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Help me pick a new multimeter.

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Adam Munich

Sat Sept 18 2010, 05:33AM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Do you have any recommendations? I burnt mine out with those caps I made.

I like this one, it seems to be the best meter for my money. According to the reviews it is light, but that isn't something a suitable application of lead can't solve!

Bjørn

Sat Sept 18 2010, 07:58AM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

The $5 meters are just as accurate and have the basic functions you need. Get a few of those so you don't have to worry about blowing them up.

If you really need the extra functions you can get an expensive one in addition.

radiotech

Sat Sept 18 2010, 03:40PM

Registered Member #2463 Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
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Posts: 1546

The data interface is nice for some stuff. With the software you can plot curves for charge/discharge of batteries but it usually only does 1 sample per second. For HV work, consider the spark will not only destroy the meter but likely will eat the computer too.

Adam Munich

Sat Sept 18 2010, 03:57PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Apparently this one is optosiolated and does many samples/second. I think I'll go with this one, unless someone can find a better one <$70.

TheMerovingian

Mon Sept 20 2010, 12:18PM

Registered Member #14 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:04PM
Location: Prato/italy
Posts: 383

radiotech wrote ...

The data interface is nice for some stuff. With the software you can plot curves for charge/discharge of batteries but it usually only does 1 sample per second. For HV work, consider the spark will not only destroy the meter but likely will eat the computer too.

A pic16f88 with on board 10bit adc (that can be oversampled to 14bit averaging 256 samples) with RS-232 interface would do the same.. at much lower cost and more learning value

Proud Mary

Mon Sept 20 2010, 02:29PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

I am completely with BjÃ¸rn on this one.

I bought this "Toolzone Multimeter" on ebay for Â£9.99 plus Â£2.49 p&p, - a total of Â£12.48 (EUR 14.91/NOK 119/US$ 19.48) - for use when I don't want to risk my Thurlby Thandar bench meter, and the job doesn't merit setting up my Fluke AC/DC Differential Voltmeter.

It is mechanically robust - the yellow jacket is made from a rubbery polymer - has a large display, and is much more accurate than I would have imagined.

Unusually for an instrument in this class, the R meter function goes up to 200M, where it reads 102M against a 100M 1% resistor.

The capacitance measurement function is also better than I expected, showing a range between 7.29 - 7.31nF across four randomly selected 7.3nF 0.3% silver mica capacitors.

The VDC range shows 994V against 1kV supplied by a Bertan 313A PSU and measured on my Fluke 887AB Differential Voltmeter of accuracy >25 ppm.

Of course, I haven't laboriously tested and graphed the Toolzone Multimeter's errors on every range, but in over a year of use I haven't had reason to doubt its accuracy in any important respect.

In a word, this meter is brilliant value for money, and if one day it takes the one way journey to Boot Hill, it won't break the bank buying another one.

803

Mon Sept 20 2010, 07:21PM

Registered Member #2807 Joined: Fri Apr 16 2010, 08:10PM
Location:
Posts: 191

Get a old vtvm vacuum tube voltmeter. Their cheep, around 50 years old, and last and survive about anything. I'm surprised that mary didn't talk about them, I'm sure she has one, with her loving of vacuum tube, most of all the thyratron.

Adam Munich

Mon Sept 20 2010, 07:28PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Found it.

I can't buy things on ebay anymore though since paypal closed my account and stole my $$$.

As for the VT one, I have no space.

Proud Mary

Mon Sept 20 2010, 08:17PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

803 wrote ...

Get a old vtvm vacuum tube voltmeter. Their cheep, around 50 years old, and last and survive about anything. I'm surprised that mary didn't talk about them, I'm sure she has one, with her loving of vacuum tube, most of all the thyratron.

You'd be hard pressed to find a valve voltmeter that did half so well as the "Toolzone Multimeter". Valve voltmeters tend to suffer from driftitis, and must be re-calibrated frequently to compensate for valve ageing if a high order of accuracy is required. It's often best not to switch them off at all to minimize thermal drift and the 'ageing' of components exposed to repeated heating and cooling cycles, so none too Green either.

I do, however, find a very good case for using a thermionic front end in electrometer applications - for example an electrometer pentode like 5886 set up as a cathode follower - where an electrometer input FET could be easily knocked out by rogue voltage transients or have its characteristics permanently changed by the odd Gray or two.

But none of this will help Grenadier with his quest, so I'll sign off here.

Adam Munich

Tue Sept 21 2010, 09:36PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

I've decided to go with the Amazon one. I'll give it a review when it gets here. Hopefully I don't have to put too much lead inside of it.

Edit: OOOhhh... look what I found. I'll go through this tonight and see if there's a better one yet. They're all really cheap and look very decent!

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