Multimeters?

[TimS]

Not sure if this is the right place for this question, but...

Anyone got any recommendations for multimeters that have features such as capacitance test and transistor test i.e. are good for use with old radio equipment. Perfect precision is not of concern to me but reliability is.

I note that Rapid electronics have the '328' with an abundance of features at only 19.90 but this price seems to good to be true. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Tim.

[Paul Stenning]

I have a Precision Gold model which came rom Maplin about 8 years ago. It has transistor and diode testing, capacitance and frequency measurement as well as the usual ranges (including AC and DC current up to 10A). I can't remember what it cost or what the model number is, but that's not relevant after so many years. It was certainly not very expensive for what it offered though, and is still working fine. The only niggle is that it does not have an automatic switch off when not used, so I get through batteries by accidently leaving it on ages.

For £20, long-term reliability is probably not a big deal either. If you get two or three years out of it you've done well. But with care (not dropping it or overloading it) it should keep working happily for several years.

I'll move this message somewhere a bit more appropriate.

[Station X]

Tim.

I generally use an auto-ranging Fluke I "inherited" from work. However I also have this meter which seems to offer all the features you need plus a few more:-

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...oy=search&QV=Y

It costs a bit more than £19.90 though.

Graham.

[Paul Stenning]

I've never liked auto-ranging meters so always choose ones with manual range settings. It's personal preference though. That Maplin one looks good for the money.

[stephanie]

I have a DMM I got from Radio Shack (an erzatz electronics seller in the USA).

It can do transistor checking (not that I've ever used that function), in addition to capacitance and the usual stuff.

It is auto-ranging with manual over-ride.

There is also a continuity buzzer where you can get the meter to "beep" if there is continuity across a component (instead of having to look at the ohms reading). That's always handy for a ditz like me.

Bought it with some christmas money back in 1998. It's served me well.

[Andrew_Keith]

Maplins are at present doing a special offer on some of thier multimeters reduced from £24.99 to £5.99, i bought one the other day from Salford branch it has all the usual functions including transistor testing, and am very pleased with it. . It is quite heavy and has a feel of quality about it.

Regards.

[evingar]

I too had a Maplin Gold meter for years, but it went T.U a couple of years ago. I then had a succession of cheapo (but feature rich) meters that only lasted a very short time before developing a variety of annoying problems !

I know all the economic arguments about cheap Test Gear, but personally I hate cheap and nasty Test Gear and tools! I find a good tool is a pleasure to use, a nasty tool is a pain and psycollogically you are just waiting for it to bust


Anyway, I bought a Fluke 25 on Ebay (Basic V,I, Continuity, auto ranging, ruggardised military spec and in pristine condition). This (unsurprisingly) has been faultless to date. To address the need for LC measurements, I bought the excellent Atlas LCR meter from Peak.

http://www.peakelec.co.uk/

I don’t care about diode and tranny testing, as I never once used that function on the Maplin meter, even though I had it for years!

[ColinB]

Hello

I finally got tired of my meter misbehaving (ie showing it had 200-some volts applied when the test leads weren't connected to anything! etc etc) This was due to dirty switch contacts, but cleaning only seemed to last a short time.

To replace it I bought a DMM from Argos of all places. What I liked about this one was that it will do DC to 1000v, AC to 700v and measure temperature, as well as diode, transistor, resistance to 200Mohms etc.

The real selling point was that these were the same meters we had when I was at technical college, and seeing the number of those that carried on with only the occasional new fuse (considering the kind of abuse they got..) these seemed reliable.

They also come with a holster and temperature sensor, not bad for £25

HTH

Colin

[TimS]

Thanks for the replies.

Why do these meters appear to have separate sockets for testing capacitors? I don't want to have to remove every cap from a set to test them, so is there any problem with running leads from these sockets to the radio?

-- Tim.

[Station X]

Why do these meters appear to have separate sockets for testing capacitors?

Because the test leads have both capaitance and inductance which can affect the reading. In parctice it doesn't make much difference except when testing low value capacitors. You can always measure the capacitance of the leads and subtract it from the result. Most capacitors, especially electrolytics, have such a wide tolerance that you won't know the difference.

Graham.