Measure drawn current with clamp meter

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Recently I found out that there exists such a tool with the help of which one can measure the current drawn by flashlight. I understand how it’s used to measure tailcap current:


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But how do you measure the drawn current for flashlights in which the current doesn’t go through the tailcap? Like the Acebeam X65 or K75, where both + and - are on the head of the flashlight. Is a clamp meter still the best tool for such flashlights? I imagine you could use two wires to connect the battery pack to + and - respectively, and clamp the meter around one cable, but it doesn’t sound like a stable, hassle-free setup.

2

Scroll to 4:43

3

Ok, that looks like a smart way to do it. I wonder if the contact pad is easily removable on other lights, too. Thanks :wink:

4

I should use stranded wires, right ? Not solid ones.
Also what AWG (or mm2) wire do you guys recommend ? I searched a bit on the forum and found reports of people using 8-18 AWG wires.

5

Stranded help making better contacts, as for the size, 14awg is 8mΩ per meter for example, so a 10cm wire will be less than 1mΩ, similar to a bypassed tailcap spring.

6

Thanks :+1: