CHEEEEP! HAR! HAR! HAR!

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Remember the ridiculously cheap eBay multimeter and D.C. / A.C. inductive meter I said I was about to purchase? I did. They arrived and I ran calibration and accuracy tests on them yesterday and today.

The digital multimeter agrees with my Fluke until it gets to around 30 megohms. Voltage at 20.00 D.C. is .04 different.

The digital ammeter is more correct than the Sears or Triplett EVER was as checked against a four hundred dollar N.I.S.T. lab Manganin shunt

Sorry. This fartsmone won't let me find my original post hence no links. I paid around half the amount total for both than I did for just the Triplett meter alone. Yeah both are a mere fraction of the price of a "Crapsman Sears" meter.

Wotta Hoot!

Many years ago I stumbled across a 100.004 ohm 10 watt ceramic resistor as measred with a four terminal Kelvin Bridge. I dipped the wire leads in 24kt molten gold. This has been my gold standard for checking ohm meters.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Yeah but I don't tug at my collar and step forward and backward as I write...

[09FLSTC]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

smkettner wrote:
It has been said a man with several watches will never know what time it is.

And a broken clock is right twice a day. I have several cheap meters and they work fine for everyday issues, but I sure wouldn't rely on them if accuracy is critical, which it never is in the RV park business. But I sure wouldn't want an engineer at Boeing using one to calibrate a critical component to an aircraft. That brand of meter may be totally accurate, unit after unit or the OP maybe just got lucky. My guess, test a few hundred and the accuracy will vary much more than the accuracy of a Fluke or similar make.

Everybody knows that but he's a popular comedian here. I laugh too.

[NinerBikes]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Or buy expensive and get threaded. Tools like critical screwdrivers I insist on WiHa. But for risky work (like salt water) it is absurd to believe a Fluke can tolerate it any better than a Magnificent Golden Dragon. I Did drop the Fluke six years ago. It went to the Fluke hospital for three weeks and a hundred twenty dollars. Some things are worth the premium. It's a matter of VALUE not cost. Some folks get the two words confused.

Laff-Top. A local offered me his "beee UUU tee full HP laptop". Starts right up when it's plugged-in. Never tried Windows VISTA before. Special deal only 350 dollars. Computers are stupidly expensive down here. Yes this was written on Niner's Fartsmone.

Hey, that was a gift, it's your smartphone now.... don't break it. And don't be afraid to speak / dictate to it and then post. Much faster than all thumbs. lower left has a "microphone" icon key, press it and dictate.


BTW, yes I too bought that 203 version ammeter, and I'v no way to verify how accurate it is, but it's close enough for the government type of work I've been doing on the TT. Yes, it stays in the TT, good to have it and not need it, versus need it and not have it.

[MrWizard]

More important
If camping you can wash the skivies
Can be hard to get a meter, when off the beaten trail

[DiskDoctr]

RoyB wrote:
...would let me keep one in the truck tool box.

Yep. Having a cheap but good enough tool WITH YOU when you need it trumps, "I have one at home," any day!

If it serves its purpose twice a year, or saves one camping trip per year then self-destructs...SCORE!

A meter is a requirement for camping, IMHO. Almost as important as spare skivies 😉

[landyacht318]

I've been using the Sears one above a LOT, the last 24 hours, testing a '100 amp' charging source( 75 amps only, BOOOOOO).

It reads very closely with my Shunted Ammeter.
It is not accurate when powered with 2 aaa Nimh
It is accurate when powered by aaa Duracell.

BUt I do not have a supremely accurate meter to compare it to, all I can say is good enough for what I need one for.

and I got it for 55$ delivered.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Or buy expensive and get threaded. Tools like critical screwdrivers I insist on WiHa. But for risky work (like salt water) it is absurd to believe a Fluke can tolerate it any better than a Magnificent Golden Dragon. I Did drop the Fluke six years ago. It went to the Fluke hospital for three weeks and a hundred twenty dollars. Some things are worth the premium. It's a matter of VALUE not cost. Some folks get the two words confused.

Laff-Top. A local offered me his "beee UUU tee full HP laptop". Starts right up when it's plugged-in. Never tried Windows VISTA before. Special deal only 350 dollars. Computers are stupidly expensive down here. Yes this was written on Niner's Fartsmone.

[RoyB]

I like the AC/DC CLAMP ON AMPMETER deal. I got the $60 SEARS version sometime back and have misplaced it around here somewhere. Haven't been able to locate it for a couple of years now. This came in a nice zip up case as well...


Ball Park numbers are OK with me...

I may have to pick one of your finds up myself... Even if I find the Craftsman model later on having a second unit would let me keep one in the truck tool box.

Roy Ken

[westernrvparkow]

smkettner wrote:
It has been said a man with several watches will never know what time it is.

And a broken clock is right twice a day. I have several cheap meters and they work fine for everyday issues, but I sure wouldn't rely on them if accuracy is critical, which it never is in the RV park business. But I sure wouldn't want an engineer at Boeing using one to calibrate a critical component to an aircraft. That brand of meter may be totally accurate, unit after unit or the OP maybe just got lucky. My guess, test a few hundred and the accuracy will vary much more than the accuracy of a Fluke or similar make.

[westend]

I'd suggest you wrap the exterior case of those meters with foam. My experience tells me that one or two drops will be the end of life for the cheapies. My Fluke meters, on the other hand, have been dropped from height and are still going strong.
Definitely understand about tools playing possum, though. The amount of tears shed for a lost Craftsman is considerably less than a Snapon.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Separate answer...

Yes, those are the two critters...

Up to 20.00 amperes the inductive ammeter measures to two decimal points. I.e. 17.62 amperes. At lower amperage it drops to the thousandth. Oh golly gee...

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Well when they finally decide to play possum I won't shed as many tears.

Think I'm gonna carry a five hundred dollar Fluke And three thousand dollar bench meter in a bobbing and pitching inflatible out to a sailboat on the hook. Ever see a Fluke disappear into whirling fan blades?

Down here fifty dollars or five grand when an instrument quits...



Now that I know they aren't junk the next order are going to be for the spares.

[Johno02]

Did you ever find a computer??

[2oldman]

Soooo... you like the purchase?

[time2roll]

It has been said a man with several watches will never know what time it is.