Oh gosh, so many things I need and so few knowledge about how these things work :person_facepalming: I guess I’ll have to learn a lot before making measurements and use these tools… Seeing it in the videos and people talking here makes it sound easy, but for a guy like me that never contacted with these things…it will take a while!
bella-headlight, Enderman and Barkutti, thanks of the explanations and for the suggestions so far!
I’ll save the info to try these instruments. But first I’ll have to read more and learn about these things :nerd_face:
You’re great people, thanks so much!! :+1: :+1: :+1:
Technically, if you are just starting out, you could get away with ut210e alone since you can measure current via clamp and voltage with probes, but I guess it depends on what else you want to measure.
Honestly, if i receive or mod some lights, I wanna be able to provide some data about that, currents, voltage and the stuff people share here about their lights and that are, somehow, important to the community’s development.
For now, as I am not savvy to go for other things, these are my main targets. But first, I’ll have to learn to be able to use the instruments correctly and to interpret the data, and to perceive how the whole processes occur.
So, a long way ahead… I never tried this before, and I wanna improve myself, gain and share some knowledge and information, at least as long as I’ll stay here on BLF!
Thanks for the tip on the UT210E! I’ll take a look at it, read a bit, watch some videos and then decide if I’m ready to get in the adventure
Thanks again!!
If you look in the http://budgetlightforum.com/forum/misc/gear/reviews part of the forum I am posting some DMM review and more will show up during the next few months.
It includes a schema that makes it fairly easy to compare features, at the bottom of each review I link to an explanation of the schema/features.
Their specs have me puzzled. I would have thought the XP-L HI (C8T) drawing 4.5A of current in a C8 body would be quite a thrower, yet stated intensity is only 9600 cd. Even the other emitters state intensity that’s not a whole lot higher than this. Not much of a thrower, if these figures are true. I guess you’ll have a chance to confirm/deny these specs when you review it.
Clamp meters are not that precise, they sense magnetic field around the wire. This is sensitive for the earth magnetic field (DC current only) and placement of wire in clamp. This means it often requires careful usage to stay within the specified tolerances.
Below, this has been my DMM well before I started using it in this hobby. Through the forum, I've learned to use short, higher AWG leads and good quality terminators, ie. Be Au spades and Au banana plugs. I bought all these items in my previous hobby of speaker design, stereo and home theater set ups. The 14 ga. Monster cable was a natural choice for the conductors. I think I have some decent equipment but now I've learned of other design options. My background is lab practiced science so precise measuring is a learned and natural endeavor.
So, with the 'budget' in mind, do I really need to buy a DC current capable clamp meter?
Where clamp meters are really needed is when you want to measure high amperes (Somewhere above 10) or due to safety (Industrial usage).
For low voltage a external resistor/shunt is often more precise to use, but also more cumbersome ;).
I often use a clamp to check current, but for more precise measurement I use a shunt.
Chabuduo and electricity do not mix. Unless you only use your meter for low voltage DC, I would not entrust my life to a random-branded Chinese meter.
Amprobe is a good lower-priced alternative to Fluke (of which until recently they were a sister company), Brymen or Keysight/Agilent. The Chinese gray-market imports like the $40 Fluke 101 are also an acceptable option.
For high amp flashlights, definitely. I don't seem to be seeing similar current readings on lights and battery combinations that others post and I have as well.
I certainly will use it for other proper tasks... nothing over 120V systems, though.
and [unfortunately] you need the expensive version, using hall effect sensors
they are usually at least $35
AC current clamps are very cheap - $5, they only use a coil
it is easy to be confused
a given meter may say AC and DC, and woo hoo, it has (or IS) a current clamp!
(some meters are sort of a smallish meter, integrated with a big crab-claw current clamp, plus some lead inputs for voltage and DC amps)
but they don;t tell you that DC amps can only read ‘through the meter itself’ and are limited to 2A or something low
and an internal pain in the ass fuse will blow if you go higher, like most li-ion cells can easily do
OR you might accidentally set up to read amps - on the voltage inputs, big problem, fuse blows, also, or something burns up
