On 3/16/2011 9:39 PM, David Nebenzahl wrote:
I'm on my, oh, third el-cheapo (~$3) DMM (digital multimeter) from HF.
Guess this one'll keep working fine if I can keep it dry and not stomp
on it.

But today I was using it to test a bunch of transistors, using the
handy-dandy "hFE" test function, and realized again what the weak points
of these meters are.

The meters themselves are fine, so far as I can tell. I'm willing to bet
that they're pretty much functionally identical and just as accurate as
much more expensive ones. In other words, the guts are probably pretty
much the same as any DMM on the market, apart from really high-end ones
(Fluke, etc.).

No, the weak points are the damned connectors. I already knew how
****-poor the test leads are; you can practically pull the wires right
out of them. Of course, these can be replaced with better ones.

But in testing those transistors, I had a hell of a time getting a
decent connection. Had to twist and wiggle the xistor leads in the
socket to get any kind of reading. Opened up the case, thinking I might
be able to bend the contacts tighter or something, but the jack is
closed on the back, so not possible. It's just a really poorly-made
connector.

So long as one realizes this, one can still be content using these
meters. They're still a great buy. How could you *not* buy a DMM for $3?



You can convert them to panel meters for that price. :-)

TDD