Recommendations on cheap-ish AC/DC clamp meter - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 12:24:06 am
content: I thought it would be nice to have a clamp meter for sake of convenience. I'm also trying to get into some higher power design and well...I thought I'd like to have one.I've been looking around. I've looked at a lot of Amprobes, a few Flukes, some Extechs...but I'm a newbie with clamps. I want something reasonably accurate. I guess TRMS would be a plus. I want to keep it under $100 if that's possible.Anyone have any favorites?

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 12:32:28 am
content: The cheaper clamp meters tend to be for industrial electricians and use magnetic coupling. They are AC only and measure large currents up to 100's of amps.The more sophisticated clamp meters that can measure DC and lower currents use Hall effect sensors and tend to be rather more expensive. I am not sure you will find a cheap or cheap-ish example that does what you want in a major brand.For instance, that Amprobe meter you referenced measures AC current (only) up to 600 A.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 12:35:42 am
content: Oh I seemed to have overlooked that. The ones I've looked at, yes, can only measure AC current.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 12:40:36 am
content: http://www.amazonsupply.com/amprobe-acdc-100-1000a-clamp-meter/dp/B001C6P38U/ref=sr_1_91?sr=1-91&qid=1345077552This looks close...meh getting expensive...for the amount of use it's going to get.

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 02:17:35 am
content: I've bought a few of these -www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=QM1563Shouldn't be difficult to track down the source / manufacturer. Often need several to diagnose a 3 phase motor controller.They seem to do the job well enough .. for CAL testing, I clamp them all on the same wire and match them up.They have their issues (ie support !!! total bastids), but I figure, one day I'll open one up and see if they're easy to"fix up". One thing I need, is a DC OUTPUT from the meter signal to feed to a chart recorder. Usually 200/400mV OP.Anything with that feature built in, is $500+ , ok usually a MUCH better meter, but WAY too much for what I need also.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 03:01:13 am
content: Quote from: digsys on August 16, 2012, 02:17:35 amI'm curious about what they look like internally actually. Seems like a nice meter.

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 04:01:19 am
content: Quote from: FenderBender on August 16, 2012, 03:01:13 amOK, you forced me to open it up !! Hope you're pleased with yourself :-)Seems pretty good inside, no OOPS and PLENTY of things to adjust !!(If the pix embed, I'll edit to make thumbnails)

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 05:04:10 am
content: Its hard to tell what would be a good clamp meter to recommend without knowing your application requirements. Do you need an actual meter with its own display or could you use a probe that you would have to hook up to an oscilloscope or external volt meter? What current range are you looking for? How about the bandwidth? We use a killer hall effect clamp on probe all the time at work that was made by LEM before fluke bought the line and started rebadging them. I don't have the fluke part number handy but Ithink they are like 500 bucks new. 30A at around 100khz. The thing sucks 9V batteries like no tomorrow though. There is a chinese knockoff of it on ebay for like 80 bucks usd. I was too much of a wuss to pull the triggger and see if it performed to spec though.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 03:04:04 pm
content: Quote from: Smokey on August 16, 2012, 05:04:10 amReally <50A is probably all I'd be measuring. I could get a way with a probe that can hook up to a multimeter, sure. That's not a problem.I just thought I'd have one when I get lazy and don't want to splice a wire.Partially joking there...digsys: That actually looks pretty good all things considered. Good input protection on the banana jacks. The rest looks pretty standard, but not too shabby. Thanks.T4P: That thing looks pretty sweet for $45. AC/DC Current? Pretty impressive for the price, I'd say. I'd just be a little concerned with quality but hey, at that price...

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 04:03:52 pm
content: Took the cheap one I bought a while ago ( $10) and did a quick mod to it. It has an input for an external insulation tester that is not used, so I took the little 100k SM resistor on the socket off, and added a wire to the clamp meter coil, across the current transformer load resistor. Now I can connect a scope across the coil to measure low frequency AC current, though i probably will have to wind the sensed wire around the probe 5/10 times to get a big enough signal.I did the same on the electric meter attached to the computer ( old meter lying around and looking to work) so used a CT to change the range from 60A to 6A.

author: zaoka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 08:48:27 pm
content: You may want to check these as well:http://accessories.picotech.com/current-clamps.html

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 09:03:52 pm
content: Nah, don't be too concerned about the quality, FWIW it pars up with the UT61E on quality front

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 09:59:52 pm
content: What are your demands ?- lowest and highest current ( i have a extek clamp meter. DC 40A lowest range, under 1A they are not of much use)- AC ; crest factor and frequency ?I only use the extek automotive, today I was experimenting on old lead accid batteries ( builded a pulseloader and desulfator) but the clampmeter was of no use ( pulsing 1A)I use a Tek currentprobe in the shop. An old 6042 probe amp, bought a AC/DC current probe that eas out off calibration from a TM5000 plugin. Costed around 10 euro including postage. This probe is howerver allmost the same as the 6042 probe. The difference is the 6042 uses a fixed probe and you can adjust the amp to the probe so a probe not usable for the TM works still great for the 6042. It can measure from a few mA to 1A/div.Both parts can be found cheap if not working. Many current probes are assumed dead because the ferrite but i do not believe that, i think they have just a broken wire in the cable. The coil/ hallsensor part does not look like it is very fragile. It is in epoxy and shealded by metal.I also made one myself, using a Hallsensor. It is only usable upto about 30 KHz but the sensor was only 5 euro or so ( baco holland) at the moment I'm designing an instrumentation amp for a very good hall sensor I got as a sample. But this is a long term project ( always to much projects)

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 10:46:41 pm
content: Quote from: PA4TIM on August 16, 2012, 09:59:52 pmI'd like to see inrush current and maybe min max? Currents I'll be measuring will be low. Probably in all honesty, under 20A. But hey I don't know. I just have run into it a few times where I'd like one to measure power off the wall real quick. But whatever.

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 11:11:23 pm
content: I think most clampmeter will do around 10A. Accuracy will be around 2-5% I guess ( but I only trust specs from A-brands, not specs stated as typical or "at least" ect) cheap mass production will be not calibrated per product against a tracable standard, more like, in theory with this parts it could be X% or based on the specs of a prototype we expect X%. I have seen Chinese crap that used two resistors to make the reference voltage from the battery voltage.inrush current ( how many ms ?) and min max recuires a rather fast meter and peak hold.Measuring AC current on a scope easy, DC is more difficult ( hall sensor) but for things like inrush current i would measure using a DSO. Inrush is a sort of pulse so according to fourier it can be seen as AC ( DC is just a special form of AC ;-) ) i expect you will see it using a AC probe. ( take a torroid, bunch of secundary turns on it and terminate it in a small resistor and measure the voltage drop over the resistor.)

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2012, 11:30:48 pm
content: Quote from: PA4TIM on August 16, 2012, 11:11:23 pmThanks for the info. I'm kind of reassessing right now. Trying to weigh out my options. It's by no means critical that I have one RIGHT now. I think I might look at eBay for some used models from a good brand.Thank you again. And oh boy. vRef from a voltage divider? Boy oh boy...

author: beaka
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 11:48:00 am
content: New to forum and don't know if too late for thread but I recently got a MS2108 T-RMS DC clamp meter which seems like a well made sturdy meter that does its job well.It does true RMS with AC/DC current on the clamp and measures inrush current though I have not been able to test that yet.What is neat for me is measuring the AC level on switcher lines at same time as DC without having to get out CRO (thought I did validate the first few measurements with CRO as well).Only had it a month but seems OK for me and at >$70AUD inc postage seems good value.

author: reagle
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 30, 2012, 09:26:34 pm
content: Using BK Precision model 316 at work- around $160 . Probably on the high end of your budget

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2012, 06:24:06 pm
content: One thing to keep in mind with these clamp meters is bandwidth. The cheap ones, especially the high current cheap ones will usually have something around 10khz bandwidth at most. That's pretty terrible if you want to look at transients. If you want high current and bandwidth, that's going to cost you. Make sure the bandwidth of the clamp meter/probe matches your application requirements.

author: dr_p
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2012, 09:04:12 am
content: Quote from: beaka on August 30, 2012, 11:48:00 amOne can get theMS2108even cheaper, with free shipping.And for 40$ there is it's little brother, theMS2108A, that seems to be lacking some functionality (inrush, true RMS) and it has a lower display count (4000 instead of 6000)

author: HallmanLabs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 27, 2017, 06:23:01 pm
content: I was recently looking for the same thing. A way to easily measure DC & AC (<60A) currents without breaking the bank. If you have a good oscilloscope or multimeter then I recommend the Hantek CC-65 which is about $70 brand new and comes in BNC or multimeter interconnections. It gives you the ability to capture the current waveforms and display them on an oscilloscope (or values on VMM)https://www.amazon.com/Hantek%C2%AE-Current-Clamp-kHz-20mA/dp/B00BLD6FB8#I have two oscilloscopes, one late 70's Hitachi 100MHz scope and a Diligent Analog Discovery2 w/ a 20MHz digital scope.For the money it is hard to beat this guy if you need small-ish AC & DC currents measurements."AC/DC frequency range: Up to 20 kHz Effective Measurement Range: 20mA to 65A DC It is a transducer which allows your multimeter to measure current data and enable your oscilloscope to measure the current waveforms. Its current transducer is composed by permalloy and hall element, which linearly transform the AC or DC current to AC or DC current voltage. And if connect to an oscilloscope by BNC type connector, you?re able to observe the current waveforms; If connect to a multimeter by banana type connector, you can obtain the current data."

author: drago
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 03:14:29 am
content: Really nice product! Thanks!

author: maginnovision
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 09:36:30 am
content: I have an Amprobe CT238A that I usually use. Only ever measured down to about 10-20 mA but it was pretty much the same as another clamp I used that cost about 10x more, which I don't own and is why I don't know the model. If 20-30A max works for you I'd recommend it. Does require another device to measure the voltage output though.

author: TheAmmoniacal
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 09:46:35 am
content: Nobody mentioned the UT210E? Cheap as it gets at $32, does AC and DC current in the clamp, a favorite of many on the forum - you can find long threads of people hacking and improving it. Worth having around just for the price.EDIT:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-look-at-the-uni-t-ut210e/

author: frozenfrogz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 10:02:19 am
content: Quote from: TheAmmoniacal on April 02, 2017, 09:46:35 amYou might want to take into consideration, that this thread originated in 2012 and was just brought back from the dead by "HallmanLabs" five days ago...

author: TheAmmoniacal
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 10:02:53 am
content: Quote from: frozenfrogz on April 02, 2017, 10:02:19 amOh

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 01:55:13 pm
content: Not totally necroposting, only 5 years........

author: HallmanLabs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 06:16:45 pm
content: Quote from: frozenfrogz on April 02, 2017, 10:02:19 amThis thread is still as relevant now as it was 5 years ago. Testing equipment and meters haven't changed much in 10 years, much less 5 years. I didn't see anyone recommend the Hantek CC-65 so I shared in the chance that it helps someone.I just got a Tenma 72-1020 and that came out in 2004, but it is still one of the best True RMS benchtop meters that I could find for under $200. Most of the students/hobbyist purchase equipment that is older so we don't break the bank.If there is some issue with bumping an old thread on here, then EEV should lock them automatically after so long.Also if I had not posted in here I wouldn't have found out this:Quote from: TheAmmoniacal on April 02, 2017, 09:46:35 amThanks for the info!!

author: frozenfrogz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 07:33:39 pm
content: If you are interested you might want to check outthe UT210E threadAnd you could pitch in here:Uni-T clamp meters

author: Joel_l
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 08:51:45 pm
content: I have one of these,https://www.amazon.com/Mastech-MS2108-True-RMS-Current-Measurement/dp/B0017WRH7OIt has always done what I needed it to.

author: IAmBack
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 08:56:07 pm
content: It is handy to have a inrush current measureme capability. I don't know how good is Mastech MS2115A and MS2108, but both should be about-50$ meters, and both can measure inrush current, both have 60A in lowest range. Bad news is, both are bigger than uni-t.

author: HallmanLabs
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 04, 2017, 10:56:24 pm
content: Quote from: IAmBack on April 02, 2017, 08:56:07 pmI own a lot of Mastech equipment and have referenced them against my own TrueRMS Tenma 72-1020 and lab equipment at my college. Usually the MasTech stuff has been less than 3% difference from the $3k lab meters (not counting the difference w/ TrueRMS vs. Normal readings).I have been using a Mastech MS8268 as my travel meter for years, so I'd guess your meter is in the same range of performance as other current meters in that price range.