What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

On 12/11/2013 8:22 AM, Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

I've got several of the free promos from Harbor
Freight, which I use often at home. First, a person
has to be familiar with electricity. What scales
and ranges do you seek?

The only time I use my "good" meter is for
capacitance, and I can get a rough go or no go
with a swing meter VOM, about fifteen bucks
worth of meter.

Look for meter with ranges that you know.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like
to spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend
more if it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?


Radio Shack has several digital and analog multimeters for well under your
price range . Tell the guy/gal there what you want to do with it , if you're
lucky they might even be knowledgeable enough to help you select one . From
my home repair experience I suggest you look for AC voltage ranges from ~20
volts to 600 , DC voltages the same for the cars and low voltage lighting
systems and resistance ranges that include one that beeps if you have
continuity .
--
Snag



---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

On 12/11/2013 8:56 AM, Snag wrote:

Radio Shack has several digital and analog multimeters for well under your
price range . Tell the guy/gal there what you want to do with it , if you're
lucky they might even be knowledgeable enough to help you select one . From
my home repair experience I suggest you look for AC voltage ranges from ~20
volts to 600 , DC voltages the same for the cars and low voltage lighting
systems and resistance ranges that include one that beeps if you have
continuity .

I'm boycotting RS after they sold me a cell phone,
but refused the $40 rebate. Even after I wrote and
reminded them several times.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 12/11/2013 8:22 AM, Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

I have several of the $10-15 units which I got from places like
Electronic Goldmine and Marlin P. Jones Associates and they are pretty
good. But I needed a better unit that I knew was accurate and that
would read True RMS for AC voltage. I bought the Triplett 9045 for
about $75 on Amazon about a year ago. It also comes with a thermocouple
for reading temps and will read frequency and capacitance. It is now
$85 on Amazon. The only dislike is that its auto ranging seems a bit
slow at times.

On 2013-12-11, Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

I'd recommend a Fluke 114:

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-114-Elec.../dp/B000IZ9FD0

Fluke makes the best most reliable meters, ever. You'll be able to
pass it on to yer kids.

This one will meet yer price ceiling and generally gets good reviews
for a meter in that price range, but is not as sturdy/rugged as a
Fluke (nothing is!).

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-A.../dp/B000EX0AE4

From there on, it's a crap shoot. You can find a usable meter (how
long????) on the $10 table at any auto parts/hardware store, but you
get what you pay for.

nb

On 12/11/13 08:22 am, Jennifer Murphy wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

The one I use most came from Sears when it was on sale many years back.
Has a rubber case with a fold-out stand. I still see similar (if not
identical) ones in the Sears fliers from time to time. I'm pretty sure
they are less than $50.

Perce

Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

Hi,
If you are not in a hurry, Look for used GOOD one like Fluke, Wavetek
on eBay. It'll work long time without causing trouble like El Cheapo
Chinese made one chip toy. At times analog ones like old work horse
Simpson 260 is more suitable. I have both and even a old Tek 'scope.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:52:12 AM UTC-3:30, Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?


For home use I picked up a cheap Klein multimeter (MM100?). About $25. Seems reasonably well built for the price. I can't speak to accuracy except to say that it has served my purposes well (mostly 120/240V AC and low voltage DC).

The one feature that I really appreciate is the probe holster on the back of the multimeter. This allows easy 2-handed operation in situations where you can't use clip-on terminals (which is the case for most home electrical). The unit only comes with solid probes, so depending on what you plan on using it for you might look for some clip-on cables as well.

FWIW, I use Fluke multimeters at work. A much better product but definitely not worth the money for home use.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:33:02 AM UTC-5, notbob wrote:
On 2013-12-11, Jennifer Murphy wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to

spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if

it makes a big difference for home use.



Any recommendations?



I'd recommend a Fluke 114:



http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-114-Elec.../dp/B000IZ9FD0



Fluke makes the best most reliable meters, ever. You'll be able to

pass it on to yer kids.



This one will meet yer price ceiling and generally gets good reviews

for a meter in that price range, but is not as sturdy/rugged as a

Fluke (nothing is!).



http://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-A.../dp/B000EX0AE4



IDK about that specific Fluke, but Fluke is the gold standard
in that type of meter. I've had mine for 30 years now.




From there on, it's a crap shoot. You can find a usable meter (how

long????) on the $10 table at any auto parts/hardware store, but you

get what you pay for.



nb


I have one of those that cost about $12 or so. I think it was
from Sears, might have been Radio Shack. I kept it on my boat.
It was fine for what I used it for and it's still working years
later. I bought one of the $8 meters at Harbor Freight and it
only lasted a year. It still kind of works, if you consider
trying to read 120V it shows 160V......

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 11:01:51 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:22:12 -0800, Jennifer Murphy

wrote:



What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to

spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if

it makes a big difference for home use.



Any recommendations?



The biggest problem with really cheap meters is they come with cheap

leads. If you are working around line voltage you want leads with good

insulation on the wire and clips that are line voltage rated. The

covering on most cheap meter lead clips is just rated for comfort, not

insulation.



The wires often break and give bad readings too.



The weak point in cheap meters is the switches. Again they get flaky

and you can't trust the reading. I agree Fluke and Wavtek make a

pretty good meter

Good point. The cheapo HF one that I bought, one of the probes
cracked in half. From my prespective, there are two price points. Either
the $10-15 range where you live with what you get, which could
be OK. That's what I bought to keep on my boat. Or the $100
range where you can get a Fluke. I don't think I'd screw around
in the 25-50 area.

"notbob" wrote in message ...
On 2013-12-11, Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

I'd recommend a Fluke 114:

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-114-Elec.../dp/B000IZ9FD0

Fluke makes the best most reliable meters, ever. You'll be able to
pass it on to yer kids.

This one will meet yer price ceiling and generally gets good reviews
for a meter in that price range, but is not as sturdy/rugged as a
Fluke (nothing is!).

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-A.../dp/B000EX0AE4

From there on, it's a crap shoot. You can find a usable meter (how
long????) on the $10 table at any auto parts/hardware store, but you
get what you pay for.

nb




True enough. I needed a quick/cheap meter and picked up an Ideal 61-340 for
around 30 bucks at Lowes. Thing works great and does have a lot of bells and
whistles. The main thing is learning how to use a DMM, safely, and with the
understanding that they usually have a bit of delay in contrast to analog
meters. Getting one of those "voltage beepers" is also a handy tool. I have
a pair of Ideal wire strippers that have one built into the handle.


for the price.

On 2013-12-11, Irreverent Maximus wrote:

True enough. I needed a quick/cheap meter and picked up an Ideal 61-340 for
around 30 bucks at Lowes.

As gfretwell sez, it's the leads that go first. So, care for yer
meter's leads like they're yer own fingers. Never leave 'em plugged
into the meter and wrap 'em around the meter and toss all in yer
toolbox.

nb

On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:22:12 -0800, Jennifer Murphy
wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

I woudlnt' buy the cheapest digital meter, but one step up from that,
which a couple years ago sold for about 19 dollars, at radio shack.

It will have autopolarity, don't have to connect black to negative.

Harbor Frieight has meters good enough for what you're going to do.
and they are as low as $4 without being on sale Well maybe they
are on sale but the sale seems to be on all the time. If there is no
store in your town, the shipping charges might be high, I don't know.
I ordered once or twice by mail before there was a store here, but I
got several things each time and the shipping was a small fraction.

The only thing the $4 dollar meter is missing is an audible tone for
checking continuity. Like to find out if one end of the extension
cord is really connected to the other end. You can look at the meter
and it should say 0 to 4 ohms, but it's easier if it just squeals,
which many other meters do below 10 ohms or so. I have a couple
meters that squeal, but I usually use use the 4 dollar HF meter and
look at the number. Cheap is cheap and if I leave it on the engine of
my car and drive away, I only lose 4 dollars.


I don't know why anyone would recommend you get a Fluke, for 105 no
less. No one needs that kind of quality for home use, unless he
fixes tvs at home.

The one known problem with digital meters is that they were sometimes
show 20 or 30 VAC or maybe more on a wire that should be dead. And
if it's live, it should have 117 VAC. So if you ever get a voltage
in between 5 and 110, it's probably the fault of the meter, and the
voltage is really zero. If you're not convinced it's really zero and
it's important to you to know, you can get an analog meter, one with a
needle that moves across and arc, for as little as $10 or 12 and that
will NOT show the phantom voltage. But you dont' want to get that
meter now and if an analog meter were to be your first and only meter,
you'd want to spend about 25 not 12.


Remember to turn it off when you're not using it, though a feature of
a few meters over 30 is tht they turn off themselves after a while.

If you're not sure the voltage, start with a high range like 200
volts, and then rotate the switch to lower voltages.

AND above all, never measure resistance until AFTER you have measured
voltage, between the same two points. There should be zero voltage
or you can't get a good resistance measurement, and if there is more
than that, you might burn out part of your meter.


http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...t?q=multimeter just
the first 3.

Estimated shipping for me for one meter was
Standard Ground $6.99
Second Day $13.83
Next Day $26.66

That's 7 dollar more you can spend if you shop locally .

On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:22:12 -0800, Jennifer Murphy
wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

Also, you should make or buy some wires with alligator clips on both
ends. RAdio shack has a bag of 10, in 5 colors, for 4 or 5 dollars.
You use one to clip one test wires in place, and then you only have to
worry about the other test lead. There are 100 uses for these
things. Once when a wire in my car's wiring harness broke, I used a
3 foot jumper wire to get home. I didnt' bother replacing it, and
used it until the car died 3 years later. Then I took it off.

I've never had a harbor frieight meter break or any probelm with
insulation up to 117 vac house current. I havent' measured higher
than that lately.

Some meters have a separate place to test batteries, which provides a
load and is better than using the regular 20 volt scale but not that
much better. All you need to know is that batteries retain most o
ftheir voltage until they're almost dead. So if a 1.5 volt cell reads
1.3 volts, it's worthless, 1.4 almost worthless, 1.45 not worth much.

"micky" wrote in message
...

I don't know why anyone would recommend you get a Fluke, for 105 no
less. No one needs that kind of quality for home use, unless he
fixes tvs at home.


While the $ 105 Fluke is high, it will often withstand a few things such as
a drop to the floor or maybe hooking it to a voltage when set for ohms or
current.

For most that seldom use a meter, the ones in the $ 20 to $ 30 range seem to
be good enough. Many of the HF meters are not that accurate and may not
hold up very well. But for $ 4 it may be worth trying one.

Just as most home owners should have a hammer and a few screwdrivers they
should have a meter and have a fair idea on how to do a few simple tests.

I have a couple of the $ 300 or so Flukes, and an old Simpson 260 analog
meter. Another handy tester for the house is a Fluke T5. It is just over
$ 100. While it will not check voltages to the decimal place , for house
wiring it is great. The thing is almost indistructable in the voltages
found in most homes. I have used one at work and have it on the ohms scale
and put it across some 480 volt circuits on pupose to check fuses. I would
not recommend that with any of the inexpensive meters. I have seen saftey
films where that was done with inexpensive meters and the meter arced over
and the leads went up in flames. It also allows you to check the current
drawn on a wire as it has a long slot in one end to put the wire.

In article ,
Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?


You can do 90% or more of typical DIY work requiring a DM with the cheap
ones available from Harbor Freight, often for free with a coupon and
another purchase. Normal price is about $5 or so.


--
There are no stupid questions, but there are lots of stupid answers.

Larry W. - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

On 2013-12-11, Ralph Mowery wrote:

"micky" wrote in message

I don't know why anyone would recommend you get a Fluke, for 105 no
less. No one needs that kind of quality for home use, unless he
fixes tvs at home.


While the $ 105 Fluke is high, it will often withstand a few things such as
a drop to the floor or maybe hooking it to a voltage when set for ohms or
current.

Yep. I've got a Fluke meter that's at least 30 yrs old. I gave a
friend one that was 40 yrs old. Both work like new. Some ppl buy
quality, others crap.

nb

On 12/11/2013 5:42 PM, Larry W wrote:

You can do 90% or more of typical DIY work requiring a DM with the cheap
ones available from Harbor Freight, often for free with a coupon and
another purchase. Normal price is about $5 or so.


I do essentitaly all my VOM work with the free HF
units. This includes home, and I've got several
in my two vehicles. I use them for repairs of
electric alarm locks. And a couple Sundays ago,
used one to help fix a 300,000 BTU (think it was
about that size) furnace at church. Recently gave
one to a friend who was in town, and didn't have
a VOM with him.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Start with the Harbor Freight - freebee or very low cost - under $10.00

A lot will depend on what you want to measure. I have a farily expensive HP multimeter, but use the HF cheapie 00% of the time, I don't need the increased accuracy very much. Just, is the circuit activated, is it 6V or 9V or 12V? For these levels of sophistication, you don't need more than a HF.

On 12/11/13 10:01 AM, wrote:

The biggest problem with really cheap meters is they come with cheap
leads. If you are working around line voltage you want leads with good
insulation on the wire and clips that are line voltage rated. The
covering on most cheap meter lead clips is just rated for comfort, not
insulation.

The wires often break and give bad readings too.

The weak point in cheap meters is the switches. Again they get flaky
and you can't trust the reading. I agree Fluke and Wavtek make a
pretty good meter



Is there a digital equivalent of a Wiggy? Is induced voltage any
concern for most household use?

"Dean Hoffman" " wrote in message
...


Is there a digital equivalent of a Wiggy? Is induced voltage any
concern for most household use?


Something close is the Fluke T2. It has 2 leads attached. Just hook it up;
and some leds will light up. It will indicate from 6 volts to 600.
Indicate a short/or low ohms between the leads. I don't think they make it
any more, but there may be an equal tester.

Very seldom is the induced voltage any problem around the house, but it can
be.

Where I worked we had thousands of wires in conduits and it was a very great
problem.
The company would buy any meter I wanted and I had several Flukes, but often
carried the old Simpson 260 analog due to the induced voltage problem. It
would often show something, but only about half of what I expected to see if
I was getting a true voltage.

There are some meters out that have a button or special position to help on
the induced voltage problem now. Sometimes I made my own by placing a
resistor across the meter leads.

On 12/11/2013 2:42 PM, Larry W wrote:
In article ,
Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?


You can do 90% or more of typical DIY work requiring a DM with the cheap
ones available from Harbor Freight, often for free with a coupon and
another purchase. Normal price is about $5 or so.


Maybe...but I'd shy away from the free ones if it's your only meter.
I picked up one free.
I was gonna throw it into the car, but decided to check it out.
Shorted the probes on ohms. Reading varied around 500 ohms.
OOPS!!
Took it back.
"sorry, it was free, not guaranteed."
"I guess I got what I paid for, GRRRR!"
"OK, go get another one."

This one is much better, but still crap.
there are a lot of much better ones on sale at sears, home depot etc.
for under $50.

One handy feature missing on cheap meters is the temperature function.
Make sure it comes with the temperature probe.

micky wrote:
On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:22:12 -0800, Jennifer Murphy
wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

Also, you should make or buy some wires with alligator clips on both
ends. RAdio shack has a bag of 10, in 5 colors, for 4 or 5 dollars.
You use one to clip one test wires in place, and then you only have to
worry about the other test lead. There are 100 uses for these
things. Once when a wire in my car's wiring harness broke, I used a
3 foot jumper wire to get home. I didnt' bother replacing it, and
used it until the car died 3 years later. Then I took it off.

I've never had a harbor frieight meter break or any probelm with
insulation up to 117 vac house current. I havent' measured higher
than that lately.

Some meters have a separate place to test batteries, which provides a
load and is better than using the regular 20 volt scale but not that
much better. All you need to know is that batteries retain most o
ftheir voltage until they're almost dead. So if a 1.5 volt cell reads
1.3 volts, it's worthless, 1.4 almost worthless, 1.45 not worth much.

First of all, if you ever buy a Set of crimped alligator leads, take time
and solder each FIRST. They will fail passing current otherwise at some
time.

I have used many meters, and have many meters. Some are broke. Some need
fuses. I like $400 fluke meters. My current grab and go is this".....

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-1-...ter-98674.html

Greg

Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 12/11/2013 5:42 PM, Larry W wrote:

You can do 90% or more of typical DIY work requiring a DM with the cheap
ones available from Harbor Freight, often for free with a coupon and
another purchase. Normal price is about $5 or so.


I do essentitaly all my VOM work with the free HF
units. This includes home, and I've got several
in my two vehicles. I use them for repairs of
electric alarm locks. And a couple Sundays ago,
used one to help fix a 300,000 BTU (think it was
about that size) furnace at church. Recently gave
one to a friend who was in town, and didn't have
a VOM with him.

Hi,
Maybe for your type of work. Ever had one calibrated?
I always maintain one meter calibrated. I don't send it
to lab. I take it to where I uised to work where calibrated
referwnce unit is maintained. I check mine against.

On 12/11/2013 9:47 PM, Tony Hwang wrote:
Hi,
Maybe for your type of work. Ever had one calibrated?
I always maintain one meter calibrated. I don't send it
to lab. I take it to where I uised to work where calibrated
referwnce unit is maintained. I check mine against.

Never had one calibrated. Most of what I do,
close is good enough. Fuse open, or not, that
kind of thing. Have power, or not.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message ...
Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 12/11/2013 5:42 PM, Larry W wrote:

You can do 90% or more of typical DIY work requiring a DM with the cheap
ones available from Harbor Freight, often for free with a coupon and
another purchase. Normal price is about $5 or so.


I do essentitaly all my VOM work with the free HF
units. This includes home, and I've got several
in my two vehicles. I use them for repairs of
electric alarm locks. And a couple Sundays ago,
used one to help fix a 300,000 BTU (think it was
about that size) furnace at church. Recently gave
one to a friend who was in town, and didn't have
a VOM with him.

Hi,
Maybe for your type of work. Ever had one calibrated?
I always maintain one meter calibrated. I don't send it
to lab. I take it to where I uised to work where calibrated
referwnce unit is maintained. I check mine against.

Fluke recommends that their meters be calibrated annually. They used
to do it for free. Just pay for all of the shipping. If it is the
oops, I dropped it again meter, no one cares. Those are a proof of
concept tool and are meant to be kicked around, unlike the $300 plus
meters that generally stay in their hard cases. Ever drop a Meger?
That's an expensive oh sh#t! :-)

On 12/11/2013 9:07 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 12/11/2013 8:56 AM, Snag wrote:

Radio Shack has several digital and analog multimeters for well
under your
price range . Tell the guy/gal there what you want to do with it , if
you're
lucky they might even be knowledgeable enough to help you select one .
From
my home repair experience I suggest you look for AC voltage ranges
from ~20
volts to 600 , DC voltages the same for the cars and low voltage
lighting
systems and resistance ranges that include one that beeps if you have
continuity .

I'm boycotting RS after they sold me a cell phone,
but refused the $40 rebate. Even after I wrote and
reminded them several times.

Hmmm... I had a similar problem with their offshoot... computer city I
think it was called. I had multiple rebates.. none of them were paid.

I had also used my father in law for some...none of them were paid.

I had to fight with them to get them paid... They tried blaming me, that
my address was wrong... but you know, that would not have happened for
me and my father in law...

There's something wrong with RS.

--
Jeff

I agree with the advice that's telling Jennifer to buy a cheap multimeter.

As DIY'ers, we seldom really measure anything other than voltage, and most times we're only concerned about whether it's there or not, and whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC we're measuring.

I would tell Jennifer to buy a cheap multimeter than has a beeper to indicate continuity.

All of this other stuff, like measuring capacitance, is something a person rarely needs to do, and in those few cases, they can always take the capacitor to a trade school electronics instructor or any electronics repair shop to get them to measure it.

Fluke meters are great, but a lot of what you're paying for is the fact that they read true RMS voltage, which takes a little bit of electronic circuitry that a $10 meter doesn't have. But, the number of times where I've actually needed to measure true RMS voltage I can count on one finger. 99.9 % of the time we just want to know if there's voltage there, and if so, whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC. You don't need the electronic wizardry that a Fluke meter would provide for that.

On 12/11/2013 6:32 PM, gregz wrote:


I have used many meters, and have many meters. Some are broke. Some need
fuses. I like $400 fluke meters. My current grab and go is this".....

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-1-...ter-98674.html

Greg

That's a seriously cool meter. I was all set to buy one...until I read the
specs.
The accuracy spec has a rider of 2x for 10C ambient change.
And the sound level is +/- 3.5dB for an ear splitting 1kHz.
sine wave and completely unspecified everywhere else.

Yep, it's Harbor Freight.
I still think it's all cool and useful, just not enough to buy
yet another meter.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 11:10:52 PM UTC-5, nestork wrote:
I agree with the advice that's telling Jennifer to buy a cheap

multimeter.



As DIY'ers, we seldom really measure anything other than voltage, and

most times we're only concerned about whether it's there or not, and

whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC we're measuring.

I agree. I have a nice Simpson, but it's kind of a pain to drag that case around and untangle the leads. The cheap Radio Shack is what I usually reach for, unless I'm getting weird readings.

Just a warning though, about being concerned whether voltage is there or not. That's a great use for a meter, and can save you the occasional miserable oops. But the proper technique is Live-Dead-Live.

Check on a known live voltage to be sure the meter is working.

Check the wire you're about to touch to confirm you've disonnected it.

Then check AGAIN on a live source. Meters have been known to fail at just the wrong time, and your dead wire might not be really dead.

Okay, it's rare to have that problem. But that's the way I was taught to test.

"nestork" wrote in message ...

I agree with the advice that's telling Jennifer to buy a cheap
multimeter.

As DIY'ers, we seldom really measure anything other than voltage, and
most times we're only concerned about whether it's there or not, and
whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC we're measuring.

I would tell Jennifer to buy a cheap multimeter than has a beeper to
indicate continuity.

All of this other stuff, like measuring capacitance, is something a
person rarely needs to do, and in those few cases, they can always take
the capacitor to a trade school electronics instructor or any
electronics repair shop to get them to measure it.

Fluke meters are great, but a lot of what you're paying for is the fact
that they read true RMS voltage, which takes a little bit of electronic
circuitry that a $10 meter doesn't have. But, the number of times where
I've actually needed to measure true RMS voltage I can count on one
finger. 99.9 % of the time we just want to know if there's voltage
there, and if so, whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC. You don't
need the electronic wizardry that a Fluke meter would provide for that.

Not caring about true RMS at the time, I got this meter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmtSyx5Yjg

I scored price wise on it (under 30). Would have preferred replacing my
fried Fluke, but spur of the moment need and almost 400 bucks difference
in price made the decision easy. I miss the milliamp driver, but cannot
say that I have a true need for that any time soon.

"TimR" wrote in message ...
On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 11:10:52 PM UTC-5, nestork wrote:
I agree with the advice that's telling Jennifer to buy a cheap

multimeter.



As DIY'ers, we seldom really measure anything other than voltage, and

most times we're only concerned about whether it's there or not, and

whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC we're measuring.

I agree. I have a nice Simpson, but it's kind of a pain to drag that case around and untangle the leads. The cheap Radio Shack
is what I usually reach for, unless I'm getting weird readings.

Just a warning though, about being concerned whether voltage is there or not. That's a great use for a meter, and can save you
the occasional miserable oops. But the proper technique is Live-Dead-Live.

Check on a known live voltage to be sure the meter is working.

Check the wire you're about to touch to confirm you've disonnected it.

Then check AGAIN on a live source. Meters have been known to fail at just the wrong time, and your dead wire might not be really
dead.

Okay, it's rare to have that problem. But that's the way I was taught to test.

Yep. Mine died once while trying to check resistance/continuity. The battery was low and did not
bring the meter out of 0L even while there was a circuit established. The screen worked and all, but
that was a cursing TSR moment. Luckily I figured out what was going on and had my expensive meter
handy to finish the job in a few minutes. Yes, a hundred feet of wire is enough to defeat the meter
with a low battery.

"Irreverent Maximus" wrote:
"nestork" wrote in message
...
I agree with the advice that's telling Jennifer to buy a cheap
multimeter.
As DIY'ers, we seldom really measure anything other than voltage, and
most times we're only concerned about whether it's there or not, and
whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC we're measuring.
I would tell Jennifer to buy a cheap multimeter than has a beeper to
indicate continuity.
All of this other stuff, like measuring capacitance, is something a
person rarely needs to do, and in those few cases, they can always take
the capacitor to a trade school electronics instructor or any
electronics repair shop to get them to measure it.
Fluke meters are great, but a lot of what you're paying for is the fact
that they read true RMS voltage, which takes a little bit of electronic
circuitry that a $10 meter doesn't have. But, the number of times where
I've actually needed to measure true RMS voltage I can count on one
finger. 99.9 % of the time we just want to know if there's voltage
there, and if so, whether it's 24 VAC, 120 VAC or 240 VAC. You don't
need the electronic wizardry that a Fluke meter would provide for that.

Not caring about true RMS at the time, I got this meter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmtSyx5Yjg

I scored price wise on it (under 30). Would have preferred replacing my
fried Fluke, but spur of the moment need and almost 400 bucks difference
in price made the decision easy. I miss the milliamp driver, but cannot
say that I have a true need for that any time soon.

Led display ?

Greg

On 12/11/2013 8:32 PM, gregz wrote:
micky wrote:
On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:22:12 -0800, Jennifer Murphy
wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

Also, you should make or buy some wires with alligator clips on both
ends. RAdio shack has a bag of 10, in 5 colors, for 4 or 5 dollars.
You use one to clip one test wires in place, and then you only have to
worry about the other test lead. There are 100 uses for these
things. Once when a wire in my car's wiring harness broke, I used a
3 foot jumper wire to get home. I didnt' bother replacing it, and
used it until the car died 3 years later. Then I took it off.

I've never had a harbor frieight meter break or any probelm with
insulation up to 117 vac house current. I havent' measured higher
than that lately.

Some meters have a separate place to test batteries, which provides a
load and is better than using the regular 20 volt scale but not that
much better. All you need to know is that batteries retain most o
ftheir voltage until they're almost dead. So if a 1.5 volt cell reads
1.3 volts, it's worthless, 1.4 almost worthless, 1.45 not worth much.

First of all, if you ever buy a Set of crimped alligator leads, take time
and solder each FIRST. They will fail passing current otherwise at some
time.

I have used many meters, and have many meters. Some are broke. Some need
fuses. I like $400 fluke meters. My current grab and go is this".....

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-1-...ter-98674.html

Greg


I just gave a customer a cheap Harbor Freight DMM and showed him how to
use it to check the polarity of the power supply splice/links to the
wireless IP cameras he wanted to install himself. $5.00 to avoid damage
to equipment is a good investment. ^_^

TDD

Jennifer Murphy wrote:
What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use?

My opinion:

Must-haves:
AC volts to at least 300 V
DC volts to at least 100 V
AC and DC amps to 10 A, 15 A, or 20 A
Ohms
Continuity beeper (might be part of the Ohms function)
Detachable test leads

Nice-to-haves:
Auto-ranging
"Smart" ohms mode that will flip over into volts mode if you
accidentally probe a live circuit
Backlit LCD
Easy-to-get fuses
Easy-to-get batteries
Rubber case or holster
Hooks, straps, stands, etc.
Extra test leads, alligator clip attachments, etc.

Rationale:
Those voltage and current ranges will handle anything that a mild-
mannered homeowner will want to measure.

The continuity beeper is useful to figure out if a wire is broken or
shorted to another wire, or if an (unpowered) switch is closed or open,
without having to look at the meter.

The detachable test leads are because the leads *will* get beat up if
you use it a lot. 99% of meters use standard "banana" plugs on the
test leads, so any set of replacement leads will fit. This is kind of
an advanced use, but if you have a situation where you want to wire the
meter in for a while, you can buy banana plugs on your own and make a
custom set of leads.

However, detachable leads do make the meter more bulky; the "pocket"
meters tend not to have detachable leads. If you only use it once a
month or less, detachable leads are not such a big deal.

Auto-ranging means you just have to pick (say) "AC Volts" or "Ohms" and
the meter figures out the rest. Manual ranging means you have to choose
between (say) 4 V AC, 40 V AC, and 400 V AC ranges. It will say on the
package if it's auto-ranging, and also the big round switch on the front
will be simpler (fewer positions).

The backlit display is easier to read in the dark, which includes the
nooks and crannies of your furnace or washing machine. It uses a little
bit of battery life, though.

"Smart" ohms mode is because if you try to measure resistance on a
powered circuit, at best you'll get the wrong answer and at worst you'll
blow up the meter. Some meters detect this, beep, and flip themselves
over into measuring volts instead (which is safe for the meter).

Most all meters will have at least one internal fuse and a lot of them
have two. Eventually you *will* blow one of them, probably the amps
one. If it is a 15 A or 20 A ceramic 0.25" x 1.25" fuse, every Radio
Shack, hardware store, and electronics store in the US can supply them
(those fuses also get used in microwave ovens). If it's some weird size
of fuse, you'll have to go to an electronics store or order online. You
may have to look this up online; the packaging will say "fused for
protection", but the fuse *size* is probably only in the owner's manual.
Sometimes you get a spare fuse with the meter when new.

Most meters take a 9 V battery, but some take AAs or AAAs, and a few
take oddballs. In general the battery will last for at least several
months, and probably several years, so this isn't a super big deal. But
it's nice to be able to scrounge a battery from something else if the
meter goes dead at an inopportune time.

The case, holster, extra test leads just make it nicer to use, but
aren't *required*.

Tips:

If the test probes aren't already like this, it can help to cover all
but the last 1/8" (3 mm) or so of the metal probe tip, to avoid shorting
it out on nearby wires. You can use electrical tape, heat-shrink
tubing, or even stripped wire insulation if you can find some that is
a good force fit.

When you first get it, practice on some stuff you know the voltages of,
like flashlight batteries, a car battery, wall adapters for small
electronics, and stuff like that. You can even (very carefully) measure
your line voltage by sticking the probes in an electrical outlet.

If you get a manual-ranging one, and you have no idea what the answer
is going to be, always start on the highest range and work down. This
is less important than it was for an analog meter, but it's still nicer
for the meter to not ask it to measure something out of range.

A lot of time, the amps ranges will require that you move the red lead
over to a different socket. This is fine, but the *SECOND* you get done
using that range, move the red lead back over to its regular socket -
don't wait until later to move it back. The reason is that in the amps
range, the meter is nearly a dead short. It's *easy* to measure current
and then try to measure voltage without moving the lead back, and blow
the fuse in the meter. I've watched it being done and I've even done it
myself.

Any recommendations?

The one I use around the house is a Radio Shack 22-805, which I bought
around 1999 or 2000 because of its computer connection, but I don't use
that feature much now. It is a rebadged Metex meter. In Radio Shack's
current lineup, the 22-813 ($40) or 22-075 ($45) might do what you want.
Their 22-182 is a "pocket meter" style that is on sale for $20; that one
will get you through a lot, but if I was going to buy only one meter
from Radio Shack, I'd go for one of the other two.

My "daily driver" in my field toolbox for a long time has been a Sperry
DM8400, which I bought probably at Home Depot in about 1997. The
closest meter to that in their current lineup is probably the DM5300,
which is about $80. Their lower-priced meters may be worth a look if
they are easily available in your area.

I used to work with college students and they were unable to kill the
two Fluke 12 multimeters we had, even though they tried. The only odd
thing I ever noticed about these was that when the "low battery"
indicator came on, the calibration would be off; replacing the 9 V
battery made everything work right again. The closest current model is
the Fluke 113, but it sells for about $120; I don't think they have any
meters under this price.

I hope this helps!

Matt Roberds

On Thu, 12 Dec 2013 01:47:14 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:



I just gave a customer a cheap Harbor Freight DMM and showed him how to
use it to check the polarity of the power supply splice/links to the
wireless IP cameras he wanted to install himself. $5.00 to avoid damage
to equipment is a good investment. ^_^

TDD

At that price you can give them away and the customer probably feels
important, even better than having his first power tool, especially a
power saw. A very good way to please customers, I'll bet.

I think a lot of people think meters are beyond them, so if they learn
how, that puts them way ahead of those still out there who don't know
what to do with them.

On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 17:48:53 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

Recently gave
one to a friend who was in town, and didn't have
a VOM with him.

I forgot that I'd given one to two or three friends, just because I
thought they should have one.

I also gave even more of them the HF headlamp when it was on sale real
cheap, but that might not have been such a good idea. If they don't
use it, the batteries will leak. (and I don't even use mine.) And a
few years later, LEDs got good enough to make a better light (still
with batteries that might leak.)

On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 05:22:12 -0800, Jennifer Murphy
wrote:

What should I look for in a digital multimeter for home use? I'd like to
spend less than $50, if possible, but would be willing to spend more if
it makes a big difference for home use.

Any recommendations?

BTW, afaik all meters cheap or expensive, unless maybe it was
home-built, have a clever circuit, (whose name I forget. It looks like
a 4-sided diamond) , that makes the read-out the same, even when the
voltage of the battery inside is going down. When the battery is
almost dead (1.3 or 1.4 volts for a nominal 1.5 volt battery) it
won't work but if it's 1.47, which might be 80% discharged, the
reading should be the same as with a new battery.

Meters don't use much current, so they might work with batteries that
don't work in a portable radio with an actual speaker. (radios that
drive headphones don't need so much power so I'm not comparing with
them.)

I'm sure some people here will take issue with some of this. It's
true that my numbers are only educated guesses.

On Wed, 11 Dec 2013 16:56:24 -0600, Dean Hoffman
" wrote:

On 12/11/13 10:01 AM, wrote:

The biggest problem with really cheap meters is they come with cheap
leads. If you are working around line voltage you want leads with good
insulation on the wire and clips that are line voltage rated. The
covering on most cheap meter lead clips is just rated for comfort, not
insulation.

The wires often break and give bad readings too.

The weak point in cheap meters is the switches. Again they get flaky
and you can't trust the reading. I agree Fluke and Wavtek make a
pretty good meter



Is there a digital equivalent of a Wiggy? Is induced voltage any
concern for most household use?

I think the problem lies in someone thinking the voltage is really
there, and wasting an hour (hours) trying to find out why it's there
and get rid of it. Well, the voltage is tthere, but the charge in
coulombs is very small. Because there is no load connected to it, it
can be high voltage like that. The meter is a load but it 11megohms
per volt, so high the charge doesn't get used up. If you were using
an analog meter at 20 kilohms per volt, the meter itself would drain
away the charge and make the voltage drop to zero.

I didn't realize, never saw any before yesterday, that not only does
Amazon have ratings, they have comments on the rating comments. If
you look at this conversation about the Fluke 114, that someone
recommended,
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1XR9N8...R1XR9N8UI6LLCX
you'll see "3. I believe he mentions the Fluke 115 model, but the 115
lacks the low impedance (Lo-Z) voltage measurement feature which is
nice for two reasons: It eliminates weird induced/stray voltages by
actually making the source do a little work,[and it automatically
selects AC or DC]. This is the best and safest mode to use to verify
absence or presence of live power."

This is the first reference I've seen to a digital meter that can do
this.

Another guy goes on to cite his meter, that displays the AC and DC
voltages at the same time. (Don't worry Jennifer, you'll almost surely
never come across this.)