DMM for beginner DIYer

[rogernumber2]

I'm going to build a mnats rev d hairball 1176 and I need to know a make and model for a DMM that I will need to be able to check my parts so I don't screw the whole thing up.

Also if I want to continue building other gear I need the DMM to be able to handle whatever it needs to.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

First you should state your budget and location, so we can recommend a supplier in your area. Of course, there's always ebay.

IMO if you can get in the $100 range you will have a reliable meter with a decent set of functions that will work for many years to come. I'm partial to Uni-T myself for price/performance ratio, but some people here like Axiomet better. I never had the $$ to spend for Fluke or Agilent and so far my Uni-T meters have been serving me good.

[henryf]

Curiously enough, someone had just posted a thread asking about a home-made Hfe meter, to test 2N3708 transistors for a similar project. So, I'd suggest that you get a DMM that has built-in Hfe testing. Many cheap DMMs have that capability, and are good enough for your current needs.

[radeng]

Spend a few bucks more and get a Fluke. You'll never regret it.

[LeeYoo]

-1
I went through several DMM's in my many years of servicing.
And killed several expensive DMM's in the process.
The meters that have stuck to me for a long time are the mid priced ones.
Manual...., not auto ranging. I always hated the constant nervous gear-changes.
And I made several mistakes interpreting the scale with quick measurements.
The specs of the meter tell you the accuracy (in %), the functions you want (HFE, cap, induct., temp), and the max readout (1.999, 3.999, or more).
Leo..

[MrMegaEli]

Originally Posted by radeng

Spend a few bucks more and get a Fluke. You'll never regret it.

Yep! I have a Fluke 8060A

[radeng]

Originally Posted by MrMegaEli

Yep! I have a Fluke 8060A

The 8060A has been my daily driver for many years. It's very well suited to audio work. They were quite expensive new, but you can get one off eBay now for $50. Even if you had to have it cal'ed for another $50, it's money well spent.

[henryf]

Originally Posted by radeng

Spend a few bucks more and get a Fluke. You'll never regret it.

Unless it doesn't have a built in Hfe tester that you know you'll need, and could have gotten in a cheaper DMM.

[._.]

I have a 15 year old Fluke and its still going strong, it was one of their high end models at the time. They are high quality and I would definitely recommend them.

If you want a good one I suggest the most feature packed and best speced ones since they can do lots of stuff the lower end ones can't, more versatile. They also come with lifetime warranty. I think the new Agilent line looks good too, they are similar speced but much cheaper.

[rogernumber2]

Originally Posted by LeeYoo

-1
I went through several DMM's in my many years of servicing.
And killed several expensive DMM's in the process.
The meters that have stuck to me for a long time are the mid priced ones.
Manual...., not auto ranging. I always hated the constant nervous gear-changes.
And I made several mistakes interpreting the scale with quick measurements.
The specs of the meter tell you the accuracy (in %), the functions you want (HFE, cap, induct., temp), and the max readout (1.999, 3.999, or more).
Leo..

do you have any specific models with these functions? I was looking at fluke 115 but it doesn't appear to do inductance. Is this imperative?

how did you kill your DMM's? so I'll be aware

[rogernumber2]

Originally Posted by Th3_uN1Qu3

First you should state your budget and location, so we can recommend a supplier in your area. Of course, there's always ebay.

IMO if you can get in the $100 range you will have a reliable meter with a decent set of functions that will work for many years to come. I'm partial to Uni-T myself for price/performance ratio, but some people here like Axiomet better. I never had the $$ to spend for Fluke or Agilent and so far my Uni-T meters have been serving me good.

I want a $100 range fluke.
I plan on learning how and building all of these:
1176
LA2/LA3
SSL mix comp
Neve 1073/EQ
Pultec EQP1A

[LeeYoo]

Originally Posted by rogernumber2

do you have any specific models with these functions? I was looking at fluke 115 but it doesn't appear to do inductance. Is this imperative?

how did you kill your DMM's? so I'll be aware

No, you have to go through the DMM's that are available in your country.
And yes, inductance is very inportant to ME. I build crossovers, and NEED this function.
Inductors are common parts, like resistors and capacitors, but most DMM's don't have the ability to measure these.
One day, you're going to need this function.
I have killed DMM's mainly with high voltages in TV's.
AFAIK, most DMM's have a 600vDC limit.
Leo..

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

I measured 1.6kV DC with my Uni-T UT60E and it didn't die, even tho it's only spec'd at 1kV tops. Also, the probes that came with it are very good quality, they are CAT IV rated to 600V and CAT III to 1kV. They feel very solid, compared to the flimsy affairs that come with $10 DMMs which have the habit of falling apart in your hands and exposing you to the circuit you are measuring.

The UT60E is autorange (and fairly slow at that) but it has a range button if you want to bypass it. The only things i dislike about it are the lousy capacitance meter and that the backlight works only when the battery is new. The built-in frequency/duty cycle meter says it goes up to 10MHz but i've personally tested it up to 50MHz and it works in the same tolerance range. Which is pretty amazing.

The UT60E does not have inductance measurements, but that's why i got the UT70A. Curiously though, the bigger brothers of the UT70A do not have inductance measurement. Because apart from the inductance measurements, the good accuracy and 200mV AC range, the UT70A is your run of the mill 3 1/2 digit meter. Its bigger brothers have more digits but they lack the inductance meter.

[rogernumber2]

Originally Posted by Th3_uN1Qu3

I measured 1.6kV DC with my Uni-T UT60E and it didn't die, even tho it's only spec'd at 1kV tops. Also, the probes that came with it are very good quality, they are CAT IV rated to 600V and CAT III to 1kV. They feel very solid, compared to the flimsy affairs that come with $10 DMMs which have the habit of falling apart in your hands and exposing you to the circuit you are measuring.

The UT60E is autorange (and fairly slow at that) but it has a range button if you want to bypass it. The only things i dislike about it are the lousy capacitance meter and that the backlight works only when the battery is new. The built-in frequency/duty cycle meter says it goes up to 10MHz but i've personally tested it up to 50MHz and it works in the same tolerance range. Which is pretty amazing.

The UT60E does not have inductance measurements, but that's why i got the UT70A. Curiously though, the bigger brothers of the UT70A do not have inductance measurement. Because apart from the inductance measurements, the good accuracy and 200mV AC range, the UT70A is your run of the mill 3 1/2 digit meter. Its bigger brothers have more digits but they lack the inductance meter.

thanks UT60 is out of my price range but it's good to know that the UT70 does measure inductance and is about $60

[MrMegaEli]

Originally Posted by radeng

Spend a few bucks more and get a Fluke. You'll never regret it.

Where could you have it calibrated?


Make sure you get one that is working, and make sure that your test leads are ok. I recently had to replace mine (a switch got smashed on my old one), and bought another one in great condition with fluke leads and fluke case for $120

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Out of curiosity, where are you located? I picked up my UT60E for $80 about 2 years ago, from a local shop. The UT70A i think cost about the same, $75 or thereabouts, but that was last year... prices have come up a little. I see it is cheaper where you live.

Anyway, the UT70A is fast (which is obvious since it doesn't have autorange), can measure AC current which most cheap meters won't do, has a 200mV AC scale which again the cheapies don't, has a peak hold function, and it's built like a rock. The buzzer is healthy loud, it's got logic probe, it's got half-decent backlight... It's a bit big IMO and for that size having only a 3 1/2 digit display disappoints, why didn't they go with a 4 digit one is beyond me. If it is something that really bugs me about it is that it's not true RMS. But it does a fairly good job at measuring current drawn from the mains so i'm gonna excuse that. The capacitance meter is again a bit lacking, but the inductance meter is very good. You can rely on it for making inductors for speaker crossovers and the like. Btw, the little LC button turns on/off the inductance/capacitance metering section, it uses a fair bit of power so you don't want it on when you're not using it.

It also comes with some cool extras - i won't tell you, you'll find them yourself in the box.

[rogernumber2]

Originally Posted by Th3_uN1Qu3

Out of curiosity, where are you located? I picked up my UT60E for $80 about 2 years ago, from a local shop. The UT70A i think cost about the same, $75 or thereabouts, but that was last year... prices have come up a little. I see it is cheaper where you live.

Anyway, the UT70A is fast (which is obvious since it doesn't have autorange), can measure AC current which most cheap meters won't do, has a 200mV AC scale which again the cheapies don't, has a peak hold function, and it's built like a rock. The buzzer is healthy loud, it's got logic probe, it's got half-decent backlight... It's a bit big IMO and for that size having only a 3 1/2 digit display disappoints, why didn't they go with a 4 digit one is beyond me. If it is something that really bugs me about it is that it's not true RMS. But it does a fairly good job at measuring current drawn from the mains so i'm gonna excuse that. The capacitance meter is again a bit lacking, but the inductance meter is very good. You can rely on it for making inductors for speaker crossovers and the like. Btw, the little LC button turns on/off the inductance/capacitance metering section, it uses a fair bit of power so you don't want it on when you're not using it.

It also comes with some cool extras - i won't tell you, you'll find them yourself in the box.

utah usa

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

In the US most people go for Fluke, Extech, Amprobe, that kinda stuff. That's probably why Uni-T is more expensive there - they just don't sell that many of them.

[rogernumber2]

Does the fluke 115 have built-in HFE reader?

I read that HFE is testing DC current gain of transistors and in the specs of the 115 it says DC current

Fluke 115 Digital Multimeter: The solution for field service techniciansFluke 115 Digital Multimeter: The solution for field service technicians

will this do for building an mnats 1176?

[TRA]

No, I'm not crazy. For $5 this will do everything you need it to do. I have lots of expensive test equipment, and this little meter gets the job done until I need my o'scope.

Digital Multimeter - Save on this 7 Function Digital Multimeter

The only thing this doesn't have is a continuity buzzer.

[brianroth]

One thing no one has mentioned yet....

Inexpensive DMMs (and even most mid-priced models) have a VERY limited frequency response on the AC Volts ranges. These types of meters are made for measuring stuff like AC Mains voltages, which would be 60 or 50 Hz. The upper end of their accuracy is 400 Hz, which is (was?) the frequency for AC powering used in airplanes. Hence, the frequency response starts rolling off quickly above 400 Hz, making their usability very bad for audio measurements.

Many (but NOT all) meters claiming "true RMS" readings for the AC voltage ranges have a frequency response extending to at least 20 kHz. But, check the specs!

Best,

Bri

[henryf]

Originally Posted by rogernumber2

Does the fluke 115 have built-in HFE reader?

I don't think so. But, perhaps the best thing to do would be to give Fluke a call, describe what you want to do, and let them speak for themselves. After all, some of what you pay for when you buy a Fluke meter is their pre-sales support.

Originally Posted by rogernumber2

... will this do for building an mnats 1176?

If you aren't sure if an Hfe test is needed, perhaps you could contact the source of the plans, to see what they recommend.

[rogernumber2]

thanks all

i'll probably give fluke a call after I get that $5 mm. I won't lose sleep on that

[rogernumber2]

Originally Posted by TRA

No, I'm not crazy. For $5 this will do everything you need it to do. I have lots of expensive test equipment, and this little meter gets the job done until I need my o'scope.

Digital Multimeter - Save on this 7 Function Digital Multimeter

The only thing this doesn't have is a continuity buzzer.

I just got this thing and it sure is cheap. I'm trying to zero it and it never really gets to zero. HAHA