Nice round up from Mikey @ Popular Science. He writes…
On any given day you can find a miniature multimeter in my pocket. These devices are the equivalent of a Leatherman for electronic enthusiasts. (The Leatherman would be in my other pocket.) Most of the time, I want to check the voltage of a deep-cycle battery in my electric-vehicle or troubleshoot a problem with a solar photovoltaic system. But multimeters do things like current measuring, resistance and continuity, which make them handy for solving problems ranging from home wiring to electronics repair. (For more on what do do with one, check out Ladyada’s multimeter tutorial on adafruit.com). I’ve used a number of “portable” units over the years, and while many are anything but, one jumps out as my solid favorite. Here’s my take on a few popular units.
6 thoughts on “Tool smackdown: Pocket multimeters”
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I have a pile of Cen-tech meters from Harbor Freight that I have accumulated over the years. They are reasonably accurate, cost well under $10, and are small enough to keep in the glovebox of a car of a back pocket.
Most of mine are similar to this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899
However, my meters are all yellow and have a backlight. It seems that the model I have has been discontinued. Alas!
I’m staring at that one on my desk right now, also have a smaller cheaper model sitting in my car in the glovebox :)I feel bad for all those people in areas that don’t have harbor freights.
I have multimeter in my pocket, a Leatherman in another pocket along with “replaceable tip screwdriver” and a pocketlight. :)