DMM

[Dick.1]

After looking at Marks thread about budget test meters & looking at my now somewhat battered DMM (Rapitest DM25) I think it might be time to renew this old thing.

What does the panel think is a good all round test meter for low voltage use ....................................I use the IET definition that says (up to 1000 v.ac) but in practice it will be used only up to domestic single phase voltage & dc voltages in amplifiers & suchlike, no more than 400/450 v.dc anticipated

I would like it to be accurate especially in dc voltages up to 12/15v & the usual range of options that you see advertised

Price up to around £50...........................more for something that is particularly good value (£100 meter reduced to £59.99 perhaps)

Good quality used is an option

Cheers

Dick.

[ppppenguin]

Unless you have unusually critical needs then the £15 or so RS meter reviewed by Mark should be fine. More than good enough for everyday work on radios, TVs etc and safe enough to use on mains. I've got one which I use as a secondary instrument and it's fine though I've not checked its accuracy. Cheap enough to chuck if you wreck it. At that price you could buy 2 or 3

I have a Fluke 87 as my main DMM, bought new many years ago for a lot of money.

[Dick.1]

Jeffery
I used Megger as my main instruments when I was working testing installations etc
Normally used a cheap MM for day to day use, the Rapitest I'm using now is at least 12+ years old & has seen some hard times when I was "out & about" there is a spare somewhere in the shed that never got used as the Rapitest for some reason decided not to fall to pieces as I thought it would over time.

The RS model Mark reviewed seems a good little tester although I would prefer a larger screen & extras like temp/cap test/freq etc.....
I do have a need for good accuracy at DC voltages 3/5/9/12 down to low mv's or better ideally as I do dabble in a bit of "digi" guitar stuff from time to time

By the way I put a bid on a "Avo Minor" on fleabay, purely on a nostalgia thing...................... would be nice to get one again though

Dick.

[AlanBeckett]

By the way I put a bid on a "Avo Minor" on fleabay,  purely on a nostalgia thing...................... would be nice to get one again though

AVOMinor or MultiMinor?

         

Alan

[Mark Hennessy]

The RS14 and Bside ADM02 are pretty good for the money - a lot better than the £5 cheap jobs. For those who buy the £5 meters, I hoped my reviews would help to convince them to spend just a little bit more to get better functionality, accuracy and safety. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by those meters, notwithstanding their minor problems.

The trouble is the sheer amount of choice that you have. There are countless brands and models out there, and some of them are pretty good; others are terrible. A lot of them are re-badged, so it's hard to be sure what you're buying. Some manufacturers have excellent and terrible models in the same product range, so you can't always buy on brand (unless you go for one of the big names like Fluke). So, not an easy question. Perhaps come up with a shortlist and we'll take a look.

I've got a handful of Flukes (slight understatement!). You can see some here: http://www.markhennessy.co.uk/dvm_reference/#postscript - note the range in ages and price, yet note how they are all bang-on. None of them have been adjusted in the time I've had them (most were second-hand). Flukes hold their calibration for decades, and are very well made and rugged (both mechanically and electrically). Sure, they are expensive, but you get what you pay for. If you're patient, bargains can be found. But generally, the s/h prices are strong, and that's for good reason...

If you can stretch your budget to about £120, I'd recommend the EEVBlog BM235 (I plan to write a review soon, but there's plenty of info out there if you search). It's a re-badged Bryman, and a similar model can be had directly from them, but Brymen products aren't always easy to find. They are made in Taiwan to a really good standard, but they seem to have very poor marketing and distribution. For Dave Jones to get behind them and put his "brand" on them is recommendation enough. If you're not aware of Dave Jones and the EEVBlog, check him out - everything you need to know about multimeters can be found in his videos and on the forum. Not everyone likes Dave's style, but he talks sense and has a lot of industry experience.

The feature set of the BM235 is pretty good for the money - it includes true RMS, uA, contactless detection, capacitance, temperature, frequency, lo-Z, VFD. It's Cat-IV rated, with proper HRC fuses and has been independently tested (unlike a lot of meters). It has "input alert", which beeps at you if you have a probe in a current socket when you are not in a current mode - to get that on a Fluke you need to spend 4 times the amount! The probes are uprated compared to the standard model, and are really excellent. Best of all, it's really compact - less than an inch taller than the BSide or RS meter. It's not perfect - no meter is - but for the money, it's hard to beat.

Hope this helps,

Mark

[Dick.1]

Mark
Your right about the volume of choice out there...................huge
I've been looking around tonight & am tending to go for the branded models

Megger branded AVO410........................... (seems to be a few variations brand wise of this one)
Extech EX410
Uni-T61.A/E
Fluke 17b

Not an exhaustive list by any means

That Brymen looks good as well........decisions, decisions & there's all those lovely old AVO 8's around on fleabay as well

Thanks for the info

Dick.

[Dick.1]

By the way I put a bid on a "Avo Minor" on fleabay,  purely on a nostalgia thing...................... would be nice to get one again though

AVOMinor or MultiMinor?

 

Alan

It's the MultiMinor I bid on......then I saw a nice old Model 12, then there's a tempting ex GPO AVO.8 ................... I do like analogue meters  

Dick.

[ppppenguin]

I'll have a look around. I may have a old small Avo (Minor?) sitting around doing nothing which would be available for a donation to the Vintage WIreless Museum.

Those who know me here are aware that I'm quite shameless about raising money for the Museum

[Dick.1]

I'll have a look around. I may have a old small Avo (Minor?) sitting around doing nothing which would be available for a donation to the Vintage WIreless Museum.

Those who know me here are aware that I'm quite shameless about raising money for the Museum

Sounds like a plan............... let me know  when your ready please

Dick.

[ppppenguin]

I've dug it out. Unfortuantely the movement is slightly sticky. Don't know how fixable it is. If you want it you're welcome to it for the cost of postage plus a very small donation.