Good Multimeter Suggestions

[ToroRojo]

Hi,

I'm looking for a good multimeter for use while working on my projects. I have a Fluke DMM, but it's RMS ability for signals with frequencies > 1kHz is useless. What do you guys use?

 

[bcarso]

My older Fluke "true rms" is pretty flat to 30kHz or so (8062A), although it like most has trouble at low levels. When I am trying to measure noise at really low levels I have a battery-powered cascaded 2SK170 amp I use with a gain of about 800, followed by a fairly sharp cutoff filter to define the noise bandwidth.

The classic meter is the heater-servo based HP one, the 3400. Probably available widely on eBay etc.

 

[adamasd]

My Fluke 8060A True RMS gives me no problems, gives nice stable measurements everytime. Although I can not get used to the ranges on this thing, even after all these years of useing it.

What is the diferances between the 8060a and 8062a?

adam

 

[Chuck78]

check this guy out. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37772

we have put this thing up next to a fluke at work and it was damn close. This one actually read alittle higher, not by much though. like the fluke would read 192 this guy read 194.

I am thinking of getting one for myself just to have and its only 20 bucks.

 

[Gus]

Somethings about cheaper meters. Often the max input voltage range is lower than a fluke etc this might be an issue with tube circuits.

Often the leads are cheap and IMO less safe, this is a big deal.

How hard is it to change the internal fuse(s)?

One thing that will make a DMM "go nuts" is water vapor the better meters have O ring seals and can even have ratings for use in mines etc IIRC.

I think the better meters can often take shock better.

As posted above the reading are often close/exactly the same as a fluke etc.

 

[bcarso]

If it doesn't say true rms it almost certainly isn't. And if all you measure are sinusoids, no big deal. Typical a.c. meters are average-responding but calibrated to give the right number for sinusoids. If it is important to you to get the accurate rms value of anything else---noise for example, especially noise with an ill-defined probability density function, then you may want the rms equipped models.

Then you need to know what the bandwidth and the ability to handle high crest factors of your rms converter are---some are much poorer than others. Look also at the accuracy on the lowest scale, and also the response time. The latter is the one thing that is unsatisfactory about the Fluke 8062A---it is way too slow settling to the final value, undoubtedly the result of an agonizing tradeoff in the design.