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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Has to have the inductive type clamp as I need a meter to measure the
amperage draw my machines are using... have mostly single phase stuff, and a couple of VFD driven 3 phase motors. I would also like to be able to measure the alternator output on some of the older shop vehicles. I would like some suggestions for a good fluke or equiv brand meter, with the "amp clamp" add on deal... I will be taking my chances at the local pawn shops so a model number suggestion would be fantastic!!!!! TIA! |
#2
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
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#3
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Cydrome Leader wrote:
I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes |
#4
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Wes wrote: Cydrome Leader wrote: I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. |
#5
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Pete C. wrote:
Wes wrote: Cydrome Leader wrote: I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. Don't even buy the fluke in this case. You'd be to busy keeping it safe and using junk meters for all your real work. That's what expensive tools and instruments are for- they'll take a daily beating and still work better than cheaper things. As for the "disposable meter" concept, I'm not buying that either. I'd rather just buy fuses for a good meter with leads that won't electrocute me in the first place, or mislead me with 0 or other garbage readings. So, who here buys disposable chinese ladders and just tosses them out when the rungs break or they collapse? |
#6
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Cydrome Leader wrote: Pete C. wrote: Wes wrote: Cydrome Leader wrote: I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. Don't even buy the fluke in this case. You'd be to busy keeping it safe and using junk meters for all your real work. That's what expensive tools and instruments are for- they'll take a daily beating and still work better than cheaper things. As for the "disposable meter" concept, I'm not buying that either. I'd rather just buy fuses for a good meter with leads that won't electrocute me in the first place, or mislead me with 0 or other garbage readings. So, who here buys disposable chinese ladders and just tosses them out when the rungs break or they collapse? I'm not about to keep a good $300 Fluke meter in the truck in 100 degree summers or -10 degree winters. A $3 HF meter, no problem, and it's always there in the truck with my socket set and other tools for on the road troubleshooting. The same goes for having one of those $3 meters in every toolbox. I have separate toolboxes for RF/video, phone/data, etc. and each one has one of those meters in it. They are perfectly fine for continuity checks, etc. and always handy. |
#7
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 04:51:09 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
wrote: Pete C. wrote: Wes wrote: Cydrome Leader wrote: I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. Don't even buy the fluke in this case. You'd be to busy keeping it safe and using junk meters for all your real work. That's what expensive tools and instruments are for- they'll take a daily beating and still work better than cheaper things. As for the "disposable meter" concept, I'm not buying that either. I'd rather just buy fuses for a good meter with leads that won't electrocute me in the first place, or mislead me with 0 or other garbage readings. So, who here buys disposable chinese ladders and just tosses them out when the rungs break or they collapse? The man does have a point. Gunner, with Fluke in all his tool boxes |
#8
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:14:25 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote: Wes wrote: Cydrome Leader wrote: I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. I would concur with this. Keeping a fluke in the average metalworking shop would be a total waste of money. A cheapy HF unit is more than accurate enough for virtually all the measurements you will be making - and if you leave it on the bench and drop something on it, drop it on the floor, back over it with a cart, leave it on a friend's/customer's pickup/trailer/under hood, you have lost ten bucks - and you are not in a fix because you have another one in the other toolbox, one in the car, one in the pickup, and one in the kitchen - all for 1/4 the cost of one Fluke. ANd you know the slogan - "If it works, it's a fluke" |
#9
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
I have both Flukes as well as $3.99 Harbor Freight multimeters.
The HF ones indeed have many "issues", but they are good for checking car batteries, or whether voltage is present etc. They certainly have their place and, like Pete C, I have one in the "machine removal toolbox" in my pickup. i |
#10
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
"Pete C." wrote: (clip) and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Me too. The result is that each time I go to use the Fluke it's time to replace the battery. |
#11
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:14:25 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote: snip Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. I'm pretty fond of my old B&K 2810 Digital VOM. It still works fine and it is over 25 years old. I get a few more features on the Fluke 87, but I better trust the B&K for ohming out semiconductors. The B&K also has a full scale 10 ohm range that is nice for those ~.02 ohm type measurements on some items. -- Leon Fisk Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b Remove no.spam for email |
#12
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Leon Fisk wrote:
On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:14:25 -0600, "Pete C." wrote: snip Yes, you can't beat a Fluke. However a good Fluke isn't cheap, and the $3 on sale Harbor Freight DMMs are very handy, and at that price you can keep one in every vehicle and every toolbox, and keep the good Fluke somewhere safe. I'm pretty fond of my old B&K 2810 Digital VOM. It still works fine and it is over 25 years old. I get a few more features on the Fluke 87, but I better trust the B&K for ohming out semiconductors. The B&K also has a full scale 10 ohm range that is nice for those ~.02 ohm type measurements on some items. I still use the B&k 820 capacitance meter with the LED display. Each generation after that lost more and more ranges. |
#13
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:54:43 -0500, Wes wrote:
Cydrome Leader wrote: I can't think of any equivalents to a fluke. Just get one of those. Yup. Not that this will help OP, my trusty Model 12 got dropped one time too many and the case cracked away and I didn't notice the chunk was missing while there was a chance to find it. Work is replacing it with an 117, ordered today. I'm not a tool snob but when it comes to ammeters and DMM's, Fluke is always a safe choice. I'm not a fan of the all in ones with the amp clamp. Seems like most I've seen are half arsed at everything. Wes As an industrial service tech, the BEST unit Ive ever used for general duty...is the Fluke T5-600 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Z3GZU Ohms, tone, AC/DC volts, AC amps to 100, auto off, rugged as hell, easy to use, rugged (dropped one off a 12vt ladder, and it bounced as I cringed in pain...and it still works just fine.) Gunner Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end. |
#14
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Nov 7, 12:00*pm, wrote:
... I would like some suggestions for a good fluke or equiv brand meter, with the "amp clamp" add on deal... I will be taking my chances at the local pawn shops so a model number suggestion would be fantastic!!!!! TIA! The only one I had trouble with was a Sears with a DC current scale that wouldn't hold zero. I have several used analog Amprobe clamp-ons, one of which reads low. It has a suspicious typewritten calibration tag that suggests it may have been customized. The KillAWatt is reputedly accurate enough to use for calibration; http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93519 |
#15
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Nov 7, 10:00*am, wrote:
Has to have the inductive type clamp as I need a meter to measure the amperage draw my machines are using... have mostly single phase stuff, and a couple of VFD driven 3 phase motors. *I would also like to be able to measure the alternator output on some of the older shop vehicles. I would like some suggestions for a good fluke or equiv brand meter, with the "amp clamp" add on deal... I will be taking my chances at the local pawn shops so a model number suggestion would be fantastic!!!!! TIA! For occasional shop use, HF has a clamp-on digital at a price that can't be beat, frequently around $8 on sale in the stores. AC-only on the clamp-on, if you want DC, go get a Fluke. You WILL want the single loop break-out for in-line appliance measurements, it plugs into the wall and the appliance plugs into it, Fluke is the only place I've seen that recently. If you want to measure BIG currents, you'll need the 100:1 transformer, too. At the HF price, get two, if you smoke one, you aren't out much. You might find an old Simpson or Triplett clamp-on MRO-type analog meter in a pawnshop, chances are it'll be beat to hell and a lot more than HF wants. I have one of these I inherited, it seldom gets used, though. Ohms scale is just about good enough to check fuses and bulbs. Stan |
#16
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
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#18
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
"Pete C." writes:
I got a hall effect AC/DC clamp probe rated 1,600ACA / 2,000DCA at Fry's for something like $60, TPI brand or something like that. Vastly cheaper than the Fluke equivalent and works just fine with my Fluke 87. The hall effect DCA is really handy when working on an electric forklift, among other things. Yep. But that's Bridgestones to Surface grinders the HF Special. The guy wanting to measure how much a tool draws is a long way from fixing DC forklifts.... -- A host is a host from coast to & no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433 |
#19
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Sat, 8 Nov 2008 04:11:19 +0000 (UTC), David Lesher
wrote: writes: For occasional shop use, HF has a clamp-on digital at a price that can't be beat, frequently around $8 on sale in the stores. AC-only on the clamp-on, if you want DC, go get a Fluke. You WILL want the single loop break-out for in-line appliance measurements, it plugs into the wall and the appliance plugs into it, Fluke is the only place I've seen that recently. If you want to measure BIG currents, you'll need the 100:1 transformer, too. Making a breakout is trivial. Use an extension cord; break the two conductors so you can clamp around one, and that's it. Clamping around both is what a GFI does; the two currents SHOULD be exactly equal. If not, it's leaking to ground somehow, maybe through you.. If your meter is insensitive, then use 2 loops of the one conductor; 5 amps actual will indicate as 10, etc. I made a ten turn coil for low current. Junior used it to determine his requirements for a UPS then within a week he became the resident expert in the computer store where he worked and sold 17 units to one customer because he knew what he was talking about. Gerry :-)} London, Canada |
#20
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On 2008-11-07, wrote:
Has to have the inductive type clamp as I need a meter to measure the amperage draw my machines are using... have mostly single phase stuff, and a couple of VFD driven 3 phase motors. I would also like to be able to measure the alternator output on some of the older shop vehicles. I would like some suggestions for a good fluke or equiv brand meter, with the "amp clamp" add on deal... I will be taking my chances at the local pawn shops so a model number suggestion would be fantastic!!!!! Well ... my Flukes (model 27 and model 37 are officially obsolete now. But I use separate plug-in clamp-on ammeter heads at the end of a coiled cable, so they would work with any version. All you need is the 3/4" spacing pair of banana plug jacks and you are there. Enjoy, DoN. -- Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- |
#21
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
wrote in message ... Has to have the inductive type clamp as I need a meter to measure the amperage draw my machines are using... have mostly single phase stuff, and a couple of VFD driven 3 phase motors. I would also like to be able to measure the alternator output on some of the older shop vehicles. I would like some suggestions for a good fluke or equiv brand meter, with the "amp clamp" add on deal... I will be taking my chances at the local pawn shops so a model number suggestion would be fantastic!!!!! Craftsman 82369 works for me. Both AC and DC current clamp is fine. EBay is your friend...sometimes! -- Michael Koblic, Campbell River, BC |
#22
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
On Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:00:29 -0800, rbce2003 wrote:
Has to have the inductive type clamp as I need a meter to measure the amperage draw my machines are using... have mostly single phase stuff, and a couple of VFD driven 3 phase motors. I would also like to be able to measure the alternator output on some of the older shop vehicles. I would like some suggestions for a good fluke or equiv brand meter, with the "amp clamp" add on deal... I will be taking my chances at the local pawn shops so a model number suggestion would be fantastic!!!!! TIA! Anything plug in you could do with a regular meter and a shunt plug, without the amp clamp. Although an amp clamp is so profoundly convenient you probably wouldn't want to even think about it for the AC equipment. Unless the world has shifted a bunch since the last time I looked, you'll have to pay bigger $$ for a DC amp clamp for the vehicle charging systems. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Do you need to implement control loops in software? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says. See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html |
#23
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need suggestions for a multimeter in the shop...
Tim Wescott wrote: Unless the world has shifted a bunch since the last time I looked, you'll have to pay bigger $$ for a DC amp clamp for the vehicle charging systems. It's shifted: I got a hall effect AC/DC clamp probe rated 1,600ACA / 2,000DCA at Fry's for something like $60, TPI brand or something like that. Vastly cheaper than the Fluke equivalent and works just fine with my Fluke 87. The hall effect DCA is really handy when working on an electric forklift, among other things. |
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