Multimeters

[MarkL8]

Can you guys recommend a good quality multimeter for my upcoming first 5E3 build. Id like something quality with all or most of the features I might for my new foray into amplifierology I do have a good assortment of most tools but any suggestions on other tools of finer amplifierology I might need would be welcomed. Thx in advance

Mark

[bkloos]

Can you guys recommend a good quality multimeter for my upcoming first 5E3 build. Id like something quality with all or most of the features I might for my new foray into amplifierology I do have a good assortment of most tools but any suggestions on other tools of finer amplifierology I might need would be welcomed. Thx in advance

Mark

I bought a used Fluke 83 III off of ebay. It is a GREAT unit, and I have used it for many home audio Hi-Fi tube amps, and of course, it will cover ANY tube guitar amp need. I highly recommend the Fluke meters, they are bullet-proof!

Bryan

[Enzo]

My Fluke 75 has been with me about 20 years now. They really do withstand falling off the bench onto the hard floor. I wear out the test leads from time to time. I am sure they are on ebay, there was no ebay when I last bought a meter.

For basic work you don't need bells and whistles. Most any FLuke will be OK for you. Other brands? Well, keep in mind that our tube amps have higher voltages than most stuff these days, so some meters on the market might not be up to it. Look at the max voltage specs. AT LEAST 600 volts on both AC and DC, and preferably 1000. You might face a 360-0-360 winding on a power transformer, so remember that from end to end that is 720 volts AC. If you ever wanted to measure the whole thing, you'd need that 1000v rating to be safe. SO when shopping other brands, that is a factor to pay attention to.

My meter is autoranging, which means that is will set the voltage range by itself so the reading fits on the scale. Other meters you have to set the scale with a switch. Either kind works fine, you get used to them. If you look at an autorange model, check the range rate. Mine will jump ranges several times a second, but some...are...slow... as...molasses. It is like a dial up computer at dinner time.

You need AC and DC volts which they all have, and resistance, which they also all have. Most come with current, and that is good to have. For bias measurements and stuff a low current range is all you need. I prefer a meter with a high current range as well. Not all have it, but a 10 or 20 amp scale lets me check mains draw or even high current stuff like heater supply current.

That is the basic meter. There are other nice brands besides FLuke, ask anyone with a meter if he likes it or not. The basic meters that Sears sells will work for you and even Radio Shack has a couple nice meters.

You really want a digital meter. Until you are an experienced guy, stay away from the moving needle type meter. Those will not be cheap for a good one, and the little $5-10 ones are useless.

Other useful features would be the fairly common diode test/continuity test. In tube amps you don't see semuconductor diodes that much, but they are often in the rectifier for the high voltage and bias supplies, and there are occasional other applications. Other things like transistor test, frequency and temperature are nifty, but I can't imagine using them very often and I sit at a bench all day every day. SO OK if they come with it, but don't pay extra for them.

[MarkL8]

Thank you thats what I wanted to know. I noticed just browsing around a lot only went to 600v and I thought that cant be good given the juice in these things sometimes. Im a firm believer in good quality tools not just git-me-bys. I have a Plumbing business and once in a while I need a meter but the one I have is at the end of its service life and not fit for this type of work anyhow.

Edit: Just ordered a Fluke 179 Electricians combo decent price and features I can use on my job and as amatuer Amplifierologist!

[TD_Madden]

I picked up a Fluke at Sears Online last year...I forget the model, but I think it was $90, and had a rebate for shipping. Works great!

[Chadwick]

Score! Just got a Fluke 189 for $150 [Protek 608 for sale]

Wow, Craigslist truly rules.

I've always used Fluke, 73, then 110, now the 189. I'm in heaven but wouldn't you know I just bought the Protek 608 hours before I got a delayed email response from Craigslist.

Anybody interested in the Protek 608? Its probably going back to the store but they know me and I feel bad for bringing it back and not getting the fluke from them.

They both sport about the same specs. Here is the 608 website...
http://www.tequipment.net/Protek608.asp

[bob p]

In some respects, what to buy depends on your budget, how serious you want to be with regard to professional/amateur quality tools, and how deep you want to go into buying an array of test gear. A professional quality meter is a great piece of gear to own, but you don't have to own something that good if your interests are only casual.

If you just want something to take basic measurements for building a kit amp, an autoranging DMM is probably all you'll need. With Chinese production, these things have gotten much cheaper in the past few years. By cheaper, I mean less expensive and lower quality. that isn't to say that you can't get a passable meter at Sears or Radio Shack at a bargain price. I have a couple of these portable/hand-held low-end meters that I'll use as an example.

Maybe 10-12 years ago I bought a basic/inexpensive hand-held DMM from RS. It cost about $30 or $40 and did all of the things that I would have needed it to do for building a simple amp. One of its nice featues was that it had a 1000VDC limit.

A couple of years ago I picked up an ultracheap DMM from Sears that was used as one of their loss-leaders to get you into the store during the Holidays. I think I paid something like $5 or $10 for it. Its been a surprisingly good meter for what it cost. It only has a 600 VDC limit, but it has the other handy features that Enzo mentioned.

Both of these meters are passable meters, and will do what the average builder needs them to do. I wouldn't characterize either of them as particularly robust units, and they certainly can't compare to a professional benchtop unit in terms of aesthetics and durability. Their saving grace is that they're inexpensive, and they'll get the job done in intermittent use applications where you need reasonably accurate middle of the range measurements. I prefer not to trust them for taking accurate/precise measurements at the extremes of their metering ranges.

If you decide to buy a DMM, and you don't want to budget for a lot of other test gear, like oscilloscops, function generators, frequency counters, distortion analyzers, network analyzers, etc., then there's more money available in the budget to buy a high quality unit. In some respects, it all amounts to how much you have to spend, and how much stuff you have to buy with that money. The good news is that you don't HAVE to spend a lot of money if you don't want to, but with the more expensive units the build quality and durability will be better, sometimes the precision too.

[stokes]

I believe the one TD Madden is refering to is the 81438.I picked one up just for the current feature.My old 73 doesnt measure small enough current values for checking the bias,and my 8000A was in need of repair at the time.You cant go wrong with a Fluke,and for $90 or so the one Sears carries is fine,but it is only a 600v,which as Enzo pointed out can be a disadvantage in some cases,but as long as you are aware of it and dont try to measure a PT from end to end you will be okay in most amps.There are plenty of Flukes available on ebay and if you go to the Fluke website you can look up the ratings of just about any model including discontinued ones.