Amp Clamp for Brymen BM257 or BM829 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Locator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 09:57:34 am
content: Would the Fluke i400 amp clamp work on a brymen 257 or 829 (actually, the Greenlee versions)?I’m specifically interested in the AC/DC version of the Fluke 400 clamp.Thanks.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 10:35:35 am
content: In theory, yes, it just outputs a current which you measure with a multimeter. Any multimeter with current measurement will do.Will the banana plug have the right spacing? I'm not sure.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 07:11:58 pm
content: If you're referring to the i410 AC/DC clamp, it outputs 1mV per 1A. So it plugs into the COM and V jacks. The spacing is somewhat standardized, so the co-joined banana jacks on the clamp should plug in fine. The Greenlee versions of the Brymen DMMs are just straight rebrands with the green color. They aren't different otherwise. So they will support both shielded and unshielded banana plugs.The i400 AC-only clamp has banana plugs that are separated since it has to plug into the COM and mA jacks, which are frequently not next to each other. So it will also work with pretty much any DMM and jack spacing is not an issue for that model.

author: Locator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 09:35:31 pm
content: Good points. I know the spacing is the same on com and V on the Fluke 87V, 179, Greenlee Dm-830a & Greenlee 510a (Brymens). I haven't checked for the amp side.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2024, 11:10:44 pm
content: Quote from: Locator on August 29, 2024, 09:35:31 pmThe current jack spacing isn't going to matter in this situation. On the Fluke 179 and Greenlee DM-510A you can see that the A jack is next to COM, while on the Fluke 87V and Greenlee DM-830A it's the mA jack next to COM instead. So that is why the Fluke i400 AC-only clamp has the leads separated because it needs to go into COM and mA. Which current jack is next to COM isn't very standardized, as you can see.

author: Locator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2024, 05:32:07 am
content: Quote from: J-R on August 29, 2024, 11:10:44 pmWould the leads not need to be plugged into COM and A, rather than mA? If it’s AC and measuring amps? Also, my dilemma is, I was thinking about the AC/DC clamp. The reason I wanted the Fluke AC/DC clamp, to plug into one of those two Greenlee/Brymens, was due to the Brymens having a Crest feature. None of my Flukes have that.Am I barking up the wrong tree, here?

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2024, 08:16:15 am
content: Quote from: Locator on August 30, 2024, 05:32:07 amThe i400 reads AC current through the clamp, then outputs a proportional AC current through the test leads to your DMM. 1 Amp through the clamp is converted to 1mA. Of course a typical DMM can measure some mA values through the A jack, such as 100mA is 0.1A, so there is some flexibility there.The i410 reads AC or DC current via the clamp then outputs a proportional AC or DC VOLTAGE, not current: 1mV per Amp.In both cases, you are going to have to do some quick mental decimal point migrations to convert what your DMM is displaying to the proper current being detected by the clamp.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2024, 10:36:11 am
content: Quote from: J-R on August 30, 2024, 08:16:15 amMultiplying by 1000 is easy