Just ordered Aneng MH13 Insulation Resistance Meter. Any comments on the spec  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: onlooker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2023, 04:19:33 am
content: This is an impulsive buy due to its seemingly low price ($52 after coupons).I have not used one before and know very little about such meters, but I had always wondered how much the insulation of my various cables aging over the years. Comments are welcome about the specs or price. I will show the stock picture from ali for now. I can show more pictures when I got it.I also saw ANENG SZ20 (25000 Counts with AC+DCV). It seems to be a new model and could be a competitor to UNI-T 61E+ with only a little over half the price (~$46). I did not buy it for I got too many multimeters already.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2023, 11:25:04 am
content: Quote from: onlooker on January 16, 2023, 04:19:33 amI was mentioned in the "New Aneng meters" thread a few days ago...https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/aneng-goes-crazy-with-new-meters/msg4629247/#msg4629247It doesn't look very accurate for a 25000 count meter - only 0.2% DC accuracy(!)

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2023, 12:16:40 pm
content: if it cant measure less than 1 meg ohm on the 500v range im out.

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2023, 04:30:21 am
content: It can also be called "HYTAIS TS68" and "MESTEK IT200G".There are models for 1KV: "MESTEK IT20G", "ANENG MH12" and "HYTAIS TS58".

author: onlooker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2023, 11:34:29 pm
content: Thanks for all comments. I just received the meter.One of the attached pictures shows that the resolution at 500V is 10k. This is not reflected in the manual where under 500V, the measuring range is listed as 1MΩ to 20GΩ. I guess this 1MΩ is not meant for the resolution.10K or not, I am not sure about the accuracy, though the number displayed is stable, repeatable and consistent with the trend:6.1 MΩ at 1000V6.65MΩ at 500V6.9 MΩ at 250V7.36MΩ at DMMThe other picture shows 19.12GΩ insulation resistance for a thin USB cable at 2500V. I also tested a few other wall power cables, all showed "OL", so I end up testing this USB cable.Ok, just find out. It does not measure resistors below 1M. The meter showed all zeros and beeped constantly. At 2.2M, the meter showed 2.18M, then also beeped constantly.

author: indman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2023, 08:17:41 am
content: Quote from: onlooker on January 26, 2023, 11:34:29 pmHave you opened your device? I got the MH12 model.I don't really need the 2000-2500V range, so I was more interested in the lower limit of 50V. An interesting feature of these models that should be remembered and taken into account is the negative polarity of the output voltage at the "Line" terminal in relation to the "Earth" terminal.Therefore, this feature should be taken into account if you are going to measure the resistance of the arrow device!

author: indman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2023, 08:33:07 am
content: Quote from: onlooker on January 16, 2023, 04:19:33 amAnother 1 model, which is a copy of Aneng SZ20 - ZOYI ZT-225. On Chinese resourceshttp://www.dt830.com/thread-7298-1-1.htmlhttp://www.dt830.com/thread-7310-1-1.htmlyou can see the insides of this device.The main chip is DTM0660L. It is very interesting how they managed to overclock this chip to 25000 counts?

author: Bzlsk
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 07, 2023, 02:15:48 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on January 16, 2023, 12:16:40 pmThis. I need an insulation meter @1000V capable to discriminate under 1MOhm for report.

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2023, 10:22:03 am
content: https://mastech-group.com/na/en/MS5203Output Voltage: 1000V (0~20%)Range: 0~200MΩ, Resolution: 0.1MΩ, Test Current: 1mARange: 200~1000MΩ, Resolution: 1MΩ

author: indman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 08, 2023, 05:52:26 pm
content: Quote from: indman on January 27, 2023, 08:17:41 amMeasurement of resistance 1M on ANENG MH12. Quite real readings in the entire declared range.

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2023, 09:24:51 am
content: I love that it can "Atuomaticaiiy compute DAR PI"

author: sijmen
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2023, 03:36:51 pm
content: Hi,I'm looking to buy an insulation tester to test single and 3 phase motors and transformers, and in some instances enclosures. My initial thought was to buy the Aneng MH13 which is capable of up 2500V test. But the earlier comment from themadhippy about it needing to measure less than 1 MOhm on the 500V range is outside the specs of this meter.1. I'm curious why a low resistance reading is so important when measuring insulation, where I'd normally expect the reading to be much higher?2. Considering my use case, would you recommend the MH13 or the cheaper MH12 which only goes to 1000V testing, and if so why?Regards,Sijmen.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2023, 04:04:19 pm
content: QuoteIt makes finding faults easier,is that a dead short im reading or just leakage due to something else that will disappear once things get warm,a good example is electric cookers, that on initial inspection can give a lower than expected reading.In the uk we used to allow a reading of >500 K (0.5 meg) ohms for such fixed equipment but that seems to have disappeared and has been replaced with 250v testQuoteEven if you think your only going dealing with 3 phase systems there's also the control circuitry to consider ,some of that might get upset having 1000v shoved up it

author: neikalo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2023, 06:15:57 pm
content: Are there any cheap and cheerful insulation testers with a high current (>200mA) low resistance range. This would be for measuring earth bonding connections. Such a feature seems to be lacking on Aliexpress.

author: BILLPOD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 01:14:40 pm
content: I got the MH12 a while ago and I tried measuring MOhm resistors that I have in stock and it was quite accurate. But I also discovered it doesn't work with rechargeable NimH batteries so I got some primary Lithium batteries and it works great despite the higher voltage, (14.4 VDC from8 AA cells).

author: neikalo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2023, 08:52:53 pm
content: I am using mine with Eneloop NiMH cells, which seem to work fine. I like the standard white Eneloops.

author: mmatic
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2023, 03:52:21 pm
content: Which is better to buy MH12 or MH13?

author: neikalo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2023, 04:28:30 pm
content: MH12 goes down to 50V, which I need. MH13 goes from 250V TO 2500V

author: mmatic
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2023, 07:29:56 pm
content: What about resistance range. Is MH12 10G enough??I'm working in telecommunications where 48V. And I will use instrument for repairs at home so to check house wiring, check transformers, motors,... So mainly 230V. Maybe also 3 phase systems in the future.MH13250V: 1MOhm - 10GOhm500/1000V: 2MOhm - 20GOhm2000/2500V: 5MOhm - 40GOhmMH12:50/100V: 0,1MOhm - 200MOhm250: 0.4MOhm - 10GOhm500: 1MOhm - 10GOhm1000: 2MOhm - 10GOhm

author: dshorthill
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2023, 02:12:50 pm
content: MH13 is in stock at Amazon with two day shipping (US). MH12 ships from China. Not much price difference between the two models. I purchased the MH13. It works flawlessly. Not a test instrument I really needed, but nice to have..I used it to verify antenna and rotator cables that had been out in the weather.. Confidence to reuse them now.. Happy with the MH13 !Also tried the UNI-T UT502A Tester. I bought it first and returned it … Erratic readings.. Flaky.. The MH13 is the keeper.

author: GnomeZA
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2024, 02:38:28 pm
content: Has anyone actually verified the MH12 meter?When in 1000v setting using a differential probe set to 500x I'm seeing no more than 524v peak to peak.When I measure the AC voltage using a UT61E I'm seeing ~250v peak to peak.The meter still reads overload resistance while doing this measurement, so I'm not convinced it is because the impedance is too low.Am I measuring this wrong or is this just blatant lies?

author: emg
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 15, 2024, 07:23:24 pm
content: Hiusing a UT61E+ I was able to measure all range of the output voltage correctly, except 1000v.notice the output is DC not AC ,And a little higher than what you expect. e.g when you select 500v ,output will be 510v DC.UT61E+ is able to measure up to 1000v,therefore start beeping and showing OL on the display, when I try to measure then output voltage while 1000v was selected.The measured resistance was accurate enough.check the batteries inside your device and make sure they have enough power.

author: csuhi17
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2024, 05:13:02 pm
content: It works fine for me MH13, it measures the 10M resistance correctly, and my other meters agree with this. I have no more resistance at hand now.I also measured the input of the DMM I have, it read ~10MOhms in both 250V and 500V settings. In Voltage Meter mode, the DMM wrote almost the same voltage as the Aneng.I took some pictures.The blue ones have a passive probe with 10x division.250V and 500V.The yellow, on the other hand, is with the Micsig DP20003 differential probe in 500x division.I didn't see a difference between active and passive, at 250 and 500V, so I only share the passive.If I see correctly, it measures with negative voltage.

author: GnomeZA
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2024, 10:31:46 am
content: Quote from: csuhi17 on February 16, 2024, 05:13:02 pmThank you for doing a real test and providing the dataI'll go see if either I screwed up or something else is up.Appreciate it!

author: csuhi17
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2024, 03:32:23 pm
content: I see now that you tested the MH12?I have the MH13, the output looks like this.Would the operation of MH12 and MH13 be that different?!

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2024, 04:15:13 pm
content: Quote from: csuhi17 on February 16, 2024, 05:13:02 pmI have some.1. 50G:2. 100G:Looks good to me.It doesn't however see them (shows OL) at 1000V and below -- needs 2kV or more to measure either of them.p.s. one of the best of my impulsive purchases so far. Very rarely needed, but it's an absolutely essential bit of kit, and at this price it's a no-brainer.

author: Atlan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2024, 04:24:23 pm
content: Those resistors have a declared voltage resistance of 2000V

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2024, 04:28:34 pm
content: Quote from: Atlan on February 17, 2024, 04:24:23 pmI think I heard some sound from the 50G resistor when I tested it at 2.5kV. Might've been a spark or arcing. No critical damage, though, it seems: still measures 50G. Not a big deal in any case: my only use for these resistors is to test this megohmmeter :).

author: emg
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 24, 2024, 08:09:04 pm
content: My MH!2 behave in similar way and the the output is negative.below is the image of out at 1000v mode.another strange thing about MH12 is it's input resistance in meter mode.the input resistance is about 10M but when the polarity of probes changes it reduce to 5M.

author: Bad_Driver
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2024, 07:58:25 am
content: I got my MH13 yesterday. It was a impulsive buy but I often do home installation works and it can help me.Resistance measurement seems ok but I have only resistors up to 100 Mohms. The measurement voltages (up to 1000 volts, more I can‘t measure) are also in specs.But AC measurment is wrong, see attached picture. Has anyone else this seen?(mains is a little bit higher than usual since I use on my bench always an insulation transformer)

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2024, 08:14:40 am
content: Quote from: Bad_Driver on July 28, 2024, 07:58:25 amDouble check that you're feeding the voltage into the correct inputs. I don't recall which ones are correct for this measurement, so take it as a hint and check the manual.p.s. I've never tried to measure AC voltage with mine, in fact, it has never occurred to me that it could be used as an AC voltmeter, because, well, what's the point, if I already have a proper DMM for that?Will maybe try it some time later to see if it's any different from yours.

author: Bad_Driver
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2024, 08:54:40 am
content: Inputs are correct, I tried it several times on some outlets in my house. Ground is connected to the housing of my insulation transformer to see if this has any impact.Thanks for your fast reply. I will never use the MH13 for AC measurement but I‘m wondering if this error has any impact on the other measurment.

author: dseyst
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2024, 10:11:50 am
content: You should check your MH13 manual to see how to use the different input jacks. To measure ac voltage you would use the two middle input jacks

author: Bad_Driver
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2024, 11:01:47 am
content: Quote from: dseyst on July 28, 2024, 10:11:50 amThanks for your advice! Not easy to spot in the „manual“ but now it is correct!

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2024, 01:53:31 pm
content: ...yeah that's exactly what I meant by asking whether the input jacks were correctIt's also important to pick the right ones to measure resistance. I believe it's the two outermost ones, at least, it works in my case. I don't think I have ever read the manual, though.

author: firebie
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 19, 2024, 11:49:13 am
content: Hi!Can anyone confirm that MH12 can measure at least (or less) 0.4MOhm on 250V range?Thank you

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2024, 02:53:04 am
content: Quote from: firebie on December 19, 2024, 11:49:13 am250V: 0.400M...20.99G

author: firebie
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 20, 2024, 07:22:56 am
content: Quote from: Tjuurko on December 20, 2024, 02:53:04 amWas this tested on actual device? At least the lower part?

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2024, 08:32:16 am
content: Quote from: firebie on December 20, 2024, 07:22:56 amThe real device, I was interested to know the real limits of measurement on all ranges.If the resistance is less than 0.4MOhm, then "0" will be displayed on the screen.In general, the smallest measured resistance at the limit of 250V in other devices will be about 0.25MOhm (I=~1mA).

author: firebie
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 20, 2024, 03:18:10 pm
content: Quote from: Tjuurko on December 20, 2024, 08:32:16 amCould you share your findings for all ranges of MH12?Thank you

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2024, 10:20:06 am
content: Quote from: firebie on December 20, 2024, 03:18:10 pmANENG MH1250V 0.060M...209.9M100V 0.095M...209.9M250V 0.400M...20.99G500V 00.95M...20.99G1000V 00.95M...20.99G

author: bshi02
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 04:52:21 am
content: I also ordered Aneng MH13 Insulation Resistance Meter,By the way,I tried to test 250-400V capacitor by climping its ailigator clips onto negative and positive pin of capacitor, selecting output voltage to 250V and pushing test button. But it displayed only 0.00M ohm..Is it possible to test capacitor leakage with this meter(Aneng MH13 Insulation Resistance Meter)?

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 06:29:27 am
content: Quote from: bshi02 on June 25, 2025, 04:52:21 amUnless the capacitor is shorted, it's possible that the MH13 detected the initial current surge as short-circuit and latched in that state, reporting a short.

author: bshi02
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 01:25:02 pm
content: Quote from: shapirus on June 25, 2025, 06:29:27 amThank you very much for reply.I tested 250V 100uf rubycon YK capacitor like below video link.https://streamable.com/5o7elqI also tested another 400V 10uf capacitor but result was the same with 250V 100uf rubycon YK capacitor.Does beep sound really means short-circuit in these capacitor?

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 06:54:34 pm
content: Quote from: bshi02 on June 25, 2025, 01:25:02 pmI wouldn't think so. It's more likely that it's a result of how this device measures the resistance, especially because the result is the same with both caps.Have you tried to check them in ohms mode with a regular DMM?

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2025, 09:23:36 pm
content: I think the idea is that it does not charge a capacitor to high voltage that is dangerous.If it can do 2500V and you leave it hooked up.. its eventually gonna get to 2500V.I think that is a smart design feature if it detects capacitors and shuts down the output.Think about this one: you have a filter cap wired in a circuit you don't know about (across the lines). The last thing you want to do is accidentally charge it, or leave a charged cap for another person.They can be wired every which way.And if there is a cap, the meter has no idea what its maximum voltage is. So it can end up damaging it if you let it charge up during a test.Does the test button have a time out on this ? I see a video where it runs past 10 minutes. I doubt its as good as a camera flash cap charger but still unpleasant surprise.Even so, if it detects a capacitor and shuts down, it might protect a sensitive load on the thing you are measuring, because capacitors are like a good indicator there might be a semiconductor around. And for 99% of users, it means they are measuring the wrong thing.I think its a smart feature

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2025, 03:08:55 am
content: When checking capacitors, you need to monitor the output voltage level.And wait for the charge to reach the set voltage.

author: tatel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2025, 07:02:28 am
content: Here's a video of some guy checking capacitors with Aneng MH12. Look from 4:00 onwardsMH13 wouldn't be the same?

author: bshi02
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2025, 07:39:13 am
content: Thank very much for all of reply!Whenever I tested ceramic or film capacitor, which has over 250V specification, with MH13, It usually displayed 1-3 G ohm and It never display 0.00M ohm.I also measured resistance of 250v 100uf rubycon YK electrolytic capacitor and other 400v 10uf electrolytic capacitor with DMM,It began to creep up resistance until it displayed 2-9M ohm.But It still displayed 0.00 ohm Whenever I tested these electrolytic capacitor with MH13.I'm really curious why It is impossible to test electrolytic capacitor leakage with MH13 in contrast to ceramic or film capacitor.By the way Is it Okay or no harm to test electrolytic capacitor leakage more than 10 minutes with MH13 even though It display 0.00M ohm and make a loud beep sound ?

author: shapirus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2025, 08:29:51 am
content: All right, I have just tested some caps with my MH13 at 250 V, all caps are rated above 250 V. All caps are used, I desoldered them from random old devices and they have been sitting in a box for a long time.1. Ceramic 2.2 nF: a near-instant OL, that is, above 200 GΩ.2. X2 82 nF: a second or two of increasing readings, then OL.3. Film 100 nF: same as 2.4. A 22 μF electrolytic: on first attempt, the readings started to creep up in the single MΩ range, but then it started showing 0.00, beeping the whole time, and I stopped it after a few seconds. The cap was charged, I discharged it and tried again. Second attempt: again beeping and showing several MΩ, then the readings reached several tens of MΩ, and it stopped beeping. It eventually reached ~150 MΩ and the meter powered itself off on timeout, I didn't care to test further.MAIN CATCH, BEWARE:I'm not sure if other meters are the same, but mine has reversed output polarity, or at least the opposite of what a normal human would expect. The red "Line" terminal is negative, the black "Earth" terminal is positive!This is of course important when testing electrolytic caps, because reverse polarity, I think, can blow them up, let alone result in wrong resistance values.Check the output polarity of your megohmmeter before testing polarized capacitors!See how I connected the black and red probes to the MH13 in order to have proper polarity with positive at the red alligator clip and negative at the black one:

author: indman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2025, 12:13:21 pm
content: QuoteI've written and warned about this feature of these meters before, and you just need to read what more experienced users have written carefully.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/just-ordered-aneng-mh13-insulation-resistance-meter-any-comments-on-the-spec/msg4664008/#msg4664008