Best multi testers according to redditors

We found 825 Reddit comments discussing the best multi testers. We ranked the 228 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Multi Testers:

u/parametrek · 26 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

It sounds like some of the outlets might have a reversed hot/neutral. Get a cheap outlet tester to find out. And a pigtail adapter to test the 2-prong outlets. Fixing it is pretty simple if you are comfortable working with wiring.

u/electriker · 18 pointsr/electricians

https://www.amazon.com/Extech-480172-AC-Line-Splitter/dp/B0000YHN9W

Otherwise, you need to separate the hot and neutral as in a panel or receptacle. The magnetic fields of the two conductors cancel each other out.

u/duskwuff · 18 pointsr/AskElectronics

It's an antiquated bit of terminology, stemming from the fact that this book is over 30 years old.

Any digital multimeter you buy today will be high-impedance. Need a suggestion? An Extech MN35 is an excellent entry-level multimeter.

u/knucklebone · 15 pointsr/sysadmin

sounds like a power surge got the switch... is it plugged into a quality surge protector? Also, try a plug tester like this to make sure the ports are wired up properly and the ground is working. I've seen this happen a few times, and had it happen personally from a messed up plug. Surge suppression is usually only on the live side of the mains.

Another thing to remember, is that the surge suppression components in power strips do degrade over time, and may not provide proper protection.

u/DonCasper · 14 pointsr/homelab

I prefer the plug tester that actually plugs into the wall because the non-contact ones can be tripped by live wires in the same junction box.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/

I think I got mine at a home improvement store for $5. Obviously it's for standard us outlets only.

u/HumansRso2000andL8 · 12 pointsr/RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

Get a pi 3, because integrated wifi + bluetooth.

I would suggest that you buy a good quality power supply (Canakit is good, else the official rpi one). Just don't use chinese crap or a phone charger.

Also, get a good SD card. I strongly suggest a Samsung Evo+ 16GB bought from a reputable seller.

A breakout board of this type can be useful (albeit not essential at all)
https://www.adafruit.com/product/914

I personally bought a kit from Canakit including the previously mentionned stuff. It's a good kit, but not necessarily a great value. The SD card they include is good but not great, and I didn't like the case.

Then for everything electronics, Aliexpress and Ebay are your new best friends. You'll find the same stuff on Amazon, but you'll end up paying 2-3x the price. I cannot suggest a kit of electronic components, because it is a bit ridiculous to just buy 30 resistors. Get 600 of them for 5$ instead.

Edit: here is a copy of a previous answer I've given to a similar question.

Basic Power supply. You probably already have a 5v wall wart, check if it can supply 2.5A. If it came with a product you bought, it's decent quality. If you need to buy one, get it from Element 14 or an other reputable store. You can find cheaper ones, but I strongly advise against getting a random Chinese psu. Doing so would be asking for trouble.

Numerical signal doesn't require high quality cables. This would will do just fine. 3.72 CAD http://www.ebay.ca/itm/6FT-HDMI-1-4-3D-Cable-HDTV-High-Speed-Ethernet-ps3-bluray-1080p-FREE-SHIPPING-/131144973049?hash=item1e88d97af9:g:2gcAAOxyJX1TAj3K

I don't think this is essential at all, but the kit you linked contained one. I bought this one and I'm happy with it. If you want to save some money, I would skip this guy.
$4.10 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Raspberry-Pi-model-B-plus-T-cobbler-expansion-DIY-kit-GPIO-cable-breadboard-GPIO-T-adapter/2046473508.html

$2.04 830 points decent cheapo breadboard. Maybe get more than one. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/181227589427?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Aligator clips. I think 50cm is too long, maybe get 2 sets and shorten the cables of one.
$1.55 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1set-10pcs-Alligator-Clips-Electrical-DIY-Test-Leads-Alligator-Double-ended-Crocodile-Clips-Roach-Clip-Test/32580823346.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.11.Q66gPn&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_2_10017_10005_10006_10034_10021_507_10022_10020_10018_10019,searchweb201603_6&btsid=9259cb1d-c2e2-42ff-a599-3f468f6ecc6e

The kit you linked contains 5 resistors. That is a joke. Get this assortment and have fun sorting them.
$2.68 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/30-Kinds-1-4w-Resistance-1-Accuracy-Metal-Film-Resistor-Bag-600pcs-in-1-Set-Passive/1752861568.html

$1.10 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/100PC-Lot-3MM-5MM-Led-Kit-Mixed-Color-Red-Green-Yellow-Blue-White-Light-Emitting-Diode/32376627762.html You can also get RGB if you want, but they are a bit more expansive. LEDS sure are fun to play around with.

Jumpers. Essential to connect stuff to the pi. $2.84 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Dupont-line-120pcs-20cm-male-to-male-male-to-female-and-female-to-female-jumper-wire/1490773403.html
More jumpers. Those are for connecting stuff on a breadboard. I don't really like those as your board will get messy quickly, but at least this kit contains shorter jumpers than the previous one, so it's a nice addition. I would suggest you get 6 colors x 25m of 22 AWG SOLID CORE wire. You can cut it to length and make your own jumpers. I got a kit from Elenco for about 20$ on Amazon. If you want to do some breadboarding, I consider than as an essential. $1.38 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-Sale-65pcs-lot-Jump-Wire-Cable-Male-to-Male-Flexible-Jumper-Wires-for-Arduino-Breadboard/32437796067.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.10.PzcAVY&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_2_10017_10005_10006_10034_10021_507_10022_10020_10018_10019,searchweb201603_6&btsid=ad849cd3-deff-4e0b-92ae-e3d15373fd4a

Cheapo potentiometer kit. $3.30 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-10pcs-Linear-Potentiometer-1K-Ohm-5K-Ohm-20K-Ohm-100K-Ohm-220K-Ohm-Assortment/533133005.html
Those with 4 leads are a pain in the breadboard. They keep jumping out and stuff. Plus you won't find any use for the extra pair of leads.

$1.99 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-100PCS-2-pins-6-6-5-mm-Switch-Tactile-Push-Button-Switches-6x6x5mm/1523104421.html

Not essential, but cheap and fun!
$0.99 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5PCS-LOT-0-56-inch-1-Bit-7-Segment-Red-LED-Display-Digital-Tube-Plastic-Metal/32335395078.html

You will need those sooner than you think to make a a circuit you'll find on instructables. For one pezo, you can't go wrong.
$0.95 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-20PCS-LOT-New-NE555-NE555P-NE555N-555-Timers-DIP-8-TEXAS/32328453891.html

Because you won't do breadboarding with your pi all the time. Get a battery connector (next item) to power the board. I suggest you bookmark this shop! Robotdyn is the BEST SHOP on Aliexpress by far. Few items, but very high quality (like, amazing quality and the best packaging I've seen so far). Why not get an arduino nano or uno for a few dollars? Sometimes an arduino is better suited for a project, and they are so cheap.
$1.19 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Breadboard-Power-Supply-5V-3-3V-1A/32581547480.html

$0.51 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-2pcs-90-DC-9V-Battery-button-power-plug-for-Arduino-Mega-2560-1280-UNO/32236294183.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.2.vdMJ0V&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_0,searchweb201602_2_10017_10005_10006_10034_10021_507_10022_10020_10018_10019,searchweb201603_6&btsid=5c916f06-2c87-48bf-9075-e191078d3d89

Cheap cutters, but they cut very well! The only cutters you'll need for a while. $2.14 Wire cutters http://www.ebay.ca/itm/322001218703?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
You'll also need some long nose pliers. Again, no need to get anything fancy.

But if you want to make a gift to yourself, I am absolutely in love with those pliers (make in Italy) http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-PN-2007-Long-Nose-Outside-Serrated/dp/B00FZPHEW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1460924870&sr=8-1&keywords=hakko+pliers

I don't consider a case as an essential. But I love cases. And this one is one of my favorites. It's compatible with the pi3 and because it allows a good airflow, you won't need to add a fan. Just get a "heatsink for rpi" (1$ on Aliexpress) if it doesn't come with your pi.
$3.15 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Raspberry-Pi-2-model-B-Acrylic-Clear-Case-with-logo-Compatible-with-Raspberry-Pi-B-plus/32334774743.html

Nice and cheap kit, but by no mean essential for a beginner.
$3.84 http://www.aliexpress.com/item/100pcs-set-RM065-Trimming-Potentiometer-Variable-Resistors-Assorted-Kit-10-Values-Each-10pcs/32596638037.html

If you get in the hobby of electronics, you'll need some caps. This kit has most values you'll ever need.
$6.50 http://www.ebay.ca/itm/15-value-120pcs-50V-Electrolytic-Capacitor-Assortment-Kit-Set-/131155968234?hash=item1e898140ea:g:w0QAAOxykmZTOlin

Finally, I strongly suggest you get a multimeter. Either get the cheapest one you can find like this one : http://www.amazon.com/General-Hand-held-Multimeter-Transistor-Function/dp/B00066ZZO4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1460925081&sr=8-6&keywords=multimeter (it will do everything you need just fine) or get a Unity UT-61E for about $50. The absolute best meter for the electronic hobbyist, but by no mean required for a beginner. Just don't go in the middle. Don't.

u/Nicker · 12 pointsr/Monitors

you could always get something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU

lets you know if your outlets are properly grounded. once you find the bad ones, you can work on tieing in new wiring for grounding in rooms that have sensitive electronics you don't want fried.

u/asilvermtzion · 11 pointsr/synthesizers

It's not normal and is potentially dangerous. It seems likely you have a grounding issue and such problems have, historically, been fatal to some musicians, particularly guitarists, Keith Relf of the Yardbirds for instance. Modern equipment tends to be a lot safer and electrocution is less likely but it's still a risk. While the voltage you've felt, so far, is harmless it could indicate that you're ungrounded and if a fault were to develop with any of the interconnected equipment stray voltage could be present on the conductive surfaces of your gear and the cables connected to them.

You in the US? Get an electrical outlet tester like one of these and test the wall outlets you use. If the tester shows a fault get an electrician to come and repair it. If the wall outlets test as OK, test the first power strip, then the next, then the next, until you find where the fault is and then dispose of that strip and get a new one.

u/AbrasiveCockapert · 10 pointsr/AskElectronics
u/jchamb2010 · 10 pointsr/homeautomation

To add to this:

Do *NOT* under any circumstances rely on a no-contact tester to tell you that a wire is safe to touch. They are good for helping you make a determination between two wires as described above, but they can and do give false readings in both directions.


The voltage reading off a good multimeter (with contact probes) should be used to be certain that a circuit is indeed turned off. Make sure you get one with a separate current lead socket (usually this means they have 3 holes at the bottom of the meter) this will save you from blowing up your meter if you accidentally switch to current sensing while connected to high voltage (been there, done that, its not pleasant avoid the headache)


There are a wide variety of multimeters available in all price ranges, but here's a very inexpensive one on Amazon that should work OK for this use case. It might not be 100% accurate, but I'm sure it'll be able to tell you if there's 120v or not :) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISAMUA6

u/iBody · 9 pointsr/MechanicAdvice

Id start with something line this starter set, a 3/8 breaker bar, 1/2 breaker bar, a Decent torque wrench, a plier set, vice grips, channel locks, adjustable wrench, screw driver set, a multimeter, decent scan tool, a jack, a funnell some drain pans from walmart, pb blaster, jack stands and make some wheel chocks. I'm sure I'm missing something pertinent, but remember you can rent some tools at your local parts store for free with a deposit so check to see what they rent before you buy. Also buy the remainder of the tools as you need them, its tough buying a lot of tools at once especially once you develop an affinity for some quality tools. A lot of the youtube guys have videos on what they use they most, but what I've listed should cover most maintenance tasks for your car.

u/80proofconfession · 9 pointsr/DirecTV

> therefore it will not allow the receiver to connect

Malarkey. They don't care where you have the box in your house.

> $50 to send a tech to your house which is a total scam

I'm all about shitting on atat, but your problem was self inflicted. You wanted to move the box. You can't figure out how to switch rooms. You need to pay $50 duckets.

The work around is learn how to trace wires yourself and plug them in to the correct port on the splitter. I recommend this one or this one.

u/uint16_t · 8 pointsr/ECE

My Extech EX330 just survived a pit bull, so I'm impressed with it. It's a pretty good multimeter for the price. I bought mine at OSH for $49.95.

u/Nuhhea · 8 pointsr/AskMenOver30

Electrical outlet tester - Use on each outlet in the home to make sure all is working properly and not needing work done. I used Sperry Tester
Test the sinks, toilets and showers. Run both cold water and hot water through each sink/shower and flush the toilets a couple of times.
Ask about pest control, how often, who does it.
How do you contact maintenance for any requests? How quickly can they come out to assist?
Check the windows and make sure they can open, or are securely locked.
Who has keys to your location? Did the last tenant turn in all keys? Can you get the location re-keyed for a small fee?
Hope this helps!

u/thrillhelm · 8 pointsr/hometheater

This is your first step. If you have more pairs of wires than speakers, you can purchase a wire tracer that may allow you to follow where the speakers run behind the wall. It’s not guaranteed but I’ve had success with this:


Sperry Instruments ET64220 Wire Tracker Wire Tracer, Audio / Video Installers Must-Have, for Coax, CAT 5, Speaker & Phone, Adapter plugs: RJ-45, RJ-11, Coax & More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00279JLBQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZmxADbBFR0BF1

u/MagJack · 8 pointsr/homeowners

OP Please do not test this outlet this way. OP stated that the outlet works sometimes and does not other times. Sounds like a short and would not want to risk the short presenting itself at the wrong time and having OP try to work on a live circuit thinking it was off.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-STK001-Non-Contact-Receptacle/dp/B002JGQAQ6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541862977&sr=8-4&keywords=line+voltage+tester

I would recommend using this combanation of tools to be safe when working on electrical devices. The one that is not a wall plug can be used to quickly tell if a wire is hot. Hold the button down, touch it to the wire and it will beep if its hot.

In this particular case DO NOT rely soley on if power is coming through items plugged into the switch, as this appears to be a problem.

u/peregrin5 · 7 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

You laugh but I was super excited to get my cheap Chinese multimeter in the mail today. I will deffo use it for completing my lab work tonight.

u/TinyMetalTube · 7 pointsr/vandwellers
  • Exterior solar lights (there are many equivalents on Amazon with different shapes and options)
  • Multimeter for testing connections before hooking them up, finding actual volts and polarity, etc.
  • A bug net for my awning. Haven't tried it yet.
  • Head lamps for looking around outside at night, or for keeping visible light very low
  • A splatter guard. Bob uses this on his stove to heat his van; a stove can be set lower than a Buddy Heater, but you have to take extra precautions.
  • A propane torch for starting campfires
u/TheFeshy · 7 pointsr/linux

Curse my American imperial measurement system and it's ease of use in puns! I should have stuck with Si units, certainly no one could misunderstand meter lead

u/spike_africa · 7 pointsr/MustangTech

Welp start with the absolute basics. Check the fuses for the head lights. Then check the bulbs. If both of those are ok. Then I'd use a multimeter to check for power to the bulb in the connector when the headlight switch is pulled. If no power at connection. You need to go under the dash and check for power to the switch. Power to the switch good? Then switch is bad. There could still be wiring to the headlights that's been damaged. However that's pretty rare for the age of our cars.

The end.

Multimeter that's good and inexpensive.
https://www.amazon.com/Crenova-Auto-Ranging-Multimeter-Measuring-Backlight/dp/B00KXX2OYY

How to use a multimeter.
https://www.amazon.com/Crenova-Auto-Ranging-Multimeter-Measuring-Backlight/dp/B00KXX2OYY

https://youtu.be/TdUK6RPdIrA

u/station_nine · 7 pointsr/juul

Blinking red means the battery is totally dead. The pulsing white LED while it was “charging” was, unfortunately, a lie. These units sometimes lie like that. They make just enough contact with the charging pins to get the LED going, but not enough to actually, you know, charge the fucking battery.

I had the same problem with one of my units. I bought one of these in order to verify when the Juul is actually taking current vs. being a filthy liar.

You can try cleaning the contacts on the bottom of the Juul and on the charger itself. Use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and really get in there. A toothpick works well also.

If it gets to be too much hassle, file a warranty claim. They’ll replace it with the newer version that has improved bottom contacts.

u/kaihatsusha · 7 pointsr/raspberry_pi

Dude, the whole fucking point of a Raspberry Pi is to LEARN things about how computers work.

There are plenty of cheap multimeters out there. Here's a cheap DMM on Amazon for ten bucks. I have seen cheaper ones at Harbor Freight and on sites like Banggood.

A DMM is only a single use item if you have zero intention of LEARNING things, which from your bitching here is a serious possibility. I completely agree with /u/WindWalkerWhoosh that you're acting incredibly entitled, and now over-the-top rude with your ingratitude.

If you don't want to LEARN about computing, you just want other internet strangers to wave their magic wands and fix something with zero diagnostic data, then go buy another Raspberry Pi and get lost.

u/amaraNT2oo2 · 7 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

Nice - you'll be glad to have that variety of tips, depending on what you are working on! If you have any spare Christmas money, I'd recommend picking up one of these self-adjusting wire strippers - it sort of matches your color scheme too! And if you do a lot of de-soldering (anything with lots of headers or through-hole IC sockets), a desoldering iron can save a ton of time compared to your solder wick and desoldering pump.

A few other things that I've found useful (mostly repairing electronic keyboards / synthesizers, although I'm hoping to get more into Arduino / Pi soon):

Hakko wire cutter

Helping hand

Hemostat / Forceps

Digital multimeter with audible continuity tester

u/shout4 · 6 pointsr/gpumining

Those are the smart sensors, They control the 3 exhaust fans per temp readings. They also act as motion sensors and turn the lights on in the room when I walk in. The white boxes on the right wall are 240v smart switches that control power on/off from my phone manually or triggered by scene i.e. temp to high, or ping failure reboot rig. Energy monitor installed inside breaker box also smart home (Z-Wave). All is controlled by a Vera smart home controller. Links below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0151Z8ZQY?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MBIRF5W?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XD8WZX6?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BX9P89Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519912082&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=vera+plus+controller&dpPl=1&dpID=31jWnlwJITL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007ZU69DU?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd

u/farmer_hobbsy · 6 pointsr/Ultralight

I will also say the Anker 21W is very good at what it does, but on the heavier side of trying to keep weight down. Another option i've been testing is this:

Renogy E.Flex 5W Portable Solar Panel with USB Port https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K8NTKHM/

I was able to get output up to 700mAh in direct sunlight. substantially lighter than Anker, and a good option to clip/hang from pack over the course of a day.

I will also recommend this multimeter:

Eversame USB Digital Power Meter Tester Multimeter
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW/

i had to modify the Renogy solar panel with a small cut out in order to fit the multimeter in the USB port. this will give you a good measurement of how much juice you've gotten from the sun over the course of a day. I am going to bed and will post pics of my setup later.

u/TheSwami · 6 pointsr/amateurradio

To mention some other homebrewing supplies and tools that haven't come up here:

  • Copper Clad PCB Board for Manhattan or Dead Bug or Island Pad circuit construction.
  • Perf Board for circuits involving many IC's or other 0.1"-spaced leads.
  • A Solder Sucker, for clearing solder from perf-board
  • Solder Wick, for removing solder from things that aren't plated holes.
  • A cheapie Rotary Tool, for making isolation pads, cutting boards, rounding off edges.
  • A decent multimeter - decent used to mean something in that $30-$50 range, but now even down in the sub-$20 range you're looking at plus/minus 0.5% accuracy for voltage measurements, which is good enough for most homebrew purposes. Whatever you do, get one with a continuity alarm! A $6 meter without one is a $6 waste of your money.
  • A decent Soldering Iron. I spent years thinking I was bad at soldering, turns out I was bad at buying soldering irons. A 15W radioshack fixed iron with a fat tip will do you no good. The 50W adjustable pencil linked here it solid, though many people (myself included) prefer a soldering station
  • A pair of fine need nose pliers and a flush cutter. Xuron is the name brand, but excelite or hakko or most others are fine.

u/umlaut · 6 pointsr/HondaElement

It wasn't the fuse, it was a short somewhere else. Removing the fuse just made it so that no electricity went through that circuit, therefore the battery wouldn't get drained. It is like turning a breaker off in your house - a whole bunch of systems will suddenly not be getting any electricity.

​

The idea is to figure out "Is power being drained out of the battery when nothing is happening?" I tested it with a very typical multimeter like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ISAMUA6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I detached one side of the car battery terminals. My friend held the multimeter leads, one multimeter lead on the battery and the other on the loose wire that would normally attach to the battery terminal. When the element was off, about 0.2 amps registered as being used on the multimeter, meaning that it was using power when nothing should be happening.

There are two sets of fuses, one under the steering wheel by the pedals and one under the hood. There is a fuse puller inside one of the fuse boxes. Look in your car manual and it will show you a diagram of your fuses. While he watched the multimeter, I would detach fuses one-by-one. I would pull a fuse, yell "OUT" and he would yell "NO" if the amperage usage did not change after the fuse was pulled. Eventually I pulled as fuse called "Back Up" in the fuse diagram and that 0.2 amps went down to 0. That was our problem circuit. Luckily for me that circuit has things that are not necessary on it, so I just left the fuse out.

u/jdogherman · 6 pointsr/volt

the EVSE is detecting that the outlet is not wired as it expects. Do you have an outlet tester? Maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU

u/0110010001100010 · 6 pointsr/HomeImprovement
u/congelar · 6 pointsr/techsupportgore

> Even if you have polarized plugs, like in the US, you can't even be sure that the electricians wired the outlet the right way around.

Don't trust, test.

u/logmeinbro · 6 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Grab one of these and check outlets around your house.

u/sgtsnyder88 · 5 pointsr/Tools

I've had this one with me on projects for a few years now and it's worked pretty decent for the price. No complaints.

u/oscill8 · 5 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

Not sure on /u/Steammonkey restock times, you can always pm him. There are other vendors who carry it (shouldn't be hard to find) as well.

[This is my multimeter] (http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA), I'm sure many are similarly laid out. (I had this before I started building; not sure if there's a "recommended" multimeter out there.) You can see the little "OHM" on the dial, set it there :) The battery voltage meter settings on the side are under "battery load test", you put the pos to the pos end of your batt, neg to neg :) There are some youtube videos specifically for multimeters + vaping that are helpful and will also show you where to position the leads for checking ohms, etc. On the vids, pay attention to how to check your meter's internal resistance, esp. with lower ohm builds. Be sure to buy a digital multimeter, not the analog kind w/ the bouncy arm for readouts.

I use Panasonic CGR18650s, AW 18490s, and MNKEs mainly for vaping so I don't know those (I had to search for mine, not printed on batts most of the time); it may be easier to search for the "c" rating of your battery so you can calculate its amp limits. (Again, sm's monkey u has a nice walkthru; it's not hard, just math.) Off the bat I'd say you likely don't want to use your "mystery" blue batt unless you can verify mfr/c rating... most batts packaged with kits are okay for vv/vw devices, not really super for mechs esp. when you're cloud chasing/low ohms. Is the ncr panny protected? (I don't know.) You don't want to use protected batts.

The 2c for safety fuse ... is a nice idea, but I think it has a 8 or 10 watt limit? (Don't quote me, I'm pulling numbers from you-know-where.) It'll be tripped pretty fast with low ohms... I don't think you can use them effectively with anything over 1.5 ohms or so. They make resettable ones (along w/ ones that are one time use, and that would stink), but again, they'll just stop your batt from firing when you want it to put out the watts you'll be pulling w/ lower ohms.

Honestly, I'd start high-ish and work your way down. Totally honest again, I'm kind of loving higher ohm (1.5-2.0) on my vv device (Provari), using one right now as I type. You can push much higher volts with the amplification of vv than you can reach with mechs, won't come near amp limits (you'll hit your device's amp limit before your battery's), and will still get a super vape. I have [a post on some higher (than sub) ohm builds + vv here] (http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/1g9c87/fun_with_contact_coils_higher_ohm_rbas_and/) to give you an idea of what I mean. Not saying don't go mech, I'm running 0.8 right now on my GV Sentinel and it's super, but ... I'm a ninny, "true" cloud chasing/sub 0.5 ohms freak me the f out ;) and some people have written off vv devices + RBAs when they really shouldn't. It may be harder to build/test on a PWM (pbusardo has a vid if you don't know about PWM) vv device, but firing is lovely once you get it on point :)

Happy reading, watching, building :)

u/columbines · 5 pointsr/diypedals

Not worth $60 IMO. I have one of these guys and highly recommend it -
https://www.amazon.com/Mastech-MS8268-MS8261-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000JQ4O2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474646922&sr=8-1&keywords=mastech+8268

Looking through the reviews it seems like they send out the occasional lemon unit, but I've had mine for 3 years now on the same battery and it's awesome, especially for a $25 multimeter. I've tested it alongside a friend's $400 Fluke meter and it's very accurate. It also includes an attachment for reading transistor gains, which is especially helpful if you get into using germanium transistors. It's rated for 1000VDC so I use it when working on tube amps as well.

If you get into building pedals these are also worth picking up -
https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multifunction-Transistor-Resistance-Inductance/dp/B00NKY3M1W/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1474647579&sr=8-13

It will measure inductance & and it's invaluable for getting quick gains and pinouts for transistors. It's not a substitute for a meter but it makes stuff like identifying a mystery transistor or matching FETs a breeze.

u/elektrikeye · 5 pointsr/MPSelectMiniOwners

The location of the power supply doesn't have anything to do with it, the power supply still takes in 120V AC Power and converts it to 12V DC power. When you have a ground fault that circuit will feed back through the line in an attempt to get to earth. I would highly recommend checking your outlet/surge protector with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/

If your outlet is still good, I would return the printer if you can.

u/Kv603 · 5 pointsr/DIY

It was pretty common in homes of a certain era to install a GFCI outlet and then daisy-chain a bunch of outlets, even in an entirely different room, off that one GFCI outlet.

It might not be obvious how the circuit is run, you can pick up a cheap test tool at the hardware store with a GFCI-test button on it, that will trigger the GFCI in the chain, if one exists.

u/jonschwartz · 5 pointsr/smallbusiness

They sell GFCI testers which will reliably trip the breaker without causing damage (assuming the wiring is done somewhat properly). It wouldn't break anything, but would disable the outlet and would bug the neighbor. Here's the one I have https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RUL2UU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/KGB420 · 5 pointsr/HomeImprovement

>a modern house with current wiring would also experience overheating

This issue was not present at our previous residence.

>How do you know they are not grounded?

I plugged one of these into the outlets, and it reports open ground.

u/CommonModeReject · 5 pointsr/livesound

> I've come to realize that the whole venue isnt properly grounded aftering dealing with this hiss/hum from all the mains.

You have actually tested the grounding right? You're not just making an assumption? These things cost like $10. http://amzn.com/B000RUL2UU

u/KFCConspiracy · 5 pointsr/techsupportgore

Eh, for the home use you're probably just as well off with any ole category II chinese meter for 20 bucks.

http://smile.amazon.com/Extech-MN35-Digital-Mini-MultiMeter/dp/B0012VWR20/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1414680367&sr=8-4&keywords=extech

I have this one. Not sure if your radioshack one costs any more than that or not. But that's what I recommend for an entry level meter. Flukes are nicer (A lot nicer), but I've never found anything that wasn't a fluke any better than this one... And since I don't work with my meter professionally I can't justify buying myself a fluke.

u/ssaltmine · 5 pointsr/raspberry_pi

Measure what? The input voltage and current that go inside the Pi? Or the output voltage and current that goes into the GPIO pins?

Normal computers don't constantly log these values because they don't need them. Basically they only measure the extremes. If the voltage is too low or too high they shut down.

But you can measure any value externally, using multimeters, oscilloscopes, and other devices. There are some USB power supplies that measure the voltage and current that flows through them, and in this way the user can know how much current the Pi is consuming.

https://www.amazon.com/PowerJive-Voltage-Multimeter-chargers-capacity/dp/B013FANC9W

http://raspi.tv/2016/raspberry-pi-zero-1-3-power-usage-with-camera

u/09RaiderSFCRet · 5 pointsr/motorcycle

Get this, I promise you’ll never be sorry. And to answer your question, bike batteries do act like car batteries in that if you totally kill it, it may need to be replaced. Here’s the tender. Battery Tender (022-0186G-DL-WH) 12V 5 Amp Battery Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EDFPN1O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_sBECRHYeaVDUm

Get a multimeter like this one. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_VZPFDbGK9FQ5V

And here’s a good write up about testing your bikes electrical system. https://www.louis.eu/rund-ums-motorrad/schraubertipps/elektronik

u/mahkra26 · 4 pointsr/homelab
  1. kill-a-watt or other plug-in style device
  2. PDU or UPS with network-management card / metering, accessed via SNMP
  3. whole-house meter (ie clamps on your panel mains), such as a z-wave device: https://smile.amazon.com/Aeotec-Energy-Z-Wave-electricity-monitor/dp/B00XD8WZX6
  4. radio signals from your electrical meter: https://blog.kroy.io/monitoring-home-power-consumption-for-less-than-25/
u/cleansweep9 · 4 pointsr/homeautomation

Yep. Here's the Gen 2, for OP's reference. By all accounts it has more features and is easier to wire in place, but it's usually 3-5 times the price of the older one.

u/kperkins1982 · 4 pointsr/SmartThings

I have an aeotec home energy monitor attached to the phases in my panel box and reports to an app

Aeotec by Aeon Labs ZW095 ZW095-A Home Energy Meter Gen5, Small, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XD8WZX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2eI4CbX4944QA
You could just as easily attach it to the wires going to the circuit the washing machine is on to monitor it

u/MrDoomBringer · 4 pointsr/electricians

$16 at Amazon. I'm sure the Harbor Freight one is cheaper and will fall apart in 3 years.

u/niandra3 · 4 pointsr/diypedals

I'm still pretty new to this myself, but like you I have some electronics experience in the past. I just got this Weller 40w iron station with a desolder braid/sucker and a solder tip cleaner. Oh and a more precise tip for the solder iron

I'm really happy with it all so far, and couln't imagine needing more for a while. A heat gun would be nice for de-soldering and reflowing premade boards (like modding Boss pedals), but that can also be done with a regular solder iron as far as I know. You can get the above for about $60 total, so it's a nice way to get your feet wet without a huge investment. Then you gotta add on components/enclosures/pots/switches etc. Maybe get a helping hands and/or circuit holder if you need

Oh and get a good multimeter. I went a step up from the $20 ones and got this one which I'm also really happy with.

u/crb3 · 4 pointsr/AskElectronics

Here is such on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TekPower-TP4000ZC-RS232-Interfaced-Ranging-Multimeter/dp/B000OPDFLM

The data it spits out to RS232 (though an optoisolator) is a bitstream of its display drivers and needs decoding at the host end, but there are programs for that for at least Windows and Linux. Pulling together an Arduino Uno program to do that and pass on decoded text as serial-over-USB to the host is on my to-do list; the needed decoding information is posted at: https://sigrok.org/w/index.php?title=Multimeter_ICs&oldid=11625

u/edisonlbm · 4 pointsr/homeowners

If you go that far, I'd reccomend getting something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519316688&sr=8-3

It will show problems that you might miss if you are just plugging something in, and it's a good idea to test GFCI too.

u/sick937 · 4 pointsr/HomeImprovement

No idea about the cost, but if you have a level of confidence and have some idea what you're doing, you could pop the cover off that electric panel and see what type of wires run into the circuit breakers and what they feed. If modern wires run into breaker #1, and you turn that off and the wall fixtures turn off.. well there you go.

K&T should be easier to spot inside the box, no ground, probably dusty, and wrapped in cloth. Mapping the breakers, figuring out what controls what room/wall/fixture is a good idea. Flip them off one at a time and have someone upstairs plugging something in an checking them..

Also, I highly recommend one of these guys to quikcly test and tell you if the wiring is correct:

http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

u/LobsterAuntie · 4 pointsr/Columbus

GFCI outlets on a GFCI circuit breaker? I think that's overkill unless there was some funny wiring going on.

Here is a tester that will show if the outlet is wired correctly and if it's GFCI protected. Might be worth the $5 for piece of mind:

Sperry Instruments GFI6302 GFCI Outlet / Receptacle Tester, Standard 120V AC Outlets, 7 Visual Indication / Wiring Legend, Home & Professional Use, Yellow & Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cUWeAbQG51J7V

ETA: There could also be another GFCI outlet on the circuit that you don't know about that is providing GFCI protection. The GFCI outlet that was protecting the other outlets in our bathroom was under the sink, tucked under a shelf that I did not notice for two years until the outlets stopped working and I needed to find out why.

u/cheezbergher · 4 pointsr/assholedesign

You get a simple outlet tester like this:

Sperry Instruments GFI6302 GFCI Outlet / Receptacle Tester, Standard 120V AC Outlets, 7 Visual Indication / Wiring Legend, Home & Professional Use, Yellow & Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_yBILDbSMB9JYX

u/1new_username · 4 pointsr/HomeImprovement

I use one of these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000RUL2UU/

You plug it in the outlet and push the button on top. If the outlet is on a gfci, it should trip it and the power at that outlet (and any others on the gfci) will go out.

u/drucius · 4 pointsr/HomeImprovement

the buy it for life crowd will always argue for superior quality and buying a good tool. However another random redditor once summarized a different pragmatic:
"Buy a cheap tool, if it does the job you win. If you use it enough to break it you now are justified on buying the good version that might last you a lifetime."
I love harbor freight for economy cheap hand tools.

My exception is buy a good drill/driver. My current house might be close to 50% held together by work from my Milwaukee at this point.

Other tools no one mentioned that will come in handy: Outlet tester/live circuit detector, A stud finder, a set of allen wrenches.

u/xavier_505 · 4 pointsr/AskEngineers
  1. Use lightbulb to figure out the Line (would normally be black) connection, like /u/elfa82 said

  2. Turn on some lights/appliances that are on the same circuit (back to your junction box). This will create a few volts of potential between the line and ground. Try to get a good bit of draw, it will generate more voltage.

  3. Check for this couple volts using a flashlight bulb (best), or LED (might get damaged) connected between one of the wires you identified as Neutral/Ground to a known ground connection (metal pipes should be grounded).

    One of the wires will generate a faint glow, one will not. The one that does not is ground (should be bare/green) and the other neutral (should be white).

    BE CAREFUL! After you figure out the hot wire, secure it so it will not bite you during subsequent testing. Then mark the wires REALLY WELL so the next poor person in there won't have to repeat your work.


    Also, the correct answer is get a multimeter!
u/blhylton · 3 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

I don't know anything about dealers in Canada, sorry, but I do have a few tips as to what you need to realize before getting into mechanical mods.

Learn Ohm's Law.

V = IR

Voltage = Amperes * Resistance

Though, with a a mech mod, you're more likely to need to know:

Amperes = Voltage/Resistance

The reason for this is with a mechanical mod, you have no safety switch to stop you from overexerting your battery, which can severely damage it and cause catastrophic failure. Using Ohm's Law for instance, if you make a coil that's set up for 0.6Ω and you're battery is currently charged to 4.2V, then you're battery needs to be able to withstand a current of 4.2/0.6 = 7 Amperes. If you start going to lower resistance, you need more amps, and it increases quickly (4.2/0.4 = 10.5).

Learn your batteries

Do your research on batteries before you purchase them. Stick to IMR batteries (as opposed to ICR) because they're generally regarded as a safer chemistry. This way, in the event that you do have a catastrophic failure, you won't do as much damage. Typically with an IMR, the battery will just pop and release some toxic gases. Not pleasant, but better than a violent explosion.

Relatedly, always test the voltage your battery is charged to after taking it off the charger. If it's charging over the recommended range for that battery, don't use that charger and dispose of the battery (most batteries will have a recommended max of 4.2V).

Learn your mod

Does your mod have vent holes in the event of a battery failure? If not, take it back. Even with safe chemistry batteries, if there's nowhere for them to vent those gases, your mod essentially becomes a pipe bomb.

What kind of switch does your mod have? Does it have a locking ring? These are things you need to be aware of.

Learn to spot a catastrophic failure

It happens with the best of batteries. They can and do fail. If your mod starts getting warm, consider that it is a possibility that your battery is failing. If it gets hot, be ready to toss your mod and move away from it.

Learn to use a multimeter
How do you expect to test the resistance of your coils? The voltage of your battery charge?

A Multimeter

This one appears to be similar to the one I use, but I've had mine for years (work with electronics a lot) so I can't find the exact one. Any multimeter should be fine so long as it can measure low resistance and DC voltage.


Not trying to scare you away, but realize that there is a bit of knowledge you have to have before getting into mechanical mods and the like in order to be safe.

u/rewardiflost · 3 pointsr/NoStupidQuestions

A voltage tester or digital multimeter

u/darkharlequin · 3 pointsr/shittyrobots
u/SpaceIguana · 3 pointsr/mechanics

You should be fine with a Harbor Freight tool box. To be honest you can also buy tools and other things from there as well with out much worry. Just don't buy anything from them that will get heavy use under stress. Small tools like screw drivers, allen/hex keys, and grip tools like pliers aren't too bad from them. Just remember that they do deal in cheap tools so don't be surprised when some of them break. The below tools are suggestions and the links are examples for reference only.

u/DamnSevern · 3 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

I run a NIST-traceable calibrated Fluke 289 for work and I have one of these cheap Innova DMMs for home/car/vape projects and have been shocked with it's accuracy vs the Fluke. It's typically spot on, vs the much much more expensive Fluke...and you can pick one up for $20 usually.

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452972631&sr=8-1&keywords=innova+3320

u/mcfarlie6996 · 3 pointsr/flashlight

Yeah, the i2 is designed to stop charging when it reaches 4.2V regardless if the battery is protect or unprotected. So either your charger is really messed up because 4.8V is dangerously high or there's some sort of mix-up with the reading.

>I just assumed given the age of the laptop battery that they'd have low charge and just threw them on the Nitecore i2 charger without testing voltage ahead of time.

You should never do this without knowing the voltage of the batteries beforehand. Here are some directions for the next time you want to do a laptop pull. Buy a multimeter, they're like $25 online. This is the one that I use for testing voltages.

u/minecraft-kunigit · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

I generally go with Dave Jones' opinion on these matters. Lucky for you, there's an EEVblog $50 multimeter shootout video. Don't think you'll find a more qualified opinion or thorough comparison anywhere.

Spoiler: The Extech EX330 is the winner.

u/PhirePhly · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

I'd recommend that you put in the extra money and get a nice second tier DMM. You can get away with a cheapy $25 one, but when it's your eyes and ears, I've found spending a little extra is worth it.

I love this multimeter, and Dave from the EEV Blog liked it as well. He did a whole teardown on a bunch of $50-$100 meters.

u/The_GM_Always_Lies · 3 pointsr/ECE

I purchased a Mastech Multimeter about 6 years ago for about 25 dollars, and it's working just fine for me. Yes, it doesn't have the name as a Fluke, but it works just fine for everyday purposes. Unless you really need the accuracy, a Mastech meter will work fine, especially as a student. This is the model I purchased. 25 dollars, and has everything you will need.

u/diet_solarmanite · 3 pointsr/Tools

You can't go wrong with a fluke, it will give you years of service.

I got a cheapie mastech on amazon ($25) and I have been abusing the crap out of it for some time now with no ill effects.

At 5 times the price ... a fluke would still probably be worth it.

u/Swipecat · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

Many years back I bought a cheapo Tekpower TP4000ZC when it was still in production and cheaper than you can get it now. It has Youtube reviews such as this overview and this RS232 datalogging software overview. (It needs an RS232-to-USB adapter, which are very cheap.) I didn't use the supplied software for datalogging myself, but my own Python code — I see that there's now a Python library for it on Github.

It still works fine, but these days I'd try to find its USB equivalent. Beware that you do get what you pay for. E.g. a cheap USB multimeter, the like this one which has reviews that describe the wrong multimeter and is a rebadged Tekpower TP8236. You can bet that the cheapest meters have software that's too old to run on Windows 10, and require a bit of ingenuity to set up something that works, as this sort of thing did in the past.

u/j0nxed · 3 pointsr/raspberry_pi

while looking for a multimeter which offers RS232, i've found a low-cost option which is designed in a way that works similarly to what you've described.

product page ~$30 shipped

product review page with the details.

u/neuromonkey · 3 pointsr/DIY

> heard a loud popping sound.

From where? Could she localize it? From your breaker box, or elsewhere? Worst case situation, someone made a crappy splice somewhere in the circuit, and it gave out.

Assuming you have a meter... (if not, get one, as well as a plug-in outlet tester that shows proper wiring of hot, neutral & ground wires (when you have power,))

With the breaker OFF--or disconnected altogether if you have a suspect breaker...

  • Test resistance between hot, neutral and ground. Any connection? There shouldn't be. If you see some current making it through, you've got a short.

  • Test continuity between the hot slots from each outlet to the next. Do the same for neutral and ground. (ground prolly won't be the problem.) If continuity disappears between one outlet and the next, you've got a wiring fault in between somewhere. Test from the outlet holes and from terminals to find a screwed up outlet.

  • Pull each outlet on that circuit and carefully examine every terminal connection and splice. Any burnt odors, melted insulation, or carbon charring on metal? If so, replace the bad bits.

    Sometimes breakers can trip without seeming to, eg. the switch doesn't move, but it blows internally. Test your breaker with a meter. With any luck, the circuit with all the dead outlets was wired in a straight series. Sometimes people wire branches, which makes finding a problem a bit trickier.

    Also... With the circuit breaker on, use your meter to test between all the blades of each outlet to see if you're getting any current anywhere. Hot & neutral should show 110-120 volts, and hot & ground should as well. People frequently mis-wire outlets. One of these testers will reveal improper wiring. (once you have power restored.)

    In new construction many states require Arc Fault Interrupter outlets in bedrooms. Got any of those in the circuit? Any GFI outlets in a bathroom or wet area?
u/NotAddicted · 3 pointsr/teslamotors

It's not a terribly complicated concept. You're basically hacking together a 240v circuit. Here's a site that explains how to build your own clone.

Edit: You probably don't want to try to use something like this on a circuit that's already sketchy. For example, it isn't unheard-of for a previous homeowner to have ignorantly swapped hot and neutral on a circuit when they replaced a socket. A Quick220-like device will end up directly shorting such a circuit, and that's not good. In fact it's "burst into flames" bad if the breaker is also faulty. Get yourself a tester and know how to read the lights.

u/tubezninja · 3 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Well, it depends.

A cheater plug should have a tab at the bottom. That tab is supposed to be attached to the screw that you'd find in the center of the outlet, between the top and bottom receptacles.

On some of these older outlets, the receptacle box itself is grounded, so, screwing the cheater tab in properly will act as a ground for your cheater plug. The question is, are your outlet boxes grounded? They might or might not be. Only way to be sure would be to use an outlet tester after it's installed.

This of course also means you're going to need to cut off power at the breaker box while your'e screwing around with the outlets, to avoid electrocuting yourself. And if you're not comfortable with messing around with outlets, don't risk it.

u/notaneggspert · 3 pointsr/DiWHY

These are $4 and idiot proof. I honestly wouldn't know how to check ground/neutral with a multi-meter.

Edit: Splurge on the $7 tester with a GFCI test, even if you're not replacing your bathroom receptacle you can double check it works.

u/tyescott · 3 pointsr/AskElectronics

Buy one of these and plug it in. It'll let you know if the receptacle is wired wrong. They can be had at nearly any home improvement store as well

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_WPpxwb3N4BPEH

u/hobbykitjr · 3 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Buy one of these

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000RUL2UU/ref=pd_aw_fbt_328_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CV79NQW6DYC13JCVQF3

Test all of them.

it will not tell you when you need an outlet replaced. It will only show you if the outlet is wired correctly or incorrectly. Make sure that when you push your GFCI back into the box that no bare copper is touching bare copper on the neutral/white conductor in the box. Also make sure that the conductors are tight in the terminal screws of your GFCI. You probably need to replace your GFCI with a new one if none of the previous suggestions work. Make sure that you turn the power off to the receptacle prior to removing it from the outlet box & working on the device

u/Paintguyyy · 3 pointsr/electricians

Craftsman 34-82141 Digital Multimeter with 8 Functions and 20 Ranges https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X5TSUA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hyyDybCDCEG49

Under $20. Does everything you need it to. I install elevators. My old mechanic had this meter as a backup. It got the job done.

u/dunnolawl · 3 pointsr/Amd

None of them will tell you the correct voltage. The only way to know the real Vcore your CPU is getting is to use a multimeter and measure the capacitors behind the CPU socket (these are measuring points for the Asus X370 Prime board). A reasonable quality multimeter can be bought for ~$20.

If you can't use a multimeter to measure what the voltage is then the voltage I would trust the most would be what you set it to (not read) in BIOS, LLC (load line calibration) will cause it to be a bit higher though.

u/elmoret · 3 pointsr/3Dprinting

You don't need a "multi hundred dollar" Fluke DMM to use a thermocouple.

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-MN35-Digital-Mini-MultiMeter/dp/B0012VWR20/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1412566368&sr=8-5&keywords=thermocouple+meter

I would argue that a bad reference is worse than no reference at all, since it can lead down an incorrect path. I just dealt with this with an E3D customer, he swore the thermistor was bad because his IR gun read 150C and the thermistor read 220C. I had him put a thermocouple on it.

The thermocouple read 220C.

The customer wasted hours troubleshooting, got frustrated - all because he didn't understand the limitations of his tools.

Use the right tool for the job, and understand each tool's limitations. Did you look into spot size/reflectivity/emissivity?

u/LD_in_MT · 3 pointsr/electronics

I saw a review a while ago where they said the accuracy was reasonable for home use but the author would be leery using at 120v or above.

Good auto-rangers are so cheap these days, it's hard to justify even spending $5 on something like this. Look at this one for $22: https://www.amazon.com/Extech-MN35-Digital-Mini-MultiMeter/dp/B0012VWR20 You can get pretty nice ones in the $50 range.

u/nerga · 3 pointsr/raspberry_pi

Coding can be done in python. Rasperry pi has by default a RPi.GPIO package that gives you very very easy interfacing with the GPIO pins on the board. You will need some resistors, and some leds, and a breadboard (board that lets you put wires into it so you don't need solder). Assuming you have a pi and that is working I would get these:

breadboard

jumpers

resistors and leds starter kit

DMM, not necessary but nice to have.

Here is a nice guide to the pinout on the pi and the numbering system

This is a nice guide to using rasperry pi GPIO python package

This is the generic python tutorial assuming you do not know python.

edit:

while we are at it here are some other fun things you can do with a pi:

Make it move with these ICs and DC motors. Not pi can not hook up dc motors directly, thus the chips. There are also rover kits with dc motors and wheels already.

There are sonic range sensors.

GPS receivers

temperature sensors

uv light sensors

There are a lot of projects you can do with relatively cheap sensors with the pi.

u/meest · 3 pointsr/SVRiders

Charge the battery. Then start the bike. Get a volt meter and measure the battery. Does it read 13.6/14? Then your stator is working. If its reading below 12.2/12ish then no its not.

Any cheap multi-meter like this will do.
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Digital-Voltmeter-Ohmmeter-Multimeter/dp/B00B7CS3UY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1426052117&sr=8-7&keywords=multi+meter

To make it easier to check You may as well buy a battery tender if you haven't already. Run the lead somewhere (I ran it under my passenger seat so I can plug in a USB adapter to charge my phone while I ride. But then you can meter off that in a pinch also. Not to mention it will slowly trickle charge you battery (It won't be fast by any means, but I've done it myself after this past winter, as my shed has no close by power and I didn't have time to bring my battery inside)
http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1426052180&sr=1-1&keywords=battery+tender


If its showing good when running you have a power draw somewhere. keep the meter connected while the bike is off. then pull one fuse at a time until it appears the load goes away(aka the voltage stays the same for a while without it draining down. Especially if its dead in 4 minutes you should be able to see it quickly). You may have a short in your lights. That's normally where I would expect it.

u/thephonegod · 3 pointsr/mobilerepair

Might just be a bad battery tbh, batteries are notoriously bad in this industry. Try with another? Also, go buy a usb power meter from amazon so you can actually watch the current flow into the device.

https://www.amazon.com/PowerJive-Voltage-Multimeter-chargers-capacity/dp/B013FANC9W

Also I would recommend buying a standalone iphone batter charger board. This will charge the battery independently of a phone and let you watch the input current along with the current voltage of the battery.

u/Laephis · 3 pointsr/Gameboy

As others have mentioned, you can test the battery with a multimeter, but it's only a single point in time measurement and won't necessarily predict how long you have to failure. (Can give you a clue.)

https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=voltage+tester&qid=1559320174&s=gateway&sprefix=volt&sr=8-5

As a general rule of thumb, I replace any original battery before I start a run through a GB game, just to be safe I don't lose the save half way through.

u/DFCFennarioGarcia · 3 pointsr/Bass

Make sure they're Alkalines, I forget what the old style is called but you don't want your bass to die in the middle of the gig because you saved $1 on your battery. I get the Duracell Pro Cell packs from Amazon, they come out to $1.50 each. They're just normal Duracells but they're good quality and I like the labeling, it's easier to write the installation date on the side of the battery with a sharpie.

It's worth getting a basic multimeter or at least a tester, alkaline batteries don't die all at once, the voltage gradually sags, they read about 9.5V right out of the package and over time they'll droop to 8V, 7V, etc. I've had a lot of basses that are much punchier with full voltage and gradually lose punch and just sound kind of thin and weak until I put in a new battery again. I've had other basses that don't seem to care as much.

u/CW3_OR_BUST · 3 pointsr/motorcycles

It's time to buy a multimeter.


Learn how to use it!

u/dangling_labia · 2 pointsr/AnetA8

With the power off, disconnect the heat bed's power cables from the logic board. Take a multimeter and measure resistance across the positive and negative power wires, it should measure 1.2 ohms.

If those are fine, measure the resistance across the thermistor (the temp cable). It should measure around 100k ohms.

If any of the measurements show open then move the measurement up the bed itself to see if it's the cable or the bed that's broken.

If you don't have a multimeter, order one from Amazon or go to your local auto parts store and buy one. It doesn't have to be fancy, this one is fine.

u/Third_Ward_Gent · 2 pointsr/houston

Aeon Labs ZW095

It's mounted inside the breaker panel with the CTs around the wire below the main breaker. Utilizing Home Assistant, Grafana, and InfluxDB to pull everything together to collect data and make pretty graphs.

u/FackYourButt69 · 2 pointsr/homeautomation

Aeotec home energy meter gives you amps/voltage/khw. Pair it with home assistant, send metrics to influxdb, graph with grafana.

https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Electricity-Monitor-Consumption-Detects/dp/B00XD8WZX6/

u/jds013 · 2 pointsr/homeautomation

The Aeotec power meter is much less expensive.

u/clockwork_awkward · 2 pointsr/LGG3

I've seen a few YouTube reviewers using this device

u/SirensToGo · 2 pointsr/raspberry_pi

Not the exact same, but I own this which does the exact same thing. With prime if that's your shnick

u/sexoverthephone · 2 pointsr/thinkpad

I'd be surprised if it could supply over 1amp. Buy one of these and see for yourself what kind of capability various USB ports have: http://www.amazon.com/PowerJive-Voltage-Multimeter-chargers-capacity/dp/B013FANC9W/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1451375081&sr=1-2&keywords=usb+doctor

u/Droid126 · 2 pointsr/NiceHash

Well a typical USB 2.0 port is specified to deliver 5W, so lets assume its a fancy keyboard with RGB and its using all 5watts. In 1 year it would consume 4.38kwhs, that times the US average of 12 cents per kwh gives us $0.52/year, or $0.00144/day

If you really want to know you could find out with one of these

u/amb9800 · 2 pointsr/windowsphone

Well so one additional detail is that (prior to USB C) the combination of charger and phone dictate whether the full ~2.4A is actually drawn. The requirements are a bit different for phones from different vendors, which is why many charger vendors advertise compatibility with different manufacturers' phones (e.g. Anker PowerIQ). So just because a charger can feed a phone 2.4A doesn't mean it'll actually hit that. You can measure the current flow using a USB power meter that sits between the phone and charger (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01D9Y6ZFW/ ).


But yes, if your old charger is actually able to feed its full rated power to the 950XL, then it's not much slower than the fastest the phone can take, which would come from a charger with 3A max output and a USB-C connector, plugged into the phone via a USB C-to-C cable.

u/mustfix · 2 pointsr/buildapc

I don't get a notification if you don't reply to me.

An ohm meter is typically part of a multi-meter. There's around $15. If you read near 0 ohms, that means the wire is good. A broken wire has infinite ohms (or the display remains blank).

A network toner starts at ~$20 and specifically designed to trace network cables through walls. You can also utilize the alligator clips to attach individual wires and tone the other end. If there's no tone, that means you have a broken wire.

Notice I keep saying wire. Yes, I mean each individual wire of the 4 pairs. So you'd need to trace all 8.

This is a lot of work when you can just replace the cable for pennies (if you're cutting and running from a spool).

u/IseeNekidPeople · 2 pointsr/PLC

Remember you get what you pay for, but since you're just trying this out I found some cheap options on amazon:
Volt meter
3 position switch Keep in mind you need to make sure you match your inputs and outputs to the voltage the PLC I/O wants (120v AV or 24v DC)
Indicator light you can use as an output to turn on/off
Looks like the PLC wants 24vDC power so you'll need something like this to switch your 120 power from the wall.

u/overflowing_garage · 2 pointsr/Fixxit

You don't need a super expensive multimeter to work on bikes. The $6 one from Harbor freight will work fine, but the lead are short and the wire inside is thin.

I often use the AstoAI one from Amazon that runs about $11. I picked this one because I didn't need a crazy meter and It had a decent clamshell case for it.

I combine the meter with this kit . . . super sharp / low profile meter leads are a GOD send.

As for your connectors. I've never used those personally, but the waterproof bullet insert type that have a male/female end are often found on bikes from the factory.

u/NCC1941 · 2 pointsr/ebikes

Typically, the black wire is negative and the black wire with a white stripe is positive.

However, I wouldn't want to do work like this without a multimeter ($10 on Amazon or maybe $10-$15 at Walmart), and with a multimeter, you can just directly find out which wire is positive and which is negative without any guesswork.

u/LastTreestar · 2 pointsr/vandwellers

Oh, they are way cheaper than that in places. And also, you can get a simple LED test light for a few bucks. Only tells if there's power, but it's often enough to do the job.

EDIT: LOL this is the el cheapo beater I got: https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6 It's all you need!

u/TomokoNoKokoro · 2 pointsr/cars

You should. You never know when it'll come in handy.

This one is a whole $11 and is probably good enough for what you or I will ever use one for.

u/GotMyOrangeCrush · 2 pointsr/MechanicAdvice

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ISAMUA6/

$14 multimeter.

Overall electrical troubleshooting is not super difficult. In general you’re measuring if the ground wire (the negative wire) has continuity from the headlamp socket to the vehicle chassis which is common with the negative terminal of the battery.

The ground wires on cars are bolted to the vehicle chassis. So somewhere near your headlights there are ground wires bolted to the car. If those bolted connections are loose, corroded or the wires are damaged, then the headlights won’t work.

On the positive side of the circuit it gets more complicated, but you would start by measuring both sides of the headlight fuses in the under hood fuse box and also listen to hear if the headlight relay clicks on. On many cars you can swap the low beam and high beam relays to test. Then you would check for 12 volts at the correct pin of the headlight.

u/nosmokingbandit · 2 pointsr/CNC

You might want to check the output of your controller just to make sure that the problem isn't deeper. Idk what anything is supposed to measure, but if you compare the z outputs to the x or y outputs it should be pretty easy to figure out if something is wrong. If you don't have a multi meter you can get a pretty basic one for ~$10. Or if you have good neighbors you can probably borrow one -- it is standard kit in most middle-aged men's toolboxes.

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620?ref_=Oct_BSellerC_15707471_1&pf_rd_p=2bd56caf-41c7-5afe-a16b-f91d83e8f5ca&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=15707471&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=RWEXC9AQXED7VJG8FQE0&pf_rd_r=RWEXC9AQXED7VJG8FQE0&pf_rd_p=2bd56caf-41c7-5afe-a16b-f91d83e8f5ca

u/Vlad_the_Homeowner · 2 pointsr/homeowners

People are hypersensitive about recommending DIY work on electrical on the internet. I get it, you have no idea who you're talking to and what they're going to do with the advice. But the same people have no problem giving advice for building structural elements, masonry work, or plumbing. Sure, you won't burn your house down, but it doesn't mean you can't destroy it.

Anyway, we're not talking about running wires, selecting gauges or making any significant wiring decisions. If the wiring is prepped properly this should be a straightforward exercise. Use your head, read the directions, turn off the breaker before hand, ask questions if you get stuck. I would recommend getting a cheap multimeter if you don't have one; always smart to double check the line is dead with a DMM before working. They're insanely cheap now, and every homeowner should have one. Here's one for $9.

u/SupaZT · 2 pointsr/teslamotors

Time to invest into a multimeter or Outlet Tester

u/cocobill13 · 2 pointsr/GlobalOffensive

Try multimeter like this https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620, you need to test voltage and grounding

u/xmagusx · 2 pointsr/ergodox

It looks like you have damaged contacts, may have caused bridges, and who knows what all else. If you want to attempt to fix it, I'd say you need to be prepared to spend a lot of quality time with at least a cheap multimeter or other circuit continuity tool in order to determine where circuits are failing when they should succeed and where they are succeeding when they should fail. And you should definitely be prepared to discover in so doing that the damage is indeed too extensive to make a repair worthwhile.

Given that, it may well be more prudent to accept that pcb as a write-off and begin disassembling and desoldering everything and buying a relatively inexpensive replacement pcb.

Mostly it comes down to how you want to spend your time.

If you want to hone your circuit troubleshooting skills, this is an excellent opportunity to get more hands on experience with digital electronics and learn quite a bit.

If you just want a working Ergodox as quickly as possible, then I'd say accept the loss and begin rebuilding now.

u/Pinewold · 2 pointsr/electricvehicles

I would not run a car charger through any direct contact meter. If the meter dies you may looses your ride to work. Consider something like https://sense.com meter that clamps around the wires. It may be overkill but would probably work well. Sense can measure the whole house and identify each appliance.

A lower price option (still 3X your device) clamp meter + wire splitter in also bought section

Wire splitter

You need to get the wire splitter to get just the live wire.

u/Watase · 2 pointsr/vandwellers

Ammeters like that typically require the neutral/positive wires to be separated. You can't just clamp over the whole power cable to get a proper amp reading. It makes it more difficult as you need to either cut up an extension cord, or get something like this.

u/garugaga · 2 pointsr/electricians
u/SnappyCrunch · 2 pointsr/techsupport

550W may be recommended for the Athlon FX 8350, but you won't actually draw anything close to that with just a mainboard and CPU alone. The TDP on that CPU is 125W and it won't draw much more than that even at full bore. If you're not running a beefy GPU, you could probably get by with as low as a 300W PSU. The 500W PSU should be just fine assuming it's not bad.

I'm confused about whether the 550W PSU you have has an 8-pin CPU power connector or not. If it only has a 4-pin connector, the system likely won't boot.

FWIW, the only time I've seen a system powering on weakly like what you're describing is one time my buddy was building his first PC and didn't use the mainboard standoffs (thought they were thumbscrews) and screwed his mainboard directly to the case, thus shorting it out.

If you build your own systems often, I recommend having a cheap multimeter on hand for these sorts of situations. You can turn the PSU on independently of the computer with the paper clip trick, then check the rail voltages to make sure they're roughly in spec.

u/kent_eh · 2 pointsr/modeltrains

If you are going to be carrying on for a while in this hobby (and I highly recommend it!), then adding a cheap multimeter to your toolkit (and learning a bit about how to use it) would be a good plan.

u/Arve · 2 pointsr/audiophile

> Is there any way to check the speakers without using another amp?

Not really, no. About the only thing you can do is to measure the resistance of it with a multimeter - If the resistance is anything below 2 ohm, you should not connect them to another amp, as a shorted speaker can fry an amp.

A multimeter can be had for less than a visit to McDonalds

> Couldn't I just hook up a small battery to the speaker and see if it makes some sound?

No. A battery will just make the woofer move in one direction and stay there. No sound will be heard.

u/unrighteous_bison · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

this one seems ok.

I bought this one, it sucks but it was available for 1-hour delivery in my area

u/Shadow_Van · 2 pointsr/Coilporn

Yeah, working on it. I already knew the more well known bits, but the more I read the more subtleties there are. Any advice on what to look for in a multimeter? looking at this one

u/caithnard · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

What are you looking to do with it and how much are you willing to spend?

I carry this guy with me on a day to day basis, does everything I need and was only $20

u/cb750k6 · 2 pointsr/HondaCB

A multimeter is a must have tool for someone running a vintage bike. They are relatively inexpensive. I can recommend this one as it has auto-ranging, but anyone you get will do.

Tutorial on multimeters and how they work.

How to test your motorcycle components.

u/nayt · 2 pointsr/CherokeeXJ

If you don't have one, they're pretty cheap on Amazon: link
I use one of these on every electrical project on my jeep for sure

u/Danpaulcornell · 2 pointsr/vintageaudio

Here are some useful links: Link; Link; Link. The Marantz cost about $58 using good quality replacements. I did a H/K 330B for $9.58. The Marantz 2285 I am working on cost about $90 for parts.

 

You will need a decent soldering iron; solder sucker; desoldering braid; lead solder; flux; and most importantly a multimeter. Here is another gear thread. Most of the manuals are available on Hifiengine. What you can't find there you can check the forums or Sams. Manuals on Fleabay should be an absolute last resort.

 

I would recommend going to a local thrift store and getting some practice junker units. It will take you some time to good at it and you certainly don't want to screw up your good unit. I still don't know anywhere near enough to do more than replace the parts and do basic troubleshooting. Fortunately for people like us, there are a lot of very helpful and knowledgeable persons on the forums who are always willing to lend a hand. Edit: Forgot about the Dim Bulb Tester.

u/MangoMan6 · 2 pointsr/electricians

https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1520974670&sr=8-6&keywords=multimeter

Its still on the cheaper end, but I've been using one extensively for 4 years and haven't had any issues besides the pos. probe becoming loose.

u/QwertzHz · 2 pointsr/flashlight

I use this, but there are probably slightly better ones at that price point if you go looking. I like this one because it's auto-ranging, but the whole "battery test" thing seems like nonsense. Hasn't failed me yet in my light usage.

u/mercurysinking · 2 pointsr/ReverseEngineering

I have this one that I like kind of a lot. It's not super flashy or anything, but it's reasonably quick, it autoranges, it's fairly accurate, and it's worked for everything I've needed so far. And, it's only $17 so you don't have much to lose. It's well built (feels sturdy). Only complaint is that it makes noises twice when it's about to shut off.

u/lithiumdeuteride · 2 pointsr/diypedals

I've used this one for many years.

It lacks capacitor- and transistor-testing modes, but it was designed mainly for automotive use, and for the price, it's very good.

u/WorkoutProblems · 2 pointsr/sportster

uhhhhhhhh If you say so...

You wouldn't know of good how to for dummies / videos that would go over these?

Also does the quality of mulitmeters really matter if it's just for motorcycle diagnoses? was thinking of getting this, but some of the reviews say it's not that great, what distinguishes a great multimeter from an okay one?

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426173691&sr=8-1&keywords=multimeter

u/bonkersthough · 2 pointsr/Multicopter

Yeah. I use this one because it is a lot nicer than the even cheaper ones while still being pretty cheap. And its auto-ranging which is a big plus in my book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/

And https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014ERIFU6 those for drivers. I too was fed up with the cheap ones stripping. Again, not the best in the world but a lot better than the harbor freight special. They bite well and I haven't stripped anything with them yet.

u/darkfires · 2 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

The ohm/volt meter I have from MyVaporStore is nice. I'm sure you can find it cheaper but I like their customer service and reliability.

However, if you're wanting a good multimeter, this one from Amazon is cheaper than most ohm/volt meters.

u/DriedT · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

I bought one of these in 2010 and another in 2017; the first one is still working fine. It's worked great for basic troubleshooting and measurements. I've used it for power consumption measuring and it seemed accurate enough. I've used them a lot, but none of it requires super accurate readings and I haven't had a single issue. If you buy one I can't guarantee the same experience, but they've been great for me.

Currently $18.80 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/

u/ertaisi · 2 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

Extech EX330 Autoranging Mini Multimeter with Built In Thermometer with Type K Remote Probe by Extech http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EX0AE4/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_-TGntb18D6ZH8

I bought that one in 2011, so it may be a bit outdated, but it's still working fantastically if you're looking for a good meter for more than building coils. The auto ranging is pretty spiffy.

u/bassinhound · 2 pointsr/electronics

I would stay away from really cheap meters if you are going to be measuring mains voltages. I have one of these in my portable tool bag. It's small and the non-contact voltage checker is handy.

u/djscsi · 2 pointsr/electronics

Fluke makes great equipment, of course, but I would also consider Extech. While they don't cater to the professional market as much as Fluke, they make great meters and you can find a full featured one new for well under $100. Extech also manufactures Sears Craftsman branded meters. The one I use is similar to this one

u/Yelneerg · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

You are going to want to balance tools and parts.

TOOLS (must haves)

  • Multimeters (At least two, I suggest starting with one cheapo ($5-$10) and one in the $30-$50 range)
  • Variable regulated power supply with current limiting (Skip the cheap/dangerous chinese crap and get a used HP/Agilent/Keysight one off ebay like this or this.)
  • Breadboards (several)
  • Jumper wires
  • Wire strippers and cutters
  • Decent soldering Iron ($50-$100) (DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THIS)
  • Desoldering pump and/or wick (The ctrl-z of the soldering world)
  • Heat shrink tubing for sealing connections (Especially if you are going to be doing outdoor stuff)
  • Microcontrollers (I suggest starting with an Arudino Uno since it has the largest amount of online support material, you could get an Uno kit, any of them will be fine)
    .
    .
    TOOLS (eventually)
  • Logic Analyzer (Let's you see the logic signals in your circuit which is super helpful for debugging, I have a bitscope micro which is decent, but the software kinda sucks and is more than just a logic analyzer)
  • A function generator (variable voltage and frequency for sine, square and triangle waves) (Again I suggest used off ebay, something like this.)
  • Oscilloscope (a really amazing tool for actally seeing what is going on in your circuit)
    .
    .
    PARTS (vaguely in order of usefullness)
  • Elenco Resistor Kit
  • Elenco Capacitor Kit
  • Elenco Transistor Kit
  • Elenco Diode Kit
  • Elenco LED Kit
    (Of couse you don't have to get the Elenco kits, those are just the ones I use and really like)
  • Voltage regulator ICs (Great for providing regulated power to things that need more than what your arduino can provide)
  • Trimmer Potentiometer Kit (really useful to have around for many projects)
  • Old electronic equipment to scavenge parts out of (Many of my parts have come from old equipment or broken ATX computer power supplies. Tearing stuff apart is both fun and yields great parts.)
    .
    .
    .
    I think that's all for now...
u/electromage · 2 pointsr/flashlight

I wouldn't rely on anything that cheap, it's just in my truck toolbox for quick charging system checks. Something I can run over and not care about.

Generally anything sub-$100 is considered "cheap" by multimeter standards, Fluke makes the most popular meters, really the industry workhorses. They have a new entry level model called the 101 for $70.

The Extech EX330 is a popular cheaper model, I've seen it as low as $40.

Edit: Check out this video, the EX330 was the favorite of the bunch.

u/joshw42 · 2 pointsr/Tools

Flukes are definitely the best, but for automotive use, you're not really going to be super demanding. Less expensive + disposable may be a better way to start off your career on this specific item.. i'm sure you have other expensive tools to buy ;-) You can always upgrade later.

I have one of these guys, and it does what I need it to, personally: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EX0AE4

u/principledsociopath · 2 pointsr/ZeroMotorcycles

Your link has a link to the DC/DC converter section of the manual. It's under the seat, and the wires are labeled: “enable” turns on the converter, “in” is high voltage, “out” is 12 volts.

You'll need a multimeter to read the voltages on the wires and connectors.

u/fivethirdstwo · 2 pointsr/Tools

I'd buy a fluke if I could justify it... but i can't so i bought this https://www.amazon.com/Mastech-MS8268-MS8261-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000JQ4O2U/ . Its a good balance of good, cheap, and tough.

You might also want to look at the fluke 12E. Its made for the chinese market but makes it way over here. here is a video from AvE talking about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJm9iCha-jM

u/amishengineer · 2 pointsr/electricians

Do you have a multimeter to test AC voltage? If you're up for and you're just careful not short anything while poking around. A cheap multimeter is all you'll need to maybe find the fault location. Start at the panel and check the incoming voltage from the meter and go from there.

Something like this: $24 - www.amazon.com/Mastech-Manual-Digital-Multimeter-MS8268/dp/B000JQ4O2U

u/therealsutano · 2 pointsr/arduino

Personal favorite cheap dmm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JQ4O2U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_scIuyb89GBR67

A bigger breadboard might be nice as well

u/AnalogKid2112 · 2 pointsr/EngineeringStudents

Those kits are OK, but I might suggest getting yourself some boards like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CGV6TZG

And a basic component kit such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EROKLBC

With those you can practice all you want and come up with your own configurations. Start with getting an LED to light up and go from there.

For a cheap multimeter I like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JQ4O2U

u/skywise_ca · 2 pointsr/teslamotors

If you're pondering this because of the other post today and your outlet is 120V then this is what can test it.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519597199&sr=8-1&keywords=outlet+tester&dpID=41lRWPMgkJL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

If it's a dryer outlet, it's probably fine if it has been doing it's normal job up to now.

u/dstutz · 2 pointsr/woodworking

Waterlox should be great for the bathroom. If you have one of those outlet testers you could double check but if the electrician did it, it's probably fine.

u/Tude · 2 pointsr/fixit

This does a great job at detecting wiring faults and is cheap: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/

u/TheLostBryan · 2 pointsr/personalfinance

I use a gfci outlet tester. They are pretty cheap, and check that the wiring is as it should be (hot, neutral and ground in the right place). There is a button on it that will trip a gfci breaker to make sure it works as it should.

http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU

u/machu505 · 2 pointsr/hvacadvice

Perhaps a grounding/loose neutral issue. Or even a reversed hot/neutral. Use a circuit tester to test the outlet for faults if possible.

u/Sillywillychille · 2 pointsr/electricians

I wouldn't assume that three prong outlet is properly wired, Someone could have just thrown it in there even if there isn't a ground wire ran to the box. You could buy a plug tester like this and it will tell you if it's wired correctly. It is possible someone could have wired the outlet to trick a tester into thinking there was a ground by jumping from the neutral to the ground.

Ultimately i would recommend having an electrician inspect the wiring in your house. Your houses original wiring is old and may not have a means to ground available at every outlet. I would find someone you can trust to take a look at everything, You don't know how many people, qualified or not, have worked in your home.

u/SCphotog · 2 pointsr/computers

Make sure your computer is properly grounded. Make sure the outlet you're plugged into is wired correctly.

Ground tester... can be found at any hardware store, home depot etc... for just a few bucks.

Most uninterruptible power supply units these days have ground fault detection built in... and you should be using one regardless.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523144160&sr=8-1&keywords=ground+fault+tester

That aside, something shorted out. You have an exposed wire or something somewhere or the GPU is touching something that it shouldn't be.

u/Dippyskoodlez · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

The casing is for shielding, as at the end of the cable the pairs are untwisted and no longer individually shielded going into the RJ45 connector. It could potentially connect the ground from one device to another if it's wired into the shielding across the cable. It shouldn't be the cause of this issue though.

If you're feeling a shock it's because you have a grounding issue between your PC and the wall(or the outlet itself) and should get that checked out.

Perhaps check out something like this(If you're on 120v), it's possible your house/building wiring is FUBAR. I had a nice shock when I was connecting my parents fridge water hose to the fridge.

https://smile.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487960559&sr=8-1&keywords=sperry+outlet+tester

u/umos199 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

I would still test your home wiring. you can order things like this or find them at just about any store with an electrical section.

u/ichabod13 · 2 pointsr/videos

If the dishwasher is plugged into a outlet you can access, you can buy a cheap outlet tester like this one on Amazon
and see if your wiring is good. Sorry if this was already suggested somewhere. :P You can find the plug testers at any hardware store too.

u/Bill_Money · 2 pointsr/hometheater

Get somethign like this http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452385389&sr=8-1&keywords=outlet+tester make sure the outlet is wired correctly.

If it is then get a really good spurge suppressor possibly one with filtering

u/Art_in_MT · 2 pointsr/HomeImprovement

I suggest proceeding VERY methodically. Two things I've found over the years:

  1. the GFI device is not always the first outlet on the circuit. Your power could be coming from another box "upstream", and

  2. for reasons only known to themselves, sometimes non-electricians will swap black-for-white. Thus, your next box might have been wired wrong (white is hot / screwed to brass), and "fixed" here because it was easier to get to. (Didn't want to move that 65 gallon aquarium.)

    I find one of these testers to be real handy when working on unknown wiring, and for checking my own after completion. LINK
u/locool676 · 2 pointsr/techsupport

Here is a quick how to: http://www.acmehowto.com/electrical/grounding.php


You can also get the all in one type and plug it into all your outlets to test: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000RUL2UU

u/HappyStickPerson · 2 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

Truth! You don't need a Fluke or anything fancy. A $20 meter is more than adequate. Though I kinda wonder what al you get with a $200 multimeter now.

u/mattthebaker · 2 pointsr/ECE

This looks like the one I have.. dirt cheap. If your lab doesn't have a thermocouple, a lot of the entry level extech meter's come with a cheap one and builtin circuitry to read it.

I've had success with this toaster and those stencils on 0.5mm pitch QFNs, 0402 passives, and low pin count LGAs.. but be prepared to do rework. It helps to have a steady hand, high quality tweezers, and ideally a microscope.

u/domesticpig · 2 pointsr/arduino
u/pockypimp · 2 pointsr/HomeImprovement

If you want a quick and easy way to figure out which ports in the wall go to which cable get one of these. Plug one end into the wall and the wand you wave over the wires until you hear the tone.

As far as a crimper goes Monoprice has you covered. You can also get the RJ45 ends for cheap. They also have a combo pack with 10 RJ45 ends.

As far as setting things up. You can just put ends on the appropriate cables, plug them into a switch and plug your router in then you'll be fine since current routers will handle the DHCP portion.

u/foxpost · 2 pointsr/electricians

Or a wire tracker like this wire tracker
:)

u/AlphaMoose67 · 2 pointsr/HomeImprovement

One tool you may not have that will make it a lot safer is a Non contact voltage meter basically you touch the outlet and it will beep if it detects a current. Just incase your breakers aren’t labeled correctly, etc, it’s cheap peace of mind.

Then it’s basically a Phillips head and flat head screw driver. The screws on the sides of the outlets are different colors, make sure they are connected to the correct wire, take pictures of the outlets before you unhook any wires so you’ll know how it goes.

u/disgustipated · 2 pointsr/answers

Digital Multimeter - you'll want to measure voltage. Set it to the next number above what you want to measure - in this case, 20VDC. The spec sheet for that battery pack doesn't list the minimum useful charge, but does mention that it loses about 1v per month (20%) and states that it is fully charged after 14-16 hours.

u/iskin · 2 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

Overcharging is what is most likely to cause a battery to fail.

The ego style batteries are going to mostly be safe as long as you use a proper charger. Don't let it charge over night or on a highly flammable surface. Don't push the button while it's charging.

The most worrying batteries are going to be the ones you can swap in and out of a mod like the Vamo, Kamry K100, etc. They are batteries like the 18650 or 18350 and use a good charger like the Nitecore IntelliCharger i4. You'll want to use a volt meter to check them when you take them from your charger to make sure they aren't charged over 4.2v.

Use a LipoSack while charging batteries for extra safety. You could also build a charging box. Don't pour water on your battery if it catches fire.

If you're still worried. Failure will most likely happen right off the charger (well, on the charger because that is when a fire is most likely), after it has been dropped, or if it has been in an area that is too hot or too cold. Don't use you're battery if you notice any dents or bulges. Hold it away from your face and give it a 3 count test fire away from your face while your device is fully put together after you take it off the charger or if you did something that worried you.

u/Hawkdup45 · 2 pointsr/pcmasterrace

Had the same problem,it was my rosewill green 600W PSU. You need to test that power supply with either a PSU tester like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UZHB6G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_n9BnzbJWS4NY7 or a DVOM like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B7CS3UY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_a-BnzbAV7N36P

u/uo959 · 2 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

Start here. I'm a soon to be IT guy and love using my mech as well as the tinkering, so I am sure you will too.

As far as beginner setup a tobh RDA is easy to build on and a Nemesis mech is usually considered a good starter. The mech isn't as necessary to get a "starter" because it is kind of hard to mess up. You would be fine with a Stingray, 4nine, Vanilla, Penny, or Caravela. I have a 'Vela now and wish I had it as a beginner mech. Either way you go make sure you get copper or silver plated brass contacts.

Nitecore charger from Amazon is what you want and I would get either Sony vtc4/vtc5 or Samsung 25r batteries. 26 or 28 awg from Amazon. The rest you should have around the house. I started wrapping coils around wooden toothpicks, but since your IT I'm sure you have a precision screwdriver set. Just plain old cotton balls are fine for wicking(I have never boiled cotton and have never had problems).

Feel free to ask any questions. I hope this puts you all in the right direction.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I got a multimeter off of Amazon too. Here it is. Also, I added some links of where to get a few things.

u/NuclearDuck92 · 2 pointsr/diyelectronics

A decent autoranging multimeter can be had for ~$20 these days. From a safety and usability standpoint, it’s important to make sure that both the multimeter and leads have a CAT II or III rating and both ports have user replaceable fuses. Even in a computer there are caps that can give you a bad day...

I have a version of this meter that I got in college, and have since put it through its paces in control panels as an automation engineer. It’s held up really well, and I have yet to change the battery. The autoranging is not as quick as a fluke, but more than sufficient for anything I’ve needed.

For electronics, a set of alligator clamp leads and tweezer leads can also be really helpful.

u/revengeofbigd · 1 pointr/electronics

You could use an AC Line Splitter to separate the conductors of an AC cable:

Extech AC Line Splitter

u/MrRollboto · 1 pointr/pics

I wonder if you could attach a clamp meter to that thing. You wouldn't need one of these

u/WyTheGuy · 1 pointr/electricians

I mean you can get a line splitter and a clamp on ammeter to get an idea of what theyre drawing but it wouldnt give you actual power logging. I dont know how much servers fluctuate in power consumption though, or much about servers at all, so take that advice with a grain of salt. This would just be a cheap way to get an idea.

u/Some1-Somewhere · 1 pointr/u_VanillaSnake21

If you open up the appliance, you can probably find individual wires. Or in the box behind your socket, or in the switchboard, or use a line splitter.

You could also get a kill-a-watt or something.

u/Seanybonbon · 1 pointr/engineering

What are you calling a line splitter? Google is showing me these, but that doesn't make sense to me with your plug/cord/cable on each end not being CE comment. These don't have cords or cables.

u/Anatolios · 1 pointr/mildlyinteresting

You can always use something like this.

u/proxpi · 1 pointr/livesound

I have been through the exact same thought process... and you probably don't want to get a clamp meter.

Turns out, you can't just pop it around a power cable and find out how much power it's drawing. You need to be able to clamp it around ONE of the conductors inside the cable. If it's clamped around both conductors, the reading will be canceled out. http://total-automation.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Fluke_Clamp_meter_319_correct_usage.png

You would need to insert something like this http://amzn.com/B0000YHN9W into the circuit, which you obviously can't do live. This means you totally negate the advantage of a clamp meter over something like a Kill-a-watt.

u/SickZX6R · 1 pointr/talesfromtechsupport

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-40508-Multimeter-Resistance-Transistor/dp/B00066ZZO4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1497462745&sr=8-6&keywords=multimeter

This one isn't even $8 shipped and works fine for "is there voltage or not". Hell, it was actually reasonably accurate for the price. I used this exact meter for 2 years, even after I ran it over once with a Grand Prix and taped it back together, until I bought myself a Fluke.

u/PageFault · 1 pointr/USBC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#Cable_wiring

Not sure exactly what you are going for, but one of the reds and the tin might do it. Just don't try it while connected to anything you care about, and don't start a fire.

If you are not going to look up the USB-C specifications, at least use a resistor so you don't create a short. I have no idea if it's standard design to handle a short. (I think USB-C cables are suppsed to have a small board with resistors and other shit in the connector.... Don't try to use a surface mount resistor though. Go buy or scavange a through-hole. Ideally you would look up which one, if any, you will need, but any is safer than none.)

Also, if you are going to play around with this, buy a multimeter and learn how to use it. A multi-meter can tell you which wires are hot, plus other shit you will learn about.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00066ZZO4

u/nebson10 · 1 pointr/projectors

If you are lucky, then the problem is with the power supply. Do you have a multimeter? You can get a cheap one on Amazon for $6:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00066ZZO4

If you open up the projector and post some pictures of the inside, I can give you some troubleshooting instructions that might help.

u/Unknowhu · 1 pointr/Guitar

Ohmmeters are relatively inexpensive compared to heads and speakers.
example

They are simple to use. set the rotary switch to 200 ohms, plug a speaker cable into the jack on the back of the speaker cab, and place the probes on the plug at the free end of the cable. The meter will display the resistance of the cab. Typically, the reading you get will be 75% of the impedance of the cab.

u/urist81 · 1 pointr/fixit

Yep, just start with the basics before you get more complicated. Make sure you have power, then follow power along until it's not there, and figure out why. If power is going everywhere and the HU still won't work, it's busted or has a blown fuse.

A test light is cheap and easy to use, just make sure it'll work with 12 volt DC. A multimeter is much more versatile and not too expensive. I have this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00066ZZO4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it works OK for a cheap thing. For basic testing, at least.

u/TreborEnglish · 1 pointr/vandwellers

Step one: disconnect the isolator cable from the starter battery.

Step 2: find or become a person who understands the electric system you want and has the tools to diagnose what you have. Note, the 12.9 volts on the isolator box or document doesn't make your starter battery have 12.9 volts.

If you get a meter, separate your 2 systems, post here the voltages of the two there will be help.
Harbor Freight has a meter like this one except red
I have a coupon for it free. It comes with enough instructions to measure your battry voltage.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00066ZZO4

u/rezachi · 1 pointr/motorcycles

Doesn't have to be that much. I use the one I linked below, it came with a $20 stereo wiring kit I bought at Walmart in like 2004. If you're going to do your own work on a bike it's not a bad tool to have and will save the cost of itself the first time it points you away from replacing a part that tests within spec.

Linky

If I were to buy one today I think I'd pay a little more for more quality, but this guy has gotten the job done which is why I haven't replaced it.

u/ZoidbergRush · 1 pointr/techsupport

So basically digital only?
So will this be a good choice? INNOVA 3320 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_o0TEybZY2V8B1

u/garagio · 1 pointr/diyelectronics

Not really worth it with prices for real multimeters starting from from literally $0 and decent ones under $20 (when on sale).

u/BSandLies · 1 pointr/motorcycles

I've heard good things about this one http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA as an entry-level unit. Unlike the HF one, it is auto-ranging so a little more beginner friendly.

If your budget allows, get yourself a Fluke. If you're only scraping by, a Harbor Freight one will get you started.

u/Tudius · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

I have this one and it works great.

u/westom · 1 pointr/buildapc

Yes - major. A digital meter provides three digit numbers. An example:
https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1510587688&sr=8-6&keywords=digital+volt+meter&dpID=41CeZkP6ksL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

These are available in Sears. In stores that also sell hammers and auto repair tools. In Walmart for maybe $18. In Harbor Freight sometimes for only $6.

No results can exist if you do not obtain (request) the second item. Second item (instructions) says what to do.

u/backlumchaam · 1 pointr/audiophile

Lady Ada sums it up nicely: http://www.ladyada.net/learn/multimeter/ I will say I disagree with her/Bob Pease's comments on the usefulness of a temperature probe. I had an apartment once with an oven that lacked markings on the control knob. A sharpie and my multimeter with thermocouple fixed that problem. 8D

They are mostly a commodity item at this point, unless you got Fluke money (I got a used Fluke 89-IV for ~$175 on eBay a few years ago, score).

I'd think this one should work well: http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/

u/skookum1 · 1 pointr/cars

That is overkill for what you need. You can normally find them for under $10 bucks at harbor freight. Parts places would have some, but might bend you over for one. If you want a nice one for the money this is the one I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1311290504&sr=8-2

Also, you do not need a test light if you have a multimeter, you can set it to audible continuity test and it will beep if you have power.

u/SexlessNights · 1 pointr/ElectricalEngineering

Gotcha.

Go pick up an arduino kit, a few boards, an iron and solder.

The arduino kit will help with the physical electrical aspect, resistors, leds, servos, positive and negative, and it help with the theory/text book stuff such as amps, ohms, voltages etc.

Pick up a multimeter and look up how to test resistance , voltages, conductivity.

You can practice the soldering by putting led and resistors on a board. The arduino has tons of material for simple projects that include the code. So if the coding part doesn’t interest you, just copy the example
Code and build the circuit on the included breadboard. Then move the circuit into a blank soldering board

And make sure to research any questions instead of just asking someone who knows the answer. The reason I suggest research on your own first is there’s a lot to learn in the tech industry. The more you read the more you’ll familiarize yourself with key words, go to forums, and terminology.

u/IWannaMakeStuff · 1 pointr/arduino

Oboy, I'm probably the wrong person to ask. However, /u/BriThePiGuy recommends Joe Knows Electronics boxes, and /u/NeoMarxismIsEvil recommends the following:

> I would order some cheap assortment kits from people on aliexpress. These are the sort that come with like 10 of most common values of resistor, capacitor, etc.

> Other stuff:

> - WeMos d1 mini or mini pro
> - small i2c OLED displays
> - small LCD display
> - tacswitches (buttons)
> - SPDT switches
> - 74HC595 and 74HC165 shift registers
> - either bidirectional logic level shifter modules or mosfets and resistors needed to make them
> - 7 segment led displays (individual)
> - 8x8 led matrices
> - various environmental and physics sensors (often come as a kit of 20+ different modules)
> - extra breadboards
> - jumper wires
> - male and female header strips (for modules that lack pins)
> - cheap breadboard power supplies
> - voltage regulators (both LDO ICs and buck converter)
> - possibly some 4xAA or 4xAAA battery holders
> - trim pot assortment

> Those are just ideas. Some things like 7 seg led digits are pretty cheap and worth having a few of but not terribly important if you have a real display of some sort.

I personally like the assortment of bits I got in my Sparkfun Inventor's Kit, but found that I wanted more of the following:

u/claspinfo · 1 pointr/MechanicAdvice

Thanks for the thorough answer! I really appreciate the help! I don't have any tools unfortunately but I can get them. Would this be a good voltmeter? (Innova 3320)
So to confirm, I would connect the voltmeter to the crankshaft sensor and test whether there is any output? I can also rent a fuel gauge and try your second suggestion. I'll keep you posted. Thanks so much again!

u/w00tiSecurity_weenie · 1 pointr/homelab

So i think my multimeter doesnt have enough ranges to test the variety of different settings on.



i ended up giving up. I dont think my multimeter does is able to read the different sizes or idk but I am getting a lot of misleading things and my head hurts from organizing by color. Can anyone recommend if one of these will be good?


  1. INNOVA 3320 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter

  2. AstroAI Digital Multimeter with Ohm Volt Amp and Diode Test

  3. Crenova MS8233D Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter


u/expiredgoatmeal · 1 pointr/GAAB350

do you think the higher soc voltage affects ram overclocking? with +0.00 SoC (1.15 with a multimeter), GFX SoC at 1.175 and DRAM at 1.38 I could get 3066mhz, c14 stable (haven’t tried lowering voltages).

have you tried measuring with a multimeter to make sure that HWINFO is accurate? the more results we have the better.

copied from another comment:

the only way to know the actual voltage is to go in and check it with a multimeter. something like this should work just fine for the job. you'll want to take off your case's back panel, put your PC on some gpu load like furmark or firestrike or something, and put one multimeter lead on one circled pin and one lead on the other (if it's negative just flip the leads around) if you've never used a multimeter before, it's easy---just put the red in the red, the black in the black, and set the dial to what's in green.
be careful not to short the two pins together, though.

u/fastbiter · 1 pointr/EDC

That's a great one too, cheap, reliable, moderately fast auto ranging. I wouldn't use it for measuring high current/voltage but for hobbyist purposes it's great.

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419118140&sr=8-1&keywords=multimeter

u/Kiraisuki · 1 pointr/Gameboy

For the multimeter, I have this one and it works perfectly fine. That module you linked won't work, though. That mudole's module's minimum input is 4V, and the Pocket runs on 3V with fresh batteries. Something more like this module would work. I could be wrong though, as I've never done this mod; I just shoved a lithium-ion battery into my Pocket and it works great.

Also, going down the rabbit hole is really fun! I started with the backoight backlight mod, then I did a prosound, then a USB rechargeable battery, then a bass boost, then an amplifier, and I'm debating doing a bivert, though with how little space is left after the preceding mess, I probably can't. :P

EDIT: Wow I butchered the spelling of "module"

EDIT2: And the spelling of "backlight"

u/flat4gt30 · 1 pointr/RBA

This is concerning, the nominal voltage range for an 18650 is 3.6-3.7 and the maximum voltage on a full charge might hit closer to 4.3v. What charger are you using, and what volt meter.

I would still recommend picking up a true multi meter, it dosen't have to be a fluke or a klein, just something that gives an accurate reading.

u/irreligiosity · 1 pointr/CarAV

Your post needs a little clarification. When you say voltmeter people are thinking about a digital multimeter. Since you mentioned it has a switched connection I'm assuming you're talking about a permanent fixture in your car that displays your battery's voltage?

26 gauge wire is very small - you would solder it to another wire generally. Strip back about 1/4" of insulation on the wire your connecting to and strip back about 1" of insulation on the 26 gauge wire. Then wrap the exposed part of the 26 gauge wire around the 1/4" exposure a few times and solder it then either shrink wrap or electrical tape the connection up. No need to use butt connectors.

u/Heath24Green · 1 pointr/Fixxit

You can use nay 12v battery you'd like to that can supply the cca (cold cranking amps) to the motor to get it started, I have a designated large car battery to do this.

I wouls strongly suggest that you invest in a multimeter of some sort. I do not own the one linked but based on the reviews it can't be that bad for the price. and see what the voltage of the battery is, if it is above 11v I would consider the battery to be salvageable and try to recharge it. if not, yes I would get a new battery. Just know that while you are troubleshooting the bike that you should have a way to charge the battery. I used to just hook up leads from my car battery to my bike to do the testing; relying on the alternator of the ca to get the battery charged as I drove it.

Yes, a good place to start would be the battery, next I would test for spark: take the spark plug cap off, unbolt the plug, put the cap backon and ground the plug to the engine by holding threads up to the engine case (bare metal). and then try turning on the bike looking for small spark jumping at the tip. That should be good if he said it was running sporadically. then, again I would assume the carb is the main problem.

u/throwaway_for_keeps · 1 pointr/3Dprinting

If you can afford a $300 3D printer, you can afford a $20 multimeter.

u/apanthropy · 1 pointr/CarAV

Nothing wrong with those components... how about a pair of these guys and one of these so they don't meet the same fate..

u/ephekt · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

I have this one, but you don't need to spend more than $20 on one. Make sure you take the inherant resistence in your leads into account when you test your RDA.

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1420433664&sr=8-4&keywords=volt+ohm+meter

u/Robathome · 1 pointr/aquaponics

You'd be surprised a) how easy it is to use Arduino, and b) how helpful the online community is. The nice thing about Arduino is that the complexity remains the same, regardless of how many sensors you add, provided you have enough expansion breakout board.

For a first step, I would buy a starter kit and a cheap soldering iron and a half-decent multimeter and just start making little projects, like light sensors and temperature sensors and making those projects both wireless and online.

After that, it's just a matter of interfacing the larger, higher-voltage components (like pumps and valves) with the lower-voltage Arduino. This is easily accomplished with a relay, which is also useful for electrical isolation between the two subsystems.

Start small. I would recommend making an Arduino into a timer, and then using the timer to control a pump. Then add an online API that allows you to adjust the on/off time of the pump. Then add water level sensors, then temperature sensors, etc.

Also, make sure you prototype everything on a small scale first, like the guy in the video was doing on his desk. It will save you a lot of money if you mess anything up.

Once you develop the skills necessary to build your smart-system, I cannot stress how important a good, detailed electrical diagram is. It doesn't matter if it's professional-quality, or done with pencil and a ruler. It will save you so much time.

u/iamhelltothee · 1 pointr/diypedals

Thanks, this was really helpful! Since with this blog I finally better understood the process of building pedals, I’ve made up my mind about getting into this and learning as much as possible. It’s a great blog.

I do have a follow up question thou. I’m now making a list of tools I’ll need to get for the job, I already have a few but I’m missing a multimeter. Would [this one](Innova 3320 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVYGZA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_A3m-AbTVDFTA0) be good enough?

u/erleichda_archiving · 1 pointr/MechanicalKeyboards

It does not look like the switches are the problem... I have not done a minidox, but from this build guide it looks like you might have soldered the jumpers for the left and right side, SJ1 and SJ2 wrong. Your photo is too blurry to tell for sure but it looks like all three pads are soldered together? This is how it should look. Also, do you have a multimeter to test your reset switch and the diode orientation? Did you take any shots of your diode side before you soldered the switches and switch plate on?

Take a look at SJ1 & SJ2 and see if you can clean that up and test that they are jumpered correctly and lets go from there.

I am far from perfect, but here is how I solder my switches and components... Contra, and close up... Clean and Smooth :) This is a good shot of the PM, switches and diodes from my Gherkin See how the solder curves up the sides of the switch? Like cones and not globs or balls.

It is a dance... apply iron to hole and component, add the solder, remove solder then remove the iron in just the right time to not get a cold solder and not too long to warp the switch so it either doesn't work on give double presses and then it has to be removed and replaced.

The solder will flow to the heat... it like heat... I try to keep most of the contact with the pcb and less to the switch cause then the solder flows it will add heat to the switch... hope that makes sense. Once you get the groove, it feels so good.

Hope you can get your minidox working. looks like a cool board!

u/Yosho2k · 1 pointr/headphones

Ok, so I just discovered my multimeter (which I haven't used in years) has a broken screen, so I'm waiting for a new one from amazon. I'm guessing what you're going to say is to test the TRS on the broken phone against the solder point. I'll contact you again when I have it on Sunday. In the meantime, I'm learning all I can about wire replacement and that awesome-looking Kramer method.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/packmanta · 1 pointr/tDCS

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Readings corroborated the expected output down to the 2nd decimal place

u/JayReddt · 1 pointr/electricians

Thanks for the kind words. And doesn't hurt giving important advice like shut the circuit and test it. I do know to do that but given the dangers involved... I don't mind hearing it!

Would this multimeter tool work as a voltage tester? I used it to test the current on parts of my dryer to see what needed to be replaced.

If not, any specific recommended voltage tester?

u/caseyrobinson2 · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement
u/Thandius · 1 pointr/Plumbing

an Amp clamp? do you mean an Amps setting on my multi meter?

I picked up a multi meter to help diagnose this problem (and other problems down the line) and have mostly been following instructions on use....

I got this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am guessing It's the yellow setting on the bottom left DC10A

OR is this something on the water heter?

~Edit~
Corrected location of setting I described.

u/Account_for_mech_adv · 1 pointr/MechanicAdvice

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EVYGZA?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

It was the first thing that came up when I searched multimeter on Amazon. I can go get a different one at a store tomorrow and see if the results are the same. Are there any particular brands you reccommend?

u/crypt_pwd · 1 pointr/tDCS

I have decided to buy the banana plugs and jacks from amazon can anyone here verify that I am going to buy the correct ones
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BKW2K2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A28128AMZ00PEQ
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FYAQYO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=A3S5JX6S4LCKI6
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044YPN0A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A1DCPNQKKEISZB

Also, will this meter be ok to measure the current?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I tried finding the fuse but I was unable, can anyone post a link to where you got yours. Finally, I was wondering if has anyone experimented with HD-TDCS

u/socraticd · 1 pointr/SolarDIY

I'd highly recommend getting a halfway decent multimeter if you don't have one. Given that you'll have more electrical work to do (and test) after initial diagnosis, you'll get a LOT of value out of a decent multimeter.

Something like this won't break the bank, and all the major functionality you will need to troubleshoot:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/

u/dogfunky · 1 pointr/AskElectronics
u/cdawzrd · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I have heard good things about the Extech EX330 and its thermocouple-less cousin the EX320. They are $60 and $40 on Amazon, respecively.

If you plan on measuring AC signals that aren't perfect sine waves, you probably want a True RMS multimeter (see why in this pdf). I use a BK 2707 ($95) that has stood up excellently compared to $200+ Fluke meters I've tried.

u/3DBeerGoggles · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

Safety aside (given it's low voltage), I wouldn't want to go too crappy for the sake of reliability/accuracy.

For the ~$20 mark, I'd try an inexpensive Extech:
https://www.amazon.com/Extech-645618-Digital-Mini-MultiMeter/dp/B0012VWR20/

For the ~$50 mark, the EX-330 was well received on the EEVblog $50 multimeter shootout:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EX0AE4/

u/deelowe · 1 pointr/arduino

The uno is going to be the most compatible with just about anything you encounter.

For components, get leds, caps, transitors, resistors, diodes, buttons, switches, breaboards, jumper wires, hook up wire, and other odds and ends from aliexpress, deal extreme or ebay. The shipping times can be a bit lengthy, but you'll get the best selection and prices this way.

For tools, check out dave's amazon list or ladyada's tool list. You should at least get a multimeter and a wire cutter. Don't skimp on tools.

After that, check out sparkfun, adafruit, seeedstudio, hackaday, the eevblog, and this subreddit to get some ideas flowing. By the way, in addition to the eevblog, Sparkfun and adafruit have youtube channels that are really good. To get started, try out some simply shields: anything with audio or video is always fun; also anything with motors can be cool, but robotics can get expensive. Or, perhaps go shield-less and try doing stuff with just the arduino. You can do a lot with just LEDs, a speaker, some resistors and the uno.

u/DJ027X · 1 pointr/electronics

I'd recommend getting a temp sensor; possibly one of these multimeter/temp sensor combos so you can calibrate. The FX-888D should be very reliable, provided you haven't received a knockoff.
https://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-Autoranging-Multimeter-Temperature/dp/B000EX0AE4/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=extech+multimeter+thermometer&qid=1558588555&s=gateway&sr=8-2

u/Igashu · 1 pointr/homeautomation

You're measuring AC voltage so you should set it to the V with the wavy line, in the 200 range. (As an aside, if you're a homeowner and do anything with electrical systems ever, you should really consider buying an auto ranging multimeter with a non contact voltage detector, like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EX0AE4)

u/TaxExempt · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I did. I searched this subreddit as I trust a group of redditors more than random google results.

I found this multimeter from a post from 2 years ago.

Is it still a good bargain?

u/jaifriedpork · 1 pointr/electronics

Dave from EEVblog recommends building power supplies. They're pretty simple, and it doesn't hurt to have a bunch of them. You can find kits, which will teach you how to solder parts onto a PCB, but it's not too hard to design a supply around an LM317 regulator, the data sheet will have the circuit you need right on it. This will also be a good chance to learn the non-electronics skills you'll need; instead of buying a plastic box, make one out of plywood and paint it up.

Once you have a power supply or three, start playing around with simple analog circuits. You should have a breadboard and jumper wires and at least one good multimeter, though the aforementioned EEVblog recommends two, and not cheaping out on them. He did a $50 multimeter shootout , if you don't want to watch an hourlong video this was the winner, but it's worth watching to see why it won. Anyhow, you can find kits and project ideas online, get some random parts and start playing around until you have a good feel for old school analog circuits. Try to make up your own project and build it, even if it's completely useless.

At some point, preferably after you have a good grasp of analog circuits, you're going to have to move up to digital. Arduinos are a good start, they're popular enough that you can't look at a single page of Instructables without tripping over an Arduino project. You're going to have to learn some programming to make it go, but there's a million tutorials online. To make the pinball machine go, you're going to have to learn how to use the Arduino (or something like it) to control analog components, probably while giving them their own external power source. You'll also need to know how to drive a display for the scoreboard, and of course you'll have to program the logic for keeping track of the number of balls left, current score, and what inputs translate to what increase in score. The programming alone is a big undertaking, so if you go forward on this, be prepared to spend years on it.

A good project to do would also be to make a MAME cabinet. It's much simpler on the electronics side, you either hack the buttons and joysticks into a USB keyboard controller, or buy one of these which does the same thing, and then use an old PC and monitor. The hard part is building an arcade cabinet, which is still a lot simpler than building a pinball table. You'd be looking at a couple hundred dollars in parts, but that's not too bad compared to what you want to end up doing.

u/_Heath · 1 pointr/BuyItForLife

An auto ranging multi meter with A K type thermocouple provides a very good thermometer, or you could order a standalone K type thermocouple display.

The extech 330 is a good quality to price ratio:
http://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-Autoranging-Multimeter-Thermometer/dp/B000EX0AE4/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1375668730&sr=8-15&keywords=Multimeter

The fluke 116 HVAC is the "buy it for life" meter.
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-116-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000NI69YA

u/subconciousness · 1 pointr/MechanicAdvice

i went with this Extech EX330, all the good features including non-contact voltage widowmaker, includes a temp probe too, good quality as evidenced by the eevblog shootout, moderately cheap. im not a mechanic though :/

u/phalangepatella · 1 pointr/Tools

I have been very impressed with the Extech EX330 I bought for about $77 Canadian:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000EX0AE4

(Edit: Just looked, and the price was quite a bit lower when I bought it last yer. I paid $59.99 CAD then.)

u/tlucas · 1 pointr/esp8266

hey, the relay won't work very well if you're using RGB LEDs. One of the coolest features of RGB is the ability to mix colours by pulsing each in sequence for different amounts of time. The relay may not be able to switch fast enough, and you'd need of for each 'colour'.

Personally I don't find the Reddit format to be the best for asking these types of questions, as often the 'popular vote' goes to the answers that are short and easy to understand, which may not be the 'best' answer. I prefer http://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php and the related electronics vblogs, and https://electronics.stackexchange.com/.

For a great mid-range multimeter I love the Extech EX330 (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000EX0AE4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1), especially with its built-in non-contact voltage detection for working on household wiring (not related, but it's so handy!). The Fluke 87-V is, in my opinion, the cream of the crop and priced accordingly. There are cheap multimeters for $5 that will get the job done, and I do keep these in my vehicles -- eBay and a month of shipping time works well here. Searching eevblog.com for "shootout" (search Google for "site:eevblog.com shootout") reveals great comparisons, too many to read through but indulge the a bit to get a feel for what to look for.

u/spirituallyinsane · 1 pointr/ECE

I bought an Extech EX330 for the exact same purpose as you. Eventually I will upgrade to a higher end model, but this one is a good balance of price, size, and durability to keep in a toolbox or have banging around in my backpack. I expect it to last for many years, so I plan to keep it as a backup when I upgrade. Right now, looks like Amazon is running a discount on them, as well. http://amzn.com/B000EX0AE4. Also, the EX430, which adds RMS capability, is about the same price right now: http://amzn.com/B0000WU1AC.

Good luck!

u/tim404 · 1 pointr/CarAV

Digital multimeter... here's a couple decent looking ones that should do most of what you want.

Of course Fluke makes the best, but they certainly charge for it.

I have a Craftsman Professional myself and it's perfectly fine.

So it sounds like the thing to do would be to fix the broken speaker wire. There's a number of ways to do that. I'll list them in decreasing difficulty, and also decreasing quality of fix.

You could:

  • Run entirely new wire from the factory wiring harness to the speaker in the door.
  • Find the break and run new wire from the break to the speaker.
  • Find the break and just splice in a new bit of wire.

    The DMM will come in handy for a lot of things (checking grounds, seeing if your RTO is working, checking fuses, verifying continuity of wires - which you're doing here). If you get a good one now, it'll last you years (I've had mine for more than 10 years and I use it at least a couple times a month for all sorts of automotive and household things!).
u/scott_fx · 1 pointr/CarAV

flukes are the best, but you don't need that. a cheap one at lowes should work fine if you want something a bit better, i recommend this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JQ4O2U/ref=pe_175190_21431760_cs_sce_dp_2

u/reodorant · 1 pointr/electronics

would something like this or this be able to tell me?

u/bicycleradical · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

Get a multimeter. If you buy from the following link, you support an excellent Youtube channel as well:

http://astore.amazon.com/afromods-20/detail/B000JQ4O2U/190-8350356-1062150

u/cristoper · 1 pointr/electronics

> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000JQ4O2U/afromods-20 I hear this one is good.

Of the one's you posted, this is the only one which is both auto-ranging and has a fused high-current port. It also has an audible warning when the probes are in the wrong jacks. For $25 it looks like a good value.

u/scragz · 1 pointr/electronics

I can recommend this $25 Mastech for hobby usage. I picked one up five years ago and it's still going great.

u/LordMaejikan · 1 pointr/Frugal

I picked up this one recently. I did a few hours of research and came to the conclusion that this is a good mid-range meter.

Of course, I'm not using it for anything that could kill me (mostly just arduino and rpi projects), and once I have a need for something better, I'll probably go for the Fluke.

u/mdszy · 1 pointr/electronics

I actually just bought one of these multimeters that arrived today and I'm loving it, so much. It's only $30 and works amazingly well. It's full-featured and includes a helpful little socket with holes that you can put an electronic component (i.e a resistor) into so you don't have to wrestle with the test leads. I'd highly recommend it.

u/azephrahel · 1 pointr/raspberry_pi

Something like this should work.

https://www.amazon.com/TekPower-TP4000ZC-RS232-Interfaced-Ranging-Multimeter/dp/B000OPDFLM/

You may be able to get cheaper, but not terribly much. Of course, you'll need to buy or hack some serial connection. Still pretty easy, and WAY cheaper than a multimeter with a USB connection.

u/apachexmd · 1 pointr/gadgets

Get a serial port-enabled multimeter. And a usb-serial adapter if you computer doesn't have a serial port.

Cheap amazon link

u/tmwrnj · 1 pointr/Guitar

Use an IEC splitter cable with a clip-on ferrite. The IEC splitter allows you to neatly wire up all of your power supplies from a single cable. You can fix it in place on your pedalboard, so you'll only need to plug in a single power cable to run all of your Pedal Power units. The ferrite will help dissipate RF interference coming from the mains wiring.

While you're at it, get yourself an outlet tester and a GFCI - it could save your life.

u/ClassyClassic76 · 1 pointr/ValveIndex

There are relatively cheap meters designed specifically for testing wiring. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8a1sDb0156PJ9

u/brightlights_bigsky · 1 pointr/electricians

Couple thoughts. Is there maybe a problem with wiring? I would get one of these and try all the plugs to see if you have an issue like a bad ground. There are others that look like this one, but most will not give you as good of a test. Sperry Receptacle Tester ($8) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_hg-rDb7HMV8WX

For a good whole house protection from a unit like the Square D HEPD80, its common to run into issues with placement. I like using the EATON CHSPT2ULTRA, but similar specs. Its a little more difficult, but I have run them outside directly through the back of the breaker panel to a small metal wall box on the outside. Little more work, but this keeps the leads short (important) and even lets me check on the surge protector LEDs very easily). They normally have something like this at HD/Lowes - here is something similar: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T5BRO4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_tr-rDbAYB73ZJ

u/Dark_24 · 1 pointr/buildapc

How much per kWh does your electricity cost? 19 Cents per Kilowatthour?

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a



It really does not sound like the PC is causing this..

You said you purchased an electricity usage monitor?

What did it read? what is it currently reading? You should keep it hooked up so you can get an over time look at your power usage..

Your PC should not cost more than about $15 -$20 a month to run MAX..

It can not even imagine a faulty PSU causing this.. and if it was a power strip it should have blown up by now and burned your house down..

You could get a outlet tester: like this
https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511526107&sr=8-3&keywords=outlet+tester&tag=gamersnexus01-20

To make sure you do not have a faulty outlet..

What you can do is hook up the Kill-A-Watt meter and put your PC to sleep see if the Power Supply is still drawing that god awful amount of power.. and Check your monitor make sure the power brick is not faulty..

That kind of power would generate a LOT of heat your room should be a sauna if it is the PC

If you check your PC parts Picker it is showing your Power draw at
36W to 146W max..

https://www.pcmag.com/article/343177/how-to-measure-home-power-usage

Watts / 1000 * Hours used x (Cost per Kilowatt-hour)= Total Cost..

Your PC Max should be about 146W + 30W for the monitor MAX

Intel - Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor 8W - 65W

MSI - H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard 15W - 60W

Avexir - Core Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory 11W - 11W

Crucial - MX300 750GB 2.5" Solid State Drive 2W - 10W

Monitor is 30W

So do the math 176W

176/1000 = .176 of a Kilowatt

  • say $.19 (cost per kWh) so $.033 per hour
  • say 16 hours a day thats about 54 cents a day..
  • 30 days is about $16

    Say your PC uses 350 watts, including monitor, while playing a graphically-intensive game, and your kWh cost is $0.19. If you were to play for one hour straight, it would cost you:

    350 / 1000 * 0.19 = $0.07 per hour

    Lets say for arguments sake you used all 550W of your Power supply + Monitor 30W that would be 580W 10 cents per hour or $1.76 per day or about $53 a month.. MAX and your PC should be pumping out enough heat to make you sweat. ( Not to mention your Power Supply would not last very long )

    This still does NOT account for the increase in your bill... It is NOT the PC it can NOT be the PC

    Hook a Kill-A-Watt meter to the PC and give us the numbers..

    If it is over 100 Watts while your doing nothing there is a problem..

    If it is over 350 Watts while your working there is a problem..


u/Spungo1 · 1 pointr/electricians

Try to buy cheap junk from Walmart or Amazon until you know exactly what you want. You don't need a $60 pair of pliers or a $300 drill when you're learning.

  • Safety glasses

  • Linesman pliers (high leverage pliers that can also cut wires)

  • Diagonal cutting pliers (wire cutters)

  • Long reach needle nose pliers

  • Wire strippers.

  • 25 foot tape measure

  • Hammer

  • Multimeter that can check voltage and resistance. It doesn't need to be accurate.

  • Receptacle tester that looks like this

  • No contact voltage tester like this

  • A magnetic dish for holding screws. Seriously. Losing screws is not fun. A big magnet can also be useful if you drop a bunch of screws or nails on the floor.

  • Ziplock bags. I always end up needing bags for things. A small bag full of clean napkins is a great thing to have.

  • Knife with a sheepsfoot blade like this

  • Tool box. Get one that is big and cheap. I paid $10 for mine and it holds everything listed above.
u/Agent_X10 · 1 pointr/OSHA

Get one of these devices. It'll tell you how screwed up your outlets are.

http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=pd_bxgy_328_img_3

Any hardware store has these, no need to order from amazon, or any particular brand.

u/ctmurray · 1 pointr/applehelp

Well it has to be something with the electricity in the house, and the chargers are smart enough to sense that and not work (I guess). There is a device you can plug into outlets that can detect issues (really long link below). This is a very useful, cheap, tool that you will use several times over the decades you live/own a home.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sxr_zg_dy_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3525596382&pd_rd_wg=OOxLD&pf_rd_r=25QHY3ETGE3FYBZQ6PF0&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhs-carousels&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B000RUL2UU&pd_rd_w=cmB9C&pf_rd_i=electrical+tester&pd_rd_r=c6e22401-47d8-437c-8bcf-4a91ca469380&ie=UTF8&qid=1523146792&sr=1

u/ljrochon · 1 pointr/explainlikeimfive

Buy one of these

https://www.amazon.ca/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519793985&sr=8-2&keywords=outlet+tester+gfci

plug it in to each outlet until you find the problem. If all the outlets check out you may have an issue with a switch or a light fixture. Or just call an electrician. A/C is not for the inexperienced and will kill you.

u/JDT0962 · 1 pointr/instantpot

Not to fear-monger (too much) but if you saw something glowing orange in that socket, then you have narrowly averted a fire. What you smelled *was* burnt plastic and maybe wire insulation. You may not have had a flaming fire but do not misunderstand - you came very close to a potential house fire.

Any electric heating element pulls a LOT of current and can cause overheating/fires. I'm in the US but I'm also sure CA has similar electrical requirements to prevent disasters. I'd guess that something is wrong with that particular circuit, or possibly multiple circuits. The breaker/fuse should have tripped before it reached a situation that could cause a fire. Things to check would be the rating of the breaker on that circuit (it may not be matched to the wire of the circuit) or for too many devices on the circuit (or combinations of the above). If you wanted to check the current required by your pot, you can buy a "Watt meter" at your local big box supply store or online. "Kill-A-Watt" is one popular brand and they run about $20-25 USD. At this point, I'd strongly suggest that you have an electrician or someone fully knowledgeable inspect your breaker panel and house wiring to be certain that you are safe going forward. You'll need to immediately replace that receptacle as well so maybe pay someone to do that and check things while they are there.

I'd also check the polarity of the wiring and the grounds at every outlet - you can find polarity checkers cheap like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU.

​

Finally note that GFCI outlets have nothing to do with high-wattage appliances. GFCI means Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter - they are mandated to be used when any outlet is within the proximity of a sink, hose, etc. - water of any kind. They would break the power to the circuit in the event of a ground fault that could cause you to be electrocuted. Test these periodically as they do sometimes go back and loose their protective qualities.

Hope this helps - be safe.

​

​

u/Halfinchsoul · 1 pointr/electricians

This sounds like a shielding problem, you can buy a cheap receptacle tester to tell you if you have problems with the wiring in your home.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487102109&sr=8-3&keywords=receptacle+tester

u/Tippytom · 1 pointr/electricians

the only thing you can do as a tenant is get a receptacle tester then you can give your landlord more info on the problem

u/SeahawkerLBC · 1 pointr/buildapc

Well I'm going to pick up one of these today and check out all my outlets

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541514953&sr=8-3&keywords=Tester+AC+Outlet

Between the two, would you get an AVR or UPS? My computer is 400w with maybe another 100w with peripherals and monitor.

u/Canuhandleit · 1 pointr/malelivingspace

Also, get a continuity tester. That way you can tell if the outlet is hot or wired correctly. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_v3G-BbNR3T6V6

u/ocdtrekkie · 1 pointr/DIY

There's a couple handy tools you'll want.

A receptacle tester: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU makes it easy to see if your GFCI outlet is A. wired correctly and B. trips properly. A perk here, is you can also use this tester to see if your normal outlet is chained to a GFCI outlet or on a GFCI breaker, as they'll trip just as well if you use the test button on this tool.

Actually, you can get both in one: https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-STK001-Non-Contact-Receptacle/dp/B002JGQAQ6 but you want something handy to check if a wire is live. After I believe I've turned off a circuit, I test it a couple times, usually going to a live circuit too to make sure the tester is also working. I want to be super confident before I touch it.

And yeah, I usually never do electrical work without a friend present, just in case I do something dumb. Never work with electrical alone if you can avoid it.

u/anthonyalmighty · 1 pointr/HomeMaintenance

You can pickup a simple outlet test tool for very, very cheap: https://smile.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488298170&sr=8-1&keywords=GFCI+test

I have one and use one to service homes new and old to test for common wiring fault problems. This could help you eliminate wiring issues from the problem.

u/liquorsnoot · 1 pointr/pcgamingtechsupport

Good call. In preparation, you could test the outlet (if you've the means), and double check your video card connectors are clean, and that there's no hint of burnt smell anywhere.

u/reallynotnick · 1 pointr/PS4Pro

Hmmmm, about all I can think of other than bad luck is either get a good surge protector if you don't have one or better yet a UPS as someone suggested. And while probably not super necessary having something like this isn't a bad idea to have on hand (this was just the first receptacle tester I found): https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_263_bs_lp_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EE0D91J1R8YBHMQEW8P5

Otherwise I think it is just bad luck or someone is coming into your home and randomly breaking your PS4.

u/NoGoodVeryBadDay · 1 pointr/videos

I can tell you that it's a bad ground for sure and a short somewhere in the dishwasher itself. The ground issue is either in the dishwasher itself or in the electrical system in your house. A simple plug tester like this http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449799157&sr=8-1&keywords=Plug+tester will tell you which one it is. Sorry for the long link, I don't know how to shorten them. If it's the dishwasher Bosch has a really good warranty and will send someone to your house to fix it. Until then unplug it because it could possibly cause a fire.

u/BornOnFeb2nd · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

This one is the apparently the top seller and it's on the cheaper side, and it does GFCI testing too.

Plug it in, you want to see two oranges. Nice and simple. It doesn't guarantee a true ground, but there's something that resembles one..

Other than that, you can pick 'em up anywhere... any will probably suffice If you've got a hardware store nearby, you can probably save a couple of bucks on 'em. the "official" name is a "Receptacle tester".

Careful though.. they're tricksy bastards! I've purchased something like 15-20 of them.. I couldn't tell you where a single one of them is right now....

u/ahenkel · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Outlet-Tester/dp/B000RUL2UU

Get one of these verify you have a ground issue. Then call an electrician.

u/SwingNinja · 1 pointr/DIY

Try hook the disposal directly to a regular outlet (use an extension cable). If there's nothing wrong with it, it should just be on shredding until you unplug it. To test the outlet itself, use a tester like this.

u/Cartossin · 1 pointr/audiophile

You should go to home depot and buy one of those plug tester devices. You plug it in your outlet and it says if it's wired wrong. I suspect the return is going through ground or something. Check all your outlets. This isn't just a case of "my power is really dirty". For it to be this bad, I think it's got to be wired totally wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=outlet+tester&qid=1554167020&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Also you could run an extension cord and try an outlet from another room. Have you checked all your speaker wires to make sure they're not shorting?

u/KevPat23 · 1 pointr/askanelectrician

OP, here's an example of one

u/lekryptoking2 · 1 pointr/NiceHash
u/sic0048 · 1 pointr/livesound

I'd recommend getting an inexpensive outlet/receptacle tester and testing any outlet that you will be plugging equipment into. If it doesn't test correctly, notify the staff at the building and don't use it. It's not the complete solution, but it is a great start.....

Something like this...... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RUL2UU/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_bxldN_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=HWWEYSS763CCFCJ6GS1R&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=e32b96c7-50a4-5f19-ae33-9408ab96b97e&pf_rd_i=14244461

u/PM_me_your_juicy_ass · 1 pointr/fixit

So it sounds like the outlets weren't grounded as someone already stated. The surge protector had nowhere to shunt any excess current to so it just went to your equipment. It's strange that your mother board was blown and not your power supply.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't plug a computer into any outlet unless I new it was grounded. If you do run an extension cord, there's three things to remember. Firstly, make sure the extension cord is a grounded one. Secondly, make sure the outlet is properly wired. Thirdly, make sure to make the cord as short as possible and don't cover it up with anything (rugs, carpet, etc.)

How do you check an outlet? The simplest method is to use a circuit tester. It's pretty cut and dry and it's a non-invasive way to make sure every wire is in the right place.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000RUL2UU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451367300&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SX220_SY330_FMwebp_QL65

u/xgnarf · 1 pointr/DIY

OP for $10 it's well worth the price. I've owned this one for over 8 years

u/Jarvicious · 1 pointr/fixit

Make and model of the laptop will help immensely. Does it have a removable battery? The first thing I would do is remove the battery and let it sit for 20 minutes to a half hour or so. If there was a power surge this will let any capacitors settle back to zero.

Second, I would examine your power adapter for any frayed wires or kinks. Laptops get moved around a lot so it's easy to break the end that plugs into the computer or kink the wire near the transformer (the brick). Also, if it's a two piece cord make sure to unplug both pieces and inspect the connections to make sure the metal connectors are clean and without corrosion or breaks.

Once you've made sure everything looks ok you can plug your battery back in (if it's even removable in the first place), plug the power adapter back in and try a different outlet just to make sure there's not an issue with the power at that receptacle. Press the power button and see what happens. If you're still not getting any indication of power whatsoever you're looking at one of two things:

  1. Your laptop is toast.
  2. Your power adapter is toast.

    Testing your power adapter is easy. If you have a multi meter or volt meter just google how to test a DC power supply. If you don't have one, even a cheap one like this would likely serve you well. If you don't want to do it yourself or don't trust yourself you can always take it to an electronics repair shop. It takes less than a minute for them to tell you whether or not your adapter is functioning and if it's outputting the correct voltage.

    If your power adapter tests ok, all hope isn't lost. Many times the power connector in laptops also loosen over time simply because we tend to move them around while they're plugged in. If you plug in the power adapter and the connection feels loose or wobbly, you might have an internal solder connection that has broken. This is substantially more expensive to fix, but many local electronics or PC shops will take on repairs like this. I've done several myself.

    If you need any more info, let me know. If you're experienced with electronics and I've spouted off a bunch of stuff you already knew, sorry :).
u/DutchessActual · 1 pointr/Fixxit

Craftsman 34-82141 Digital Multimeter with 8 Functions and 20 Ranges https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X5TSUA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U2YPDbRKTTDA3

u/jerwil · 1 pointr/homeautomation

It's not so much the barrel jack as making sure you're delivering the right voltage; too much and you could fry your servo. You can use a multimeter (something like this) to test the voltage coming from your batteries and compare with the needs of your servo.

What are you using to provide a signal to the servo? In my case I'm using an Arduino

u/elucidatum · 1 pointr/3Dprinting

You can get a cheap multimeter that comes with a thermocouple that you can use to test temps.

u/gizm770o · 1 pointr/functionalprint

I absolutely love this set. The plunger hooks are unbelievably useful! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012VWUI6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nfeCybV0ZPXTM

u/push40hex · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

While you are at it, make sure to get a couple sets of probes for it as well. I cannot tell you how many times I have found myself checking signals against ground how useful having a cable with a alligator clip is (this is the kit I use, works great... http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TL809-Electronic-Test-Lead/dp/B0012VWUI6/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1324837317&sr=8-11)

u/notquiteworking · 1 pointr/Tools

Have had great success with this cheap set from Amazon . This kit works just fine with my Flukes.

But man are those Fluke leads nice. Tough price to justify but there’s no question that they are much much better.

u/RTaynn · 1 pointr/cybermonday
u/Bilbo_Fraggins · 1 pointr/multirotor

Ugh.. I guess the leads shorted the pins together when you were poking them in there? Sorry, I have a full set of test leads, forget basic multimeters just have long pokey conductive sticks..

Edit: If your meter has replaceable leads, something like this is highly recommended. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0012VWUI6/

Put the miniclips on pins before turning on power, and no worries about accidentally shorting things.

u/Vanterax · 1 pointr/Nest

If the voltage is good, then no you don't need to find it. However, it would annoy the heck out of me to have this mystery. You can use a wire tracer to check around the basement (see link below). Or look at the wire colors and see if you can see the same wire snaking around the panel area.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-ET64220-Installers-Must-Have/dp/B00279JLBQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549330219&sr=8-3&keywords=wire+tracer

​

u/malhovic · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

I have this set: Sperry Instruments STK001 Non-Contact Voltage Tester (VD6504) & GFCI Outlet / Receptacle Tester (GFI6302) Kit, Electrical AC Voltage Detector, 2 Pc. Pk., Yellow & Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JGQAQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PR6GAb5KTG4Y6

Basically the plug tests to make sure the outlet is wired properly. You can also use it in a short GFCI run and it will ensure it's wired properly and let you trip the GFCI outlet for testing sake.

Or if you pull the outlet out of the wall you can check to see if it is truly wired properly.

Edit: just remember too, just because that outlet is wired properly doesn't mean the whole run is. This is in regard to physical inspection.

u/dually3 · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

The box you're looking at is called 2-gang, which is twice as wide as a single gang standard outlet box you're seeing everywhere else. Pull the plate off (looks like just one screw in there) and you'll see two different outlets. You can replace them both, but it's a good idea to figure out why the right one is different. Does the plug type look different? Are they on different breakers? Is the right one upside down (standard convention for an outlet connected to a light switch)?

If there's no difference you can replace both with the same two plug outlets. Having two plugs doesn't require different wiring, they're already tied together (though you can break the connection if one needs to be connected to a switch).

Before you touch anything make sure to flip all breakers that bring power to the box. Typically there's only one but there could be more than one. For example, there could be a a connection between two wires on a different circuit in the same box, unrelated to your plugs. I'd recommend a set of voltages testers like this: Sperry Instruments STK001 Non-Contact Voltage Tester (VD6504) & GFCI Outlet / Receptacle Tester (GFI6302) Kit, Electrical AC Voltage Detector, Yellow & Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JGQAQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Zi9wDbA8G76M5

Test the outlets with the plug tester to ensure they're off. Use the non-contact tester for any other wires you see in the box.

u/SPRUNTastic · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

I suppose I could probably afford this.

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-multimeter-98025.html

EDIT: Eff it, $.50 more and it gets placed on my doorstep. I would have used more in gas going to the store. Thank you Prime!

http://smile.amazon.com/DT830B-Digital-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Multimeter/dp/B005KGCI0Y

u/ehleohehle · 1 pointr/Cartalk

thank you for such a quick response. however, i dont have a multimeter ..would something like this work?

u/justcallmetarzan · 1 pointr/ecigclassifieds

Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't one of these work?

u/FatMagic · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

I have a simple multimeter that I use for testing wattage on my Power Supplies and PC builds. Looks very similar to this. I imagine I can test ohms on it as well.

Thanks for all the help... this community is awesome.

u/MidnightRider77 · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

It'll do what you need, but there's no reason to order a MM from china. You can get one from amazon for just as cheap that'll perform just as well.

EDIT: Actually that one is rated from 200-2M ohm (unless that is it's settings, covered below). So maybe not that one, but I doubt you'd have any issue finding one that would work (I'm betting the 200-2M is implying two different settings though and it should work). This one seems to claim 0.8% accuracy at 0-200 ohm (I'm guessing that's what the specifications are implying, horrible description though) Often times a 200 ohm setting implies that it is the max it can read though (on that particular setting, their will be a 200ohm and a 2M ohm setting for instance on that first one), not the minimum limit. Amazon just isn't very good with descriptions tbh.

u/TomN · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

That kit looks pretty good. I would also grab a cheap multimeter like this
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity%C2%AE-Digital-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Ohmmeter/dp/B00B7CS3UY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1394073996&sr=1-1&keywords=multimeter

If you want to shop around looks at some of the stuff adafruit and sparkfun have

u/not_today_trebeck · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

I use a multimeter similar to this, so I can test my batteries and coils. It's an overall handy tool to have.

u/nope_bye · 1 pointr/Multicopter

OP, you should consider getting a multimeter. I found one on amazon for just $11 with prime. You can use this to check resistance, voltage, and current. In this case, you could check to make sure you didn't bridge anything that wasn't supposed to be bridged. It's a tool you'll use often and keep for years.

u/omgucr · 1 pointr/fixit

Everything in your pictures seems fine. It looks like this side has the battery(power) components of the headphones. The other side likely contains the audio amp portion of everything.

You may have a bad connection on that side since the blue and brown(yellow) wires that connect to the speaker travel through a wire in the head band to the other side.

Here are some trouble shooting tips.

  • Open the other side of the headphone and look to see where the blue and brown wire end on the other side. Look for bad solder joints. The look like this.

  • Get a multimeter like this one to check for continuity from your headphone plug all the way up to the audio amp board that I suspect is on the other side of your headset.

  • If you don't get anywhere with the previous steps you can try the following to determine if you have a bad cable/connection or a bad amp circuit. Doing this could be risky and may damage your headphones more but it may be worth checking. With your headphone open and taken apart, plug your headphone in to an audio source and have it play. Gently tug, pull and massage on all of the cables that terminate on any board or circuit. Listen closely if the speaker starts working. This would be evedince of a bad cabel or solder joint. Continue by massaging the cord all the way from the head phone jack to the actual headset. Bend the cord back and forth intermittently, especially anywhere the cord starts, ends or flexes naturally during use. Again listen closely to see if the speaker cuts on when you do this.

    Good Luck

u/LittleHelperRobot · 1 pointr/buildapc

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B7CS3UY/

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

u/anormalgeek · 1 pointr/buildapc

I would recommend picking one up. It's one of those things you don't realize how often you might use it until you have one. Also they're cheap.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B7CS3UY/

u/beanmosheen · 1 pointr/Multicopter

You want 5v there with just the battery. Those are the output pins for the 5v voltage regulator on the pdb. They step the 14v down to 5 and supply it to the FC. The FC has a few regulators too, but we need to start at that point and work our way out.

The insulation is stripped a bit more than it should be. If the wires got flexed enough they could have shorted. Does it work right now if you plug the battery in?

You also said you had to replaced parts right? That could answer some questions.

Get that meter! It's a good tool for everything, including quads. This one should do.

u/mastakebob · 1 pointr/solar

Getting a sunpower/enphase system installed in the next few months, will have the basic Envoy system installed so I can see production data. I want to also see data on my house consumption and export to grid. Installer recommended Sense.

Sense seems expensive and overkill (don't care about what appliance is drawing power, machine learning), would this device enable me to see consumption and export? Aeotec by Aeon Labs ZW095 ZW095-A Home Energy Meter Gen5, Small, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XD8WZX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fUYuDbGC2Q2T5

I have a home automation hub with Zwave (hass.io) that can read and crunch the inputs from both the aeotec meter and the Enphase Envoy. My hope is that I can use the aeotec to see what power coming and going out, and combine that data with the Envoy production to see production, consumption, and export..

u/OptimusB · 1 pointr/homeautomation

$30?! I knew I shouldn’t have bought these:

Aeotec Home Energy Meter Gen5, Z-Wave Plus Smart Electricity Usage Monitor, Report Real Time Power Consumption, 2 Clamps, Each Detects up to 200 amps https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XD8WZX6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5WvRBbZ09D7XQ

u/joey52685 · 1 pointr/teslamotors
u/edman007 · 1 pointr/openhab

There are a bunch of power meters you could use. A hall effect sensor if you can get access to a single wire. If it's on an outlet you can get a meter for the outlet. I have no idea how compatible it is, but i assume all this stuff can be made to work.

u/will_work_for_twerk · 1 pointr/vandwellers

IMPRESSIVE!

We need to go deeper! But seriously, well done! so for a USB killawatt you could always use something like this. Do you have any plans to enclose it in some kind of a case?

u/ProdigiousPlays · 1 pointr/batteries

>Current will flow from the battery to power the device when it is on.
>

This I understand. Would the current be dropping because the device doesn't have the battery life to keep itself on to charge?

>Not totally sure, but it sounds like your multimeter has some function to measure how much energy has been put into the battery during charging? So if you measure this from a fully discharged battery to a full charge, it would give you the energy capacity of the battery.
>
It's one of these if you have any experience with them.

So as I thought, it's only measuring what should be going in. The only way to measure what's actually in the battery would be to use it to charge something else until it dies?

>I guess this might depend on what defines a "dead" battery. Its possible your battery can still hold some sort of a charge, but can no longer provide the voltage required to power your device.
>
>One thing you could do to determine if the issue is the battery or the device is to disconnect the battery. Then get a DC power supply to provide the nominal voltage of the battery to the device directly.

That is a good idea but I am not sure how to do that without a lot of temporary wiring. I believe at some point the ios was corrupted (or lost) and is causing the startup loop. A computer doesn't generate enough voltage to charge the iPad and the charging and connection port are shared. I guess I'll find out replacing the battery. Though I'm 99% certain that's the problem I'm more so interested in learning how to interpret what I'm seeing.

Thank you for all your help!

u/heatherlorali · 1 pointr/consolerepair

The Switch will only charge the Joycons if it is at a high enough battery percentage and/or is drawing enough power from the charger/dock. I recommend buying a meter that will check the power draw on the Switch. If it's not drawing normal charge speeds, that might be the cause. If it's normal, then it's a lot harder to say.

Just for clarification, you tried different Joycons to confirm that it's a flaw with the Switch, not the Joycons, correct?

u/QuirkyQuarQ · 1 pointr/raspberry_pi

> but I'd ideally like to do whatever that guy in the video did, because whatever he did it works.

He probably had the parts on hand. To replicate what he did, you'll need 4 C-sized NiMH batteries at $18 plus a charger for $20.

It's difficult to estimate your power requirements because on top of the Pi/modem/i2c sensor, you'll have high-power IR leds, a camera, etc.

I recommend you build a prototype first, running from DC power, then get something like this USB meter, and let the prototype run for 12 hours or so at night. That will tell you the power usage, and in turn what kind of batteries or battery packs you need.

u/theninjaseal · 1 pointr/ElectricalEngineering

I do want to emphasize that I have no experience with that one specifically at all, it's just the first thing that popped up when I tried to find something like the one I have. Let me see if I can find the one I have.....


Edit:

PowerJive USB Voltage/Amps Power Meter Tester Multimeter, Test speed of chargers, cables, capacity of power banks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013FANC9W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_368azbWXG4GC0


My sister got me this one for Christmas and I haven't had any trouble with it. Seems accurate. Voltage matches the multimeter and the current matches what my phone reports when charging. The current measurement has two decimal places, so it should be within +/-5mA

u/HuweyII · 1 pointr/TeslaModel3

An iPhone will get hot when charging fast, that is pretty normal. So that might explain the iPhone getting hot.

Most USB memory sticks will get pretty warm or even hot when being written to for a long time. And the Tesla writes to them constantly it seems. You can test this by putting your USB stick into a computer and copying lots of data to it, keep the copy going for 15 minutes or so and it should heat up, assuming you used the right port and the data rate is high enough.

I assume you meant SSD Drive or USB Stick when you said Hard Drive. SSD's also get hot when written to for a long time.

So I think what you are seeing is normal. If you are worried, buy a cheap in-line USB tester and check the voltage on the USB port. Plug it into the Tesla and your device into the tester. Voltage should be close to 5v (±5% 4.750 - 5.250 VDC) all the time. Higher (and sometimes lower) voltage might damage a USB device. Though usually the out-of-range voltage has to be extreme for damage to happen.

Something like this one -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW

u/saiyate · 1 pointr/USBC

no quality loss, I think your gonna be fine. I suggest buying one of these.

USB Voltage / amperage tester

u/randolphmcafee · 1 pointr/androidapps

I use
Eversame USB Digital Power Meter... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

u/Jay9018 · 1 pointr/powerbank

You could use a device like this.

Eversame USB Digital Power Meter Tester Multimeter Current and Voltage Monitor, DC 5.1A 30V Amp Voltage Power Meter, Test Speed of Chargers, Cables, Capacity of Power Banks-Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FKs2Bb5ENXJ69

I use these to test power banks quite often and it works well.

u/Explosive_Squirrel · 1 pointr/raspberry_pi

Nice to know!

A handy tool for debugging current issues are these small current meters for USB. They can be had for quite cheap on eBay as well.

u/Spirko · 1 pointr/AndroidQuestions

This is a decent USB voltage/current meter that works for Quick Charge.
https://www.amazon.com/Eversame-Multimeter-Chargers-Capacity-Banks-Black/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW

Check different conditions (screen on/off) and different cables to see what affects the voltage (measured in volts, V) and delivered power (measured in watts, W). If the voltage is 5 V and the power is around 4 W or less, it's slow charging. If it's quick charging, you should see a higher voltage and more power.

u/wuhkay · 1 pointr/VizioTV

Couldn’t find any information either, but since you like to tinker, get one of these:

Eversame USB Digital Power Meter Tester Multimeter Current and Voltage Monitor, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_k0iVzb205TD52

I have one and it rocks.

u/intrglctcrevfnk · 1 pointr/raspberry_pi

I've got a older eFest LUC V4 that I use to charge my 18650's (had a Nitecore before that) that also does the USB out thing.

Do you have a USB voltage reader? Like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01D9Y6ZFW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493382857&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=usb+voltage+meter&psc=1

Depends if the Nitecore has a regulating chip for the USB output. If it is just straight output in series with 2 18650's you'd have 8.4v when they are fully charged and about 6.4v when the batteries are fully depleted. Theoretically the output would spend most of its time at 7.4v (3.7x times 2) (Edit:So there has to be a voltage regulator on board. )but since you have a vape I suppose you know how batteries perform.

Back when I got into vaping regulated boxes were not a thing and we had to know ohms law and all that. Hard to believe that was only 4 years ago, the tech has come a long way from flashlight batteries and a tube!

I don't have 2 fully charged batteries right now but if I get a chance I'll configure mine and see what the output is. Charging the 2nd 18650 now...

u/AJ170 · 1 pointr/CarAV

I already have a DMM

u/SqBlkRndHole · 1 pointr/autorepair

You need a volt meter to test it. Pop your caps and check the fluid level. It should be above the lead core. Top them off with "distilled water" if needed. The battery is only 16 months old, should be under warranty. https://www.amazon.com.au/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=multimeter&qid=1563499391&s=gateway&sr=8-1

u/pseudozombie · 1 pointr/vandwellers

My 92 e350 diesel struggled to start in the cold last weekend, and I thought it was the battery. I probed it and it was fully charged. So I just put it in 2nd gear and let it roll out of the driveway. The movement of the engine allowed it to turn over and I guess warmed it up, and then it started just fine.

So it may not be the battery, it may just be the cold. Diesels have a much harder time starting in the cold than gasoline engines. So, I'd recommend getting a voltmeter. When its not starting, check the voltage. If the voltage is 12.8, then its fully charged. If its down to 11.2, then its empty. I am not sure what voltage is required to start, probably around 12, maybe a little less.

This cheap one on amazon should do the trick: https://smile.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518214456&sr=8-3&keywords=voltmeter&dpID=51BVqQYiV1L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

If it is the battery, likely there is a power drain somewhere. Those can be very hard to track down, so the best option in that case is to disconnect the batteries. There are battery disconnect switches you can put in the engine compartment. Those are also super useful to not get your rig stolen, as you can make it hard to find / not obvious.

Or maybe its the battery. Look for a battery mechanic in your area. Often they will test your current battery for free, and my experience has been that they don't try to scam you.

u/windowpuncher · 1 pointr/wiiu

https://smile.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1517966083&sr=8-4&keywords=multimeter

Buy a multimeter. Then you have one when troubleshooting anything else electronic. Also good for testing car batteries and alternators and stuff. Don't shock yourself though.

But yeah, you can test the battery to see if it's actually dead, might have just not charged. Can also test the charger to see what it's outputting and if negative/positive are actually on the correct cables.

u/Monkitail · 1 pointr/motorcycle

> so I am back to the same problem again a day after getting a new battery. It may be the charging system them
awww.amazon.com/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_VZPFDbGK9FQ5V

u/sjv7883 · 1 pointr/hometheater

Yes, this. You can use a [digital multimeter] (https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Volt-Diode/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1495404991&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=digital+multimeter&psc=1) to test the impedance. I'd recommend doing this if you are planning on using the speakers that this connector belongs to.

u/rdawg16 · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

I just got a multimeter so can i use it to check the capacitance? and do i have to desolder to check it ?

Edit : actually it seems like the mutlimeter that i got doesn't have the capacitance feature
https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/

u/RedOctobyr · 1 pointr/smallengines

Sure, and they are an excellent troubleshooting tool to have around. One example, on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=multimeter&qid=1559002606&s=gateway&sr=8-3

If there's a Harbor Freight near you, they frequently have coupons for their cheap multimeter for free, or close to it, if you buy something else.

u/Dakota66 · 1 pointr/askcarguys

Somewhere there is either a connector, a soldered connection, or a crushed/broken wire that is intermittently making connection. If you're handy with a multimeter this is the one I use, it's good and cheap and have some basic hand tools you can start chasing wires over the weekend.

I don't mean to sound condescending, but there aren't any wires in the floorboard that'll cause you trouble, if at all.

General troubleshooting will go a long way here. Does it work with just the blower motor or is it the whole unit? i.e. does heat work but not AC? Do the fans work on different settings? Does defrost work (assuming it's part of the same knob/row of buttons)

Potentially your brake pedal could be hitting the wiring loom, but if it only happens while you're actually slowing the car down, that could be jostling the wires as well.

If you aren't handy, best to go have it looked at. Had a similar problem with radio wiring and eventually the wire started shorting and blowing fuses. It'd usually just kill the dash and instrument cluster but it killed my whole car a few times because it blew the main fuse.

u/oomchu · 1 pointr/AskEngineers

If you’re going to go with option 1, I would recommend buying the book first to see what parts you need. You also might want to consider just buying the parts you need from some place like mouser electronics or sparkfun.

This meter will probably suit your needs better:

https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6

u/Popshotzz · 1 pointr/Fixxit

It's a good sign they tested it and some battery places like that do indeed set them up properly. I'd call and tell them your situation and see if they can test the battery they sold you.


I'd pick up a cheap meter. They can be found for less than $15 and have many uses. For most things, a basic cheap one is fine.



https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Tester/dp/B01ISAMUA6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1521913651&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=dmm&psc=1


edit: Make sure you aren't turning the key too far counter-clockwise and leaving the tail light on (parking light) Not sure if that model has that built in to the key switch and it is not uncommon to have that happen)

u/Raphan · 1 pointr/buildapc

Thanks for taking the time to reply so thoroughly.

The system didn't start at all today at several attempts.

>Third, if too much power is being consumed, then components of the power 'system' turn off power. Power is either completely good or is defective - ie causes crashes or shutdowns. Insufficient does not change the speed of processing - does not cause slowing.

That makes sense, which could indicate I either have two problems (which I would guess is rare?) or it's not the PSU. Could then be a motherboard problem. The USB devices drawing too much power so it doesn't start (crash) and crashing during gameplay (high intensity, high power, crash) could mean PSU. But the clock slowing would seem to contra-indicate that.

>Four, move on to suspects. What do system (event) logs report?
>Any problems identified in the Device Manager? In both cases, what are the numbers reported by those messages.

The PC is no longer turning on so I can't answer those. I looked at the device manager and didn't see any issues. I don't have any experience with event logs and didn't look at them.

I ordered a 4 pack of CMOS battery since they are so cheap and partially indicated; if that doesn't completely fix the issues getting a multi-meter sounds like a good step.

>BTW a volt meter will provide far more useful information than a new PSU. But that means you must request instructions and perform a 'so long' two minutes of labor. Those resulting numbers mean the fewer who actually know how hardware works can define the problem long before replacing anything. No honest recommendation is possible without those numbers.

If issues remain I will look into getting a voltmeter: is this one and these instructions reasonable?

u/Tomusina · 1 pointr/electricians

I bought a multimeter - sorry to ask, but how do I safely use this thing? I know the very basics of it but I'm still nervous to use it. Can the water be on? (I only feel the current when the water is on)

Link to what I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Voltage-Anti-Burn/dp/B01ISAMUA6

u/DetroitHustlesHarder · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

Note to self: look into a multimeter.

Edit: Would this be sufficient for around-the-house use?

So here's a question... in the future, with a wiring setup like this, would it have accomplished the same thing (if I only had one switch controlling both the light and fan to nut the fan's black and blue to the ceilings black and then nut off the extra blue from the ceiling? Would that accomplish the same thing?

u/Max_Kas_ · 1 pointr/CafeRacers

Buy a multimeter and start going through each connection. Check continuity throughout. You said you changed the ignition coils? Try putting the old ones back on and see if that works.
If it still doesn't then check to make sure the new spark plugs aren't the problem.

u/yuckypants · 1 pointr/SmartThings

This one is more than enough, plus it's dirt cheap. The one I got was the most popular at the time, but it's no longer available (and not as cheap). These do the same thing anyway.

You can't trust that the old switches were wired correctly, so what you've been doing is an insanely bad idea. In fact, you always test every wire, just in case. Some shoddy electrician could have used a black wire for traveler and a red wire for neutral!

Oh, one more key bit of advice, if you want to find the line/load quickly (on a primary switch), pull the switch out of the wall, but don't disconnect power. Make sure power is off to the receptacle, ground your multimeter (I usually use an outlet's ground), and test for power. The one with power - that's line coming from the fuse panel. The dead one is load (that's the one that goes to the fixture).



Good luck and if you have any more questions, I'm here to help! Also, I should add, I'm a total noob also. I started with smartthings maybe 6-7 months ago, and before that, never even attempted a switch install. Hell, I still refresh myself with the videos, but I can almost do them without looking now.

u/skylarmt · 1 pointr/nexus5x

It's a good investment, you can test batteries, check if an outlet is powered, and all kinds of useful stuff. Here's one for $11.99.

u/BigRobotBil · 1 pointr/dreamcast

I do, however I haven't really used one outside of checking if power outlets are functioning. At the risk of sounding inept, what would the points be to check, and the setting on the multimeter?


One thing that I did notice, that may or may not be related, was that after screwing in the DreamPSU, it became somewhat cockeyed. I checked the install video and the PDF supplied on the site, and it didn't look as cockeyed as mine did. Would bad contact like that be a factor?

u/LowkeyCamo · 1 pointr/Multicopter

I don't have the ability to mesure the current sensing input. Would ths multimeter work? And what would I need to do? Thanks for your help. I probably should have just bought one a long time ago, but I've never needed one before.

u/Rd59 · 1 pointr/prius

-Even metric sockets/wrenches from 8-14 mm
-#2 Phillips screwdriver
-flat blade screw driver
(All above are used for removal and disassembly of the battery)
-multi-meter (for testing battery voltage and checking to make sure you're not grabbing a hot lead) You can get one super cheap at Walmart. You don't need a $100 meter for most basic multi meter usage
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ISAMUA6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1502035847&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=multimeter+digital&dpPl=1&dpID=51BVqQYiV1L&ref=plSrch
-balance charger (for rebalancing the batteries)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B017Y2G4Y2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502036066&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=imax+b6ac+v2&dpPl=1&dpID=51GvA3h-MNL&ref=plSrch
-18 gauge wire (I made my own wire harnesses)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LZRV0HV/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1502036364&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=18+gauge+wire&dpPl=1&dpID=51CpIxqIWbL&ref=plSrch
-wire strippers
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000OQ21CA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502036896&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=wire+strippers&dpPl=1&dpID=415oINm8uRL&ref=plSrch
-spade connectors
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01B1753K2/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1502036854&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=red+spade+connector&dpPl=1&dpID=31HVegxklVL&ref=plSrch
-banana plugs
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00APVQZ8U/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1502036751&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=banana+plugs

u/sodaliteful · 1 pointr/VanLife

Etekcity Digital Multimeter, Amp Volt Ohm Voltage Tester Meter with Diode and Continuity Test, Dual Fused for Anti-Burn https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9QW620/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_58ooDb6BX0X3X

should this one do the job ? and are most wires connected to a fuse box or breaker box in the van? i assume that’s where i would disconnect them. the Van i have didn’t come with a manual so i wonder where it would be

I have a 88 Chevy g20 hightop

u/KRONie · 1 pointr/Multicopter

check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G622WDZaHg

I highly suggest you pick yourself up a cheapo multimeter if you haven't already, they're super handy for this hobby and will save you a lot of time troubleshooting electrical issues.

Im not exactly sure how X220 is wired but what you want to do is make sure the (usually) yellow wire that carries the feed from camera to VTX is unbroken.

Assuming your camera connects directly to VTX:
Basically put the probes on each side of the yellow video signal wire between camera and vtx. If everything is OK the multimeter will beep. If multimeter doesn't beep then that means the connection is broken and VTX is not getting the video signal from camera, and you should resolder or replace the wire entirely depending on the issue.

If you have some sort of OSD (or flight controller with OSD):
Test the yellow wire between camera(video Out) and flight controller(video In), and then the yellow wire between flight controller(video Out) and vtx(video In). And then check continuity between the video In and video Out on your flight controller to make sure the OSD chip didnt crap out.

If you did all of the above and multimeter is beeping in all cases and the video feed is still black then more than likely the camera is bad.

u/wafflejock · 1 pointr/linuxquestions

Sorry lots of electronics technical stuff I just spat out there... this video might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWA9WqSEjg8

The issue is it's a bit of "chicken and egg" problem, you need a powerful enough supply (high enough amp output) to make sure the load has as many amps as it will draw if the power supply can't supply enough current then your current you measure will be that limit instead of what the device actually wants to draw. If the power supply isn't able to supply enough amps for a given load (a device drawing current like the raspi) then it may overheat or shut off to protect itself or switch on and off depending on the power supply design.

Regarding a bench power supply this video shows how to DIY and compares with bought version and shows how they work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI-KYRdmx-E

Basically any multi-meter can measure voltage and amperage:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620/

For higher current stuff or measuring AC current without hooking the meter physically into the circuit can use a clamp meter like this instead:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-C600-Auto-Ranging-Multimeters/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/

^^ second one also does auto-ranging so it works out what the right unit is to show you is based on the power going through it (shows mV or V or A and mA or milli-ohms, ohms, kilo-ohms, and mega-ohms depending on what you're measuring)

A simpler video just covering the whole concept of "load" and current here too (youtube suggestions did a good job)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxkVxi9P0EA

u/random12356622 · 1 pointr/Dashcam

Low voltage cut off feature, part of most hardwiring kits.

Step 1: Figure out if your dash cam is Mini USB, or Micro USB.

Micro USB looks like most cellphone chargers.

Mini USB looks like a box.

Step 2: Figure out what type of fuses your vehicle uses: Mini, Mini low profile common. Micro 2, Micro 3, ATO less common.

Tap a fuse, and all fuses should match your vehicle.

Step 2: Decide: Cheap or Expensive hardwire kit

  • Cheap kits have flaws ($10 USD) - Short cable lengths (that little black box will end up on your dashboard), Lacks 2nd 5 amp fuse for tap a fuse (purchasable at any automotive store,) Vulnerable to cold (Once car warms up it is fine.) Make sure there is an Inline fuse (that little black tube) it is a safety device in case of a serious accident/fire. Low voltage Cut off feature: (Not Adjustable/Preset) works for most vehicles most of the time, Voltage only.

  • Expensive kits have less/no flaws ($24 USD) (Adjustable) Voltage/Timer based.

    Hardwire the dash cam to an ignition only fuse.

    Do not use: Airbags/Ignition computer/Security system/Headlights/High voltage/Hard to replace/Safety/expensive parts.

    Most hardwire to cig lighter (as it is often ignition only) or Ignition key.

    There is a device: Fuse tester light ($6 USD) this can be used to identify always on, ignition only, fuses, or you could get a Multimeter ($9 USD) and do the same thing.

    ---

    My personal opinion is Aukey is a bad copy of A119 variants. A119 has a specific hardwiring kit

    A119 hardwiring kit ($10 USD) Which is superior to the cheap kit in some ways (able to use ignition coil to decide when on/off as it is 3 wire instead of 2 wire.
u/_Hugh_Manatee · 1 pointr/AskElectronics

My Etekcity has gotten the job done so far, definitely less than $40.

I'm a firm believer in the concept of buying a cheap tool until you wear it out (if you do). Wearing out a tool indicates the frequency with which you use it, and also that you need something built tougher to last longer. Once you wear out the Etekcity, go with a Fluke. As far as I know, they're basically industry standard.

u/IrisaNolan88 · 1 pointr/techsupport

Sounds like the powersupply is tripping. Most PSU's have a type of breaker in them to protect the system, this isn't usually tripped by wall power but by a power problem in the system itself. It is also possible if the power is really bad (brown outs) it is/has damaged the system. You can buy a multimeter pretty cheap from amazon or get one at walmart. https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620/ $10 for voltage testing only. Also, are there high current items on the same circuit? i.e. High powered Microwave (1000w+), Air Conditioner, they can cause dips in the voltage that over time could cause problems.

u/vinylontubes · 1 pointr/vinyl

Get one that can check continuity. Continuity is continuous flow electrons through wiring. I bought this one for $10.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9QW620

You want to test the connections to the RCA terminations. RED and WHITE wires are the center post on the RCA. GREEN is the barrel of the connection on the Red RCA. Blue is the barrel of the connection on the White RCA. Specifically, you are looking for see if there is a short. This would be indicative of continuity being crossed in the wires. Specifically, hum will occur if you get cross polarity. So you should as an example, only have continuity from the GREEN wire to the barrel of the Red Connector. If you also have continuity to the post, you likely have a broken solder joint in the RCA. Or you have a broken wire in the tonearm. You are doing diagnostics, you'll have to use your brain to actually figure out the proper fix. I will state that terminating a new RCA plug to a turntables wiring can be tough. There are very small wires. You'll need a really good wire stripper for the positive wires. There are very few strands of wire in a tonearm conductor, so you really can't afford to break any of them. I've done it and I'm better at mechanical than I am at electrical stuff. So, it can be done. But you have to be patient. If you don't thing you have the right tool, it's good chance you don't. The wire is generally something like 30AWG. So look for a pair with 20AWG - 30AWG. Typically, house hold wire strippers only go to 18AWG. Don't even try to use ones you have lying around. The one's I've linked might work.

20-30 gauge wire strippers

u/rawfuls1 · 1 pointr/electricians

Yeah, I have a multimeter.
I can swap 2-wire receptacles no problem, something about GFCI scares me- more wires to mess up, I suppose.

Gets me nervous to pull the outlet out and leave the power on- but I suppose I can test with the probes without removing the outlet from the box.

I've never tested AC power with my multimeter- just DC projects, but I imagine it is just anything on AC setting(s).
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-MSR-R500-Multimeter-Electronic-Continuity/dp/B01N9QW620/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1503503420&sr=8-7&keywords=multimeter

Using this guy, it'd just be the 200V setting on the top right

u/chuckle_butt · 1 pointr/techsupport

Lol. Chuckle Butt has been in your same shoes before! Folks call it different things. https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620

And then can test it https://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/lessons/electronics/understanding-dc-power-supplies/

It's fairly common. Worth at least asking around.

u/rpp124 · 0 pointsr/homeautomation

Maybe something like this? This one says 120v, but maybe it can handle 240v or maybe there is another one that can do the 240. You should be able to have it monitor when the device detects more than x volts passing through it and record that, though I admit I have never used one.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Aeon-Labs-ZW095-ZW095/dp/B00XD8WZX6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541093774&sr=8-3&keywords=energy+monitor+z-wave

u/EverythingIsAnAdvert · 0 pointsr/iphone

Maybe get this?

u/PSYKO_Inc · 0 pointsr/electronic_cigarette

What kind of multimeter are you using? If it's one of the $5 Harbor Freight meters, chuck it. Those aren't worth the cheap plastic they're made of in my experience. I use this multimeter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EVYGZA?pc_redir=1409305585&robot_redir=1 I bought it a couple years ago for about $20 and use it for a number of electronic, home electrical, and automotive electrical projects, it's always been dead on. I've even compared it side by side with the laboratory calibrated Fluke meter I use at work and it's within .01v, good enough for me.

u/ItsDijital · 0 pointsr/AskElectronics

I have an Extech EX330, the auto ranging is a little slow, but otherwise it's a great accurate budget minded meter.

u/[deleted] · 0 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Everyone says it's a some fix. It might be. I'd want to plug in a circuit tester, and open one box up by removing the plug to see what's behind it.

https://www.amazon.com/Sperry-Instruments-GFI6302-Receptacle-Professional/dp/B000RUL2UU/

The whole house could have wiring issues. Or a bad plug.

u/macbrett · -1 pointsr/apple

Get a hold of an inexpensive outlet tester. Most hardware stores have them. If your grounded outlet wiring is screwed up (like the neutral and hot wires are switched) this will show it.