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Registered Member #131
Joined: Fri Feb 10 2006, 09:25PM
Location:
Posts: 185
im sure it was a fairly expensive one. it has auto ranging, freq, cap tester, continuity/diode tester, 20 amp current meter, bar graph, temp. all the bells and whistles.
Wow... thats a lot better than my $ 10 analog meter Wow...
Registered Member #56
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445
I have been really happy with my protek 506 meter... It has 20a trueRMS current (so it is supposed to read correctly with weird waveforms), and can meausre down to .1ua 1kv voltage in, and it can measure down to the .1mv... resistance to 40M, in down to .1ohm... cap tester that reads down to 10nf, but is somewhat limited on the high end at 100ufd; but most caps that large are marked... The inductance reads to 10mh on all scales, but is good to 100h for measuring transformers... frequency has everything you need from 1hz to 10mhz it has an internal temp sensor and comes with a k type thermocouple good to 2000F You can also program it to put out a 5v square wave at 2 4 or 8 khz diode checker/audible continuity tester But best of all it has a serial port sou you can use it as a dac! The resolution really sucks (.1 I think) but it ids useful for recording temp or line voltage or power draw etc over long periods of time...
As for your disposable ones, you cant beat the hf ones...
Registered Member #96
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061
Hi all.
I repaired my last "popcorn" meter when it fried, changed out the main chip but had to repair some damaged traces (i was a bit careless during removal)
Seems to work, can't detect any difference between it and my spare (nearly identical) meter.
I'd take a close-up picture of the damage then clean up with acetone and isopropanol, this should reveal the extent of the damage.
Registered Member #179
Joined: Thu Feb 16 2006, 02:08AM
Location: Hagerstown, Maryland - Close to Prime Outlets
Posts: 287
I use a cheap RatShack meter for unknown testing too - it's a great idea. Since you're looking at new meters, I'll recommend the one that I use most: My trusty TPI 440.
Registered Member #162
Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140
At home I no longer use 'expensive' dmms, I now rely on a GBP2.99 one and a GBP9.99 one that has an RS232 interface. I have checked them both against a calibrated dmm at work and they are both well within specifications.
P.S. When there is high power rf around (rf amplifiers, Tesla coils etc.) a simple analogue moving coil meter gives steadier readings than a dmm.
P.P.S. Even if your cheap dmm has a very high voltage range do not try to measure above about 500v as some cheap dmm have poor insulation design. Also, as the above photo's show ... not all 'expensive' dmm have good insulation design.
Registered Member #72
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659
It's a bit like the joke about snooker or pool players, how do you tell a professional from an amateur player? The amateur chalks his cue *after* the shot.
After I fried my decent Fluke (you just know that the zzzzt noise from its internals is a bad thing), I bought several £5 ones, with the intention of buying another decent one to keep them in calibration. But I took them into work for a quick check, and they are all so within spec that my £100 has stayed in my pocket.
Unfortunately, acquisition of a decent meter is part of the rite of passage from smart school nerd to frankly dangerous young adult. So we all have to go through the second part of that rite, which is losing it in action.
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A part of me just died...
