Multimeter advice needed

[Crisis management]

I need a new multimeter as the antique chinese one has finally died and not being a sparkie I need some recomendations. I could just go to Bunnings but I'd rather have some advice beforehand.
It will get used to poking things on the bike occassionally, trouble shooting the boat wiring and for the "I wonder what happens if.." stuff I do around the house, so it doesn't need to be the top of the line Fluke but needs to have readable numbers (digital) and do the basic functions simply. I don't want to have to read the manual everytime I get it out, oh, and cheap!

Ta in advance.

[neels]

Dick Smith do some reasonable ones, autoranging is not a bad idea.

Something like this perhaps

http://www.dse.co.nz/dse.shop/4cf2dcd704cee266273fc0a87f3b0742/Product/View/Q1456

[slofox]

I use a DSE version - not autoranging though. Does the job just fine so far.

[avgas]

Buy the cheapest you can find. And learn how to use is properly.
The knowledge alone is worth a million flukes.

Auto-ranging is not important if your willing to learn. But handy if your lazy.

[nadroj]

I use an APPA-77 bought from Ideal electrical wholesalers. Excellent value for money.
http://www.appatech.com/appa_product_moa.php?pdid=2005102401295373290&&kindid=2005081003113623241

[Juzz976]

I have a few meters here

last 1 of the UNI-T UT60A
true RMS auto ranging and CATIII 600V CATII 1000V
Peak hold + backlit display
Does Freq Duty Cycle dwell.... Also has opto Isolator for pc datalogging.

Very handy, can use to log appliance usage or whatever with the serial pc link.

$50 brand new.

Otherwise get a cheapo at jaycar, DSE or wharehouse.

[avgas]

last 1 of the UNI-T UT60A
true RMS auto ranging and CATIII 600V CATII 1000V
Peak hold + backlit display
Does Freq Duty Cycle dwell.... Also has opto Isolator for pc datalogging.

Very handy, can use to log appliance usage or whatever with the serial pc link.

$50 brand new.
Buy this one!!!!

I currently have 2 x baby UNI-T UT20B.....they go everywhere with me and are surprising good. They have had dents scratches......5-10 years of really hard use and are not dead yet.

UNI-T is a very underrated brand.

[Juzz976]

Buy this one!!!!

I currently have 2 x baby UNI-T UT20B.....they go everywhere with me and are surprising good. They have had dents scratches......5-10 years of really hard use and are not dead yet.

UNI-T is a very underrated brand.


I've got 3 of these, 2 for home and 1 for work as I'm a switchgear fitter.

They have good impact resistance as they're rubber coated, I use these to datalog allsorts like how often fridge starts up / current draw or temperature, hot water cyclinder blah blah. They also look good too.

Another handy thing to have is a small dc clamp meter, awesome for finding leakages.

[Motu]

Auto ranging is good,but can get confusing if it changes range in use.Graphing is also an excellent feature,but not usually a cheap option.

[tri boy]

Dick Smith for the win.
Fluke meters are over rated. They still fail, but cost a heap to get repaired, and a small fortune to replace.MHO

[HenryDorsetCase]

I had one I liberated from captivity aka a previous employer which was an AVO brand: made in the 60's I reckon. It has a dial sweep gauge which I much prefer to digital. But to replace it I bought a $100 one from DSE and its OK.

[Crisis management]

Thanks guys, looks like Dick Smiths then....for the simple applications I need it for the basic model will do. I assume all of these modern meters have a "smoke about to escape" warning?

[notme]

Thanks guys, looks like Dick Smiths then....for the simple applications I need it for the basic model will do. I assume all of these modern meters have a "smoke about to escape" warning?

I'd advise against autoranging - it can confuse you if you are not careful and send you up the garden path looking for a problem that doesn't exist. It's not needed on a DMM - and the reason for that relates to your question above. For measuring everything except current, you are fine to whack your DMM onto the source and change voltage ranges until you find one you like. Most meters will not suffer damage measuring voltages on any setting apart from current (which requires you to move the probes on most anyway)

The pending smoke warning is when you plug the probes into the current sockets, be careful then, and always return the probes tot he voltage sockets when you are finished working with the meter.

[Juzz976]

I'd advise against autoranging - it can confuse you if you are not careful and send you up the garden path looking for a problem that doesn't exist. It's not needed on a DMM - and the reason for that relates to your question above. For measuring everything except current, you are fine to whack your DMM onto the source and change ranges until you find one you like.

The pending smoke warning is when you plug the probes into the current sockets, be careful then, and always return the probes tot he voltage sockets when you are finished working with the meter.

How can it be confusing when it displays the value and the units?

These are designed to be used by noobs.

IMHO

[ducatilover]

I've been using a Jaycar DMM for all my auto elec crap for two years, it's rather decent and was a very good price.

Oscilloscopes are more fun to look at though

[notme]

How can it be confusing when it displays the value and the units?

These are designed to be used by noobs.

IMHO

Noobs often don't know to look carefully at the units - because they are noobs. They often read a number, and if it's close to what they expect they may forget to look at the units, lack the experience to double check, or not understand the units at all. Seen it happen many times, you get people saying that their charging system has xxV of AC ripple (problem!) when they mean xxmV (no problem) or they fit a 10R resistor to make thier LED indicators work with a standard flasher and it doesn't work because they misread a 10kR .....

Also, autorange is slower than manual - probably just personal preference, but it annoys me when I need to take a series of readings.

Another point - the bargraph display at the bottom of a lot of DMM's is useful, since you can see the reading shoot up/down while you are testing...except if you have the thing on autorange which screws that up.


I've been using a Jaycar DMM for all my auto elec crap for two years, it's rather decent and was a very good price.

Oscilloscopes are more fun to look at though

Absolutely! Although the huge price increase over a cheap DMM puts them out of range of most home mechanics, pro's use a scope even for just reading a DC voltage/current - because you never know what you might find that you would miss with a DMM.

[ducatilover]

Absolutely! Although the huge price increase over a cheap DMM puts them out of range of most home mechanics, pro's use a scope even for just reading a DC voltage/current - because you never know what you might find that you would miss with a DMM.

I love using a scope. Have one under the desk here :yes:

[Motu]

A graphing multimeter is better for automotive use - I use a Snap-On Vantage as my everyday multimeter,and only pull out the DSO when I need a closer more in depth look.

[cbfb]

I've been using this bad boy (http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=QM1500&CATID=12&form=CAT&SUBCATID=546) from JayCar for about $12. Can't fault it. Fixes bikes and sewing machines.

[jonbuoy]

I wouldn't trust anything else but a Fluke (especially dealing with potentially lethal voltages). Cheap meters are worse than useless.

Autoranging is only slow on cheap meters. See some basic Flukes going cheap on Trademe from time to time. I have one I bought second hand 16 years ago - still going strong. If it wasn't for the capacitor and frequency tester of the new one I have I'd still be using it.

[HenryT]

DSE have a nice little red number that is half the price of a fuse for a fluke meter. Okay it is not fused but if you are clever enough to be needing a meter to fix your bike it is a simple operation to put an inline one in the meters lead. As a side line the position of the plugs enbles you use the only available peak volt meter adapter directly in it with the meters own leads. at a recent motorcycle electronics service school it was as acurate as all the flukes and other expensive meters present. At the end of the day if it gives trouble toss it and get another.

[Owl]

last 1 of the UNI-T UT60A
true RMS auto ranging and CATIII 600V CATII 1000V
Peak hold + backlit display
Does Freq Duty Cycle dwell.... Also has opto Isolator for pc datalogging.

Very handy, can use to log appliance usage or whatever with the serial pc link.

$50 brand new.

I just ordered this model, so cheers. Fed up with my $10 cheapo:brick:

[notme]

I wouldn't trust anything else but a Fluke (especially dealing with potentially lethal voltages). Cheap meters are worse than useless.


......disagree with cheapos being worse than useless, sure they will not be accurate to the millivolt or update as fast as a $1000 meter, but having one is far far more useful than nothing. For the home mechanic, the fact that this sort of equipment is available at that price point nowadays is a huge bonus.

The lethal voltages comment is a good point, I've added something based on it to point 4 of http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/132696-Basic-troubleshooting-steps

[Henk]

Agree with the above.
For the home mechanic cheap meters are fine, the fuses on meters are usually on the high current ranges in any case and most people will never measure current in any case, just use the volts, continuity and ocasionaly ohms ranges. Better meters will give true RMS but since your average home mechanic will only ever be measuring DC this is hardly worth all the extra expense.

[jonbuoy]

Horses for courses, you can rebuild an engine with a set of cheap tools from the 2$ shop. Not saying you need a Fluke but theres cheap and then too cheap - spending days fault finding only to find the leads from that 10$ meter had an intermittent cable fault could be a bit frustrating, its not all about accuracy.

[Owl]

spending days fault finding only to find the leads from that 10$ meter had an intermittent cable fault could be a bit frustrating, its not all about accuracy.

Pretty much the issue I had with my $10 meter:facepalm:

[jonbuoy]

Pretty much the issue I had with my $10 meter:facepalm:

And a set of leads is more than $10, biggest problem with the el cheapo meters is the resistance range, a fluke will measure up to 50 Megs or so , a middle of the road 40 megs a cheap one - maybe 2 megs. High range is very useful if your looking for chafed cables or checking insulation on coils. If you put it on resistance and lightly touch a dry finger on both probes with a finger on each hand - if it doesn´t register any resistance its not much good.

Before I megga test I check with a Fluke, 90% of the time the fluke is as good as the megga tester at picking up earth leakages/breakdowns.