Oh boy! What type of multimeter should I buy? What kind of multimeter do I need? These are questions we have in mind, when we are not clear about what we are looking for and what we want to achieve with a multimeter.
If this is your situation, don’t worry I will walk you through everything and provide you exact information so that you can make a clear decision.
Hi, I am Abbas. And I am sure at the end of this article you will exactly know what type of multimeter you should buy. You will know what exact multimeter you need. I will walk you through every situation and at the end, I will reach a conclusion where we will have a winner multimeter.
What type of multimeter should I buy?
I know it may be a little strange but I am requesting you all to erase all you know about multimeters and please start fresh with me like you don’t have a clue about the multimeter.
Right! Thank you.
So, let’s start from the very basics.
What is a multimeter?
What is a multimeter? It is an amazing device using it we can measure the following quantities and can perform the following tests.
- Resistance measurements
- Capacitance measurements
- AC and DC voltage measurements
- AC and DC current measurements
- Temperature measurements
Tests
- AC and DC voltage testings
- AC and DC current testing
- Circuit and wiring continuity testing
- Diode testing
- Battery testing
- Automobile battery and wire testing
- Live wire detection
- Circuit troubleshooting
- Home wiring troubleshooting
- Electronics components testing
- Capacitor testing
You see the above are the major tasks you can do with a multimeter. Now I want you to see the list very carefully and identify the task that you want to do with a multimeter.
I am sure you have selected the task or tasks. The nest question and most important one is what type of multimeter should I buy to perform that specific task.
Now to answer this we first need to look for what types of multimeters are available to us. Because there are a lot of multimeters and every multimeter is specifically designed for certain accuracy and certain measurements.
Types of Multimeter
When we talk about types of multimeters. The very broad types that come to mind are the following two.
- Analog multimeter
- Digital multimeter
The types of multimeter are not limited to just these two. There are also:
- Programmable multimeter
- Clamp multimeter
- Voltmeter
- Ohmmeter
- Amp meter
- Continuity tester
We will look into each and every type and we will discuss which type of multimeter is best for what situation. All you have to do is just to identify the situation that you are having. And that set you will have your exact multimeter ready for work in that certain situation.
But before we talk further let me add something here. Besides each type, multimeters are further sub-classified into two major groups. These groups are formed based on the range selection capability.
- Auto range multimeters
- Manual range multimeters
Auto range multimeters are those in which don’t have to manually adjust the parameter ranges (using the selector function i.e. the round big dial you can clearly see in the following picture). The multimeter does it itself automatically. That is why it is called an auto range multimeter.
Like if we want to measure DC voltage. In auto range multimeter all we have to do is just select the DC voltage function on a multimeter using the selector function. The auto range multimeter will automatically adjust the reading and you will have the most accurate reading on the screen in just a matter of seconds.
On the other hand, manual range multimeters are those in which we have to manually adjust the range according to our measurements requirements. This is an old technology but still in use today.
Like if you want to measure the same DC voltage using a manual range multimeter. First, you have to know what is the most possible high value of the voltage can be i.e. before you use a multimeter you have to have an educational guess about the voltage range. Else you will have no accurate results.
You can see clearly that in between auto and manual range clearly auto range is the winner.
So, now we have one thing clear and that is we will select an auto-range multimeter no matter what. And to add a little clearance to the answer “what type of multimeter should I buy?”, is that we always need an auto-range multimeter.
Situations where we need an analog multimeter, but first what is actually analog meter
The word analog is giving you all the detail about the multimeter itself. Analog multimeter is that type of multimeter which gives you the real-time value of the quantity you are measuring. It has a pointing needle and a classic dial for various ranges.
You may wonder that working with this type of multimeter would be hard. And I agree with you. This is an old technology but still, some people use it. According to my best knowledge, you should use this multimeter only if you have the following reasons:
- You are working with circuits that are highly sensitive. You want to capture even a tiny tiny change in the circuit behavior then no other multimeter can do this except the analog type.
- You want to just detect the presence of voltage or current and or are not interested in the exact values then an analog multimeter would be great for you. The reason is if you just want to detect then you should not spend too much money. You can achieve that with a very cheap analog multimeter.
The reason you shouldn’t use an analog multimeter:
- It is old technology and has outdated in my opinion
- Reading measurements on an analog multimeter is hard and is subject to human errors. It is not very user friendly and you need to be very careful.
- Need for zero adjustments. Because it is a mechanical device i.e. the moving needle, and after some time you will need to adjust the need to zero references.
If you have decided that this is the type of multimeter you want. Then I have some recommendations for you to consider.
What is a digital multimeter and in which situations I can use it
A digital multimeter is an advanced type of multimeter that uses a digital display instead of a classical dial. It is very user friendly and anyone can learn how to use it with little effort.
Now let me share in which situations this type of multimeter can help you. let me remind you digital multimeters are available in manual and auto ranges. But if you remember we agree to always select the auto range because it is very easy to use compared with the manual range multimeter.
We should use a digital auto range multimeter when we have the following situations:
- Home wall sockets voltage measurement i.e. for home use
- Student of engineering or electronics hobbyists. The reason is as a student we work with a lot of projects and digital multimeter can help you in almost all of your assignments and projects.
- Auto repairing and testing.
- Batteries testing
- Electrical circuits checking and troubleshooting
- Electronics board preparing and testing, or troubleshooting.
- Circuit continuity testing
- Resistor and Capacitance testing and measuring
- Solar panels testing and circuit troubleshooting
- Research work but here you can look for a programmable multimeter too.
- Temperature measurements
If someone argues that we can use a manual range multimeter for the above tasks. I would happily agree to it but I would highly recommend going for an auto range multimeter. I can understand that manual range is cheap than auto range but if you are working with so many components and so measurements all day long. Manually selecting a range for each measurement would be like a nightmare for you.
Now if you decided this is the multimeter you want to buy or want to test. Then I have the following recommendation for you to look at:
What is the best multimeter for situations where I will work with heavy current and voltages
This is a very exciting situation. I think at this point in time you clearly know that a digital auto range multimeter is the right multimeter when you ask yourself, what type of multimeter should I buy. But there are certain situations where this multimeter fails in terms of safety.
The situations where a digital multimeter fails are when we work with high voltages and high currents i.e. we work as electricians. You just cannot connect a multimeter to high voltage and high current, it may damage your multimeter and can harm you as well.
In the said situation we use a clamp meter. The clamp meter measures voltage and current without connecting it to the circuit.
A clamp meter is a specific task-oriented device. We use it mainly for voltage and currents. And as you can see in the above picture we have just connected the clamp meter around the circuit wires and having the current readings.
If this is the guy you need then I have the following suggestions for you to consider:
Summary of what type of multimeter should I buy
Well, I guess at this stage you have your answer for what type of multimeter should I buy or what type of multimeter do I need. But let me summarise everything so that it may further help you.
An analog multimeter is only valid for sensitive measurements. And if someone is starting with electronics today should not go for it. It is not friendly and needs very care and focus to have accurate results.
Digital multimeter comes in two further sub-types, auto, and manual range. The answer is we always go for auto range unless we are tight on budget. This type i.e. the digital multimeter can be used for almost every situation. The range of using starts from home use, student projects to troubleshooting various electrical and electronics circuits.
The situation where there is a need for a clamp meter is when we are working with high current and voltages, and there are high risks of electrical hazards.
I hope I have added some value to your knowledge. And I really hope that you have found your answer for which you have come here. Still, you need more guidance just contact me without hesitation and I will further help you as soon as possible.
Thank you and have a great life.
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