Also note, if you don’t now what it is… That the 210e has 2000 counts
This means that a value of 1.999 will be displayed as 1.999
A value of 2.001 will be displayed as 2.00
Just FYI
Also note that, technically, resolution doesn’t mean accuracy… This means that something (hypothetically) could be more spot on (regarding accuracy) than something that has more displayed digits (resolution)
But generally resolution comes handy when you have to see small changes
After reading this thread I remembered that I’ve thought about buying a clamp meter before. The 210E seems to be a good choice so I’ve bought one from the Tomtop store (Tomtop.com with warehouse in Germany). Currently on offer, the price seemed to be ok and delivery should be faster compared to other China stores.
The accuracy for DC current is listed with 2%, not bad compared to other models in this price range. I would have spent some more for the MASTECH MS2115B (on offer in a German store for 55 Euros, but it has only a 40A range and higher. Although 6000 counts and an USB port… The PC interface could be used to do measurements of charge/discharge currents over time.
In the Ali 11/11 sale for $38.It has auto DC ranging and a temp probe above the E model. most people won’t need those features if the E is significantly cheaper.If you can get it for under $30,I would recommend it.
i had once a cheap mastech clamp meter but it was a lot more inaccurate than the cheap 20$ DMMs I have. I had to wind the measuring cable a few times around the clamp and calculate the average.
The cheap DMMs have the advantage that they use these simple glass fuses which only cost cents but won’t work really good as a protection because they can let through a high power pulse. The better DMMs have the big fluke fuses(like in the pictures above) and protection circuits build in. So you can tell from the fuse used if it is a good or a bad quality DMM. There are a few very nice videos from eev blog on YouTube with lots of infos about DMMs.
But these fluke fuses cost 10$ each…that’s why I like cheap DMMs and normally the cheap 10A fuse is made to work with 10A easyly which is enough for most flashlight needs and with triple direct drive builds I try to measure not longer than needed. But thes don’t break so easyly(minutes).
Datasheet http://cdn-reichelt.de/documents/datenblatt/C400/TraeGE%23ESK.pdf
2minutes at 20A…
You guys might want to take a look at one of those cheap RC watt meters if cost is a concern and current measurement is the only thing that interests you. I got mine off Ebay for $14 and it seems reasonably accurate.
But the question would be what voltage drop will be caused by the meter… The measurement will be accurate but the current could be much higher if the drop is too large to be negligible.
UNI-T DMM's have been rock solid for me - I got two, never a problem. A "super tech" I work with has like 5 of them all over his lab, plus others he has at home. He's got a Fluke also, but loves his UNI-T's.
The big fuses are only necessary when working with higher voltage and high current, like in industrial settings.
The small fuses can break anything at low voltages, but the meter may not have enough protection to handle the current.
Clamp meters are not precision meters, but are fine when a few percent tolerance is acceptable. They are not good at lower currents, there the precision will be even worse and it is important to zero the meter
I’m in on a UT2010e at the mentioned price range, but I prefer an option for direct pay, not through PayPal if that’s possible. Interested regardless, awaiting details.
Phil
(Edited my post and noting that PayPal is pretty universal and I’m quite sure will be usable here if you want it- I just prefer otherwise where I can)