Best multimeters & analyzers according to redditors
We found 89 Reddit comments discussing the best multimeters & analyzers. We ranked the 32 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 89 Reddit comments discussing the best multimeters & analyzers. We ranked the 32 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Is your data actually useful if you're just measuring the input and assuming it directly correlates to the output? Shouldn't you be using an USB ammeter instead?
https://www.amazon.com/STEELMAN-97202-Wireless-ChassisEAR-Diagnostic/dp/B00123J79O
The life you save may be your own.
Nope, basically remote electronic stethoscope.
Heads up people! The number reported by this app is after the charging circuit etc has taken its bit to keep on going. So if your 1A charger is getting reported as 600mA don't fret about it.
If you want to check the raw amp coming out of the charger, get a usb voltmeter, like http://www.amazon.com/AboveTEK%C2%AE-USB-Voltage-Current-Multimeter/dp/B00ICR1UB6
It will tell you the output closer to the source.
Also, any smart device is free to regulate how much amp it wants to draw at any moment.
You might want to call an electrician.
If you want to DIY you'll need a clamp meter example and you'll need to open up your electrical panel to clamp the power wires. You can't clamp both the feed and return lines at the same time because the fields caused by the current will cancel each other out and you'll read 0A. how to measure current
You can also use your electrical meter to find the issue. I've never done it but you could start turning off breakers and measuring the electrical flow at the meter. You would want to turn everything off using the breakers and turn them on 1 at a time to see which one is causing your issue. reading your meter
$150 on Amazon
Measuring differences of less than 1 volt isn't easy without some kind of test equipment. Honestly, I can't think of anything that would be easier than buying an absurdly cheap digital multimeter and testing them one by one.
"Meta" projects that are somewhat useful to the student were what my university did. For example, a "learn how to solder a multimeter kit".
I dunno about designing a multimeter, but maybe a powersupply would be easier to design (a buck-converter that takes a 24V unregulated DC barrel jack and then outputs 0V to 15V, voltage controlled and current controlled).
I just carry one of these and I'm not worried about it beyond that. This has also been useful when other people ask for a jump and has saved my friends who have been parked in a manner where jumper cables wouldn't reach their battery from another car.
... It's also a huge usb battery bank and can be charged from usb, so I could start my car using a small goal zero solar panel if I really needed to.
Other than that, I have one of these in my dash DC port, which lets me keep an eye on the 12v when I'm running an inverter as well as monitor interior temp.
You should certainly have your typical "manual" screwdrivers....but I would recommend a rechargeable electric driver 100000x.
The time and effort it saves is incredible. You can get a fancier one, but this one has served me well for years.
Regarding the outlet tester...get it if it makes you feel better...but, really, what good will it do? Do you know how to fix a bad ground? You could do the same tests (plus a lot more) with a good multimeter.
Or, if you want the exact same thing and not spend over 400 bucks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00123J79O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just use my trusty multimeter
Get an outlet tester. Use it on every receptacle affected by the work including those in other parts of the house that might be on the circuits directly affected.
Get a multimeter. Use the AC testing function on the part that shocked you. Connect the red wire to the right most socket on the meter and put the probe and where you touched that shocked you. Put the black wire in the center socket on the meter and put the probe in the ground pin of a nearby receptacle. If you get any constant AC voltage over 1V, you have an issue with the power supply within the dryer (most likely).
Also use the multimeter on your outlet the dryer is fed from. You should put the black probe in the ground, and the red in each of the three (or two if your dryer is older) other holes in that receptacle. You should get two of them that measure 120V AC, and one that measures 0 AC and less than 1 V DC. Then measure from one hot to the other and just confirm you get 240V AC. If you get these values and you saw a voltage when testing the inside of the dryer, the dryer is the issue. Anything else means the wiring is borked.
The $20 you spend on these will be less than 1/3 of the cost of hiring an electrician to come out and even think about the issue.
It could also be static buildup inside the dryer caused by a loose or severed grounding strap inside. Try to connect a wire from the inside to the carpet/floor in your home with an insulated wire if all of the above comes back normal - don't try this first in case there is an AC voltage issue...
A real pro would attach Chassis Ears to every possible noise maker and then take it for a drive. That tool nails the source EVERY SINGLE time.
https://www.amazon.com/STEELMAN-97202-Wireless-ChassisEAR-Diagnostic/dp/B00123J79O
A multimeter costs like $20 FYI, and is a good tool to have.
This is the close thing I could find. Item 1
And this one is close to what you want if you look at image 3. Item 2
The Pioneer will fit your car, and think it's a good choice.
A soldering iron, digital multimeter, shrink tubing and good electrical tape (3m super 33+) are all good investments to have if you are doing car audio/electrical work.
If you don't have access to a soldering iron or butt connectors you can use a military splice and electrical tape. If you do solder the connecting you can still do a military splice first.
For a decently priced digital multimeter I'd recommend this one.
kanthal in bulk
edit: also a multimeter 2ndoption if you have nothing to gauge the resistance it will be needed
This is a good one at a great price, specially if you have amazon prime.
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS/ref=zg_bs_14244471_1
Shipping from china is slow
http://www.hoosiervapes.com/Empire-Style-K100-Telescope_p_176.html
http://www.hoosiervapes.com/IGO-L-dripping-RBA_p_207.html
http://www.hoosiervapes.com/MNKE-18650-battery-1500mah-High-drain-_p_248.html
http://www.hoosiervapes.com/Kanthal-A1-Resistance-Wire-5-Ft_p_199.html
http://www.hoosiervapes.com/Silica-Wick-36-25-mm-or-3-MM_p_164.html
http://www.amazon.com/NiteCore-IntelliCharger-i2-Charger-charging/dp/B009JMDD9U
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS
http://www.amazon.com/4pcs-Panasonic-CGR18650CH-Li-ion-Battery/dp/B00AKQQ990
Well hell. that blows.
Trying link again
Also...when you get back from the store, see this
Well they certainly aren't capped, that's not good. I would get a voltmeter and check if there is power going to it. If there is power going to it you need to figure out which breaker its on before you try to cap it. If its live and you touch the wires together it could throw the main breaker for your entire house or catch on fire. Once you know the power is off you can cap the other wires that aren't, cap each wire individually if you don't want to figure out where they go.
I found that sometimes the quality of the USB cable have a big impact of the actual power delivered, even though your power supply is capable of outputting more than 1A.
I suggest you get a USB power meter, like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ICR1UB6/ref=pd_aw_sbs_2?pi=SS115&simLd=1
I got one of these and I measure all my USB cables with a 2A power adapter. Almost half deliver less than 1A! Now I know which USB cable can actually deliver 1A or more, I never have anymore problem with my Pi B+.
It looks like people have mostly got you started here in terms of supplies. In terms of tools though, this is what I keep in my rebuilding stuff (linking to Amazon just because its easier):
Other generic stuff:
My job uses Fluke, but they are pretty pricey. If you are only going to use them for Ecigs, then like everyone else has said the 20$ digital multimeters are good. Sears, RadioShack, Home Depot, and Lowes all carry budget priced tools.
I bought this one for my personal use, but I use it for PC and Auto troubleshooting as well.
I tried one of these with various hardware. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZIAJI0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FOD8Bb3G094SJ
In the end I ended up buying all Victron inverters and MPPT charge controllers and then used a raspberry Pi as the monitor . They open source Venus OS and support it on the Pi. The online system is free. Here is my public view https://vrm.victronenergy.com/installation/17735/share/c7e5a8fd
https://www.victronenergy.com/live/venus-gx:start with the Pi you can get similar features as the GX here, but the GX isn't a bad buy.
I'll admit, it's not cheap, but I love the world wide access and how it all works together.
http://www.amazon.com/industrial-scientific/dp/B0050LVFS0
If it was cold it was just warm water vapor condensing out of the exhaust in to the cold air, which is normal.
A burning clutch has a very distinct smell, which is what I was checking for, but that didn't happen.
Since this is a brand new car with a full factory warranty just take it to the dealership if you hear strange things.
They will look at it for you at no charge.
Noise identification is something they specialize in and they even have special tools to locate chassis noise. Something like this http://www.amazon.com/STEELMAN-97202-Wireless-ChassisEAR-Diagnostic/dp/B00123J79O
Every internal measure might be skewed, because its internally measuring itself, not through an external, independent view.
If you really want to go and compare all your chargers and cables and external batteries and stuff i can only say go and get something like this: http://www.amazon.com/AboveTEK%C2%AE-USB-Voltage-Current-Multimeter/dp/B00ICR1UB6/ref=pd_cp_pc_1/180-0629761-4506706
I keep bringing a thing like that to ingress gatherings, and its great. Also helps in balancing your raspberry pi power levels if it runs unstable, if you ever get into that area.
An adequate digital multimeter can be had pretty cheap, here's one for 8 bucks. MVP2, or iTase VV V3 mentioned below, will do the trick. But if you ever want to get into mechanical mods you'll want the voltage function of the DMM.
Basically any of them that look like this: http://101vape.com/meters/170-ohms-meter.html
eBay probably has the least expensive variety. Some builds are better than others.
Or this voltmeter: http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395144871&sr=8-3&keywords=ohm+reader
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372513374&sr=8-1&keywords=multimeter
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0050LVFS0 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002LZTKIU
Sounds you may have some parasitic draw. Before you go into searching for it, take the battery to autozone and have them test it (its free). If the battery checks out, jump the car, charge it up (letting it run), and drive the car to autozone and have them test your alternator (also free). If that checks out too, buy a multimeter and follow this guide to figure out what's killing your battery.
Or take it to a mechanic. Finding a parasitic draw is a pain in the neck.
Good luck.
Popular Science liked it 4 years ago. I keep a similar one in the glovebox of my car, but for the same price you can get a better meter like the one I linked before. My Fluke 87 was only $25 a few years ago on fleabay with blown current fuses, although I took a chance on it possibly being something more than the fuses. Couple that with with some $5 agilent probes also from fleabay and it was a lot of bang for the buck.
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.
I used the multireader!
It showed power from the middle brake light but not from the left brake light.
I use this thing: https://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7605-Tachometer-Voltmeter-Analyzer/dp/B00062YUUS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8, which looks like it's out of production. But this thing looks alright too...https://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7677-Automotive-TroubleShooter-Multimeter/dp/B0002LZU7K/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=dwell+tach&qid=1557710630&s=automotive&sr=1-2
I think on your model you just connect it to the battery (mine goes on the coil however). The directions should say how to hook it up. Generally you just set it to "4 cyl." and it should read somewhere between 600-3500 rpm.
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If we think it's the carburetor (choke specific), it's important to rule out anything else. Here's a list of things to check before adjusting the carburetor:
- NO vacuum leaks. This includes intake & exhaust manifolds, carburetor base, pcv hose, brake booster hose, AND all 3mm hoses like the vacuum advance or smog lines. Vacuum leaks can mess with your idle speed. Basically anywhere there's a vacuum connection, make sure it's not leaking. I like to replace all rubber and spray carb cleaner around metal connections.
- Timing and distributor air gap. You can set these things even with the fast idle you've got. It just has to be running (unless you do a static adjustment, which I don't know how to do). Just get a timing light and some brass feeler gauges. Timing = 8deg BTDC, Air Gap = .008" to .016"
- Valve Adjustment. As the engine is recently rebuilt, this probably isn't an issue. Anyways: Intake = .008", Exhaust = .012", HOT.
- Float Level. Look at the glass on the front of the carb. The fuel level should be right in the middle. If it isn't take the top off the carb, flip it upside down and do this: https://board.marlincrawler.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi94.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl104%2Fspcmike%2FDSC03557.jpg&hash=77ab726ca7e4065975c0b98df09b6f94
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Questions: You say it sometimes won't idle at all at startup. Will it idle once warm? If so, does the idle go down to more of a normal speed when warm? Also, when it doesn't start correctly, is the engine hot or cold?
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It could be that both the choke adjustment and the basic idle adjustment are off. It may be that they're adjusted for the old, worn out engine that you rebuilt, which is why it used to work. It shouldn't be too hard to adjust. I like to do the idle first, then choke. If you need any more info, I'll be around. Best of luck.
**best product to me recently Multimeter
I just ordered components to make my first box mod, but have done small electrical work before.
Helping Hands will make your life much easier, may not be necessary if you only intend to make one mod.
a decent digital multimeter is required, as is a Soldering iron.
A Breadboard is very useful to ensure everything works as it should, before you have it all finished and put in the case.
those are all I can think of right now, sure there are others people use regularly though
So, for a basic beginning to get into electronics you need:
This would be a starter kit which would help build up soldering skills and start building up knowledge.
Getting Started in Electronics is a good read for a beginner to understand basics in circuit theory. I may have seen this floating around the interwebs as a PDF when Radio Shack was going down.
I also use this voltage meter.
http://www.amazon.com/AboveTEK%C2%AE-USB-Voltage-Current-Multimeter/dp/B00ICR1UB6
This or this
One is a multimeter which will be sooo helpful since I've decided to start messing around with electronics. The other is a book that I've been wanting to read because it's written by Coheed and Cambria's lead singer and is about the story their songs are about. I couldn't choose between them!
bunnicula
I like the SouthWest They would make cute socks! It is $1.99 and you get 164 yards of it. Oh and I used to play online golf years ago.. My Player name was Happy Hooker (I didn't play well and my ball would always hook to the right). Voltage Meter $7.82 free S/H This would have came in handy when I got shocked by a bare wire 2 days ago lol!
I've never used a fluke before, only heard good things about them. I will say that the one I recently purchased http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0050LVFS0 is worlds better than my previous cheap ones.
Literally the cheapest multi meter on Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EK3NRS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I probably expected too much of it to be honest. (And my own knowledge)
I'm fascinated though, people breaking out their Oscilloscopes, Function Generators and other doo dads.
The DVM810 is inexpensive and does the trick.
It is about $12 on Amazon
I've ordered these cables from Amazon and they work really well. I've had 1 since July that I keep in my bag along with a portable battery that I use when i'm out on a job so I really only use it once every 2-4 weeks maybe. But it still connects very solidly. I've gone through a good amount of cheaper ones i've tried ordering online like monoprice.
I also ordered this usb multimeter to see which cables I have that were charging really slowly. The portapow cables i ordered from amazon measure at 0.9A (same with my OEM cables) while some other shitty cables I have that are like 6-10ft long measure at 0.09A and as the number suggests, take a long fucking time to charge my phone. I'm definitely not an expert at this kind of stuff, but hope this helps
Quick question, is this multi-meter pretty much the same as the one you linked? I just bought it a week or two ago.
I looked at solder supplies on amazon recently and the reviews all over the board for every item. With so many companies hiring 'professional' reviewers + idiots doing reviews it's hard to make sense of them anymore. Do you have any recommendations? I'd be using it to both remove existing solders and making new ones and I'm on relatively tight budget :-D
Just got one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050LVFS0/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
It's been great so far.
I guess my multimeter is less accurate than I would have hoped. I touched the leads together and it read 0.5 ohm. Good tip on subtracting that from my atty reading. This is the multimeter I'm using, can't say I would recommend it now. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EK3NRS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2DORKNTNGX8YY
reason78,
i'm no pro engineer and would use a meter just for small projects. So I guess a cheapo meter will be sufficient. On Amazon, I see $10 meters:
Would love to hear from you all about these inexpensive meters. Which of the 2 is better?
I don't see anything particularly wrong with that -- any shoddy multimeter will do fine for ohming out a coil.
I'd suggest getting a halfway-decent auto-ranging multimeter just because they're nice to use and because whatever you buy will inevitably get tossed into the toolbox and you'll be using it for other stuff for the house or car.
This one seems okay for an inexpensive meter, based on all of two minutes of searching around: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050LVFS0
I wouldn't say that all multimeters are accurate. I have a few of the free harbor freight ones and I wouldn't trust them to read ohms. I only use them to test voltage of my batteries. You're supposed to test the resistance of your leads and then subtract that from your reading that you get, but I still find that it tends to be .1 or .2 above or below my real ohms.
I know this is one that a lot of vapers use. I heard its pretty accurate but I can't comment on that myself as I haven't owned one. It's an auto ranging one so you don't have to include the resistance of your leads if you're trying to read ohms.
If you're going for accuracy, I would trust my life with a fluke multimeter but obviously that's quite far from being affordable. It would be worth picking one up if you could get one for cheap from someone you know or craigslist or something though.
I am looking at this one - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050LVFS0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=28TFHN6YFDN48&coliid=I2YTJG4QJS5MMA
This is good to know I was wondering if a cheap multi meter would do the trick, I'm not great at electronics stuff so something like this would do the trick?
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405465297&sr=8-2&keywords=multimeter
I really don't know. If I was to guess cost may be an issue and maybe accuracy in the low range.They are sensitive to other magnetic fields. You can buy AC/DC Digital Meter with these but they are generally for higher currents.
https://www.amazon.com/Auto-ranging-Digital-Clamp-Meter/dp/B001VGND88
I have used these types in projects and measured the current down to 5mA increments.
Those where fixed monitoring stations so the stray magnetic field were calibrated out.
The specs on ACS712 are listed as 1.2mOhm , that is .0012 Ohms.
The solder joints and PCB traces probably have a higher resistance.
I might pick up one of these USB Port Meters eventually. Ill report my findings.
little kits like this have them and you get a bunch of other useful stuff too.
I just ordered this from Amazon to help answer the question http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NTU18KY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_fMSSub0TY1NS3. Supposed to be pretty accurate, passively measuring current draw by placing between the charger and device.
Edit: removed shortened URL.
It allows you to measure electrical currents. Cars have a range of current, or ohms, or other figures and you can use a multimeter to see if the parts are good or not.
One that reads RPM can also help you set things like idle properly .
I use this one
https://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7677-Automotive-TroubleShooter-Multimeter/dp/B0002LZU7K/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=automotive+multimeter&qid=1570649424&sr=8-8
and its excellent
Nah, LED is red. Should be working. I have a USB voltmeter (like this) and can confirm it works with my tronsmart QC 2.0 charger. Check 'settings > battery & power saving > battery usage' for estimated charge time to confirm, also make sure you use a high quality cable. Note that to avoid damaging the battery, the charge slows down once you hit around 60-70%.
They are decent. Main problem is power recording rolls over at 9.9kw. If I was you I might look at this one: https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Capacity-Charge-Discharge/dp/B01MZIAJI0/ref=pd_sbs_263_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MZIAJI0&pd_rd_r=T14EZENTCZ2VPJV4TFQ3&pd_rd_w=hHjEV&pd_rd_wg=kfTPc&psc=1&refRID=T14EZENTCZ2VPJV4TFQ3
Well that’s a very special thing you have there, I would probably keep it just that way also. Here’s low cost option for helping you maintain your Grandfathers truck.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786ZPQHG/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_c_sh9TAbB5M8F8Y
Yeah if it's truly 24ga for the power conductors as indicated it should be just fine. Ampere is quite unreliable on quite a few devices, and the G3 is one. If it's taking roughly the normal time to charge, everything is fine.
Slow charging is the biggest issue to look for. This means the phone thinks its connected to USB and limits current to the USB1.1-2.0 spec limit of 500mA, and happens when the conductors in the cable or connector are damaged and cause a short. If you're not seeing the "slow charging" notice, then the phone will draw as much as it needs, limited by the phone's max 1.8A, the charger output and cable quality.
Also this is the USB current meter I use. It's currently $11.49 on Amazon. It's really handy for checking which cables are cheap low-power cables or good fast charging cables.
I also ordered two Sony IMR 18650, 30AMP, 2100mAh, Flat Top.
Would this be sufficient: http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS
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If you don't already have one, I recommend picking up a cheap battery meter with a shunt. The one I bought was only $20, and it measures the actual current coming out of the battery over time as Watt-hours. Similar to how a home electrical meter works. It's the only accurate way to know how much battery power you've used. It can be reset each day in order to track usage per day.
You can even buy two of them and wire the second one so that it measures current going into the battery. Then you know exactly how much power your panels provided during the day, and therefore how much you can use over night.
Or there are intelligent meters that do both and have Bluetooth and a phone app, if you want to spend $200. I'm probably going to buy one eventually. Or design my own.
Here's the model I have for now:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXCF8F8
That's not the exact brand I bought, but it looks identical, and I think they're all the same and just sold by different resellers. The exact one I bought is no longer in stock.
There are plenty of others to choose from. Some have "fuel gauge" style readings, too. Such gauges generally aren't very accurate unless they are programmed with the discharge curve of your specific battery type. They are probably tuned for 12V lead acid, and might be reasonably accurate for those, but then it wouldn't work for lithium ion, which is what I have. Then again, if they are smart enough, they might "learn" the behaviors of your battery, but at these prices, I doubt it.
Here's an example:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CTKYFTG
Whatever you get, if you get one, make sure it has a shunt. The shunt is just a chunk of metal with a small, precise resistance value, and the meter continuously measures the voltage drop across that known resistance to determine how much current is flowing. The shunts are rated by maximum amperage, with 100A being quite common. The smaller the maximum amperage, the more accurate they are, but you need one big enough to cover your usage. 100A is a good bet.
And just for the sake of completion, here's the expensive one I mentioned:
Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RTSTKS
I use a a chassis ear made by steeleman for noise complains as location wear and condition play a factor on what the cause could be. The tool helps locate the general area then inspection,further testing and experience does the rest to pinpoint the issue rather than throwing parts at the problem.
Steelman 97202 Wireless ChassisEAR Diagnostic Device Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00123J79O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xkzSDb6D57RTV
Here is an example of the tool in use. Might be on the steep side as far as cost but I used it outside of work for side job diagnostic purposes to pay for the tool.
https://youtu.be/WvRYdSzPosk
I think it's more to do with the battery not having enough time to fully charge due to the short driving distance.
Perhaps you should pick up a voltmeter for like $10ish on Amazon.com or a local shop? You can take measurements in the morning when it's not starting well and later in the day when it is starting well. It'll be difficult for the dealership to replicate your driving pattern so perhaps it's best that you do it.
Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3721-Battery-Charging-Monitor/dp/B000EVWDU0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1406872499&sr=8-3&keywords=voltmeter+car
I have this one but it's a bit more complicated and works on other things also: http://www.amazon.com/Mastech-MS8268-Digital-Manual-Multimeter/dp/B0050LVFS0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1406872598&sr=8-7&keywords=voltmeter
I opted to go with this controller and this power meter from Amazon for dat Prime shipping. Both are available cheaper from Ebay, if shipping time isn't an issue.
Only thing that I still need to source on the electronics side is a SPDT NC/NO switch that can handle 50A I can use as an emergency battery disconnect/brake.
That is not correct there are DC current clamp meters. They are just more expensive than the cheap ones that can only measure AC. Here is one that measures DC using the clamp... https://www.amazon.com/Auto-ranging-Digital-Clamp-Meter/dp/B001VGND88