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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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407265 No.407265 [Reply] [Original]

I need a multimeter.
pls help.

>> No.407270

their like 20 bucks

>> No.407275

>>407270
*they're

>> No.407277

>>407275
$20 for a shit tier one, what's a good one for about $50?

btw this is specifically for hv applications

>> No.407282

$50 is on the low end for a proper good one. Maybe one of the cheaper Uni-Ts. For high voltage, do spend the money for something you can depend on not to get you killed. $300 for a safe, high-quality meter that'll last for the rest of your life is a worthwhile investment.

>> No.407292
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407292

>>407265

>> No.407293

>>407282
$100 is the best I can do, I have different things I need to spned money on for electrical stuff. ;_;

>> No.407296

>>407292
If you scan it it'll bring you to a webpage that says "I seriously hope you guys don't scan this."

>> No.407300

>>407292

you post that cancer image that all of 4chan is sick of, with no comment.

have you tried rebbit? they LOVE to post old shit over and over and over and over.

>> No.407304

you might put what country you are in?

in the USA, there is plenty of usable ones for $25. They are generic/China made, but they work for everything up to wall-power voltages. no need to spend a fortune.

>> No.407306

>>407277
what is high voltage? 100v? 1000v? 10000v? 100000v?

>> No.407311

>>407293
You could try looking at second-hand meters. Even a 20-year old beat-up Fluke will be better than anything you can get for $50 new.

>> No.407324

>>407306
Over 10000 below 100000.

>> No.407326

>>407304
Canadyia

>> No.407354

Have a look here: http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-list-of-multimeters-that-do-not-appear-to-meet-their-claimed-safety-specs/
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/a-list-of-recommended-multimeters/

>> No.407370

>>407311
umm, what?

any cheapo China $20 meter will hit within 1% of accurate, you don't need more than that for 99.99% of all electronics.

>>407324
>(high voltage) Over 10000 below 100000.
umm,,,,,,,,,, nope, not happening.
Many don't do well above 300 volts and most hand-held transistor voltmeters aren't supposed to be used at all over 600 volts. There are some (not-really-hand-held!) made for tube electronics that can go up to 1000 volts or so. Beyond that you usually don't measure voltages directly; you measure the input voltages to whatever kind of voltage multiplier you are using, and then you either just use a mathematical result as the output,,,,, or you measure the voltage multiplier backwards if possible (like with a transformer)

>> No.407374

>>407370
A $20 meter will not have adequate input protection. It may claim to be CAT-whatever, but that's BS.

>> No.407416

>>407300
I saw the connection straight away. You clearly didn't.

>> No.407495

>>407370
i goggled and i found a random digital meter that said it could handle like 30k volts

>> No.407561

>I need a multimeter.
>pls help.

when I need something, what I do is I put on my shoes, grab my wallet and take the bus to the store that sells that item. and I purchase it with cash or credit card. this may seem complicated to some, but if you take it step by step, you too can achieve your goal of acquiring things like multimeters and soap.

>> No.407659

>>407561
I wonder how long it took you to write that?

>> No.407724

how long did you wonder before expressing your wonder?

>> No.407750
File: 117 KB, 640x480, 7y9h.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
407750

>> No.407751

>>407495
Link?

here is a $325 Fluke on Amazon that only measures up to 1000 volts-
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-FLUKE-87-V-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B0002YFD1K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1361963717&sr=8-5&keywords=fluke+voltmeter

Tube-voltmeters read up to around 5000 volts, and the highest-voltage common radio tubes are run at around 4500 volts since that's about the limit that can be reached with stable circuitry methods & transformers.

Beyond that voltage isn't normally measured directly.

>> No.407760

>>407751
My 60 year old analog multimeter reads up to 5000V ac/dc, not that I've ever had the chance to try it. It's even got a second connector for the 5kv setting

>> No.407774

>>407751
How do I measure indirectily and how much should I pay, I have a $300 dollar budget to spend an electronics and I have to ration a small fraction of it for a multimeter.

>> No.407777

>>407561
>i make random usresearched purchases all the time
enjoy your shitty overpriced products
alse
>bus
i walk, a aint sitting in those pieces of shit

>> No.407828

Amazingly enough, the multimeter I bought for $20 at the auto-parts section of Wal Mart is actually really decent. It doesn't test transistors, but it has a lot of other nice functions including a backlit screen, non-contact voltage test, and built-in flashlight. It's also fairly rugged, and makes the similarly-priced multimeters at Radioshack look like garbage.

>> No.407982

>>407828
>non contact voltage test
how

>> No.408059

>>407370
I've tried one of those cheap ass Chinese multimeters that are suppose to take 600 volts with a proper HV power supply (adjustable to 2000v. The selector started arcing out at around 450v. You get what you pay for

>> No.408070

wtf is this idiot doing messing with 10kv-100kv?

>> No.408087

>>407277
If you can't pick out your own multimeter, you clearly shouldn't even be going near anything with a voltage higher than your standard 120 outlets. You probably saw some people making coilguns on youtube and now you want to play with 450V capacitors. You should probably learn some more before you play with high voltage. Under the right conditions, even those little flash camera capacitors can fuck you up.

I don't say this to be purely condescending, but more to just give you fair warning and friendly advice from a EE that works with railgun technology as a career.

>> No.408091

>>408087
an*

Also, if 120V is the max you are going to be working with, most run of the mill cheapo multimeters are rated for 300-500VAC and can be purchased just about anywhere for 20$ or less.

>> No.408138

If you're a poorfag, make your own using a potentiometer and a d'arsonval meter.

>> No.408167

>>408087
Surprisingly, no. I actually know a lot about electronics and I thought you guys would know more about multimeters than I do, however I'd probably get much better results using Google.

>> No.408176

>>408167
Protip: if you're expecting useful advice, it helps to not sound like a troll.

>> No.408186

>>408176
Please explain how to not sound like a troll so I cannot repeat this behaviour.

>> No.408193

>>408167
All you gave us was "low budget" and 10kv to 100kv rating. Those two don't go together and you shouldn't be fucking with voltages like that if you aren't aware of such simple things.

>> No.408223

>>408193
I don't want a meter that measures 100kv, I just said a random number that the guy said. I'm not even working with HV either, I'm hoping to eventually work up to using semi-high voltages.

Stop being a condescending asshole and going "hurr this guy doesnt have a degree in multimeterometing and isn't working as a multimeter engineer with 300k starting and im just assuming im more intellgent out hurr", I happen to kno a lot about electronics, just not multimeters.

>> No.408224

>>407982
learn 2 induction.
Doesn't work on DC.

>> No.408232

>>408223
And this post is why no one takes you seriously.

>>407277
>btw this is specifically for hv applications
Oh really?

>>407324
>Over 10000 below 100000.
Seems like the exact range that I mentioned.

>>407265
>I need a multimeter.
>pls help.

11/10. Is this trolling really necessary on /diy/? If you want an answer to >>408186, your best bet is to just stop posting altogether.

>> No.408236

>>408223
>multimeter
>not electronics

Pick one.

>> No.408243

>>408224
oh, i thought it was for DC, does it utilize electric field or magnetic field?

>> No.408246

>>408232
I hope to get into HV applications in the future and I don't want to buy a new multimeter, I was unaware multimeters used sensitive semiconductors and you have to simply guess based on the beginning voltages and math.

Is this really so complex to comprehend?

>> No.408249

>>407370
A fluke will last 20+ years, a cheapo Chinese meter won't. What you pay for is what you get. I have a fluke 79 III from the 90's that works great still. Also, I wouldn't feel comfortable metering anything over 120vac with a Chinese meter.

I've seen cheap meters on sale at HF for $2 marked down from $8. If you're on a budget and need something to get by for now this might be for you OP. There's nothing wrong with a cheap meter for occasional use. If you get serious about electronics you'll eventually want to invest in a nice meter. For me with my line of work, the ohm scale is the most important and most Chinese meters aren't accurate enough.

>> No.408253

>>408246
Reasons you generally can't measure HV directly:
>meter can't handle it
AND/OR
>10 Mohm load resistor + high impedance HV source = inaccurate measurement

>>408243
Changing electric field implies changing magnetic field and vice versa, Maxwell's laws.

>> No.408267

Unrelated but I scanned the picture in the OP and it made my day.

>> No.408398

>>408243

Google "current clamp" or "clamp meter". The sensor part is typically a transformer with a single turn primary. These are for AC only, but there are hall-based sensors too, which work both on AC and DC. In any case, they measure magnetic field.

You can have a contactless voltage measurement too. Well, sort of, you can measure the electric field strength without contact with a field mill. Never heard of any multimeters with such measurement, though.

>> No.408453

>>408249
I have a second-hand Fluke 85 from the late 80s that still works great. If I really depended on accurate readings I'd get it calibrated, but as far as I can tell it's still within spec.

>> No.408487

>>408253
I'm trying to get someone too tell me how to measure "indirectily".

And I understand this for fuck sakes, I just wanted to know which one it utilized. I know they exist simoultaneously.

>> No.408669

>>408487
> I just wanted to know which one it utilized
Well the answer is either or both, it depends. Why are you so defensive? Your responses betray your lack of knowledge. Stop posing and people will be more willing to help.

>> No.408912

>>408669
I was assuming it used electric fields for voltage and magnetic for amperage, but how is this reliable?