Good inexpensive Multimeter? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: OmegaHyperion
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 11:22:17 pm
content: First off, im new to the forum, but not to hobby electronics. And since im now fixing up some vintage amps as a hobby i need a good rather inexpensive multimeter with measurement confidence in the range from 0 to 0.5V. So far i only have cheep Chinese multimeters, as well as a Voltcraft and a HoldPeak clamp meter. But i am unsure as to the accuracy and measurement confidence in them. I need to know the voltages with an accuracy of at least 10mV, but i am unsure if my current meters are precise enough for that.My budget is about 100$.Any help or advice would be appreciated.And one of the voltage i need to mesure is the DC offset voltage of the amp.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 11:25:28 pm
content: All first posters asking for advice need to state where they live! We can't give you relevant advice if you are China and we suggest something from Finland.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 03:58:26 am
content: I have just updated an old thread that might help:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/a-list-of-recommended-multimeters/

author: BlueBill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 04:06:11 am
content: I quite like my UNI-T61E

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 04:15:46 am
content: FWIW, if you go into your user profile and set your country, your nation's flag will display beneath your userID.Makes it a lot easer on everyone (no need to ask & answer the "where are you located" question all of the time, and you get answers faster as well).Also, information as to anything else you'll need/want out of it, particularly regarding features would be useful.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 06:42:55 am
content: I own two meters in your price range. Personally my shopping choices for stuff like this are mostly limited to Amazon prime membership. Free 2-day shipping is awesome. So keep in mind this has influenced my choices somewhat when it comes to the selection of DMMs I had to chose from. Your choices may vary depending on your location.Anyways, I like my UNI-T UT61E. It's also a cheap Chinese meter though. It packs a lot of features and it's pretty accurate. It feels alright too for the price. But something had to give to get to that price point and that's protection. If you work on low voltage DC stuff, than you will probably be ok with it. But if you plan on measuring mains or high voltage I would chose something else.I also own an Amprobe 34XR-A. It's a $100 meter. I got it for the added protection. Both of these meters have relatively similar accuracy, I am not aware of any other meters with better accuracy in this price range.For instance the UNI-T has DC stated accuracy of +/-0.1%+5 and Amprobe has DC accuracy of +/-0.5%+1.A rough estimate of accuracy would be: if you were measuring 1v. Both meters should give you a reading between 0.994 - 1.006V.UNI-T has 20k count resolution while Amprobe has 3999 count resolution. This just means UNI-T will display more digits passed the floating point, but it doesn't affect accuracy. It might be handy however, especially if you're comparing multiple measurements, the added resolution might help.Keep in mind these are just stated accuracy numbers. I certainly trust Amprobe more that the calibration will be more stable over time and different environment conditions.Amprobe feels like a much more solid meter, with better protection. For more accuracy you will have to go out of your price range, perhaps look at a used bench meter?The cheapest MMD with more accuracy I found is the Bk precision 390A ($170) has a stated accuracy of 0.1%, I am not familiar with it but it might be worth investigating if you want to spend more money.Also if you're trying to get accurate absolute measurements it wouldn't hurt to get a voltage reference standard to keep your multimeter calibrated.

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 07:40:05 am
content: Brymen BM257

author: necessaryevil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 04:46:58 pm
content: Exactly, Brymen or the low end Flukes are a good idea. And: Why isn't Dave's $100 multimeter shootout mentioned yet?"

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 04:58:09 pm
content: Personally I have not been able to find Brymen meters in the US.

author: necessaryevil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 05:08:13 pm
content: Yes, but we don't know yet were the topic starter lives. Here in the Netherlands TME.eu sells Brymen multimeters, but Flukes are significantly more expensive.By the way, I would pick the Fluke 106 instead of the 101; the latter doesn't measure current.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 05:13:51 pm
content: Quote from: Muxr on March 12, 2015, 04:58:09 pmeBay.Forum member Franky sells them. Checkhis eBay store. Though I think he is currently awaiting a new shipment of 257s.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 05:41:29 pm
content: thanks @mtdoc

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 05:44:44 pm
content: Quote from: Muxr on March 12, 2015, 04:58:09 pmThey aren't available from a US based distributor (suspect due to rebranding), but you can certainly get them.There's eBay asmtdocmentioned (Franky, akailoveelectronicsin particular), as well asTME.euout of Poland. BTW, Franky is located in Hong Kong. Yet despite their locations, it's still more cost effective to order from either of these sources than what the rebrands typically go for in the US, and plenty of members have purchased from either with good results, so the waters have been tested asif you will.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 05:52:39 pm
content: Thanks nanofrog! Would like to get my hands on one.Sorry if I derailed OPs topic.

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 07:04:31 pm
content: Quote from: Muxr on March 12, 2015, 04:58:09 pmI ordered a BM869 and a BM27s from TME.eu. Shipped from Poland via DHL and arrived in California in 2 days.