DIY: Do you own a multimeter and how is that working out for you?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › DIY: Do you own a multimeter and how is that working out for you?

chatterbox

204 posts

Master Geek

#304438 3-May-2023 18:35

I'm considering getting a multimeter. Might be useful for checking the car battery although I already have a CTEC charger and you can otherwise remove the battery and take it to repco for free testing. Useful for diagnosing where an appliance issue is and whether I can fix it myself. Along with some useful you tube videos of course. Yes I'm aware it doesn't make me an electrician. But at the same time I don't want to take a device or appliance to an expensive repair person if it's something I can fix myself or a $6 job at bunnings. I don't charge for my time :)

Current considerations, could be useful for an old dryer that isn't heating well, the AVR with the blinky red light of death.

If you own a multimeter have you found it beneficial around the house for fixing appliances and anything else you use it for?

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2829 posts

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#3070966 3-May-2023 18:44

Yeh got one somewhere, haven’t had a need to use one for years…

as for component level testing, you kinda need to know what the designed output voltage, current, resistance and capacitance etc of components are if you were to truely diagnose any issues aside from “working / not working”.

many components these days are IC based (chips), so that gets a tad difficult to diagnose simply with a jo average multimeter.

(yad have to be careful not to short out the pins with the multimeter probes)

and remember measuring full mains power circuits……it’s either gonna blow your meter or yourself if you don’t do it properly…

my two cents…

SteveXNZ

59 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3070974 3-May-2023 19:07

I have two - an older analogue and a newer digital meter. I use them regularly for all sorts of smart home, automotive and mains voltage applications.

But you need to be aware of their limitations, have a good understanding of AC/DC, resistance/reactance, voltage/current, series/parallel measurement, and be particularly careful when dealing with high voltages (>50V). Electricity is very unforgiving when you get it wrong.

While measuring battery voltage with a multimeter is useful, a proper battery tester will also tell you whether your battery is fully charged, as well as the condition of the battery, and how capable it is of delivering power to the electrical system.

So get a multimeter, get learning, and take care.

Senecio

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#3071041 3-May-2023 21:04

I have one. Most recently used during the building of my Vespa battery. Also used it to diagnose some electrical gremlins in the caravan.

I’ve never used it on an AC circuit. I never go near an AC circuit without turning everything off.

Bung

6477 posts

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#3071048 3-May-2023 21:45

Senecio: I’ve never used it on an AC circuit. I never go near an AC circuit without turning everything off.

In ECP 51 the rather ancient code of practice for house owners doing limited work on electrical fittings you are required to have a means of testing.

"1.6.1 When changing fittings in an existing electrical installation,
you must test the circuit to ensure that the power has been
disconnected. Use a multi-meter that measures AC voltage
and DC resistance. You should have this meter with you
before you begin repairs. "

A couple of times over the years I have found wiring from a 2nd circuit in a switchbox. Just pulling 1 breaker and observing that the light or socket stopped working could be a trap.

timmmay

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#3071049 3-May-2023 21:48

I bought a digital multimeter maybe 15 years ago. I use it a few times a year, to check battery charge, check resistance occasionally, just the odd little thing. I find it useful.

Wombat1

586 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#3072047 3-May-2023 22:01

Used mine this weekend on my daughters car but it gave me a bogus reading. It was a fluke.

mentalinc

3225 posts

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#3072052 3-May-2023 22:12

Love it, just a cheapie from jaycar.

Check voltages, check resistance etc.

Used it recently nearly weekly based on the projects I'm working on.

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Ge0rge

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#3072058 3-May-2023 23:15

I have several - one that lives in my vehicle, one in the workshop at home, one in the office.

They get used regularly for any number of things when I'm tinkering, couldn't do without one. Repairing electronics, building circuits, prove-test-prove when doing anything involving mains.

I also have a Megger, a clamp meter and a pair of Duspols that see reasonably regular use.

mudguard

2113 posts

Uber Geek

#3072063 4-May-2023 06:17

SteveXNZ:

But you need to be aware of their limitations, have a good understanding of AC/DC, resistance/reactance, voltage/current, series/parallel measurement, and be particularly careful when dealing with high voltages (>50V). Electricity is very unforgiving when you get it wrong

I bought one to find a short in my old project car, but given my limited understanding of electricity it was kind of pointless! I wound up poking and prodding the circuits I could access to no avail.

Turns out the short was in the electric aerial mechanism, which was on the correct circuit I was looking at, but a long way from where I was checking!

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
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#3072066 4-May-2023 06:21

I got a digital one from Jaycar last year, only used it once so far to test a laptop power supply. Will get more use later this year Im suspecting once I get stuck into my arcade machine restoration.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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Dulouz

883 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3072068 4-May-2023 07:01

I purchased one to fix a wiring issue on a trailer. They're complicated devices, so I need to hit up YouTube every time I have to use it to remind me what all the settings/ports are for.

Amanon

MadEngineer

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#3072079 4-May-2023 08:01

Learning to use it correctly is a must. If you buy a cheap one and do something stupid like have it on a supply and change it to measuring current without disconnecting it first you may find yourself with shards of plastic and glass imbedded in your hand or face as the result of an exploding cheap fuse.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Silvrav

469 posts

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#3072098 4-May-2023 09:10

Use mine almost weekly, but then again I build my own electronic boards for various things, do home electrical things etc.

johno1234

2793 posts

Uber Geek

#3072100 4-May-2023 09:26

I have a cheap "Vici" digital autoranging multimeter from AE and use it all the time. It's a bit of a Fluke knock-off. The battery lasts for ever, it is solidly built, and so far has not killed me. I'm using it for low voltage stuff like automotive repairs, batteries etc.

Gordy7

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#3072101 4-May-2023 09:27

Senecio:

I’ve never used it on an AC circuit. I never go near an AC circuit without turning everything off.

Having a multimeter with EF sensing (electric field sensing) is very useful for non contact checking of mains wiring.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

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