On 3/17/2011 3:48 AM George spake thus:

On 3/16/2011 10:39 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.

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.

For the same reason I don't want 100 free harbor freight flashlights.
I want something that works that I can depend on.

You essentially described why the cheap meter is useless: "I had a hell
of a time getting a decent connection. Had to twist and wiggle the
xistor"

That's only a fault with the transistor socket. I only used it for the
first time the other day. Not the main function of the unit for me.


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