Multimeter with very fast continuity. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: cj7hawk
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 07:30:16 am
content: Hi All,My last multimeter died from a flat battery, and now I need a new one. I'm trying to find something cheap with a very fast continuity.I need something that will make a clear audible sound even if the contact is only for fractions of a second (eg, sub-millisecond ) for scanning pins at high speed without missing the one I'm looking for.Can anyone recommend a cheap multimeter with a really fast continuity check?ThanksDavid.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 07:52:58 am
content: There are a vast number of meters with fast continuity checker.There are also two types, latched and unlatched.The latched type will take the brief ms long contact and stretch it to a longer beep.The unlatched type will give you a scratchy type continuity sound.

author: Traceless
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 08:55:49 am
content: Quote from: cj7hawk on March 06, 2022, 07:30:16 amHey David,depending on what your definition of "cheap" is I'd like to recommend the Aneng 8008, 8009 or any of the equivalent versions of other brands (e.g. Zotek). Take Dave tested one a while ago (see video below). I own an Aneng too and am pretty happy with the continuity response time. One thing to keep in mind, when you receive the meter before you test it: Give the probes a good wipe with IPA, sometimes there seems to be some residue from manufacturing left, that severly impacts continuity response. I guess thats what happened when Dave tested a newer version of the Aneng, see other video below. You see the response time improvement immediately once he switches to his other set of probes.Video 1Video 2

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 09:40:11 am
content: There's lots of meters with fast continuity for $25.If you want a good "cheap" all-round meter I'd recommend this one:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002958822769.htmlEqually important is to usegold plated probesandto keep them clean.

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 01:03:06 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on March 06, 2022, 09:40:11 amThere are many cheap meters with a fast continuity. I don't exactly know the linked meter, but AFAIK it used the same chip-set as the Uni-T UT133 and this one is not fast. Otherwise a nice meter, but with some delay in the continuity test. It may be configuration thing, but it would need explicite confirmation that the test is really fast (that is not missing out on short touch).

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 01:21:08 pm
content: Quote from: Kleinstein on March 06, 2022, 01:03:06 pmIdoown one and I can confirm that it's fast.Joe measured the response time at 1ms. Look in the "continuity test" section ofhis spreadsheet, it's the Kasuntest KT6000 (this meter is sold under many labels, the Zoyi brand I posted isthe original).Joe's full review and destruction of one is here:

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 01:39:48 pm
content: In case you want a DIY continuity checker:

author: Arts
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2022, 06:22:25 pm
content: There are a lot of meters with a "fast" continuity test. There are also very few meters that actually come with probes that will allow for fast response times due to tip oxidation issues. Even most top-of-the-line aftermarket probes aren't very good in this respect..What you really need are gold plated probes, as they do not oxidise. Not necessarily relevant, but not to be used for high current testing.The best probe that I have found that addresses that issue is from Probemaster. I like the 8000 series:https://probemaster.com/

author: cj7hawk
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 08:15:50 am
content: Thank you all -And yes, I have gold plated leads on the multimeter that died of a flat batteryI purchased a UniT 139C and a Aneng 8009David

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 06:29:24 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on March 06, 2022, 01:39:48 pmFYI, I’ve built this project and it works well. I did reduce the value of C2 to make it respond faster. The 5 ohm threshold is great for some purposes, but may not be ideal for standard probes with iffy plating. (Changing the threshold is easy enough, just one resistor value. Could easily be modified to use a potentiometer instead.)I laid out a PCB for it. (Actually, I did three layouts: double-sided using SMD parts, double-sided using THT parts, and single-sided using THT parts, suitable for easy DIY etching.) If anyone wants to use it, I’ll share the EasyEDA projects.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 07:15:32 am
content: also take a look at the shorty-with-display (or shorty only)http://kripton2035.free.fr/Projects/shorty-display.html