Old Multi-Meter Died

[Birken Vogt]

Does anyone read milliamps through a coil with either unit? Why won't a digital meter read out a diode? Why would I need a graph ever when working on heavy equipment?

I don't know about the Fluke 87 but my 115 does up to 10 amps and also has a separate milliamp scale. It has a diode check function.

The only graphing I ever do is with a CRT scope and I have to dust the spider webs off it whenever I use it which is like never.

 

[laycobeau]

Ok sorry put you can't have mine

 

[funwithfuel]

John C
I read mA through my meter. Can also read diodes , caps, resistors and any thing else I can jam my probes into. Lol. When I want to read dwell or duty , I use the vantage. Shows me a nice graph, and if the coil is breaking down it shows me nice big spikes.

 

[John C.]

Cool, educate me on how all that works. The early digitals needs something outside of the meter to read diodes for some reason. Later they came with a function on the mode dial. Caps? Resistors I've had no problem with. Vantage?

 

[funwithfuel]

Caps , Starting and run capacitors for like furnace blower or compressor starter.
mA just interrupt the circuit and measure in series like you always would have. You can also measure up to 10amps on a different port. Past that, you'd need some sort of shunt. Interstate batteries used to offer something for just that. Even cheapie dvom's offer so much more than back in the day.

That old vantage, I got from snap on for 75. These kids today don't want to think. If it's not in color and spelled out, they don't want it.

And I agree, the sweep of an analog needle is still very telling, if you know how to read it. I learned on analog, forced to go digital.

 

[John C.]

Yea, I'm not even going into line voltage issues. They have licensed electricians for that type of work. I'm also not going the Snap On tool route either. I bought an early Snap On multimeter back in the day and found a cheap Radio Shack unit for a tenth of the price was far better for field work. The Snap On meter after a year turned into green dust on the inside. At least the Radio Shack unit only cost about twenty bucks when it died. I've measured milliamps through a pump control coil with both and found as Willi said, it bounces all over the place. The analog was far easier to use.

 

[willie59]

Does anyone read milliamps through a coil with either unit? Why won't a digital meter read out a diode? Why would I need a graph ever when working on heavy equipment?

The digital meters I use have a diode test setting.

 

[mikebramel]

Fluke 233.... detachable screen. Worth every penny

 

[DMiller]

Digital multimeters are 'Cool' as to readout and features but they have a inherent design delay, that will miss slight blips the old analog units caught, trust me I have used most on the market and still have my OWN Simpson, keep it on a tight leash and try to keep it from harm, So Far, Knocking on my wooden analog head still hanging in there.