Smaller meter

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ea79

Member
Location
chattanooga, tn
I'm looking for a smaller meter (continuity checks, voltage checks, etc.) to carry in my "on the go" bag. I've seen a couple 600v ones at home depot that are about the size I'm looking for but I'm not sure about the quality. Does anyone have any knowledge about these or other types that they prefer to use?
 

TobyD

Senior Member
Hioki I think was the brand a few years ago that I bought .It was really compact.I bought it for a friend and he really likes it .He and his son did lighting maintanace for years and on the scissor lift he could easily handle the meter.It wasn't very expensive either.
 
Smaller than what? (A Simpson 260:D?) I'm a big fan of the Fluke T-Pro+ and it's pretty small to my eyes. Not like one of the tiny RadioShack multimeters, but far more rugged and still fits in the back pocket along with a screwdriver or two.
 

PetrosA

Senior Member
That Hioki has been on my Amazon wishlist for some time now. The main reason I didn't get it when I last bought an everyday carry meter was that I found a used Hioki 3282 for a price I couldn't refuse.

The other reason I didn't pull the trigger (and maybe others can chime in on this) is that the leads use a proprietary connector in the butt of the unit. I wanted to be able to use all my leads and clips among all my testers so this seemed like it might be a deal breaker.
 

junkhound

Senior Member
Location
Renton, WA
Occupation
EE, power electronics specialty
You asked about 'small'

Have 3 fluke 77s and a couple of 117s, Fluke 123 scopemeter and 4 Tektronics scopes.

Also have about 30+ (yep thirty plus) of the tiny 'free coupon' harbor freight digital meters, I have them spread all over the shop, some in the barn, one or 2 in every vehicle, very handy.

Have checked the HF meters against a recently NIST calibrated Tek scope, within 1% for every one tested for AC and DC voltage. I for one am a 'fan' of those cheap little meters, they get bad-mouthed a lot, but have their place in the pantheon of meters. fwiw, also have 'zapped' may a dozen of the little meters while using as isolated current meters on 20K radar power supply troubleshooting.


A few years ago even bought a few cases of the small HF meters ($1.17 each by the case) and handed them out at work as Christmas 'stocking stuffers'.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
May not work so well for continuity check but will work great for voltage over about 60 volts and takes no extra space - lick finger on each hand, touch objects to be tested;)
 

junkhound

Senior Member
Location
Renton, WA
Occupation
EE, power electronics specialty
lick finger on each hand

NO< NO< NO -
just in case anyone wants to reproduce the Alexander Volta method, you DO need to define the 'range settings' , and NEVER use both hands.

for some actual history, see:

Volta as voltmeter;
Moore, C.E., Spectrum, IEEE , Volume: 33 , Issue: 3
DOI: 10.1109/6.485771
Publication Year: 1996 , Page(s): 38 - 41, 44





Personal experience:
DC or AC peak ranges
1.5 V setting -- directly on tongue if the girls like your tongue, or salt water on thumb and forefinger, finger on one terminal, thumb on tongue, tongue on other terminal
2V to 15V -- skip the salt -- calibration: 9V battery directly on tongue - fully charged, painful; useable, noticeable tingle, throw away, only slight sour taste
15 V to 40V - thumb to little finger, wet. For 15 to about 30 V it helps to have a metal splinter in the thumb or a cut
40 V-100 V (70 Vrms max) - wet fingers
120 Vac (160 peak) - dry finger to thumb, often best to wipe your fingers on pant leg first to be sure they are dry
120 Vac to 300 Vac - very dry fingers: calibration: good tingle, 120 Vac; jerk reaction, 240 Vac; pain, 300 Vac

above 300 Vac - many folks need to contact mortuary prior to experiment.

3000Vac - survivable, but must be short contact duration and timed to NOT occur during your heartbeak T-wave.
 

junkhound

Senior Member
Location
Renton, WA
Occupation
EE, power electronics specialty
One more deviation from meter subject:

Most here are too young to remember high school in the years before LI (lawyer infestation).
9th grade science classes typically had an induction coil, class would get in circle and hold hands with the guys ( it was ALWAYS a guy) at the induction coil terminal.

Teacher would engage the coil and generally a girl (but sometime a guy) would first react an break the loop before many folks even felt anything.

A standard feature of high school physics classes in the '50s was a hand cranked 120V generator with a 100 W light bulb, and also a pair of 3/4" cu pipe electrodes to hold in your hands. Only the beefiest football players could get the bulb to any degree of brightness.
One day when I was getting my electrical therapy by holding the electrodes and reporting on the sensation with big bubba on the crank -- one of my 'friends' reached over and unscrewed the light bulb - still recall hands shaking up and down about a foot and unable to let go, had to step backward and pull the whole contraption off the table.
 
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