Multimeters

Bonsaiman

Bonsaiman

Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Posts
246
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Location
God's Own County
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77,138
MH
Lunar Champ H592
Exp
Since 2018
Hi all
Can anybody recommend a good multimeter, not mega expensive top end and not cheap Chinese rubbish but something in between, dependable and easy to use
Thanks in advance
 
I'd look at getting an ac/dc clamp capable meter..makes current measurements that much easier..if you Google that and see what is available..the picture of mine was a popular buy some years back..not sure if the same one is still available..
Andy..
20220430_164316.jpg
 
andy63 said:
I'd look at getting an ac/dc clamp capable meter..makes current measurements that much easier..if you Google that and see what is available..the picture of mine was a popular buy some years back..not sure if the same one is still available..
Andy..
View attachment 612510
Click to expand...
I've got that one, It's ok but I bought the new version which is a bit better resolution, smaller and comes with a soft case.

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Great for service work in buildings/factory/office. My partner had one... But they don't measure DC Current 😭
Richard n Ann said:
Great for service work in buildings/factory/office. My partner had one... But they don't measure DC Current 😭
Click to expand...
Mine’s dose and I’m sure all the T6 range dose.
 
BillyKontiki said:
Great for service work in buildings/factory/office. My partner had one... But they don't measure DC Current 😭

Mine’s dose and I’m sure all the T6 range dose.
Click to expand...
No, I'm afraid you are wrong. I've been on Fluke's website just to confirm (my already quite sure thoughts😁) the current scale is AC only.
Screenshot_20220430-215509_Opera.jpg


www.fluke.com

Fluke T6-1000, 1000V AC electrical voltage tester and current tester | Fluke

Fluke T6-1000, 1000V AC: electrical voltage tester and current tester at the same time without test leads. Fluke continuity tester is the perfect tool for maintenance
www.fluke.com www.fluke.com
 
Rob Turner I'm trying to quote your last post but it's not working.

Anyway... Respect :notworthy2: 😁

I've always had a fluke multimeter but never pushed the boat out that far 😆
 
Richard n Ann said:
Rob Turner I'm trying to quote your last post but it's not working.

Anyway... Respect :notworthy2: 😁

I've always had a fluke multimeter but never pushed the boat out that far 😆
Click to expand...
I‘ve got a couple, the other one I bought in 88 and it’s never missed a beat.
 
Rob Turner said:
I‘ve got a couple, the other one I bought in 88 and it’s never missed a beat.
Click to expand...
Same here, mine was about £100 in 1988, it was only the basic one but it's still working perfectly and it's now my shed multimeter 👍😊

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Richard n Ann said:
No, I'm afraid you are wrong. I've been on Fluke's website just to confirm (my already quite sure thoughts😁) the current scale is AC only.
View attachment 612610

www.fluke.com

Fluke T6-1000, 1000V AC electrical voltage tester and current tester | Fluke

Fluke T6-1000, 1000V AC: electrical voltage tester and current tester at the same time without test leads. Fluke continuity tester is the perfect tool for maintenance
www.fluke.com www.fluke.com
Click to expand...
No I’m afraid I’m right as I said mine’s dose. I use a fluke T6. 6 on an almost daily basis and not only dose it measure ac and dc voltage it automatically detects between the two.
 
BillyKontiki said:
No I’m afraid I’m right as I said mine’s dose. I use a fluke T6. 6 on an almost daily basis and not only dose it measure ac and dc voltage it automatically detects between the two.
Click to expand...

But does it measure dc current?

The spec sheet suggests that it doesn’t.

Ian
 
There's two technologies to measure current with a clamp/fork, ie without having to disconnect or cut into the wire. A current transformer is simpler and cheaper, but measures only AC currents. A Hall Effect sensor is more expensive but measures both AC and DC currents. Many electricians working on industrial/domestic circuits never need to measure DC currents, so many of the meters for that market don't do DC current. They are advertised as 'AC/DC multimeter', because they measure AC and DC volts. So if you want a clamp meter to measure DC currents in 12V vehicle circuits, you need to check the small print.
 
Got your Fluke from 1988? Fairly new really. I've had mine since 1983 :)
As far as MMs go, use the Fluke for general use.
Also use a generic make DVM with Clamp (that reads both AC AND DC ;) ) as another general use meter - I actually pretty rarely use the Clamp feature and would not regard it as an essential feature, but having said that, if I did want a Clamp feature, 100% I would make sure it was DC as well as AC if the reason for buying was MH electrics. An AC-only clamp would be pretty pointless for MH working (Home and Office is a totally different environment).
The other Meter I find very handy - and probably more than the Clamp one - is an LIUMY Oscilloscope Multimeter. This is very handy for checking quality of mains on EHU and output of Inverter Generators and Inverters that claim to be Pure Sine Wave.

And for Fluke T6 owners .....
1651522446731.png
 
I use a fluke 115, but the supplied cables are not GS38 so buyer beware! If you don’t have a good knowledge of electrics don’t go poking around 230Vac would be my advice, although 12/24dc is “safer”, Batteries have the potential to deliver very high currents, and produce arcs and sparks, which don’t go well with gas or fuel vapours.
A good plug in socket tester for £20 can be used to diagnose most 230V faults.
CPC Farnell have a comprehensive range of meters and other electrical components and are a much better bet than buying auction sites.

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The supplied leads with Flukes are crap tbf.
A good set of fused silicone leads is a must.
 
This is one of those "It Depends" questions.

If this is just for 12V in your van and won't ever go near mains. Then any cheap Chinese one will do to be honest.

If you are going to use it on 240v then use one of the established brands like Kewtech.

There is no need to go to high end like Fluke for any use case unless you are are having to test to ISO standards etc.

I have the Kewtech 115 which I have had for decades. It is a fantastic multimeter. I don't think they make it anymore but the Kewtech 116 looks like a worthy replacement.

PS: The reason I say avoid the cheap chinese ones for mains work is that a lot of them don't have segregation on the PCB and some only have protection on one side of the probe circuit. Either of these can result in fire, injury or damage to equipment.
Check out the EEVBlogs youtube channel. Dave Jones is an Electronics/Electical engineer and has developed his own range of multimeters alongside a major manufacturer. He has reviewed a lot of the cheap chinese ones and they scare the poop out of me to be honest.

This is mine and as you can see it is physically protected and has all the features you could possibly want.

1651595644252.png
 
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One thing that has changed over recent years is the availability of inexpensive DC clamp meters. Measuring DC currents using a standard meter is quite possible, reasonably accurate, but is generally a pain to set up, especially in a vehicle, because it usually involves disconnecting wires and routing the current through the meter. This often disturbs the very thing you are trying to test, especially if it's a device not going into sleep mode when the ignition is off.

A DC clamp meter can measure currents simply by closing the clamp around the wire - no disconnection required, nothing disturbed. Sure, there are talented people who can have a stab at guessing the current, given a few voltage readings, but a dc clamp will give a definite reading easily. Although people seem to regard them as a specialist, advanced instrument, they are actually especially good for beginners, and are safer too.

I have the one in Richard n Ann's post #5, like many others - I have a few multimeters, but this the one I always keep in the motorhome. Mind you, I'm very tempted by the LIUMY Scope meter that Hoovie mentioned.
 
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I suspect nearly all multimeters are made in China these days, no matter what the make.

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