Connect monitor to DMM - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: cyberpete
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 09:24:39 pm
content: Hello People.This is my first post here and i have a question.I am a real newbie when it comes to electronics but i wanted to check if i could get help here with my issue.My dad who uses multimeters alot has bad eyesight and i wanted to know if its possible to mod a DMM so i can connect it to a monitor of some sort so he gets a bigger screen to look at ?Since all DMM are connected to a small lcd i thought one could hack it to add a connector to a monitor of some sort.Ideas ?

author: DavidDLC
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 09:27:25 pm
content: Better buy a cheap multimeter with RS-232 capability to connect to a PC, make sure the DMM has a PC application to display measurements.For example Agilent U1232A or some other cheaper units.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 10:22:51 pm
content: I agree with what DavidDLC says. You didn't mention price nor what country you are in. It will be easier to recommend something specific when we know these things.

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 11:25:19 pm
content: Having it connected to a PC sounds terribly inconvenient.A better alternative (IMO) would be a circuit that accepts data from a multimeter and directly displays it on a computer screen through a VGA interface. A small FPGA would be perfect for this sort of work.

author: babysitter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 11:43:34 pm
content: E.g. Recent Keysight Handheld DMM + Bluetooth Adapter + Tablet with Keysight mobile logger - plenty of display estate, trend diagram and text to speech output! Basically possible with every programmable DMM if software available.

author: Wim_L
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2015, 12:08:13 am
content: An unusual request, in the sense that the contact points you probe tend to be a lot smaller than the digits on typical multimeter displays. Is the problem one of size, or contrast?If contrast is the issue, perhaps a multimeter with a bright OLED of VFD display might take care of the issue. Yes, in portable form they have terrible battery life compared to LCD meters. But having to power an external monitor for a portable instrument would also take some effort.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2015, 12:19:12 am
content: What about a Mooshimeter and a tablet or computer?https://moosh.im/mooshimeter/

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2015, 12:27:39 am
content: The cheapest solution would be to buy a meter with large digits, like the UT139C and hack the backlight to stay on permanently when the meter is in use.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2015, 02:06:05 am
content: An easy solution from the "traditional" side.Tape one of those flat "magnifying glass sheets" on to the DMM. I saw a 4" wide one at walmart for around 3 dollars (if I recall correctly) with holes for loose leaf binders.Search for "magnification sheets" like below and you will find plenty of choices.http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_1?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A2236129011%2Ck%3Amagnification+sheet&keywords=magnification+sheet&ie=UTF8&qid=1426298494&rnid=2941120011The smaller one is probably better. The are cheaper and you are going to cut it down anyhow. Remember, if you do cut, you need to keep the pre-cut "center of sheet" as the new post-cut "center of sheet". The optics is designed radially, so if you just cut from a corner, it is not going to work.You will probably need to elevate the sheet from the LCD. Styrofoam can easily be cut into a rectangular rim, some packing tape to tape it on, and off you go. No fuss, no compatibility problem, no extra wire...