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Re: Multi-meter Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:24:31 In Reply to: Multi-meter, PaulS [Profile/Gallery] , Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:03:21 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I'd avoid Radio Shack and probably go to Sears. There are decent deals on semi-pro stuff mail order, but it changes all the time, and you really need to touch/feel.
Get the least number of features you can live with. More may seem like better, but you are losing out on the quality of the necessary stuff to get the 'fun' stuff like frequency or capacitance. And you do get what you pay for, so on an inexpensive meter, capacitance would be arbitarily close to a random number generator anyway.
Don't worry about how many digits it has - just get nice big ones. If it has an analog scale, that is helpful. Most will be autoranging, but make sure you get one with a Range Hold button. Be aware that unless specifically designed to measure low resistance, even the good Flukes don't accurately measure below 1 ohm. Yes, 0.8 ohms is more than 0.2 reading, but I wouldn't guarantee it to be exactly 4 times (0.8 could be 0.5, etc.)
I know this isn't what you asked, but I do recommend a low-end Fluke. I'm an EE, and have worked with really nice quality equipment for years (bought and paid for by my employers). And for years I bought cheap multimeters for home use. They were a pain to work with, and died every 2-3 years. For my Birthday one year I bought myself a low-end Fluke - one from the Model 70 series. I think I paid about $90. Not only is it a joy to use, but it has held up for years with no ill effects. And the bright yellow (removable) rubber case makes it pretty hard to lose.
I've dropped Flukes from the upper deck of a helicopter (when it was on the ground, 'natch) and it worked just fine afterwards. I figure that the Fluke will be cheaper in the long run than having to replace a bunch of cheap meters, and I enjoy using it.
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