Oms law (1 Viewer)

Apr 27, 2016
6,872
7,992
Manchester
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42,762
MH
A class Hymer
Exp
Since the 80s
312358305432 found this on eBay will it do the job?.
I don't think this is very good for DC work, either amps or volts. It calls itself an AC DC tester, but will not measure DC amps at all. (the 'ripple' symbol next to the 200A and 20A range means AC). Many meters used by electricians who work just on AC mains 240/400 volts are like this. The double line symbol, upper one full, lower one dotted, means DC - as seen next to the 600V range

The one I use is this one.

It's a Uni-T UT210E. It can measure 100 amps, AC or DC, but more importantly it has a 2 amp range for measuring small currents, useful when tracing what's draining the battery.

It comes with red and black leads for measuring voltage and resistance. Resistance test is good for testing fuses, finding breaks in wires, and bad contacts. One slight downside of this meter is, it is in AC mode when it it switched on. You have to remember to press the blue button to switch it to DC mode (if you measure in the wrong mode you can get bizarre readings, but won't damage the meter).
 

kevenh

Free Member
Jun 1, 2019
3,319
11,801
Thatcham
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I'm a Progressing Newbie
^^ I bought one of those after looking around the Fun forum!!

Vipar, as you progress through your troubleshooting, do update here & ask about the next steps of your checks.
 

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,836
72,479
Thetford Norfolk
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MH
C class, Chieftain
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
312358305432 found this on eBay will it do the job?. I have no intention of touching AC ⚰⚰⚰
As an electronics engineer I have an intense dislike/mistrust of clamp meters
They are fine for heavy work, but when you are looking for a problem that may be milliamps you may as well use a box of tissues !
This , or something similar is a far better bet

If you would like a step by step guide of how to use it to check current draw from your battery, I am happy to talk you through it rather than put it on here.. The reason being many folk have tried to explain how to do it and many folk have failed to understand.
Results have been varied from blowing a meter to getting false or useless readings

Happy to send you my fone number or you can send me yours and I will call you when it is convenient ( and you have the meter and van at your disposal )

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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
605
36,109
Macclesfield
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Zilch Mk1
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From Aug 2007

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,836
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Thetford Norfolk
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MH
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
OK but the one many of us in here have is amazingly good.

I've just clamped my UNI-T on it's 2A DC range to see 9mA going through an LED.

Mind you, it should be good at the price.
Yep, but it only does amps .. For general use I still reckon an ordinary meter is the way to go :)

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hilldweller

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Dec 5, 2008
605
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Macclesfield
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From Aug 2007
Yep, but it only does amps .. For general use I still reckon an ordinary meter is the way to go :)

Yes to 3 decimal places.

When it comes to current and the crude way MHs are wired a clamp meter is much easier because you don't have to struggle to open a connection. That is exactly why I bought it. Then sold the MH which solved all the problems of a MH.

I've still got plenty of uses with home automation.
 
Apr 27, 2016
6,872
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Manchester
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Since the 80s
Yep, but it only does amps .. For general use I still reckon an ordinary meter is the way to go
There's two sockets (red & black) in the base, that you can't see in the pictures. It does volts and ohms through those.
UT210E_Leads.jpeg

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kevenh

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Jun 1, 2019
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It's called a mulitmeter ;) not an amp meter
 
OP
OP
Vipar
Jun 8, 2019
4,931
18,760
Bexley Kent
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MH
Given up Motorhoming
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May 2019

TW Tool Superstore
Compact and highly portable smart battery charger
RAC 4 Amp Smart Charger RAC-HP239 is a fully automatic 6V and 12V battery charger with a capacity of 1.2-120Ah. It is suitable for petrol/diesel engines up to 3000cc, as well as wet, gel, AGM and maintenance free lead-acid batteries.
  • Fully automatic 6V and 12V
  • Microprocessor controlled with 5 stage intelligent charge
  • Faulty battery indication
  • Winter charging mode and maintenance mode
  • Battery charger is dust proof and splash-proof IP65
This RAC smart battery charger also has a diagnosis and rescue function for deeply discharged batteries down to 9V. Along with a series of protection functions: short circuit, reverse connection and overload.
Images shown for illustration purposes
TW-Ebay-Header-2017.jpg


Hi guys I bought this from eBay to keep all my batteries topped up do I clip it to my engine battery or my leisure battery? I want to leave it on all the time. Can I plug it into one of the sockets in the van then plug the van in. Or should I plug into house directly?

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Jan 19, 2014
9,390
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Elddis Accordo 105
Exp
since 2014

TW Tool Superstore
Compact and highly portable smart battery charger
RAC 4 Amp Smart Charger RAC-HP239 is a fully automatic 6V and 12V battery charger with a capacity of 1.2-120Ah. It is suitable for petrol/diesel engines up to 3000cc, as well as wet, gel, AGM and maintenance free lead-acid batteries.
  • Fully automatic 6V and 12V
  • Microprocessor controlled with 5 stage intelligent charge
  • Faulty battery indication
  • Winter charging mode and maintenance mode
  • Battery charger is dust proof and splash-proof IP65
This RAC smart battery charger also has a diagnosis and rescue function for deeply discharged batteries down to 9V. Along with a series of protection functions: short circuit, reverse connection and overload.
Images shown for illustration purposes
TW-Ebay-Header-2017.jpg


Hi guys I bought this from eBay to keep all my batteries topped up do I clip it to my engine battery or my leisure battery? I want to leave it on all the time. Can I plug it into one of the sockets in the van then plug the van in. Or should I plug into house directly?

Buy one for each battery ? plug them in where ever is most convenient, doesn't matter.
 
Jan 19, 2014
9,390
24,771
Derbyshire
Funster No
29,757
MH
Elddis Accordo 105
Exp
since 2014
And that won't help because resistance hot is very different to resistance cold.
The heater must have a temperature coefficient then. Most resistive heaters current draw can be worked out as the resistance doesn't change.
 
Aug 6, 2013
11,953
16,570
Kendal, Cumbria
Funster No
27,352
MH
Le-Voyageur RX958 Pl
Exp
since 1999
The heater must have a temperature coefficient then. Most resistive heaters current draw can be worked out as the resistance doesn't change.
I presume a halogen heater will have a similar temperature coefficient to a halogen bulb. Both use a tungsten filament. By comparison a heater using nichrome wire (the usual stuff for exposed elements) has a very low temperature coefficient.

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