mode, so got nothing. But yes, it was live. Lesson learned. ⚡😆
I have a great appreciation for these cheap multimeters. The value they provide is immense. For beginning hobbyists who are working on low voltage applications, they may be all that's needed. I recall learning about electronics (a long time ago) and dreaming of having such a meter. My first unit was an analog device with a tiny display and 1,000 Ohms / Volt resistance. The difference between a trashy meter and a good meter is much less than the difference between a trashy meter and no meter at all!
I needed this video 😂
You neglected to mention the other problem with Flukes: you can’t just stop at one. They’re like Pokemon, gotta catch ‘em all!
(And they no longer make the 187/189, which are of course the finest multimeters ever made, although 87V runs it close…)
I only have a lowly 83.
Mostly have it to say I have a Fluke at this point, I have an off brand that has way more functions, I use it for most things these days... Partially because if I kill it I won't cry much. Though I always use the fluke for resistance and voltage testing... It's just so F-ing accurate.
I still have my first multimeter, M-830, which I got on my birthday - 25 years ago, along with my first soldering iron. It was your video, that made me realize how much time already passed. And it is still working and useful. During the time I went to some specialised meters, both in home and in work, got another M-830 measuring line voltage on resistance (it was black before that), but this little guy still have its place on my workbench ;) And it's yellow too.
You made me remind my technical school days of some 25 years ago and electrical workshop classes :) The professor was amazing man ! Thank You for that mate ! Have a great day mate :)
I've been using those DT830 trashy meters for over 20 years now. They're very good trash. As they have no auto range, they're much quicker than my Fluke 107. But they lack the continuity buzzer.
In 1996 I bought 2 microwave ovens - top of the range Panasonic and a bottom of the range Matsui. If I was forced to have only one as a microwave, I'd choose the Matsui. The panasonic is digital the Matsui 30 second analogue with power on settings: 7-28,30 secs. It'll boil eggs in their shells. The Panasonic just blows eggs up.
Can anyone recommend some higher quality leads that will fit in these cheapy meters? I like using these $5 guys because I can throw them around, leave them rolling around in my car, in tool bags, etc. But the leads are what break and fall apart on me more than anything. I'd love some sets of "bulletproof" leads I can toss in with these.
if you're ok with the price, go "probe master"
Noting that some of the pro shrouded probe plugs don't fit in the small meters properly.
An excellent guide. I had no idea what the lower voltage setting displaying a 1 meant until now. Thanks mate! 🙂
I've got one of the M-830B's.
Had it for years and it does the job.
He who has not tried to measure a voltage with the probes stuck on current, throw the first stone
There are only 2 types of technicians: those who have done this and those who are about to do it. It's only a matter of time….
@@goodun2974 How about a third type: those who've learned from having to replace the fuses in their meters when other people that they'd lent their meter to did it. Even so, it's probably still only a matter of time till I do it myself, hopefully not with our yummy 240vac mains supply :-)