Volt ohm meter recommendations

[sfIII]

I thought it would be simple to buy a Volt ohm meter... So Sunday I picked one up at the local (Smithville, TN) auto parts store.. I didn't buy the cheapest they had. but the next one up.... Took it home at tried to measure the resistance of a speaker that I had just come across... No luck... it would not read the speaker, my skin..nothing... So I took it back... I thought that the problem was with that particular meter... but no... in the course of an hour, I tried 4 different meters in two stores and none worked.. All were made in China. Where apparently, ohm meters do not need to work in order to be exported..

So, I'm hoping someone here can point me to a relatively cheap, but functional volt ohm meter... CaptJuan?



TIA

Howard

 

[Walter Broes]

I don't know if you weren't getting any reading at all, but you can't get an exact ohm reading from a speaker with a volt-meter set to the ohm scale. I'm sure someone will chime in with the "why"...

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Howard; the big name is Fluke; their stuff is expensive but reliable. Here are a couple of links but if I had to buy one today, I wouldn't spend less than $50 for it:

Radio Shack: http://www.radioshack.com/family/index. ... Id=2032305 This one may be just too cheap but this one

Antique Electronic Supply http://tubesandmore.com/
Type in: S-Z3220 in the search field

Has the desired functionality and AES is a reliable source for this kind of stuff. Consider browsing there; except for nuts and bolts and other little bits and pieces, they have all the caps, resistors, cords, jacks ... good selection ... a little higher than others but they also tend to have most of what you need; similar to Mojo http://www.mojomusicalsupply.com/index.asp

 

[fronobulax]

FWIW, I've been using something very much like this analog multimeter for 30+ years. I bought it when I was building and maintaining a Heathkit computer. My needs are very simple. Most of the time I am using it to check for contunity or whether a battery is good or not. I've never wanted to check a speaker load since all the speakers in my house are labelled and I believe them

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Frono; I had one of those too. I think I dropped it and afterwards the needle used to swing all over the place. Bought a Radio Shack replacement digital VOM and got used to moving the decimal point in my head as opposed to adjusting ranges. I still use the replacement VOM ... and the little three-wheel resistor / capacitor color code ID gadget. CJ

 

[jp]

Hi Howard,

Are you mostly using it for electronics, or do you need it for around other electrical monkey madness too? As mentioned by CJ, Fluke is the solid choice if you have the cash. Many electronics techs I know use the universal, all-round Fluke 87-series. I think the newest is the 87-V. I trolled eBay for a few months before I was able to score a BIN on one for $200 relatively new. If you don't want to spend that much, but still want quality, I'd suggest going for a used older one from the 87-series--like a III or IV. It should more than suffice for your needs. Just make sure it's been maintained and regularly calibrated. I've seen these going for $80-$150.

If you want new, a buddy of mine (electrician-foreman) told me that for the price, the Greenlees are also pretty dependable and have more affordable mid-price models. I treat my investment in a decent multimeter equal to an investment in a decent power tool, especially since I use it around the house and for car foo almost every week for something or other. It makes the investment seem more justifiable. Plus I hate crappy tools. I like this site for new tools.

Hope this helps! :mrgreen:

FWIW, I've been using something very much like this analog multimeter for 30+ years. I bought it when I was building and maintaining a Heathkit computer. My needs are very simple. Most of the time I am using it to check for contunity or whether a battery is good or not. I've never wanted to check a speaker load since all the speakers in my house are labelled and I believe them

I still have one of those too. I used mine for years in conjunction with my trusty Radio Shack how-to-book, before I decided to go digital.

 

[BluesDan]

Extech also makes excellent meters in a very durable housing. Inexpensive but rugged to the point where a drop won't kill it. It has a rubberized protective outer shell for those of us with the tendency to throw things when something blows up unexpectedly....

 

[capnjuan]

It has a rubberized protective outer shell for those of us with the tendency to throw things when something blows up unexpectedly....

... or you flinch during hot checks and knock the meter off the bench .... never happened to me or course .... :wink:

 

[BluesDan]

It has a rubberized protective outer shell for those of us with the tendency to throw things when something blows up unexpectedly....

... or you flinch during hot checks and knock the meter off the bench .... never happened to me or course .... :wink:

:lol: Like testing oil burner ignition transformers by drawing the spark across the metal springs with a screwdriver to check spark strength, 10,000 Volts but only 23mA, won't kill ya, just jolt ya. It's all good unless there is a crack in your screwdriver handle.........
:shock: Better than a cup of coffee in the morning........wake you right up!

 

[capnjuan]

:lol: Like testing oil burner ignition transformers by drawing the spark across the metal springs with a screwdriver to check spark strength, 10,000 Volts but only 23mA, won't kill ya, just jolt ya. It's all good unless there is a crack in your screwdriver handle......... :shock: Better than a cup of coffee in the morning........wake you right up!

You betcha ... that's exactly the kind of surprise your stuff; meter, screwdriver ... and heart need to be ready for.

 

[mario1956]

You can't read speaker impedance with a plain volt-ohmmeter. The impedance is calculated using AC (alternating) quantities. The VOM only produces DC from a battery. You can tell if the voice coil is good using the ohm scale an touching the two speaker terminals with the meter probes. You might hear a pop from the speaker when you first make contact and the needle should move towards zero. Pricewise those el cheapo meters aren't worth what you pay for them. You can get a nice meter that will last for a long time for about 50 bucks. You can also get factory refurbished meters from Fluke, Black and Decker or someone like that. I personally like Fluke but I do electronics/computers/power systems for a living and don't mind spending more jack on a good meter.

 

[sfIII]

Thanks all .. I have decided to go with a Fluke... and likely an 87 or 115 model. Not a new one but one of the NOS older models. No cheap meter for me.. :lol: the ones I tried in Smithville TN would not read anything, they were just junk. :evil:

I did take our way fancy Fluke meter from work and test the speaker.. it read 6.5 ohms.. which I believe makes it an 8 ohm speaker.. I did a google search and found a web site that indicated that 8 ohm speakers read between 6 and 7 ohms with a ohm meter.. it is certainly that AC DC thing..

 

[capnjuan]

I did take our way fancy Fluke meter from work and test the speaker.. it read 6.5 ohms.. which I believe makes it an 8 ohm speaker.. I did a google search and found a web site that indicated that 8 ohm speakers read between 6 and 7 ohms with a ohm meter.. it is certainly that AC DC thing..

Hi Howard; I hope no one saw you take it or that you signed a hand-receipt for it ... what you are measuring on a speaker, with the meter set to resistance, is the amount of resistance offered by the voice coil when no signal is present; think of it as a filment in a light bulb. It offers resistance to the AC cycling back and forth the way the output tranformer provides an AC signal across the voice coil. Yes, 8 ohm speakers typically read 5 - 7 ohms. Resistance is resistance whether it's in an AC circuit or DC circuit. Tech tip of the day: always wet the red probe before putting it in your ear ... Good luck! J