Your DMM

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FionaZuppa

Senior Member
Location
AZ
Occupation
Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
so, i am sure many of you have that $$$$ DMM for work, but do you have a $ DMM for home/hobby use, and if so what DMM make/model/price is it? there's even DMM's made for automotive use too. just curious as i am looking to replace an old sperry unit.
 

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
so, i am sure many of you have that $$$$ DMM for work, but do you have a $ DMM for home/hobby use, and if so what DMM make/model/price is it? there's even DMM's made for automotive use too. just curious as i am looking to replace an old sperry unit.
I have a Fluke 177 with probes rated and protected for maximum range. I also have a CEN-TEC with 1000Vdc and 750Vac. Cheap* and cheerful but I wouldn't use it for anything other than testing fuses or battery (cell) voltages.

*It was actually a freebie from a supplier on orders over a certain value. It works fine but I'm not overly confident about the safety aspect.
 

FionaZuppa

Senior Member
Location
AZ
Occupation
Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
"Cen-Tec", is that the same as Cen-Tech at Harbor Freight? much of cen-tech is rebranded Mastech stuff, which may also be made by Sinometer.
 

junkhound

Senior Member
Location
Renton, WA
Occupation
EE, power electronics specialty
so, just curious as i am looking to replace an old sperry unit.

try to score a scopemeter off ebay, have seen them go for under $100 once in awhile.

Have a fluke 123 for handheld scope, plus a few TEK bench scopes, nothing like a scope to REALLY know what is going on in any circuit. With a FFT feature, you can get all the harmonic data also.

Have 20 or more HF centech meters, pick one up everytime I have a free coupon. Out local HF recently stopped having the 77 cent air couplings as that was what I always bought as the 'any purchase' to get the 'free' meter.
Surprisingly, every HF meter I've gotten is withing 1/2% of the Fluke meters or TEK scopes for dc or pure sine waves.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
I have on old Fluke 77 that I keep at home unless there is a special need at work. For everyday use I use a Fluke 324 clamp on style DMM.
 

meternerd

Senior Member
Location
Athol, ID
Occupation
retired water & electric utility electrician, meter/relay tech
Just my opinion as a 40+ year power company electrician. If you want to spend the extra money, Fluke would be my choice. You might save a few bucks up front buying a cheaper one, but it may also save your life if you don't....

My story... (PPE was never considered back then). I was sent to test two transformers for voltage due to a high bill complaint. Side by side enclosures. One was 480/277 and one was 4160/2400 secondary. Primary was 12,470/7200 Wye. For no reason except rectal/cranial inversion, I used a Fluke 8024A to test voltages line to ground and line to line. I did the 480 one first, then went to the one next to it and put the meter on line to ground (2400). Meter read zero, but I saw a small spark on the test lead. I ALMOST went line to line (4160) but God had me stop and think first. That's when I realized what I'd done. All it did was blow the fuse in the Fluke. Most other meters would have exploded on the spot. Fluke for me.....
 
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Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
Just my opinion as a 40+ year power company electrician. If you want to spend the extra money, Fluke would be my choice. You might save a few bucks up front buying a cheaper one, but it may also save your life if you don't....

My story... (PPE was never considered back then). I was sent to test two transformers for voltage due to a high bill complaint. Side by side enclosures. One was 480/277 and one was 4160/2400 secondary. Primary was 12,470/7200 Wye. For no reason except rectal/cranial inversion, I used a Fluke to test voltages line to ground and line to line. I did the 480 one first, then went to the one next to it and put the meter on line to ground (2400). Meter read zero, but I saw a small spark on the test lead. I ALMOST went line to line (4160) but God had me stop and think first. That's when I realized what I'd done. All it did was blow the fuse in the Fluke. Most other meters would have exploded on the spot. Fluke for me.....
.

My prefered tester at one time was a Greenlee. Loved it. It hung around my neck on all service calls. I knew I was on a corner grounded 480 system when checking for voltage and noticed the extra 1/2” spark from the test probe that had never been there before. Idiot lights had shown good voltage. I don’t know if God was involved but I changed meters and the Fluke showed well over 750 IIRC. No spark at disconnect. No more meter leads looped around the neck for me and no cheap meters. Called the POCO and I met the truck with new transformers on my way back to town.
 

ActionDave

Chief Moderator
Staff member
Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
Occupation
Licensed Electrician
Why do I suspect that is the norm for most any of the larger companies now?

Nobody cares about the product any more. All the suites in the offices think they need is a recognizable brand name and they start sticking it on anything they can. I can't wait for the new year and a chance to by some Fluke secret decoder glasses.
 
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