Mmm, remembers me the other day while testing battery input on a defective cheap powerbank PCB I had received. I selected the “20V” scale and set the leads over the measuring points… darn! Sparks?!
Last time I used my DMM I made current flow measurements, so the red lead still was at the shunt's input… LoL!
That was daft of me to post a question just before I go away for a few days but back now …. I’ll have a read through all the suggestions over the weekend but thanks for everyone’s input!!!
I bought this one about a month ago and so far it's as accurate as my Fluke. Killer price for all it can do. "Lowes":https://m.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-Digital-Multimeter/50125841 I have purchased 2 other Southwire meters since I posted this. Including their top of the line Technicians model. I found 10 of them on eBay all totally legit. I even checked with Southwire to be sure . Retail on them were $189.00 U.S. I paid $52.00 for their 2016 top of the line. All the Flukes read or register faster but, accuracy was the same or too close to matter. As to cheaper meters. Well fpr about 5 bucks you can get a battery tester that will give you the correct voltage when checking a battery. Use the same meter to test current or continunit. A Fluke 117 Electricians DMM can be purchased for $147.00 here https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000O3LUEI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506037807&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=fluke%2B117&dpPl=1&dpID=41gV%2By7P-2L&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1
It will last a very long time and backed up here in the U.S. (or whatever country your in. If they sell Fluke then there is a distributor to handle warranty issues.
Just my humble opinion.... oh yeah... and very costly experience.
Another +1 for this! Haven’t purchased one yet but heard great things! Watch these reviews if you’re unsure There’s 4 parts to that review and it explores in great detail every aspect of the multimeter.
The fluke is correct. I compared it to my Fluke 289 which was calibrated by Fluke when I sent it in to have the corroded super cap replaced under warrantee 6 months ago.
I bought an Innova Equus 3320 auto ranging digital multimeter over 4 years ago for about $19 and it’s been both accurate and reliable. It gets good reviews and it’s ranked 3rd on a top 5 multimeter list after 2 Fluke models. I use it at least 1-2 times a week for battery voltage testing, e cigarette coil resistance testing etc. Its good for house and auto and has a lot of functions. Its got thick rubber bumpers on all 4 corners to protect it from drops. Its got an elastic armband on its back so you can mount it on your arm while you do readings on your car.
It has an auto-off function that shuts its screen off after a little while if you forget to twist the dial to the off position. Because of that, and because It runs very energy efficiently, it’s still running on the original AA batteries from when I bought it 4 years ago!
It reminds me of my Nitecore Intellicharger I4 purchase in that both cost under $20 and both have exceeded my expectations.
Are you sure it dosen”t have a backlight as according to this product description it does
“This Meter can measure AC/DC Voltage and Current, Resistance, Diode, Continuity Buzzer, Capacitance, Frequency, Temperature(℃or ℉). In addition to the conventional measuring functions, there is a RS232C or USB standard serial port, data hold, relative mode, peak measurement, low battery display, display back light and sleep mode.”
I am looking to buy a UNI-T UT61E but if it does not have a backlight I might give this model a miss.
You are more than welcome. Technically we should all be a part of the EEV blog forums, they have relevant and useful information regarding home electronics, pcbs, soldering/reflowing, tools, equipment, electronic labs on a budget (ie last nights’ video!) and so on! As you can see they are very professional and quantitative to all these things.
It is a very good forum for flashlight enthusiasts because our interests/hobbies match.
Same with prepper forums, ham radio, RC/fpv, outdoor/EDC, garage forums, DIY (led lights), MTB forums, etc
I found out this meter was coming out this year with massive improvements over previous yeas and I got lucky. You can check anywhere and normal retail is $135.00. I saw one on eBay for 50 bucks and thought it was a fake or stolen but I took a chance. They are 100 percent legit even called and checked with Southwire and registered my warranty. He now has 2 left for less than I paid.