I may be new to the forums, but I am not new to the computer and modding scene, so i'd like to start he saying Hi. Anyways, christmas is upon us, and I am need of a Multimeter. I have been reccomended this "FAQ", and I am looking at the TPI-183. It seems to have more than enough features (I intend to put them to good use, I am planning on going into Electrical or Broadcast Engineering), and is within my pricerange. Autoranging is a feature I don't know which way to go on. I know it can save me from killing my meter, but I have heard it takes much longer to get a reading. I will use this meter for both computers and repairing guitar amplifiers, and for the latter, i'm not quite sure what to set the meter too. So you tell me which way I should go on this. Anyways, What is your oponion on this meter? Care to reccomend something else? If so, PLEASE feel free to speak up, and Happy Holidays! Thanks in Advance! -Lizzy PS; Please keep any reccomendations within my price range of <$150 USD.
I have a Fluke but you dont need to go with perfection right away. Autoranging is almost a must and can be turned to manual if you want om most meters. On my meter the autoranging is fast and usually takes less than a sec. If speed is important try an analog meter or you will need to spend some money and get a very good digital meter. However that 183 your looking at seems to be ok but shows nothing about the response time
Like you said, If it's slow, it can be turned off. Is there a specific Fluke for less than $150USD you would reccomend? Keep the replies comin'! -Liz
For an amp, the voltage is usually around 24-100v (depending on power), unless you're working on the PSU in which case it will be either 120v or 240v (170v or 340v rectified).
I picked up a Radio Shack auto-ranging multi-meter in 1991 (freshman in college, studying EE), and it's lasted me a long time. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost it during my recent move, and will either need to locate it, or pick up another. My dad (an electronic technician currently at ADT) has used a Fluke for a long time, and he loves it. I'll probably end up with a Fluke, if I've got to buy another. BTW, data hold is a nice function to have in a digital meter as you don't need to keep the probes on the contacts, once you get a reading.
I almost had to laugh at that because I dont think a cheap Fluke exists. Depending on where you look you might be able to find one for a good price or you could try ebay. I got mine for a gift from the guys I used to work for, its a lower end Fluke, I think about $200, but it works great. Just do some research before you buy anything like that and do a model search to find reviews. Hold is almost as important as autoranging, makes things go so much smoother.
That thought crossed my mind, but I had seen refurbs on ebay, and was wondering if a sub-$150 refurb was worth it on Ebay. Looks like i'm going for the TPI 183, i'll be sure to post my impressions on the forums once I get it, but don't expect pictures, no digicam. Thanks all!
Sorry about the double post, but I don't have JAVA installed, and firefox doesn't seem to like to work w/o it. Mods, please delete and feel free to dock my post count.
