Battery ?

@ teacher Is there any way to test these voltage boards? For the battery operated voltage boards, when the battery voltage drops will affect the voltage board accuracy?

I don’t believe they are the same as automotive ones. They can be found on ebay and many online electronics stores.

I know this was for teacher, but I’ll chime in with what I know.

You basically take a measurement with a known calibrated highly accurate DMM, and write down the result. That is the actual voltage being put out, and you can then see how your own DMM compares. That is why the one I posted above has that little sticker with actual measured values from an Agilent DMM written down. Granted, you put your trust in that someone actually did these measurements on your board and not just copied the same sticker and plastered it on hundreds of these boards without actually measuring. These things are cheap, so you never know, unless you have another perfectly calibrated DMM sitting around to verify. That is why I wrote earlier that I don’t trust it 100%, but all my other cheap/free DMMs seem to indicate it’s correct.

As for the battery, most of these voltage boards have some kind of voltage regulation circuitry to keep output voltage the same, just as long as the battery voltage is above a certain level.

  • I’m sure there is a way to test them, but honestly; that is getting above my “pay grade”. :smiley: … (In more simple words… beats me how though. :smiley: . )
  • I think as long as the battery voltage is above the voltage you are referencing allis well. The one I have is designed for input voltage of 5 - 30V DC. So I just plugged in a 12V power supply I had and powered it that way. Mine takes a 5.5 x 2.5mm barrel plug.

What would be your personal recommendation for a budget DMM?

I did that some time ago, and it seems that UT61E is often being recommended. But since you pointed out some flaws with it, I was just wondering if there was something better in that price range.

While I was at Home depot I was looking at DMM. Has anyone heard of Klein Tools DMM and if you did are they any good?

Not sure which model you looked at Venom, but as a general rule Klein makes quality items… tools & otherwise.
Some seem kinda pricey, but most all are quality.
:slight_smile:

@ teacher The model number is MM 600 and the MM 700.

I am sure they are good meters Venom. But hopefully someone who really knows about meters will have some advice on them.

The ones I have are just mainly used by me in this hobby, ocassional mechanic work, & things like that. Mostly pretty low voltage & current DC. They all seem to work fine for my limited needs.

I have some I would feel comfortable checking AC things around the house ocassionally…… but I would never go above household current or voltage with any I own.

In other words…… I ain’t much help to you on this one besides the ones I have that serve “my uses” just fine. :slight_smile:

@Venom …… When I wrote post number #179 above last night I was on my phone trying to look at this stuff. I am on my computer now and am able to find & see pictures much better. :wink:

The MM600 seems to be $66.97 at Home Depot
The MM700 seems to be $99.57 at Home Depot

AGAIN…. hopefully some who really knows about DMM’s will chime in here. But here are my “semi-uneducated” observations. Better make that “mostly-uneducated” observations. :smiley:

  • They are both Auto Ranging… that is good
  • They both appear to be well made
  • They both appear to have ceramic fuses… not glass. Very good
  • Both are rated…… Safety rating is CAT IV 600-Volt, CAT III 1000-Volt, class 2, double insulation
  • MM700 is True RMS
    ……… I don’t even pretend to understand this, it’s significance, or how important it is in a meter…. :person_facepalming:

Heck, I’ll just stop there. I pretty much think these are both good meters.
If you are just going to occasionally check battery voltages and do some tail cap readings they are probably both overkill.

But on the other hand if you want a good all around meter that you could use with confidence and not worry about getting fried if you decided to use it for AC electrical measurements around the house or higher DC voltages……probably a good way to go.

But, don’t take this for the gospel. These are simply my observations. :slight_smile:

Ya its over kill for checking batteries and amp readings. For that the free ones from harbor freight are perfect and more then accurate for. And they have that little screw inside if needed. I have a $5 one shipped from gearbest. I wouldn’t go do commercial work with it. But perfect for checking charging voltages and laptop pulls and such

Klein is a reputable brand, but like others mentioned, it may be overkill, depending on your application. For a little over $20 you can get an autoranging Innova 3320 from Amazon.

:+1:

I was looking for a DMM, and not sure which. The UNI-T UT61E or Klein MM600. It seems like the UNI-T has some issue and the Klein I can’t find much on it. The UNI-T has a extra digit when compare to the Klein. Don’t know if that matters. I’m just looking for a dependable and accurate DMM and one cheaper one probably the Innova.

@Venom
If you want two, you could always get the Innova 3320 and then take your time picking the more expensive one. :slight_smile:

@teacher That was my plan. I was going to do a little research to see want kind of flaws the ut61e has and to see if I kind find more info on MM600. I was going to use them for auto and around the house beside checking battery.

While I was at Walmart I pick up the ONN charger they had in stock.

I have to give a BIG thanks to teacher for answering all of my question and to everyone else that answer my question. It’s much appreciated.

That sounds like a good plan my friend. Glad they restocked the ONN USB charger for you. They have been & are working well for me.

Your welcome Venom… thank you, it was my pleasure. I’m glad we could be of assistance my friend.
Looking forward to seeing you around here. :slight_smile:

Doing a little more research on DMM. Is it worth getting a DMM if it can’t be calibrated?