Need soldering iron and mutimeter advice.

**HHdesign** · 09-06-2005, 06:03 PM

It works for what I use it for, I'm not soldering anything over 12 or 14 gauge. I would reccomend something differnt if you were using more often than 3 or 4 times a week. I only use it when I need it, which isnt too often now-a-days.

**kevinlekiller** · 09-06-2005, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by HHdesign

I use a cheapo cold heat.

Mine broke after the 3rd time i used it , the first 3 times it didnt do a good job.

**Mad Ad** · 09-06-2005, 07:19 PM

multimeters are judged by the ampage it can measure- the all do sufficent ac/dc voltage etc but the cheap end only read like 10A if your lucky and the more you pay the higher As itll deal with. Also, auto ranging is handy to have, u only realise that once you get something where your using 11 fingers and clips to hold everything together and find your on the Ohms range when you should be on Ks.

**old_lou** · 09-06-2005, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by thanatos106

I used this at electronic school 1000 years ago.

Edit:

Digital Clamp Meter is the name in english.

Not sure if a clamp meter will work on DC? Think there only for AC. Not sure though been years since I used one.

**monger** · 09-06-2005, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by thanatos106

I used this at electronic school 1000 years ago.

Edit:

Digital Clamp Meter is the name in english.

this would only work if the puter was being powered by an inverter. clamp meters only measure AC current. the only way for DC is to put something inline.

EDIT:
Damn Lou, you beat me to it..

**84RegalRider** · 09-06-2005, 07:37 PM

You sure they only work for AC?? Cuz i swear the fluke at school could measure DC when we dont use too much AC in auto. But it could of been the VAT-40.... but that has an inductive amp probe and know for sure that measures DC so why dont the "clamp meters" ??? Or are we just talkin cheap brands here?

**thanatos106** · 09-06-2005, 07:47 PM

Where is my f post??

I can also swear that the one I used in south america mesure DC with the clamp.

This is the info on the Mastech True RMS digital clamp on meter, 1000 A/DC, /MS2138R:

Product Description
AC voltage: 4V-40V-400-600V RMS. DC Voltage: 4V-40V-400V-600V. DC Current: 0-400A-600A-1,000A. AC current: 0-400A-600A-1,000A RMS. Resistance: 400-4K-40K-400K-4M-40M Ohms. Frequency: 40Hz-400Hz-4KHz-100KHz. Frequency measurement for clamp: 40 Hz400 Hz. Accessories: Test leads, battery, carrying case, manual.

. (then again this could be mix info about the mesuring with the clamp/test leads)

Thanatos.

**thanatos106** · 09-06-2005, 07:56 PM

Fluke side comfirm that their 300 series clamp meters mesure DC.

Thanatos.

**old_lou** · 09-06-2005, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by monger

EDIT:
Damn Lou, you beat me to it..

In that case Im'e wrong before you Monger. Last time I used one was about 1978(ish). They were proberly only for measuring gas that long ago.

Edit
should have read my own signature lol

**monger** · 09-06-2005, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by 84RegalRider

You sure they only work for AC?? Cuz i swear the fluke at school could measure DC when we dont use too much AC in auto. But it could of been the VAT-40.... but that has an inductive amp probe and know for sure that measures DC so why dont the "clamp meters" ??? Or are we just talkin cheap brands here?

I cant find a page that explains how a clamp meter works so I dont have to. And I still wont because I have been up for 38 hours and have worked for 26 of those hours, so I am tired. But quickly, I suppose that it could measure the instainious change in current because this would also create a change in the magnetic flux surrounding the wire. I belive that how the current is measured is the rate of change of the amplitude of the flux. Now thats why these work primarily on AC becuase this is changing 120 times in a second (100 in europe). Now in DC this event only happens when there is a change in electrical load. So if your meter is not very quick it will not see the change so it will not see any current, that and it will only read the peak current (you have to set it to read peak current, duh).

ok, too much thinking. going now...

oh yeah, the sign of a good multi-meter is having a very high internal resistance. This is so the meter itself will not affect the circuit you are trying to measure. Just FYI....

Thread: Need soldering iron and mutimeter advice.

LinkBack

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Display

not quite.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions