Review and Teardown of a Kaiweets HT208D Inrush Clamp Meter
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2021
- In this video, I did a review and teardown of a Kaiweets HT208D 6000 counts inrush clamp meter. Despite some minor annoyances, the overall quality of the meter is in general quite good. If you are interested, you can find it on Amazon at www.amazon.com/dp/B08CX6VHWV
The temp reading isn't meaningless on the DC side, it's ambient temp, and not from a probe, so it is active and accurate from the temperature of the meter. It actually nice add for HVAC work.
it's more like better to display it then just leave it blank..😅😅 i mean unlike ac there's nothing more to display other then voltage for dc current at a time..
If you watched other videos about this product you could have seen that the temp reading shown on the top of the the screen is actually not the ambient temp unless the meter is in temp mode with probes inserted. One reviewer actually put the meter in the fridge to cool it down , and when he tested it after a while, it still showed the same temp it showed in the ambient room temperature.
I've tested a similar Kaiweets model clamp meter as well, and I'm quite impressed with it's accuracy - compares very well to a Fluke costing many times more.
Good to know. Thanks!
I found the Habotest version of this meter for $33 (Ali X) and got it yesterday. Thanks for a thorough and truthful review. It's amazing the contrast between videos like this and guys essentially making ads for the meter because they got it for free.
I've can learn to dismiss the temp reading BUT....the NCV is the most useless feature I've ever seen on any meter. It's even worse than in your video now. It goes red around my PC from more than a foot away and it's already green while still walking up to my breaker box.
*-* Thanks again. Your video along with those from Three-phase and Viorel Caia seem to be of the few that aren't influence by merch bribes.
Bought one, still waiting for arrival. Thanks for the review!
Also picked one of these up HT208D when BangG had them in EU store for around 40 US delivered some time back, which seem like a good price as that value also holds 25% VAT and its packed with features this clamp meter.
but it was the Habotest variant (HT208D) that ditch the silicone leads, as I dont need leads on a clamp meter.
Tested the inrush with my cheap DC LIPO spotwelder and it was pretty fast and could notice 10ms and 20ms bursts.
Details and pictures on EEV blog, though have no tools to validate its inrush accuracy..
the DC clamp measuring are obviouly not good for lower currents, like sub 200mA.. as it is a 1000A meter... if you need lower DC clamp current measuring then get a clampmeter optimised for that, like the UniT 210E
Many thanks for the review which I came across in looking for a clamp meter to accurately measure inrush current to a single phase air-conditioning compressor - which I want to run from a generator. In your test of inrush current you demonstrated that the meter does measure inrush current to your drill but you did not compare this with any other standard as you did for your other measurements. Do you have any data regarding the inrush current measurement accuracy. Maybe a comparison with a Fluke 370 series meter ?
Thanks bro for the test n review very informative. Probably the cheapest feature packed 6000counts true rms clamp.
Re: spring for clamp jaw. It is actually pushing against the rounded part of the housing. The pin is only a locator, it might help assembly? Thanks for the review!
Hi, thanks for the review!
Which clamp meter is better, this one from Kaiweets or the GVDA GD112C?
Does this HT208D have LPF, LowZ, DCA Zero?
Thank you!
What's the behavior as the measurement transitions between ranges? With the older 206D I had, it would blank out the reading as it changes ranges, and if it just happened to be what you're measuring, made it difficult to monitor.
This new one with the fixed range capability takes care of that- sometimes you just need some manual control of things. It's necessary to do that when making min max measurements that span two different ranges, otherwise it won't work as it upranges.
If you need to make repeated measurements quickly, setting it to manual ranging gets rid of the annoying lag mentioned as a problem in the video.
Most important for this type of meters are not just recording time of 100ms but what is the time segment capture.1ms,2ms 5 ms?This is important for the real value of inrush.I think this can be determined by comparison with the osciloscope results only.This tool will be necessary because of high inrush current from led drivers today...
Thanks for the tear down and review. Was gonna grab this today until you pointed out the chip wasn’t soldered down and I work in a high vibration area which I think would be a problem after a time of abuse.
I love how detailed and useful are your reviews! Is it possible for you to do a review and teardown of the mestek cm86b clamps? They looks very promising and I can't find any detailed review of them, I think they will be even better than the ht208d
The temperature on the small display is correct - it is a reference temperature for the thermocouple connection junction so it can compensate for the dissimilar metals. It can be thought of as the instrument's internal temperature.
It's not of much significance to the user though, as it just uses that value internally to calculate the thermocouple tip temperature.
There's not much benefit displaying it aside from satisfying a curiosity about the temperature in the room while you work.
Excellent review, thanks.
I just bought this clamp meter due to black Friday deal, i think that instead of have temperature readings on the 2nd display, it could actually display the voltage or current depending on what you had selected on the main display, some higher quality brands do that, if not mistaken FieldPiece gear (very used by hvac guys) do that. It would be really useful for diagnosing line drops due to bad contacts for example (instead of use two different equipment).
What is the response time of the peak inrush current measurement?
I saw a spec of 100ms; does it only catch the peak accurately if the duration of the peak is greater than 100ms?
It seems it's basically just doing a max current measurement, in single shot mode. Only difference with it in min max current measurement nice is that if a second higher peak current after the first occurs, it won't see it, while the min max would record it.
Curious if that's the case, or if it can detect shorter duration peaks below that.
This could be tested by using a capacitor discharged into a load, with a low RC time constant.
If it's too difficult, please ignore. best wishes sir😊
Hello! Tell me, what are these two trimming resistors on the board? What can they be adjusted?
There are clamp amps that do not have an error correction button when measuring. so can we add it?
@Kerry Wong I have the HT208D and do not get any inrush reading when my AC compressor starts up. The normal current draw on my AC compressor is 6.6A. Kaiweets tells me that if the inrush current is not above 10A, there will not be any reading on the meter. Do you know if this is true and have you tested inrush on anything less than 10A?
Any meter with a thermocouple input has a extra sensor for cold junction compensation, for some meters it is possible to read this sensor and this meter obvious shows the reading from that sensor on the secondary display.
To use the internal sensor on any meter: Short the inputs and it will show ambient temperature (There can be 1 to 2 hours lag when moving the meter between hot/cold locations).
The reading for this meter does not seem to change when the leads are shorted. The reading does drift over time by a degree or two over time.
Reading are not supposed to be depend on wire length and meter only uses the leads when in thermocouple mode.
Thermocouple works in the micro volts range and are very sensitive to temperature differences in connections.
I do explain a bit about thermocouples here: lygte-info.dk/info/DMMThermocouplers%20UK.html
@@henrikjensen3278 Thank you so much! Great input!
I was about to mention the cold junction, then I saw your comment. As an HVAC tech who often works outdoors I find it useful that you can read it's temperature on this meter. I have a Brymen BM037 at the moment but I noticed, when I leave it out in the sun for example, it often seems to read the temperature off (it gets too warm inside compared to ambient I guess, which isn't good for the whole meter's calibration either). With this HT208D I could constantly monitor it's internal temperature (without needing to short the inputs, then change to the thermocouples). As a closing remark, thank you for the thorough multimeter reviews and all the other articles on your website, Henrik. It helps me a lot when I'm buying new gear and to better understand electronics. Keep up the good work. 👍
@@Kevin-mp5of Thanks for the correction, English isn't my native language.
It is have protection? What happens if i try to measure AC voltage on resistance mode.
It indeed is cool meter for infrequent electric repairman and DIY flock like me. Possibility to measure also DC current and inrush current in general is a bomb. Have Habotest HT208D which is exactly the same as yours and I guess that mine is the same model made by the same manufacturer with Habotest as retailer.
Doesn't CAT III need a voltage gap on the board? I don''t see any near COM input. Well, I don't expect to go above 400V anyway.
I wanted to know what was the min range in ohms
Yo compre el modelo HABOTEST HT208D que es el mismo KAIWEST... en ALIEXPRESS hace pocos dias, por 36$ con envío gratis.... es un excelente equipo chino, nada que envidiar a otras marcas, Por seguridad coloquen un VARISTOR en la entrada, alli estan los hoyos para soldarlo, yo instale el 07D751K ya que mide hasta 750vac..... aunque mide hasta 1.000vdc , No creo que yo mida ese voltaje, asi que le coloque ese VARISTOR y se que puedo medir voltaje dc +/- hasta 800vdc sin dañar el varistor.
8:03 This might be a missed opportunity for a more justifiable rant. You can see here that the min max function inexplicably will only toggle between min and max display, with no display for the current readings. All other meters with min max will have a third display showing the ongoing readings.
If you're monitoring over a long period, you'd have no idea what the reading is at any given time, only the recorded extremes. This seemed more rantable to me than color coding the input jacks 😉.
My meter showed calibration accuracy to something on the order of 0.006% DC voltage accuracy out to 110V which was rather impressive.
Hello, do you know if this multimeter has a fuse? I have this model but tried to test an electric fence and it blew something. Now the screen doesn't work. :(
MERCI POUR CE TUTO
I just received my Habotest HT208D from AliExpress $47.00. I compared it to the Kaiweets in your test, including looking inside, and they appear identical ( the word "Habotest" only appears on the label on the meter, not on the box or the manual.). However, the manual does not have the nice graphs that you showed (other wording is identical), no batteries, and slightly different test leads. As for the temperature, the readings that appear on some screens did agree within 1 degree C to those gotten by plugging in the thermocouple (ambient temp.). I got this to measure inrush current (thinking about getting a generator) but your explanations are helpful in showing me what else it can do. Thank You (PS sent the Kaiweets back to Amazon)
Thanks for the info on Habotest!
So would you recommend a habotest Clamp meter?
@@jaketemporary2060 I am happy with my Habotest HT208D. I have not done high level bench tests, but it agrees with another decent meter that I have, and I have not seen any unexpected results. Note- Habotest and Kaiweets appear identical, but Habotest costs $50 from Bangood while Kaiweets brand costs &65 to $70.
@@alandaters8547 Kaiweets supports their meter with a 3 year warranty, so that might be a factor to consider, even if there's only a slim chance of any problems. Their customer service is very responsive by all accounts, so that's good-
can i repair the LCD on these. i just exposed mine in the sun during repair and now it's so hard to see anything on the LCD?
HOLA SALUDOS DE JUAN DE ARGENTINA , TE HAGO UNA CONSULTA PORQUE PARA PROBAR LAS DISTINTAS FUNCIONES DE LA PINZA
LE DESCONECTAS LAS PUNTAS
Hellos Kerry I’m reviewing one of these meters but I don’t want to tear down my meter. May I use some of your footage where you mention the lack of transient protection. I will include a credit and a link to your review. Thanks regards chris
Sure thing! Thanks for letting me know!
The temperature measurements are likely OK. What the instrument displays is temperature of an internal reference, needed for referencing of the thermocouple. Measurements of temperature are not like switching the instrument here and there and touching the sensor. It requires some understanding of physics behind.
If you short the inputs while in temperature mode, the display will show that internal reference junction temperature in the meter.
Hi Kerry, Where can I find the electronic schematic of this Clamp?. Thank you very much
i saw in one of your video that you are using this to measure DC inrush current in spot welder using the meter's AC inrush option.. is it accurate?
I don't currently have another instrument to verify, but I am getting something soon in the mail for that. Stay tuned!
Thank you, nice video, but your audio seems a bit distorted recently
hi is there a fuse or not?
Hello, in INRUSH mode, measure the inrush current reading in the car
Missing the temperature in firmware means what else did they miss that you do not seee in the meter is a better question.
It was great
Anyone able to locate a PDF manual for this unit, I have the Habotest version of this and would like something easier on the eyes.. thanks..
Thank you!
You are welcome!
Hi. I was searching for help to solve a problem I have with my HT208D and came across your vídeo, and I must say that it is excellent, thanks!
My problem: I bought one of these beauties in Amazon and, after using it few times, it started to behave weird: whenever I switched to AC-Auto-Function it restarted up. The seller replaced the unit (GOOD). But after using the new unit some few times it did not turn on anymore. The seller asked me for checking the fuse integrity but I do not know how proceed to acomplish that. Could you help, please? Thanks in advance!!
hola, yo tengo una de esas y no tiene fusible a menos que tenga un fusible tipo SMD 🤔.......
In your opinion, would you say the HT208D is the best bang-for-buck clamp meter out there when it comes to price/features or do you prefer something else? Thanks.
If you need the in-rush current measurement capability, HT208D is one of the cheapest, otherwise you have quite a few choices.
@@KerryWongBlog In-rush is nice to have but not a big deal if not there. Which other clamp meters do you recommend.
@@khybersafi9137 What are some of your basic requirements? AC/DC? Counts? Maximum current? If it's for hobby use, this meter is more than capable.
@@KerryWongBlog For electrician & HVAC use. Testing capacitors, hot surface igniters, flame sensors, limit switches, etc.
@@khybersafi9137 resistance, capacitance, and continuity are all well covered by the 208D. The only reason for considering alternatives may be to find a lower price option that still does the job, but it'd probably just be a small savings for a lot less capability.
On the other ranges the temperature is from the inside the unit
Hello, source code of ws2812 for 8051 available ?
I contacted the company and they stated that the temperature ratings are separate. One is internal and the other external (obviously) when you use the probe. The Clamp Meter measures the temperature of the surrounding environment. And when you change the meter to C/F, the temp is the temp of the object touched by the measuring head. The probe will not update the internal or ambient temp reading. Concerning the probe, they told me that they are CATll without the extra caps. Put the caps on and they are CATlll. I know nothing about this, but this is what they told me.
Thanks for the additional info!
@KLR650, so are we expected to believe that the ambient temp is 14C in Kerry’s lab? I don’t think so.
Thanks. My Habotest HT208D (appears identical inside and out to Kaiweets) also shows correct ambient air temp when probe is not in use. It does respond rather slowly to ambient changes-sensor may be deep inside.
@@aerofart the temperature reading started out at 13 degrees at the beginning of the video and progressively went up as it warmed up.
It may be that he had it sitting outside or some cold area before taking it to the bench. It'll take some time for the inside of the meter to warm up to room temperature, so it won't change spontaneously, since it's not exposed to the outside air.
It's an interesting tell tale that the video was filmed out of sequence because the current measurements at the end shows 15° while it actually showed a higher temperature at an earlier segment.
Fun fact: You can actually see the internal reference junction temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius by switching to the temperature mode and then shorting the inputs using the regular probes.
The temperature shown without the thermal coupler is the ambient temperature.
Where to use positive and negative sign in clamp itself
Hello friend, what is your single-phase voltage there in your network? 127V or 220V?
In the US it's 120V
There is a big problem with the clamp multimeter is NCV detection. It's seems too sensitive. It detect the hight voltage line about 50cm. And the Live detection work as not as right in manual guide. When the low voltage is detected the L character is not display insteed show Live and did not beep sound.
Since the clamp must have an internal temperature sensor for the thermocouple, I am assuming the clamp uses it to measure temperature and that is what is displayed on the screen when it is in the amp range.
I think you are right. I tested this by blasting it with a heater. After 10 minutes or so, the temperature did rise a few degrees. But the reading does not seem to be accurate which is why I didn't think it was working. The temperature in my lab is set at 65 F. The reading from the meter is at 14 C (which is 57 F).
Is this tester suitable for measuring earth leakage, does it go as low as 1mA?
No, it is not sensitive enough for leakage testing.
You could use a voltage measurement across a separately provided resistor to make that measurement if necessary, and didn't have any other meter available.
Basically just provide your own current shunt.
Just wanted to mention when you stated the cables don't match the same CAT rating that is on the meter the reason the cables have a CAT II rating is because the whole probe is exposed if the probe had a hood so only a minimal amount of the probe tip is exposed then they would meet the CATIII or CATIV rating.
I noticed on the board it's says ht208A v1.4
AliExpress has a Habotest HT208D for $47 which seems identical. I already order the Kaiweets version for $97, but AliExpress might be worth a look.
Hmm, just checked Amazon it was $77. But yeah, the AliExpress should be the same and looks like you also get free shipping right now.
I think it's originally a habotest meter . As the model HT208 start with the first letters from Habo Test. And kaiweets is just the rebranded US version.
@@mrwmaad That makes sense. Thanks!
@@mrwmaad Hi I don't understand why habotest and kaiweets are 100% similar
@@sammoudghassen9888 Because Katweets is a rebrand name , only new name for the same unit. i bough it even with another band name in EU ..
The temperature issue is without the leads in it gives an ambient temperature. It does change from just holding it so it isn't particularly reliable. Other than a general meh the rooms an okay temperature (or not) it's not useful information
Why I’m put in batteries but it can’t turn on
The CAT rating of the leads is lower because you have the shroud caps removed.
Pin just holds it in place the pressure goes against the wall when pinched.
FYI: The screen is very very hard to read outside in day light.
I would have liked to have seen the inrush feature tested on a car battery.
I will give it a try. Maybe when it's a bit warmer outside :-)?
@@KerryWongBlog - The difference between "in-rush" and "max" setting ?
@@furtheradohere2343Depends on how the "max" is measured. Max hold is typically done over a much longer window than in-rush measurements.
After more than 1 year, still working ? Thanks
Yes it is! Used it in a couple of my recent videos also.
When discussing the input protection etc. he totally ignored the large input resistor next to the PTC's
as in this video this clamp meter has 2 error correction buttons
Based on the 14 deg C reading and corresponding 55 deg F reading when you first connected the probe, perhaps the default temperature reading (in this case 14 deg C) is simply the ambient temperature. Not very relevant, but not really meaningless either. (Again, just my guess.)
The ambient temperature was at 20C.
@@KerryWongBlog Oh well- as you said, meaningless!
cat III probes can only have exposed metal tip of max 4mm
The probes came with removable shrouds.
Since it is going to operate when the voltage is no longer regulated, and accuracy may be compromised, I hope it has a good Low Battery indicator.
I'd be surprised if the accuracy drops out when the battery goes low the way it does with the low end meters. It won't with my Fluke and other higher end meters, and I'd expect this was designed to not rely on the low battery threshold for reference regulation.
This is easily confirmed, so if I get a chance before someone else does, I'll check it-
No one reviewing these has ever run a test on HVAC START CAPACITORS
Negative 1 dislikes...
who can you say about "Kaiwest" and "Habotest"?
I found Habotest’s factory and website.
But not to Kaiwest
Wondering if Kaiweets is just a rebranded Habotest? A lot of these Chinese products are just rebranding.
@@KerryWongBlogstrange state. for I do not see a Kaiwest factory anywhere
www.habo-test.com/aboutus.html
Dongguan Habotest Instrument Technology Co.,Ltd is an innovation orientied technology enterprise with an over 20 years R&D team, injection molding, professional production line and assembly capabilities.
The Habotest is a downgraded version.,two things differ, as far as I can tell.
leads, are cheap plastic probes, nor like above and the black storage casing seems to be a tad more flimsy and no emblem.o
but the meter itself are identical.
Got the Habotest, was on sale in Europe 40 bucks (US) with incl. EU VAT and shipping from an CN vendor with stock in EU (BangG).
in my view, it came acroos as the best bang for the buck for a high current feature packed AC/DC clamp meter.
been testing the inrush peak with a cheap old 10 buck mini spotwelder from CN that I picked up 3 or 4 years back... called mini battery spotwelder...
on 4s LIPO packs (15v) it peaks around 570A with setting at 95E (95ms)..
if I set the energy to E25 (25ms) its drops to just under 500A, so it is able to pick up quite short peaks, also way below 100ms.. though dont have the tools to check accuracy, when using the inrush, not least in DC
pictures on EEVblog.
sofar I like it, and I like the always on display a lot... it fits as an high ampere-alternative to my other clamp meter Uni210E that is sub 100A.
The test leads provided with the kaiweets are pretty premium. It makes a difference in actual use when they're pliable and don't take a set and tangle up in knots when stored like the cheaper plastic jacket test leads.
The cost of buying the silicone test leads may approach the difference in price between the two models.
If I had a nickel for every one of the problems with this meter I’d have enough money to buy a meter that works. I actually have the non-inrush version of this clamp meter and it completely fails to read current in the milliamperes range using either the clamp or the probes.
I have been using it and will see how mine hold up in the long term.
This meter design doesn't have an input for measuring current using the probes, so what meter are you trying to use? The 206D doesn't either; is it a different brand entirely?
When will manufacturer learn, to integrate the possibility, to turn the clamp by 90 degree?
Do you mean to mechanically rotate the clamp 90° with respect to the main body? If so, are there any clamp meters that do this?
@@Brian_Of_Melbourne yes fieldpiece SC680 and SC640
3:22 b cuz there is another thermocouple.
TH-cam reviewers always get nicer leads on these cheap meters. It's part of the plan lol
Slow resistance measurements, and way too slow on capacitance
I bought this 6 months ago, it's now dead, had to return to amazon for a refund
Disappointing not to see A) confirmation of probe lead insulation material with a soldering iron, B) measurement of the probe lead resistance, and C) no zeroing of the resistance range (at 08:30) prior to making a low value reading that was for the purpose of confirming accuracy. On a side note it is well worth buying a pair of 2 mm slide on croc clips to make existing probes better at measuring components. www.palmsens.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Croc-clips-500x500.jpg
Re B) C), didn't include in the video, but in Ohm range the reading is actually exactly "0" when shorting the probes.
This model is nowhere to be found...bummer
Sorry, I think that I just bought the last one! Maybe the 210D is on its way....
This same meter seems to be marketed as a Habotest HT208D. AliExpress sells them for about $47 and Alibaba for $33 ! I have no experience with either of these sellers.
Alan Daters
Thanks! Yap its true I just ordered 1, hope it arrives soon.
208D has DC Current, 208A doesn't!
Don't buy this buy the Uniti.
Why, does the Uni-T have as good a inrush current measurement capability?