Can you recommend a decent multimeter?

[n9]

I'd been using one that came in a cheapo soldering iron kit from Amazon. That kit included everything you could possibly imagine and more, except quality.

 

Needless to say, I replaced the iron a good while back, but now one of the probes just gave up the ghost on the multimeter and it looks decidedly unrepairable with its solid one-piece moulded housing.

 

So.... I'm after a better multimeter. What would you recommend that's reasonably priced?

 

(I'm over yonder on the continent btw, so bonus points if it can be ordered online.)

 

[AndrueC]

I have one of these. It does everything needed to build a layout. It's a little odd in that it reports DCC voltage as being 23.5v which is roughly double what it really is but it's consistent. For DCC work that's all you can expect unless you spend a lot of money.

 

I'd have thought anything for around £20 would suffice although at Amazon there are some on there for £10 that look good enough. One thing I'd want specifically is an audible continuity check. That's the function I use the most.

 

This one for £10 seems to have everything a railway modeller would need.

Edited December 15, 2023 by AndrueC

[melmerby]

There's some here

 

and more here

Edited December 15, 2023 by melmerby

[AndrueC]

Just now, melmerby said:

There's some here

Someone should tell them to get rid of the popups on their website. Even with an ad blocker I didn't have the patience to click through to get to the catalogue..

[n9]

4 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

I have one of these. It does everything needed to build a layout. It's a little odd in that it reports DCC voltage as being 23.5v which is roughly double what it really is but it's consistent. For DCC work that's all you can expect unless you spend a lot of money.

Thanks. My track will be DCC, but I'm doing all my testing there with DC at the mo, so not too worried by the quirks you mention. Also using it to diagnose problems with my locos.

 

2 minutes ago, melmerby said:

There's some here

There are indeed. Any particular model or brand you'd recommend?

[melmerby]

7 minutes ago, AndrueC said:

Someone should tell them to get rid of the popups on their website. Even with an ad blocker I didn't have the patience to click through to get to the catalogue..

Maybe your system as I don't get any popups?

Adblocker on, Privacy badger off, cookies set to reject all except essential.

Edited December 15, 2023 by melmerby

[melmerby]

More here

 

I can't recommend one because mine are not budget ones (Used to be my job), although I would see if you can get one that measures AC current, you might need it sometime!

Also should have a continuity test/diode check. I think most except some very cheap ones have that.

[n9]

I'm not necessarily after a budget option, but I don't want to spend silly money either. Basically as long as it's reliable and works well, all recommendations are welcome.

[melmerby]

16 minutes ago, n9 said:

I don't want to spend silly money

Mine are (Fluke) so in the hundreds.☹️

They are old but still reliable, which is fortunate as repair costs are high!

They do measure DCC voltage fairly accurately e.g. 14v or so across the track.

 

Odd readings of DCC voltage are because they are a) not able to measure true RMS and/or b) not frequency compensated.

DCC is an odd square waveform at around 8kHz

 

Getting that adds a lot to the cost of a multimeter.

 

[melmerby]

This one from RS does Tue RMS (probably 50Hz only) but has plenty of functionability:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/multimeters/2647228?gb=s

 

Not in stock at the mo.

 

This more expensive one is:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/multimeters/1611629?gb=s

Edited December 15, 2023 by melmerby

[AndrueC]

12 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Odd readings of DCC voltage are because they are a) not able to measure true RMS and/or b) not frequency compensated.

Found the manual for mine online and for AC it claims:

• Frequency range 40 to 400Hz.
• Response: Average, calibrated in rms of sine wave.

But since starting to build layouts I've often wondered if it's actually showing double the voltage or just a particularly inaccurate DCC reading.

[sncf231e]

An AVOMETER, what else:

Regards

Fred

[n9]

1 hour ago, sncf231e said:

An AVOMETER, what else:

Regards

Fred

 

That certainly looks in keeping with some of the tooling and manufactured track being sold today as new, though I suspect better performing and more reliable

[Torper]

For basic testing, I suggest that you go for an analogue one - much simpler.  £8 upwards online.  How about this Draper one at £14.95?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-37317-Pocket-Analogue-Multimeter/dp/B0001K9TTW/ref=sr_1_14?crid=1GPVBWZBU4SE9&keywords=analogue+multimeter&qid=1702680871&s=diy&sprefix=analogue+multimeter%2Cdiy%2C68&sr=1-14

[TheQ]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Mine are (Fluke) so in the hundreds.☹️

They are old but still reliable, which is fortunate as repair costs are high!

They do measure DCC voltage fairly accurately e.g. 14v or so across the track.

 

Odd readings of DCC voltage are because they are a) not able to measure true RMS and/or b) not frequency compensated.

DCC is an odd square waveform at around 8kHz

 

Getting that adds a lot to the cost of a multimeter.

 

You got the cheap Fluke then.😁 I agree with your statements..

 

Until I retired I had, 3 of these flukes on the shelf to use. Current model £17,000, I was using several at the same time... They are made in Norwich....

And three of it's predecessor,

Ive got here at home an even earlier model 

They can still go for £1000, if it's got all the options. It cost me errr nothing, as it was being thrown out by err um Fluke. Going to a Christmas dinner next week with the designers of the above instruments, I'll be the stupid one in the room....

 

There's also an avo 8 In the cupboard, 

There's also an old Farnell  scope got from a car boot for £5 if I need to look at waveforms.

 

But i'll admit I've got a cheap true RMS dmm off Amazon for messing around on model railways,

.

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, sncf231e said:

An AVOMETER, what else:

Regards

Fred

Yep.

Still got my 9 MkIV

[melmerby]

2 minutes ago, TheQ said:

You got the cheap Fluke then.😁 I agree with your statements..

 

Until I retired I had, 3 of these flukes on the shelf to use. Current model £17,000, I was using several at the same time... They are made in Norwich....

And three of it's predecessor,

Ive got here at home an even earlier model 

They can still go for £1000, if it's got all the options. It cost me errr nothing, as it was being thrown out by err um Fluke. Going to a Christmas dinner next week with the designers of the above instruments, I'll be the stupid one in the room....

 

There's also an avo 8 In the cupboard, 

There's also an old Farnell  scope got from a car boot for £5 if I need to look at waveforms.

 

But i'll admit I've got a cheap true RMS dmm off Amazon for messing around on model railways,

.

That Datron one looks familiar, 1990s by any chance? 7 or 8 digits IIRC.

I calibrated my main Fluke on something like that. I'm not sure exactly what model Fluke it is as I made it from various 70 series I used a good PCB and replaced a dud processor with a known good processor from one with a broken PCB. It says it's a RS (Radiospares) 75 but could easily be a 77. It was pretty good up to over 10kHz and it is True RMS.

 

I had Tek 7704A 'scope with a selection of plug-ins including a 1Ghz sampling unit, I'd repaired it a couple of times but when it went wrong again I dumped it and bought a Picoscope

I've still also got a 500Mhz counter and a 500Mhz signal generatoras well as a function generator, all courtesy of where I worked (free -being dumped)

[TheQ]

The 1061 is 1980s certainly i was using them in the late 1980s as built into Equipment. Datron got taken over by Wavetek in 1988, by then they were onto the 1271 etc series of dmms.

Tek scopes with plug ins were the main scopes we used in the RAF.

Tektronics is now of course the same company as Fluke.. and Phillips Test Equipment, and Datron and Wavetek and several others. 

 

Quite fancy the Picoscope, but for the moment the Farnell will do.

Signal generators I never managed to acquire.

 

 I started with valve powered scopes and old Avos.

It's quite amazing you can now buy dmm, Scope, Signal generator , all in one, probably more accurate than the old gear we had,  for a couple of hundred quid..

[Michael Hodgson]

Some cheap meters don't have an audible continuity option.  This is something I would insist on having on a meter.

[Harlequin]

This meter is the cheapest I can find in the RS Pro range that would correctly measure voltages at DCC frequency. I think it would do everything you need for the rest of your life.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/multimeters/8732360

 

[kevinlms]

7 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Some cheap meters don't have an audible continuity option.  This is something I would insist on having on a meter.

Invaluable to have connected across the rails, when adding wires. If you accidentally create a short,  you get instant notification,  not much later when you've added many more wires!

[n9]

5 hours ago, Harlequin said:

This meter is the cheapest I can find in the RS Pro range that would correctly measure voltages at DCC frequency. I think it would do everything you need for the rest of your life.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/multimeters/8732360

 

Thank you!

 

I would have gone for one of the RS models, but those in my price range (including that last one) seemed to be out of stock. So late last night, with necessity almost certainly outweighing sanity, I ordered one of the AstroAI models which after a lot more googling seemed to be quite favourably reviewed as a decent and not overly expensive option. They also happened to be available in my local Amazon, which is always a huge plus.

 

Somewhat muddying my choice though, the AstroAI 6000 cost 50 smackers where I live when in the UK and US it's closer to 30, yet what I assumed to be the better model, the AstroAI 10000, cost 55. Given that small price difference between the two, I opted for latter even though it's still overpriced where I live and I suspect I might regret its sexier but probably less practical design.

 

Do any of you have experience with AstroAI? I suppose I could still return it if you guys think its awful...

[n9]

2 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Invaluable to have connected across the rails, when adding wires. If you accidentally create a short,  you get instant notification,  not much later when you've added many more wires!

Yes, it's the feature I use the most by far, though that might say something about my level of prowess with a multimeter... 😁

[melmerby]

39 minutes ago, n9 said:

Do any of you have experience with AstroAI?

Sorry.

Never heard of them.

[cypherman]

13 hours ago, sncf231e said:

An AVOMETER, what else:

Regards

Fred

I have an Avometer. It was my fathers and must be about 70 years old. Still in it's original box and works perfectly. Lets see if any of the new ones last as long.