What multimeter should I get?

[Wyluli Wolf]

I'm looking on Amazon and there are 5 million of these things with all kinds of different functions.

All I really need it for is tinkering with PCB's and testing power supplies for consoles, etc.

Probably will not be building any space rockets until they install that atmosphere on Mars.

 

 

So which device do you think would be a happy, relatively inexpensive medium? (By inexpensive lets say under $50)

 

Thanks!

 

 

[Wyluli Wolf]

Decided to go with this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Triplett-Compact-Digital-Multimeter-Temperature/dp/B003YHCFTU/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Thought the temperature measurement feature might come in handy someday...

[Rex Dart]

I bought a Mastech MS8268 from Amazon for around $30 too.

 

Liked it so much, I bought one for my dad later.

[Wyluli Wolf]

I bought a Mastech MS8268 from Amazon for around $30 too.

 

Liked it so much, I bought one for my dad later.

I was looking at that one too. Decided to go for this one with the temp thingy. Should do for tinkering

[Osgeld]

about my only requirement for a multimeter is auto ranging, but I lasted almost 20 years before getting my first autorange meter so its not that big of a deal

[Keatah]

I had my first DMM when I was 4 years old. It was from RadioShack. I still have it!! It's the one with the 2 knobs and handle/stand. Micronta model no. 22-198U. There are times I take it out for a Sunday spin. I power up my Fluke 45 and do measurements in parallel with the RS unit. And from time to time I'll bring it with me on a real job. The electrically knowledgeable clients get all excited over it.

 

I used to use it to troubleshoot my Apple II kit, all the 100-in-1 spring-loaded project kits, the Solar Power Lab, the Globe Patrol SW Radio. I measured AC power with it. I learned to convert average to true-RMS. I tested batteries. I tested my Hayes Micromodem and the telephone lines with it. I did so much with it I could have sworn it was an o'scope in disguise.

 

I think manual-ranging is a great learning tool. It forces you to anticipate what reading to expect. Your knowledge of the circuit you're fucking with increases faster. Not only that, some autorangers bounce around and have crap hysteresis.

 

Years ago I might have recommended a Fluke DMM exclusively, but, today, these lower quality meters aren't so "low-quality". Except for maybe physical construction and noise resistance. But I don't think any of us here are doing troubleshooting in a High-Voltage Diesel Engine environment. If you are, you will have been issued the tough stuff by your boss.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Keatah

[+Stephen Moss]

If your not doing professional work then any cheap DVM in the 15-30 Pounds/Dollar range should suffice as they will all measure AD/DC Voltage,/Current and Resistance to a sufficient accuracy for most jobs.

 

If you can find one in you range that has additional features such as frequency, temperature or capacitance measurement think carefully about which you will need.

Generally frequency will not read high enough to be practical if looking at clock signals (1MHz - 30MHz) and temperature is not useful either unless you specifically know it will be. If you mainly looking at circuits being able to remove a capacitor and check its value would probably be the most useful of the extra features I have mentioned but you might want to check the range it covers first, 10uF to 100nF (0.1uF) is a good general purpose range but 100uF to 10nF (0.01uF) would be better.

[Rybags]

I've got something like 4 DMMs - all of the cheap variety. Turned out it was barely more expensive to buy 2 more on a sale offer than to buy replacement probe leads on the last purchase.

 

There's only so much they're good for in digital electronics though. A logic analyser would be nice... those cheap USB based ones look tempting.

[Rex Dart]

about my only requirement for a multimeter is auto ranging, but I lasted almost 20 years before getting my first autorange meter so its not that big of a deal

 

About the same here, except I require continuity testing too. I had been using those $15 DMMs for about 20 years, keeping multiples because not all had the same features. Replaced them all with that Mastech recently. It seems to do just about everything.

[Osgeld]

 

About the same here, except I require continuity testing too. I had been using those $15 DMMs for about 20 years, keeping multiples because not all had the same features. Replaced them all with that Mastech recently. It seems to do just about everything.

 

I dont even think I have ever seen one without continuity, including the 20 year old hardware store model I used as a kid 20 years ago

 

I went from that to a 40ish dollar "student" model similer to the op's in features and used that for most my life, but one of the banna jacks became broken and was unrepairable, Currently I have a 20$ craftsman and a Tektronix, which was a couple hundred bucks when it was still being made.

 

For 99.99999% of my work they are interchangeable, the craftsman obviously is not quite as accurate in resistance or current measurements but were talking 3rd decimal point type stuff, and I work in a EE lab.

[+Stephen Moss]

I've got something like 4 DMMs - all of the cheap variety. Turned out it was barely more expensive to buy 2 more on a sale offer than to buy replacement probe leads on the last purchase.

 

There's only so much they're good for in digital electronics though. A logic analyser would be nice... those cheap USB based ones look tempting.

I have a USBee SX logic analyser and I really like it although I now regret not getting the next one up that also acts as an oscilloscope but thought the ability to output a clock signal was better at the time.

 

Unfortunately with the SX you need to use the older software with the lower res GUI if you want to use its signal generator capabilities or be able to select if the serial bus being analysed is LSB or MBS first as the newer USBee Suit GUI does not do appear to have those functions, that latter is a bad oversite in my opinion as having to think/read MSB data backward is a pain.

Also if you are analysing busses it helps if you can search the data for a specific value such as a start condition which is only available in the paid for version of USBee Suit which at around $300 was about twice what I paid for the hardware!