Hey Diy, can you recommend a good non overpriced multimeter. Wherever I look I see fluke as top multimeter. Can you recommend a multimeter under 30 bucks. It doesn't have to be super accurate,however, auto-range would be nice.
>pic related is very similar to what I'm using , its a few years old and can't go back to 0 sometimes.
![Harbor-Freight-Tools1[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/EHI3Cet.jpg "Harbor-Freight-Tools1[1].jpg")
>>1003194
>>1003194
doesn't matter they are all the same
one with detachable wires is better
>>1003194
http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464971110&sr=8-3&keywords=multimeter
I got this several years ago and it still works great.
>>1003194
see if you can get one of those chinese market genuine flukes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDm5BfRrAsg
>>1003194
for 30$ you can get a VC97+ on ebay. They are clones of Flukes, and have a extremely good reputation for being a cheap meter.
Flukes boards are all made in china anyways.
>>1003211
The only readily available ones are over 100$, you cant even find the one in his video for sale.
>>1003194
get one that can mesure capacitors and tranzistors too
my UNI-T cost around 20€
>>1003211
This guy (in the video) is the same guy who thinks that a Drill Doctor is useless, because "you can just sharpen drills on a bench grinder"...
And here he is saying you have to spend $125 for a Fluke to get a "usable" multimeter, and a "good" multimeter costs $500?
??? pic related
His attitudes are inconsistent, to say the least.
He advises using the cheapest, quickest & shittiest method there is for sharpening drills, yet thinks that you need a high-end industrial-grade multimeter even for low-voltage hobby electronics.
--------
Nowadays a cheap meter like in OP's pic costs ~$5, an acceptable meter costs $10-$15, and you can get a nice meter for $30. If you can stoop to buying a generic China brand, that is.
That "nice" meter will prolly be auto-ranging, have a diode/transistor testor, a frequency counter and a temperature reading.
The only meters I advise against buying are the ones where the leads are not detachable.
They are usually the first point of failure, and being able to use different leads can be very handy (if you have different sets of leads).
< $20
Autoranging with lots of functions.
>>1003272
Find me a DVOM that can show me duty cycle that doesn't cost a few hundred bucks.
a cheap DVOM does a few things which if you want see there is voltage at low power then its fine.
I'd love a Fluke 88 but i can't find anything like it for cheap.
>>1003633
>Find me a DVOM that can show me duty cycle that doesn't cost a few hundred bucks.
>I'd love a Fluke 88 but i can't find anything like it for cheap.
Well, okay.
Did you know? Duty cycle is a logic analyzer function, and VOMs normally don't have it. So the Fluke costs a lot (over what Flukes normally cost, that is).
(pic related)
1. A Fluke 88V costs around $350 online, the lowest price I could quickly find. Most places wanted $400+...
2. For what the Fluke 88 costs, you could get a real-actual-portable-oscilloscope, that can tell you duty cycle plus a bunch of other things (...plus lets you SEE the actual waveform...). The Fluke only tests up to 200 kHz, while the Hantek shown can read up to 60 MHz.
3. Want something simpler and cheaper than the Hantek? The MiniDSO reads to "only" 8MHz but only costs $133.
4. Want something shaped like a DMM? #4 reads to 20 MHZ and only costs $113
5. How about smaller and cheaper even? The Arm Nano DSO201 reads to "only" 1 MHz, is smaller than most cell phones and only costs $59.
All the other devices above included "frequency" and "duty cycle" in their list of standard features.
Also note that the Fluke has no USB or other data export method at all.
ALL the other options above have a USB client port. Item #2 can function as a slave PC device, and #2 through #4 can dump data directly to a PC by their USB ports.
The #5 scope (the cheapest one!) can even save data onto microSD cards.
>>1003194
This is hands down the best cheap multimeter. I have had 3
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Digital-Multimeter-10709/14521541
>>1003895
If you've gone through three then they are shit.
>>1003717
(quoting myself)
I went looking for multimeters on aliexpress (I was trying to find the Wal-Mart model, but could not,,,,) and there's quite a few that show frequency and duty cycle--and many of them cost a lot less than $350 (pic related).
Top row: the cheapest one I found is about $19 right now.
The 2nd and 3rd rows is just four more different examples. I probably saw about 12 different [cheap!] models of DMM that had frequency and duty cycle functions; not all shown. Most read to 10MHz. The cheapest ones I could find were all priced right around $25-$26-$27, with free US shipping.
The 4th row down is a clamp-style meter I came across.
The 5th row is two pen-style meters I found that show duty cycle.
The right pen-style one is not exactly cheap at $50, but it is very compact. I can't say how well it's made, but if you study the pictures you can see that it isn't a direct clone of the cheaper models of pen meters.
The bottom row is a Fluke (or what is claimed to be a Fluke) for $41, that includes Htz and duty cycle.
,,,,,,
I noticed that the Fluke 88 seems to be an automotive-specific model.
There were also a few automotive-style multimeters there too, for slightly more--$50-$75, and many had car-engine specific functions as well as Htz/duty cycle and typical DMM stuff on them.
>>1003494
what the hell is wrong with that multimeter
he's not gonna need a certified calibrated multimeter to do CE certs (I assume), and he sure as shit isn't gonna use it for AC/RF shit with it where the crest factor becomes significant.
don't tell him to buy shit he's not gonna need.
>>1004047
I wonder if they're adept enough to catch the actual Fluke meters but if they're only licensed for China...
>>1004044
I'm new to this thread but one should always slightly overbuy a multi-meter.
Not for accuracy, buy safety.
>at industrial job
>"hey faggot and anon, go check x 220v socket that's on the other side of the plant"
>Faggot pulls out a name brand meter, low end, but still a good name brand (ex-tech I think)
>meter only CATII rated for 300v
>apparently extech doesn't understand safety margin, meter had worked fine on everything up to around 180v
>jabs probes into circuit
>peak of 220vRMS is ~+-312v
>meter burst into flames, gives guy third degree burns across his hand.
>"but anon, people said this was a good meter, how could this happen?"
I'd hate to think what would have happened had he used one of the Chinese meters that are CAT III "rated" for 600v.
>>1004141
i'm of the firm opinion that laypeople shouldn't go stick things into mains that don't have mains plugs.
of course I'm with you in term s of safety. but I don't think it's a concern with a 9v battery, unless you switch it with a 5-1kHz signal and hook it up directly to your heart.
plus, getting a free/10$ multimeter from harbor freight is 100X better than buying a 30$ one from china IMO because of the legal coverage you get if it fails.
>>1004047
>be aware that if you buy some multimeter on ali-express with a black/slate body and a yellow frame that isn't a FLUKE that it may be seized on customs and you may not get your money back.
This is true (in the USA) but usually when you buy it (or one that looks anything like a Fluke) you can ask the China seller to declare it as a different brand and model and they will do it.
Most ePackets don't get opened, the customs people just spot-check occasional packages and they usually just read the contents on the label unless they know it's something that is prohibited.
I'm kinda halfway interested in ordering one just to find out if it comes....?
Also We Note: you probably will not get that "Fluke Lifetime Warranty" either,,,, but the warranty wasn't really free anyway. You paid for multiple items and only got one.... And some of us have had the same multimeters for YEARS and never had any problems with them, not even so much as a burned fuse.
---------
Reality check: the oldest DMM I have--and the one I use the most, just out of habit--is a Velleman DVM850BL that I bought ~20 years ago for around $70.
Today you can buy the same-brand one for $15 ~ $20 from US sellers, and there's generic China copies on aliexpress for $7.
My next-oldest is an Extech EX420, bought maybe 8 years ago for $70. It's ~$60 today. I bought it just because I wanted a second meter, and a meter that did frequency counting--but I see now that it does duty cycle too. :o
It works fine as far as I know, but I hardly ever use it.
I've got a couple cheaper analogs around, in case I thought they'd work better.
Also I got a couple ~$5 cheapies to loan out, which I test by sticking them into the wall socket.
I am constantly amazed at the number of rational intelligent adults I know who will throw out a floor lamp they like, rather than diagnose and repair it.
>>1004191
>refers to OP as lay-people
>OP is on /diy/
OP might be stupid, and that's part of the problem.
OP might be just delving into electronics, which can lead to wanting to do bigger things, which can lead to 120vAC, which can lead to "I bet I could install a 220v socket in my house for this craigslist stick welder I just bought- let me check if I got it right..."
I'm not saying OP should go buy a $500 fluke 88, just that spending at least $50 on a name brand meter like a better model of the extech line, or a low end fluke wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Other than safety my only gripe with chinese meters is the fact that they tend to burn through batteries even when they're off.
Last one I had, I used once and it ate through 4 AAAs in a week, and it had a physical off position.
Every chinese meter I've tried gets inaccurate by +/- 1.5-2v as the battery dies.
>>1003194
are you going to use it on mains electricity?
no -> buy literally any multimeter
are you in america so your mains is only 110vac?
yes -> buy literally any multimeter
does your job/livelihood depend on having a good meter?
yes -> buy a fluke if your job didn't supply you with one
no -> buy literally any multimemter and just don't hold it in your hand while you are measuring anything that could be >50v and take all safety ratings with a pinch of salt if you buy a chink shit ebay or shit brand shed special.
bonus:
are you just starting out as an electrician?
don't buy a multimeter buy a (just as if not more expensive) tester that does things like insulation resistance and RCD test and shit like that
pretty simple.
>>1004222
I would ask the China seller to mislabel a Fluke, or any meter that looked kinda like a Fluke (yellow).
Before proceeding you should know that if customs takes it as a fake, you don't get anything. It's not the sellers fault, so it would be rude to ask for any refund from them.
>>1004230
>does your job/livelihood depend on having a good meter?
>yes -> buy a fluke if your job didn't supply you with one
Fluke is not the only, nor (probably) the absolute best there is. It's just the "elite" brand of the filthy unwashed masses.
There are lots of industry-specific and lab grade meters that have higher accuracy, more features and cost way more.
>no -> buy literally any multimemter and just don't hold it in your hand while you are measuring anything that could be >50v and take all safety ratings with a pinch of salt if you buy a chink shit ebay or shit brand shed special.
Buying for hobby use is not the same as buying for job use. For hobby use you can try anything you want.
If you need a DMM for your job, then you should ask THEM what ones are good to get.
They will know what features you do and don't need, and which brands hold up in use.
They may very say to get a Fluke, but you wait for them to tell you that.... Otherwise you might end up spending a bunch of money for a meter that doesn't work well or is missing a necessary feature.
>>1004246
As far as industry specific meters, I gotta say fluke copperpro (which they sold off recently) was the fucking best for telecom. Tdr, vdsl, impulse noise, wideband noise, Bluetooth log uploading, large count testing and identifying. And the ui is equal/within personal preference of the 965dsp, and clearly better than even newer meters like the new digital Greenlee sidekicks, and also clearly superior to jdsu hst3000 because tests and boot are so much faster
For ~$30, the Mastech MS8269 would be one to consider. It measures capacitance and inductance as well. Only smaller values of caps and inductors, but the small components is the ones you find that aren't labeled--they just have mysterious ID numbers on them....
-------
On Aliexpress, the HoldPeak brand seems to be the "deluxe" brand.
Pic related, top--the clamp meters have dual LCD displays. Some of the other cheaper brands use the same plastic casing that has the spot for the second display, but none of them have it.
Also the higher-end HoldPeak multimeters have 5.5 digits, auto-illuminating displays, LED indicators to show AC or DC non-contact voltage, a LED on the selector knob and other nice little bits that none of the other meters have. It doesn't measure inductance, but then HoldPeak makes a RCL meter on there for only $12...... Problem is, only one place is selling one model of the 770 DMMs... Amazon shows two of the higher-end 770 models but both are currently unavailable, so they don't give any price for them.
I really like this meter,,,,,, but the general unavailability makes me wonder whats going on with it.
The 4.5 digit ones are easy to find for ~$40, but [almost] nobody has the 5.5 digit ones.
The chat link on the HoldPeak site doesn't seem to be working ATM
If you want a 'precise' multimeter, you want one with 5.5 digits. Pretty much all bench DMMs have 5.5 digits.
The only other hand-held DMMs on aliexpress that has 5.5 digits is a couple UNI-T's (one at $60 and the next at $100) and the Mastech MS8218, that is available from a bunch of different sellers--but that costs $150+.
>>1005177
Welp I ordered one. Will report back when it arrives.
Pic related: the only page on aliexpress selling this meter is the manufacturer's own store page-- Zhuhai Jida Huapu Instrument Co., Ltd.
If you look that name up in B2B directories and then look at the products, it's all HoldPeak meters.
There is four meters in the "770" series, but the 770D is the best one. It has a 5.5 digit display and a barcode meter in the LCD, that the other three meters don't have.
The 770D also costs more: it is $61, while the other three 770 models are $35 ~ $45.
It looks like a fairly new item, but I have not verified that yet. The chat won't connect, but I did not try in the middle of the (USA) night yet.
The aliexpress page for it says "new arrive" and the other 770x models do not say that. Also, all the purchaser feedback for this model is only from the last two months.
http://www.holdpeak.com/Product/pdetail/id/306.html
>>1003236
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUKE-15B-Digital-multimeter-Tester-DMM-with-TL75-test-leads-NEW-F15B-/331279222293?hash=item4d21c7c615:g:6yIAAOSwPe1T13Qp
12B+, 15B+ and 17B+ are all the same deal with a few extra features.
And according to one of his other videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUmbsBYVTQ0), they all have the same internals with different faces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEoazQ1zuUM
Skip to around 5 minutes for a cheapo meter on fire.
>>1005683
>And according to one of his other videos ,,,, they all have the same internals with different faces.
What you say?
Fluke overcharges for bullshit marketing reasons?
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! (pic related)
>>1005705
>Skip to around 5 minutes for a cheapo meter on fire.
The demonstration is technically valid, but this comparison is so cherry-picked that it is almost dishonest.
On Amazon, you can get a Centech-brand meter--like that red one they blew up--for less than $2; and the cheapest Fluke meter on Amazon right now is priced at $128.
just search ''Mini multimeter'' on ebay/amazon
>>1003272
If you actually watched his Drill Doctor video, you'd know that he ripped on it because it's diamond, which dissolves in steel, so you have to buy more and they make more money. He also said it's easier and cheaper to make a jig for your bench grinder than to buy a special tool to do it.
>>1005947
>If you actually watched his Drill Doctor video, you'd know that he ripped on it because it's diamond, which dissolves in steel, so you have to buy more and they make more money.
I skipped around in the video.
I saw him ignore the instructions, snap his thumb in the same lever and cuss about six times, and at the very end he ineptly grinds up a drill tip for about 15 seconds to prove that "it doesn't work". He doesn't even make an honest attempt to use the thing properly.
1. The Drill Doctors use a small higher-RPM grinding wheel, to save costs-
2. Also to save costs, there is no way to adjust for grinding wheel wear, so-
3. They have to use a high-hardness grinding wheel, so that it holds its shape as long as possible. And there is only diamond, and boron nitride, and-
4. Both of those materials work great when used wet, but much less well when used dry, and-
5. Of those two materials, diamond is by far the cheaper choice. Boron nitride would cost more, but wouldn't work much better.
>He also said it's easier and cheaper to make a jig for your bench grinder than to buy a special tool to do it.
It's easier and cheaper, but it's not as precise.
A Drill Doctor isn't perfect, or fast to use--but if you use it properly, you can sharpen drills way better with it than you can by hand.
>>1006022
new anon here
>not mentioning tungsten carbide
>more precise then you could ever get with a grinder, even with a good jig
>drill doctor is mai waifu
>taking AvE this seriously
I remember AvE saying several times something to the point of
>"I talk a lot of shit about this, but I got a used one that's missing shit so IDK.
>For someone who doesn't have a grinder/know how to use one this isn't so bad. It's not for me though"
What's with you people who take AvE 100% serious?
Half of his shit is comedic remarks up front, and he usually has a point.
>"this saw cost almost a thousand dollars, but is almost the same as a $300-$500 equivalent."
>"ergo this saw is just marketing wank"
Plus what is your love affair with the drill doctor anyways?
For $20 in scrap I can make a jig that is more precise (measurably, steel has less flex than plastic) and has far more purposes than the shitty pile of shit and plastic that's probably only cost $10 to make, drill doctor.
>you can sharpen drills way better with it than you can by hand
I've used a drill doctor, and I can tell you that this is pretty much false unless you're an autist.
>>1005733
>meter
>less than $2
How?
>>1006203
>Plus what is your love affair with the drill doctor anyways?
I don't own one.
It just strikes me as odd that the guy fawns over Fluke meters for minute details, while ignoring the price.
With the Drill Doctor, he does the opposite--he whines about the price but never uses it properly to see how well it can work.
>For $20 in scrap I can make a jig that is more precise (measurably, steel has less flex than plastic) and has far more purposes than the shitty pile of shit and plastic that's probably only cost $10 to make, drill doctor.
Sure you can.
>>1006227
At the time I looked on Amazon, some place had a carded Centech brand of a meter (that looks like the one they blew up) on sale for $1.87. Seems its gone now tho.
Places on aliexpress have it for $3 ~ $3.50..... I have one around as a cheapie/loaner. It is marked "DT830B", but there's no brand-name present at all.
I'm not going to watch any more youtube multimeter test videos.
The way that many 'popular' people will keep a straight face while comparing a $500 Fluke to a <$50 China meter (while ignoring the price differences) is ridiculous.
I am encouraged by the fact that others have opined that the "Fluke blowing up a cheap meter" video is rather,,,,,, staged.
They took an *extremely* cheap meter, put it on an incorrect setting, and then connected it to ten times as much volts as it was rated for--on the correct setting.
This only makes me wonder what it takes to blow up a Fluke meter. If they were explosion-proof, they would include that in the guarantee, right?.......
>>1003200
I have that meter. I got it for Christmas one year. It's a complete pile of junk.
What is this thing?
It seems like a dial, but the protrusion on the side won't let you change it.
Why did they even bother to put it there?
>>1006650
It's for plugging in transistors to test, you absolute retard.
>>1006668
lol yes this, use fucking google before you ask dumb questions.
>>1003200
I pick one of these little fuckeroos up every time I go to HF and can get one for free. They make great loaners and giveaways and they work pretty well for the majority of simple projects.
>>1006312
>It just strikes me as odd that the guy fawns over Fluke meters for minute details, while ignoring the price.
Because those minute details are what makes Fluke the meter of choice for so many industries. And we all know Fluke meters are fucking expensive, so why beat a dead horse over it, especially when in many cases the company is footing the bill anyway? The guy owns a o-scope, so obviously he's not skimping on his electronics instruments.
>With the Drill Doctor, he does the opposite--he whines about the price but never uses it properly to see how well it can work.
He's not wrong though, so I don't know why you're bitching so much. Drill Doctor is an overpriced piece of plastic dogshit, I'd much rather build a jig or do it by hand.
>Sure you can.
You know for people who actually get out and do some work in their shop, building things like a sharpening jig isn't a big deal, right?
>>1006746
You mean they're great free 9v batteries. jk, I got like 6 of them. They're also excellent sources of 10 amp fuses.
>>1006752
I have never seen a professional who deals with electricity (electrical contractors, electrical engineers, even HVAC) with anything but a Fluke meter.
Any other amateur guy with a meter tends to have a Clarke meter or something similar.
>>1003194
>multimeter under 30 bucks
Look for a 4000 count autorange meter with 10 MΩ input resistance even if it costs $31. Ignore brand worship.
>>1003200
These things are wonderful.....for checking alternators and go kart batteries. They're actually pretty cool for cars, you can get them dirty and break them without taking a loss. It'll tell you of something has voltage, and if there is continuity. And they're small.
Would not use them for anything involving complex circuits, except maybe to set a board on if I need to angle it.
>>1006203
>For someone who doesn't have a grinder/know how to use one this isn't so bad. It's not for me though
If you don't have grinder, which is pretty much basic tool why would you have drill doctor in first place?
>>1008000
Because you're retarded and not a real /diy/er?
That's the only reason I can actually think of that legitimizes buying that heap of shit.
I never said what AvE says is 100% serious or makes any sense.
Not OP but would anyone recommend the AMEcal ST 9905/2000 count?
Myself, my brother and my dad don't always need one but the ones we have are old junkers so I want something that's decent but not overly expensive/enthusiast grade.
>>1003194
I put 2000 V through one of those, it made pretty lights.
I got to wondering about the DMMs on aliexpress, and its easy to see that there's not really THAT many different ones available. So I did a spreadsheet for the first page search results for "multimeter digital" on aliexpress, pic related.
I counted clones as those with the same features + controls in the same locations; different colors doesn't make them "different".
I skipped the listings for probes, and just left an empty line in the spreadsheet.
Points to ponder:
I have a Velleman DMM that is ~20 years old now, and the type-1 China clone *appears* to be the same thing. A new Velleman-brand meter costs $15-$20 now from US sellers, and the clones are $5-$8, china-direct. This meter is quite popular on aliexpress, but.....
Type-2 is the cheap crappy one, and yet it is the best-selling. This is also the one they blew up in the Fluke video (I think?). I have one as a loaner, it seems to work okay up to 115 VAC. I think it cost me $2.50?
Type-3 might have the same features as type-1, but the layout is different. So it is counted as different.
Brands that I'd say are 'decent', I noted the brand and model. Many don't give a manufacturer name at all.
There is a China-Fluke on page 1, as well as one clone.
So, this finally proves that,,,,,,, uh,,,,,,,, I dunno. I just wondered how many of each clones sold, and what % of the total they were.
It's be neat to be able to total up all the sales by type, from ALL the sellers, but there doesn't look to be any easy way to do that. :|
So I been shopping some more for multimeters. You know how /b/ has those threads that say "go to 2chan and bring something back"? Welp I went to Aliexpress and brought some odd stuff back.
First up: a totally-automatic multimeter.
Not only is it auto-ranging, it also automatically selects the units to measure. The only button is the power button.
--Note that the LCD display includes a bunch of stuff that it can't do--
The specs are kinda weird so I included them in the image too.
>>1008462
>shopping for home theatre remotes, a million results.
>there's clearly only two or three feature sets and almost definitely all the same guts.
Fucking a I wish that was a sort option on amazon.
>>1008745
Next is a multimeter for all the tin-foil hat wearers following along.
A lot of multimeters have a NCV (Non-Contact Voltage) sensor, that can detect if wall-current wires are live or not.
This DMM doesn't have that, it has a EMF sensor in it instead. Note the middle picture, displaying EMF from a CRT and a phone screen.
Bottom pic: if the g-men start to control your mind through your multimeter, you can just get a normal EMF meter.
(-plain EMF meters are commonly available but I looked through over 2500 search results and didn't see any other DMMs that had an EMF function built-in-)
>>1008751
The third item is what I like to call "the screwdriver of death".
There is a certain type of electrical outlet tester, that just has a single metal prong. When you stick this prong into the live side of an electrical outlet, there is a neon lamp and a capacitor inside, and even tho the capacitor is a "dead end" in the circuit, a tiny-tiny bit of current goes back and forth through the neon lamp, and that is enough to make the neon lamp light up.
I have seen these kinds of testers, I've used them.
This is not one of them.
I think....
I don't know how this thing is supposed to be used.
It is a insulated screwdriver, but it has a fuse inside the handle, leading to a metal screw cap on the back end.
At first I guessed that maybe the fuse was a really low amperage limit--like 50 mA or so, so that if you touched wall-current voltage, you would just get a mild shock before the fuse blew and saved you,,,, but the things come with a 250 volt/6 amp fuse in them? What is that supposed to save you from?
The same store sold another kind, that had the tip reversible (for flat or phillips screws) and was purple plastic, but otherwise looked exactly the same inside.
Unlike the neon testers, none of the photos of these showed them lighting up.
Maybe that black thing in there does something? Is it a resistor perhaps? Does anybody here know?
I tried searching for more of these at other stores and aliexpress search couldn't find any other examples. Mebbe I'll order one just for shits and grins.
>>1008759
Next up is a vintage-styled meter from Hioki.
The first thing I noticed about this meter is that it looks like a relic from the 1970's. The next thing I noticed is that $140 is rather a lot of money for the features this meter has.
Hioki is a Japanese company, and pretty much everything else they make looks perfectly modern. In fact, most of it looks like models from Mastech, Uni-T or Victor, but at 3 to 4 times the price. It's possible that the Hioki products are built better, I've never heard of them.
The model 3230 might hold some special significance for the company but I couldn't find anything relating to that on Google, and it is not mentioned in their company history page:
https://www.hioki.com/en/corporate/history/
There is a couple other Japanese DMM companies that do this too--they have one or two "vintage-styled" models that they still produce. (the other companies' products are rather pricey as well...)
And by "vintage-styled" I don't mean analog meters; I mean "meters that look like they were made 40 years ago".
>>1008768
The next item is a dual-channel multimeter.
I have to admit I'm not educated enough in electronics to imagine when such a thing would be necessary. Somebody thought it was a good idea tho. Some are on Ebay for $275 or so each.
Apparently it's been around a while, there is a discussion about it on the EEVblog forum from 2012.
Specs page here--
http://www.tes-meter.com/p901.htm
>>1008778
The next item is a multimeter that is both analog and digital, for those who just don't make decisions well.
This device leads me to wonder: which representation is more accurate?
Is one of the metering circuits just trying to track the other's equivalent readout?
Or do they both conduct separate tests on the input?
It would be kinda interesting to see this meter's schematic, to find out how separate the analog and digital systems were.
This is the last item for now.
Also we note: I did order a screwdriver of death; I will follow up in the general electronics thread when it arrives. Prolly 2-3 weeks out. I'm not really sure how I can test it, but anyway....
>>1008778
Being able to read current and voltage at the same time is a very useful feature.
>>1008838
for $252 you could get 2 flukes with current
>>1008852
>I have to admit I'm not educated enough in electronics to imagine when such a thing would be necessary.
Dual channel meters exist because, in the field, using two meters at once is a pain in the ass.
>>1008838
>Being able to read current and voltage at the same time is a very useful feature.
Yea, but if you look at the pics of that dual-channel meter, you can see that both channels share a common ground/COM wire. I don't understand why they thought that would be a good idea.
A lot of people commenting about it ask the same question.
>>1008801
>which representation is more accurate?
The markings suggest that the accuracy of the digital meter is 0.5% + 2 digits in 200mV range and that the analog meter's error is less than 3% of full scale. Which makes sense, as the analog meter seems to be a cheap shit and 0.5% isn't difficult to achieve for a digital meter.
You can expect that the meters track each other.
>>1003194
You should check out the AvE channel on YouTube, he just did a thing about this.
>>1009118
>AvE
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>1009188
>couldn't understand why measuring two things at once was a big deal.
I get that part.
I can understand why you might want to measure two things at once, and compare them to find a difference, or manipulate them mathematically.
What I don't get is why they tied the grounds of both channels together.
If they had provided separate grounds for both channels and you wanted them connected, you could do that yourself externally,,,, but because they joined the grounds already, you can't separate them.
It seems like they limited the usefulness of it by not providing each channel with its own ground plug.
Buy a fluke 12e or 15e from china for under 50 dollars and save loads of money when you don't end up owning 4 shitty meters you don't use anymore plus a 12/15e.
Try searching for fluke 12b or 15b. Fluke has been cracking down on selling these outside of china because its disrupting their prices.
I don't think anyone would trust it who uses a real fluke, but everyone agrees its the same parts from the same factories as their western models. Just don't expect to be able to sue them.
Either way its gonna make your uni t or harbor meter hide in a drawer until you need 4 meters simultaneously
>>1009280
because A.) most of the time you are working on the same circuit with a common ground reference, so you would connect amps and common in series, and poke around with the voltage lead, if you're not using it on the same part.
B.) it's cheaper to implement into the meter, less circuitry. They probably already owned that case and used it as a platform anyways, why not gain a feature.
C.) Everyone else who makes a dual channel handheld multi-meter does it this way.
>>1009283
>Buy a fluke 12e or 15e from china for under 50 dollars and save loads of money when you don't end up owning 4 shitty meters you don't use anymore plus a 12/15e.
>Try searching for fluke 12b or 15b. Fluke has been cracking down on selling these outside of china because its disrupting their prices.
you might want to provide more info than that.
on aliexpress, the $40 Fluke is the 101, and then you can get a 107 for around $75.
both are auto-ranging
the 101 has no amps setting at all, but it has a Hz setting.
the 107 has a amps setting, but it lacks the Hz setting....
I would say that a typical user would want the amps setting more than Hz, but then,,,, it's $75. Not $40.
only one place is selling the 12e, and they want $290 for it.
no place sells 15e apparently.... ?
meanwhile, the Mastech MS8268 is auto-ranging and reads volts/amps/ohms/capacitance/Hz/diode+continuity, for only $27 (and OP did say "under $30")
the Mastech MS8269 costs the same, is not auto-ranging but it reads everything the 8268 does, plus inductors
I pretty much know fuck all about electronics except for the basics (like Ohm's law and the function of different components). I will be starting Uni as a Comp Eng student soon and will have to take a few electrical engineering classes (not in my first year). I have a few pdfs on electronics that I will study this summer. Should I bother spending money on a multimeter yet? Could I get away with buying a cheap one and using it through my years at Uni without any issues?
>>1009394
I've never heard of a university making you buy your own meter before, but then again I live in the land of triggers and safe-spaces so I wouldn't know.
>>1009398
I am considering buying one for the potential that this may become a hobby and to become experienced before I take any EE classes.
>>1009400
If you have the money, get a fluke.
It will not only be useful in Uni, but it will do what you need for a hobby use, last a long time, and be useful if you ever need it in your career.
>>1009425
I can afford a Fluke but I just don't know if I should invest that much money into this yet. I was thinking about getting a Uni-T UT136B but thanks anyway.
>>1009426
Uni-Ts are alright, as long as you're not a mong it should last you.
However, take it to any even mildly industrial site and prepared to be laughed off the lot.
>>1009426
I wouldn't buy a Fluke unless you really need the performance/durability. Buy something cheap and be aware of its limitations.
>>1009426
Get any meter. Literally my Physics teacher at CC bought multimeters that averaged like $5/unit because he bought them in bulk. Guy was older, and when some of the people were like "that sounds fishy" his response was "well if even half of them work, still cheaper". The all worked afaik, and we never had issues in class. I'm actually EE at uni, and any multiimeter in my classes was a bench meter. Beautiful things, but way overkill for anything you'll be doing (you could measure like, nanoamps, which we needed in a lab).
I've been using a $20 Radioshack meter for a while now (V/A/ohm/diode/conduct/batteries), and the only problem is one of the plastic probe contact holder split (the thing which holds the female end in the meter). When you stick a probe in though, it holds the plastic together, and I've had zero issues with it. Batteries even last a long time and it beeps when it's unhappy.
>>1009446
P.s. and the only reason the probe socket broke was because I put a banana plug in it. IT LOOKED LIKE IT SHOULD FIT
>>1003494
look what arrived in the mail today :)
thanks /diy ers for the advice. this thing works pretty well desu, haven't fully tested it yet though.
the only little downside of it is that it doesn't have a backlit LCD feature
>>1009512
i have the 97 version and its always worked great.
>>1009426
>I can afford a Fluke but I just don't know if I should invest that much money into this yet. I was thinking about getting a Uni-T UT136B but thanks anyway.
The Uni-T UT136B is fine for personal use; you may never need anything better.
Consider the Innova that sells so well on Amazon, or the various cheap clone meters that are top sellers on aliexpress. They're probably not accurate to a millivolt or a microamp, but they work well enough for lots of people and for lots of uses.
It can be hard to guess what features you need. I don't use my DMMs often, but it's probably hobby 95% electronics use and the rest is household wiring issues. The 'electronics' use is digital electronics, so it's like 12 volts or less.
The features that I use a lot are the ohms, the continuity/beeper setting, volts and amps. All these things are necessary.
For household wiring, having the NCV setting is nice. The voltage reading from it I don't consider reliable, but it still saves a lot of time poking at live bare wall outlet wires. You can just hold it near an outlet, and it will beep if the outlet has power.
The rest of the common features I rarely or never use. Capacitance, inductance, Hz, duty cycle, transistor tester, diode tester and temperature settings.
Some oddball meters have stuff like lux, dB and IR temp sensors built in, which is great if you need it, but most people usually don't. *I* don't.
For testing CATV and ethernet cables there is cheap ($25) meters just for that....
I don't think that having auto-range is really important for home/hobby use, really.... or even for most job use.
Normally you have a pretty good idea of how much of [whatever] you should be measuring and you just leave it on that scale anyway.
The main thing that wears out with professional meters is the leads, and auto-ranging doesn't help with that.
>>1009682
Meters with IR therm, dB and lux meters are universally a gimmick, because they sacrifice their qualities as a DMM to offer features that could be useful, but are so inaccurate they are borderline useless.
Example: being a sound engineer, I have had a use for a DMM with a dB meter.
Saw one on amazon and said "why the fuck not?" and decided to try it.
Tested against a real, calibrated and NIOSH certified meter.
DMM read 20dB low on the high end, and 10dB high on the low end.
Turns out they used a linear voltage percentage instead of a logarithmic scale to get the reading.
Even worse, I've seen guys out there that use these things to see if their performers needed earplugs or not.
How many China DMM companies are there really?
A lot of these meters seem to be made by a single company--pic related.
That slide on their front page shows a yellow one that is normally branded as the Hyelec model MS8231, and two green ones usually branded as Mastechs.
If you look through the Sinometer digital multimeter listings (179 models) you see familiar ones that are usually branded Mastech, Hyelec, Victor and Uni-T. Plus maybe others I did not recognize.
The Vici and Vichy meters (97 and 99, the famous Fluke clones) are clones of Victor models, which are really Sinometers,,, which correspond to their own models DM97 and DM99 (these appear on page 11 of the digital multimeter listings).
A lot of times the Sinometer model number kinda-sorta is like the model number that the meter is usually sold under.
It's really pretty tough to find any cheaper (<$100 US) DMM on aliexpress that does not look like one of the Sinometer models.
,,,,,,,
Does anybody have these calibration modules?
I've seen the volts one used in review videos but not the LCR one.
Every other way I can think of to try to verify a meter's accuracy is way more cost & hassle than these things would be.
>>1009702
>at a shitty dj concert in uni
>faggot across the room (at least a basketball court wide) has at least a dozen subwoofers
>sound is crazy loud, all the way in the back, literally can feel it when I breath
>doing a technical report, so I'm sitting with the switching and technical people
>110-120dB, sometimes as high as 130
>all the way across the room
>they didn't give out earplugs
>this was a 3 hour concert, at least
>>1003194
I have literally that one in your picture.
>>1010143
I feel you man.
Sadly there's no legislation about noise safety, and it's up to the FOH or 'DJ' whether or not he's gonna be an asshole/retard about his settings.
Very few FOH's use dB meters.
Even fewer use meters that are even relatively accurate.
Most people in the music industry are HVAC tier or dudebro tier faggots who think "nah man, ears are like muscles, if you expose yourself to high volumes often they get stronger"
Every time the venue I run FOH for has a DJ I have to explain to him that he doesn't need to cause hearing damage to sound good, and that he's a retard for thinking so.
>>1009702
>>>1009682 (You)
>Meters with IR therm, dB and lux meters are universally a gimmick, because they sacrifice their qualities as a DMM to offer features that could be useful, but are so inaccurate they are borderline useless.
>Saw one on amazon and said "why the fuck not?" and decided to try it. ,,,,,
>Turns out they used a linear voltage percentage instead of a logarithmic scale to get the reading.
I would expect accuracy problems to be more likely due to using a cheaper circuit design to meet a price point rather than fundamental engineering mistakes....
Even on aliexpress, there is really cheap dB meters and really expensive dB meters. I would bet that the expensive ones work better.
There must be another big China DMM company, because none of the Sinometer models have mechanical jack blocking.
(-mechanical jack blocking is a feature where as you turn the selector knob, plastic covers extend over the "incorrect" jacks according to the knob setting, preventing you from trying to use the wrong jacks for whatever DMM setting the knob is set on-)
The HoldPeak meters have mechanical blocking, as do other meters....
I haven't seen the HoldPeak NCV/auto-light displays on any other meters tho, from Sinometer or any other companies/brand-names. Nor have I seen the HoldPeak lighted knob on any other brands of meters I've seen on aliexpress. So apparently HoldPeak (Zhuhai JiDa Huapu Instrument Co.,Ltd) is separate from Sinometer.
>>1003209
Can confirm.
Bought one 10 years ago, still works properly, has the same fucking batteries in it that came with it, too.
>>1010226
I never said dB meters themselves tend to have this issue, but I have found many cheap Chinese dB meters that do this too.The best ones with a real logarithmic scale I have found on amazon or the cheap ex-techs and "Dr.Meter" brands.
I was referring to the dB/lux/DMM meters you were talking about.
I paid $50 for mine, and yes, it was a linear scale, not simply inaccurate.
IDK what the second and third paragraphs have to do with my reply, but alright.
>>1010226
I presume you mean "preventing you turning the knob unless you pull the jacks out"?
Why not just have it not explode in the first place? Varistor and a fuse would do the trick.
>>1003194
Dont cheap out on a volt meter they can save your life and make life easy trust me on this
>>1010267
>I presume you mean "preventing you turning the knob unless you pull the jacks out"?
I don't know really.
I suppose it is just to increase your awareness of what the meter is set on.
It doesn't prevent you from damaging the meter, since you can still easily do that--such as by putting it on the ohms scale, inserting the leads into the proper meter jacks, and then touching the probes to a high-voltage source. Even Fluke instructions for current US models warn about how their meters can be damaged from being used improperly this way.
>Why not just have it not explode in the first place? Varistor and a fuse would do the trick.
I dunno much about designing multimeters, but perhaps there is a reason this will not work. Or work *well*....
In theory, a multimeter should only need TWO jacks: a positive and a negative. You should be able to use those two jacks for measuring anything--volts, ohms, amps, whatever that only has two test points required. Any sensitive features should be able to be 'disconnected' when not in use, you would think? Either by a solid-state device, or a mechanical switch controlled by the knob.
Most full-featured multimeters have four separate jacks tho: a high-current jack, a low-current jack, a volts/ohms/whatever-else jack, and the COM/ground jack. Even Fluke does it this way, and even other meter brands that cost more than Flukes do it this way.
Some meters skip the low-current jack, and only have three. Tenmars DMMs only have three jacks--if they have an ammeter function.
http://www.tenmars.com/webls-en-us/016.html
(the "high-end" TM-88 costs around $120 on aliexpress, and the "low-end" TM-81 --with no ammeter function!-- costs around $50)
As far as I've seen,,,, the only multimeters that ONLY have two jacks (or two integral leads) are the ones that have no current measure, or that only have a very-low current measure of only a couple hundred milliamps maximum.
>>1010395
The reason for separating current measurement from the other measurements is that the other measuring circuits cannot withstand the the load when measuring more than few amps.
Plus the internal layout and distribution would be a nightmare to handle.
The odd meter parade continues....
This next item is not strictly a multimeter, it's really a hand-held oscilloscope. I only found it because a lot of sellers are including it in the "DMM" sections of their stores.
This is the cheapest hand-held oscilloscope I have seen so far. This place wanted $80 for it; I've seen it a couple other places for $60 to $65 including shipping.
This seems to be a very new item. Note that the function buttons are in Chinese. Also I have seen that at least one buyer on another listing said that the product doesn't currently include any instruction manual at all....
I haven't looked up the company myself (E-One) cause I'm not really interested.
The mini-scopes that I think look 'decent' still cost $150+. And I still wouldn't expect much from them, since the bottom-end scopes from recognizable names usually cost $400-$500.
>>1010461
Also check this shit out: you can get a genuine digital Fuke multimeter from China for only $20
>>1010462
This next meter is odd because of the dual-switch controls. I guess you just have to remember that table before the printing wears off.
Update: there seems to be two versions of this product: one that has the switch and settings table printed on with yellow ink, and another that has them embossed into the plastic casing.
The yellow ink is easy to read but might rub off, and the embossed one won't rub off but isn't nearly as easy to read.
>>1010466
All-Sun must think the dual-switch setup is really cool, because they have a couple pocket meters that use the same setup. One of them is shown.
Also I think the LCD does have the usual mode indicators on it. Is still weird tho.
>>1010468
Here is another Fuke.
I got to thinking at this point, maybe fuke actually has some electronics-related meaning in Chinese? So I tried to Google it. The results were rather charming.
>>1010409
And even if those weren't problems and even if blowing the multimeter's fuses by turning the range switch carelessly wouldn't be a problem, there would still be the problem of killing the circuit you're measuring accidentally by turning the range switch carelessly.
>>1010472
Another kind-of copy. Sort-of.
>>1010473
>there would still be the problem of killing the circuit you're measuring accidentally by turning the range switch carelessly.
Yea, but you can still do that anyway, on any meter that doesn't have jack blocking?
The only way that you could avoid that is if they made it to where you could not turn the selector knob at all with the leads plugged in.... ?:>|
Oh well.
This next meter I don't have much bad to say about.
I look for smaller more-compact meters, since if you've seen one the cheapest ones open--they really don't have a lot of components inside them. So a company should be able to shrink the thing down pretty small if they wanted to.
This one is small and has a unique design that caught my eye. It is cheap, analog, and doesn't measure much different stuff, but it's still kinda cute anyway. I didn't see any others like it.
>>1010482
This next meter has an unusual shape: most are wider on top, but this one is wider on the bottom.
It also has an unusual name.
Thie name led to some comedy when I was researching this meter, trying to find out who really made it.
Notes to self:
1. Be very careful when choosing a brand-name for your products.
2. You are not allowed to sell exploits on Taobao.
>>1010492
The EXPLOIT brand meters are really re-branded meters made by All-Sun.
Pic related: the DMM page on all-sun's site, showing the three "610" variants they offer.
All-Sun is another company like Sinometer, in that they make a lot of different DMMs. 116 different models, when I looked.
The difference is that Sinometer doesn't seem to sell many of their meters with that name; they use the names Mastech, Hyelec, Uni-T and PeakMeter names instead.
A lot of the All-Sun meters are sold with that name on them--but they are also sold under different re-names too.
The All-Sun DMMs generally cost about the same as the feature-comparable Sinometer stuff does.
>>1010497
As I was looking around I kept finding meters that had a selector nob that had a rectangular bar on it. I saw them under a bunch of different brand names that had no background (no company site).
FINALLY, I found one listing that identified one of these meters as a Duoyi product. And so it is.
The image is one page on their website, showing a meter that has this style of rectangular bar on the selector knob.
Duoyi makes different meters but not nearly as much as Sinometer and All-Sun. Duoyi only makes seven different multimeters.
The DY2101 is the only one I can find on aliexpress; it's priced around $30. It has jack blocking but doesn't seem to have anything else special.
>>1010507
This next one, the meter doesn't really matter much. It's just another cheapo clone POS. I never tried to ID the meter's source.
The funny part is the way they staged the photo: they set it on the continuity setting, and then stuck the probes into the two unused jacks...
Is that okay? It looks very...... odd.
I would be rather hesitant to do that with any of my own meters.
>>1010511
This next meter may or may not exist.
It has the Duoyi name on it, and it is identified as a DY8, but the current Duoyi site doesn't show any meter of that model name. And all the Duoyi multimeters look pretty normal.
It would have been an extremely stylish meter if they really did make them.
They do make some gas detectors that used this casing, so it may just be a big listing error by the seller.
>>1010517
This last one is just another compact meter.
It is shown on the All-Sun site but I can't find anywhere retailing it. Just wholesalers with MOQ of 50 or more.
It's cheap and doesn't have a lot of features, but it's compact. It measures only about 1 x 2 x 6 inches.
"I have this cheap little meter and I don't know what brand it is, but..."
Pic related: I think we can safely start calling these "83X" meters ("eight-thirty-ex meters)... since both the companies that make them use some variation of the number "830" as the basis of the model number.
It's probably made by All-Sun, since they make 15 different variants.
It might be made by Sinometer, since they make three variants.
These are sold with lots of different brand-names on them, and also, often with no brand-name at all.
I could not find any other company making clones, but there may be more.
Most are black, yellow or amber. There is also blue, orange, and I've seen a dark green one.
The labeling may be slightly different, but the scale arrangement around the knob is always the same, and the location of the three jacks (on the lower-right corner) is always the same. Transistor testers and separate power switches may or may not be present.
There is another model with a higher number (85X I think) that is styled the same but has four jacks across the bottom edge--the usual low + high amps, COM, and the last one for volts/ohms.ect. Its pretty cheap too tho so I don't guess it's built any better.
>>1003194
>be handyman
>don't do tons of electrical work
>used Greenlee 300V manual meter for years
>working on house with crazy electrical issues
>lights throughout house sag and surge
>a/c kicks on and they sag
>turn dryer on sags on far end, surges near dryer
>burning through light bulbs
>garage door opener fried
>microwave doesn't microwave
>some outlets reading 130-150V
>others as low as 95V
>what in the actual fuck is going on
>kid in house has autism or some kind of disability
>fancies himself an engineer, but would never come clean if he fucked with something. He's already tapped into the phone box and ran his own Internet and cable lines throughout house
>call electrician buddy
>laughs and tells me to get fucked, says he'll diagnose for $500 because PITA
>already spent 10+ hours pulling outlets and testing everything I can think of
>neighbors have no electrical issues
>stumble upon this thread
>get worried and go buy 600V max Klein manual multimeter
>sit on couch and cry holding my nice new meter knowing that I'm in over my head and help is not coming
At least I don't have to worry about burning my hands.
>>1010133
Also regarding these test modules,,, is there a precision current reference anywhere? Or a way to make one cheep...
The voltage module puts out a max of 10 volts, and has a current limit of 10 mA.
The LCR module resistor is about 5.8k, which would deliver only about 1.72mA on the above 10 volts.
Only one of the multimeters I have can read usefully down into that range; a second one might do okay. The other few will be at the bottom of their stated ranges.
I guess I'd want something that could put out at least 25 or 50 mA. Is there such a device?
Sorry for the noob question but Make:Electronics recommends that you get a manual DMM for your first multimeter since you could make unknowingly record the wrong value (like writing down volts when your MM was actually giving you millivolts) which sounds like a stupid argument to me. Should I just get an auto ranging meter? (My apologies if I misunderstood the argument that the author was making, I haven't looked at that book in a while and I am away from so home so I can't check it to validate my claim).
>>1010613
Rookie mistake never touch electrics. unless you're a sparky.
>>1010613
I love blaming bad ground/neutral bonds. Is it good at the meter? Jiggle the ground and neutral wires and check the ground rod/water pipe.
Otherwise look at high resistance from bad wire-nut jobs, possibly oxidized aluminum wiring? Any buried sections of cable?
Hopefully the autismo didn't bury any splices in inaccessible locations.
little late to the thread, but ive had this extech mn35 for the past 4 years and has been totally solid the whole time. i dont even think i had to replace the battery yet, if i did it was only once and i forgot. only 20 bucks too with leads and a 1400f thermocouple.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012VWR20
>>1004026
Dat kyoritsu looked cute but
>no current.
wtf mate
>>1011053
Don't bother getting a manual ranging one. Just pay attention to what the range is and you're good.
Fluke has a few MMs made for the chinese market that are waaaaaaay cheaper than the US versions with the same quality, that's what I'd get if I didn't already have a nice multimeter.
>>1011055
I have more experience than the average bear but def not a professional electrician.
>>1011058
My assumption was a ground/neutral problem. One thing that seemed odd to me was that no matter what on all the outlets the neutral-ground is 0.0V my understanding is that there should be something, like ~>2V especially while the circuit is under load.
I checked the neutral bar and tightened everything up, also checked from the street to the house but now that I think about it I might not have checked the connection at the meter.
There is definite evidence that somebody was in there tinkering before me. There are a couple new drop-in outlets, half the cover plates are of another material.
The strangest thing I have found are 2 outlets, one original one drop in, 2 different circuits, had some kind of overload/short circuit that caused one of the outlet screws to actually melt the screw hole in the plastic box. One had been repaired and the other hadn't.
I've pulled a bunch of switches and outlets to check the connections and haven't found shit. There is definitely buried cable and the little shithead has definitely done some digging. I've been thinking about calling the power company out to check their end of shit but I wanted to exhaust all possible problems inside first.
Fml
I guess I have a few more connections to check.
Thanks
>>1011413
>There is definite evidence that somebody was in there tinkering before me. There are a couple new drop-in outlets, half the cover plates are of another material.
>The strangest thing I have found are 2 outlets, one original one drop in, 2 different circuits, had some kind of overload/short circuit that caused one of the outlet screws to actually melt the screw hole in the plastic box. One had been repaired and the other hadn't.
>I've pulled a bunch of switches and outlets to check the connections and haven't found shit. There is definitely buried cable and the little shithead has definitely done some digging. ...
This sounds like to me that he dug up the line to the house and tapped into it, and the tap is corroding because he didn't seal it. And he doesn't have any overload protection on the runs he added...
I would turn off everything at the fuse box and then check if any of the outlets or lights still have power. Be sure to look for hidden outlets too, especially in the kids room.
If anything still has power when it shouldn't, then it's time to sit down with parents and the kid and let them have have the news right between the eyes.
And then tell them you're not touching it any more, because it's an issue with the power company now.
If the kid damaged the supply line to the house, no (private) electrician will help fix it. That is the power company's property. YOU don't want to touch it, for your own {legal} sake.
IF this is what has happened--the parents will owe some money, but maybe the kid will learn something for realz.
Look on the bright side; at least their house didn't burn down.
>>1011400
Thanks but I think I'll just get a UNI-T ut139c.
>>1011426
I will definitely look into this and check it out. But when talking about the previous work I was referring to previous occupants or the homeowner. This kid is "skilled" but no way could he have added the outlets and shit. It's a group home and this kid has only been there a year. But these problems have only cropped up in the last 6 months.
Does that change anything enough to make you think of anything else?
>>1011538
>Does that change anything enough to make you think of anything else?
Just kinda what I already said:
1. turn off all the circuits, and verify that they're all zero.
2. unplug everything in any socket.
3. go through and turn each circuit on with all the others still turned off, and verify that the one circuit is good while all the others stay at zero.
4. (if all the circuits test good up to here) then plug everything back in one at a time, and check the voltage each time. One of the appliances may be having issues.
>>1003194
my recommendation would be to watch eBay for any deals on old decent gear
I got pic related for ~€25.
Sure, it's no Fluke, but Gossen is quite decent and it's built like a tank.
>>1012026
>I got pic related for ~€25.
>Sure, it's no Fluke, but Gossen is quite decent and it's built like a tank.
That is the same style casing as here-
>>1010521
but not the same model.
And All-Sun doesn't show any models with jack blocking....
I'm still casually hunting for the "real" company that makes the meters with jack-blocking. There must be another big one out there.
Duoyi's website claims they have a patent on that feature, but they only make 7 different models and only 3 of those have jack-blocking.
Holdpeak meters have jack blocking, but none of the All-Sun or Sinometer models do.
,,,,,,
Cheap DMMs are usually good enough accuracy wise for most use, the thing they lack is input protection. And that is mainly a problem when the meters are connected wrong for the setting them are on.
Jack-blocking meters make sure that one end of the probes is connected correct (for the knob setting) but they can't keep you from attaching the other end wrong.
Also have been looking up "how people blow up DMMs", including Flukes.
Usually it is incorrect hookups--trying to measure volts with the amps setting.
Also common is people blowing the ACV setting because they don't know the difference between P-P and RMS AC volts.
Rarely is it a meter failing at a correct use, under its stated limits.
Also the Fluke guarantee is not really that great, if you look up people who have tried to use it.
I have not read the warranty myself, but it is extremely rare that Fluke covers any repair costs.
Usually the cost (to you!) of having a blown Fluke meter repaired is almost as much as--or even more than--just buying a new meter.
>>1012026
here is a copy from a company in India, if you dare (wholesale only)
no price given :(
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Ya know, you look at all this stuff on aliexpress and say "damn, that s cheap", and then you start browsing alibaba and find out that it really only costs 1/3 of that----out the factory door.....
>>1012046
The company you are looking for is the company he stated.
Gossen is basically European fluke, but some of their meters have even higher degrees of protection than even most high end flukes.
A while back Gossen's marketing strategy was safety over accuracy.
>>1012076
>Gossen is basically European fluke, but some of their meters have even higher degrees of protection than even most high end flukes.
Are all Gossens made in Europe? A couple of the higher-end ones are made in Germany, I see.
Mebbe only the expensive ones are made in Euroland....
It wouldn't make much sense for a company to pay the expense of making the internal circuitry in a high-cost area (Europe/Germany) and then put it into a cheap plastic casing from China, since this only makes the product easier to counterfeit.
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Pic related--this meter has something I have not seen yet: it has icons on the LCD showing how to hook up the probes. MOQ=50 and no price given. :|
Other than that it doesn't look unusual.
The Mastech ms8268 beeps and has red LEDs in the jacks (I think?) to let you know that the probes are plugged in wrong, and others have jack blocking but this is the first DMM I've seen that showed that on the screen.
>>1012101
pretty much all Gossens are made in Germany.
The Chinese are notorious of cloning good meter casings. It only takes one good CAD profile of the case mold and you can bet there will be thousands of them on the marked by tuesday. The only reason they don't do it to say, fluke anymore is because fluke became the superior jew with new import regulations in the US.
It actually does make sense to put expensive innards in casings made with cheaper labor, as the meter is still technically made in (insert "quality" country here), and you're saving on parts that won't really make a difference in where they're made. Spend the money where it counts, as they say.
Not to mention some cal certificates are only recognized in-country.
Fluke used to do this, and still does with some meters.
Importing parts that don't really count as much is basic manufacturing business.
