[Elecraft] Useful DMM/Cap/Transistor Meters

[n2htt at optonline.net]

Ron,

I agree - the RS meters give a lot of value for the money. I have a low-end RS DMM that reads up to 10A. Doesn't have any of the other measurements you mentioned, but it was only $29 as I recall.

And, it is quite a bit slower to read than the Fluke.

73,
Mike

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron D'Eau Claire <rondec at easystreet.com>
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 6:24 pm
Subject: [Elecraft] Useful DMM/Cap/Transistor Meters (WAS: Just built AADE capacitance meter - great!)

> If you're in the market for a new DMM, the mid-range Radio Shack DMM's
> provide these capabilities as well. One time I suddenly needed a 
> part for my
> Fluke and I was in the middle of building - my K2 IIRC. So I 
> trucked down to
> the local RS store and picked up a meter to use in the interim. 
> It's a real
> workhorse. It measures:
> 
> Voltage, resistance and current, of course current up to about 10 
> amps I
> believe. 
> 
> You can plug a transistor into a socket provided and it'll report 
> the type
> of transistor, the gain and identify the leads. 
> 
> Capacitance from a couple of pF to many, many microfarads. It has 
> about 100
> pF "stray" capacitance, but a 5 pF cap reads exactly 5 pF more than 
> thestray minimum cap it indicates with nothing connected.
> 
> Temperature with a probe supplied. 
> 
> Frequency through the audio range. 
> 
> Of course, it has front-panel contacts for critical measurements to 
> avoidhaving the leads in the circuit.
> 
> The only thing it doesn't measure that I want regularly is 
> inductance. I
> have an inductance measuring device built from an ARRL "Handbook" 
> circuitthat uses the DMM as a readout. Quite accurate enough from a 
> one or two
> microhenries up to several millihenries. 
> 
> I got RS meter about seven years ago, but I see they seem to keep a 
> meterwith those capabilities in the US$80 to $90 range in their 
> regularinstrument lineup.
> 
> Yeah, I fixed the Fluke. The Fluke is faster. The RS meter takes 
> about 2 or
> 3 seconds to produce a reading while the Fluke is virtually 
> instantaneous. I
> compared them side-by-side and compared those with a third high-end 
> meter I
> own and all three agree on Ohms, Volts and Amps across the scale 
> whereverI've happened to check them within 1% or better. Usually 
> they dial up
> identical values on the display when connected together. 
> 
> The slow speed of the RS isn't an issue for me because I have an 
> old VOM
> (wiggly meter movement volt-ohm-amp meter) that I use for "peaking" 
> things,or I use my o'scope. 
> 
> Ron AC7AC
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> 
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>