EEVblog 1636 - Ultimate Multimeter Beginners Guide!

The ultimate beginners guide to multimeters. What are they, how to choose one, and how to use them to measure electrical and electronic things.

00:00 - The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Multimeters
00:35 - Display Counts Explained
01:17 - Range Switch or Push Button?
01:43 - Don't get a rechargable type or permanent backlight
02:05 - Autoranging vs Manual Ranging
03:05 - Multimeter Probes
03:36 - Rubber Holster vs Overmoulded Rubber
03:50 - Battery powered & Auto Power Off
04:06 - What can a Multimeter Measure? Voltage, Resistance and Current
04:55 - Do you need Current measurement?
05:38 - Capacitance & Continuity
06:39 - Continuity Testing Demonstrated
07:08 - Diode and LED testing
07:59 - Thermocouple Temperature Measurement
08:37 - Non-Contact Electric Field (NCV) Testing
08:57- Frequency, Duty Cycle, and Min/Max/Avg
09:18 - True RMS vs Average Responding
10:13 - Practical usage demonstrated
10:47 - Modern Multimeters are very robust
11:10 - Here is where it gets dangerous, current measurement.
12:55 - CAT Safety rating and fuses
14:23 - UL and ETL Testing Certification
14:43 - BEWARE of Battery LEAKAGE!
15:00 - Don't measure Ohms in-circuit
15:43 - Auto Touch Hold
16:17 - DC Voltage Measurements
17:35 - AC Voltage Measurement
18:08 - Current measurement demonstrated
19:50 - Capacitance measurements demonstrated
21:20 - Ohms cable measurement
22:07 - Manual ranging demonstrated
23:02 - Bargraph function
23:45 - Conclusion and Recommendations

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#ElectronicsCreators #Multimeter #Beginner

[Jody_VESAR]

This vid will become the defacto "Intro to Multimeters" resource for years to come. Well done, Dave!

[gepetotube]

I know all this stuff, yet I still watched the whole video. Dave does a great job.

[electrifyingvids]

The cable capacitance trick is a new one I learned! Thanks, Dave!

[tylerlloydboone]

Still using my EEVBlog BM235. 5-6 years old and works great. The good probes really tie the room together

[samuraidriverx]

I use the Hz function at work regularly.
Testing and adjusting 230v generator outputs if they are in spec under load.
For me its a very important function.

Great beginners tutorial Dave👍

[scottpelletier]

I keep a $20 meter in the garage. Total rookie move going to measure my car battery voltage, and i had left the red lead in the current measurement port.



Turns out the cheap meters dont have a fuse on the current reading lol

Well the meter still reads volts now but that's it!

[KeritechElectronics]

Mandatory Duraleak! Ha. Try it once again and see if that Fluke 3000FC is come-a-gutser...

The "one hand behind your back" is the good old golden rule of measurements in vacuum tube gear. It can save your life when working with hundreds of volts!

[keresztesbotond]

17:55
Also best to leave your left hand behind your back.
At university at the laboratory where they worked with high voltages (mains and higher) the students who were there on their first year had to do everything with their left hand behind their back. Reason being that if you touch mains voltage with your left hand more of the current is gonna pass through your heart (supposing you are gronded and the current exits through your feet) as opposed to doing the same with your right hand (still really bad for you).
Yet another example why being left handed is just inferior :D

[Evergreen]

I've got the BM786 and I love it!

[leybraith]

...Good timing... Have been on the lookout for a sensible video to show students in a robotics class...Much appreciated...
...Thanks especially for the basic 'measuring current' explanation at 18 mins. (beginner students wanting to measure current consumption by probing ACROSS power rails...eeek)
...As you suggested, current is not as often needed to be measured, the students are frequently just looking for data to put in the "CURRENT CONSUMPTION" documentation box...

[kyoritsu]

Hello, this is Kyoritsu Electrical instruments works, ltd.
We watched your videos and so impressive.
We highly trust we can learn more from your excellence in feedback on electrical equipment.

[flymypg]

One key piece of advice for first-timers is to consider getting a quality used ("test proven") multimeter rather than going without a multimeter while saving up for a better one. The advice I was given (in the early days of handheld DMMs) was to do both: Get a quality used device and a "disposable" pocket meter. I never take my "good" meter with me on a trip, but will never travel without a tiny cheap one.

[MrDoneboy]

Appreciate the great reminders in the video, Dave.

[watchmakerful]

My first multimeter was a UNI-T M-830BUZ. A simple 7106 based manual ranging device. And it is... STILL ALIVE (19 years!) and still in use.

[alex.theoto]

Nice video, one note to add, on continuity mode, you can hear the beep sound from the range ~60Ω to 0Ω (not sure if the same range is depended from the manufacture) .
Many technicians hear the sound and they think that it is short circuit, but there is a possibility to have higher than 5Ω which is not short circuit. It is very tricky on this situation... On this example, >5Ω can confuse the automation with unstable results. This happens on dirty on/off switches.
Just look at the display.

[calholli]

I like the amp clamp style meters. They still have most of the other functions also, plus the clamp.
The $23 chin3sium has been a good tool to have.. Clamp can read AC and DC both/ has capacitance meter/ has NCV/ duty cycle/ temp probe and a few other little gadgets.. . Super useful for automotive diagnostics, where you can read 90 amps going into the battery when it's charging, etc. Keeps you from needing to break out the scope sometimes.

[LtKernelPanic]

Great video. I bought my first "real" multimeter, an ExTech EX330 (In February 2011 according to my Amazon purchase history) after watching your $50 multimeter shootout video. It served me well for quite a few years until I got a good deal on a Fluke 87v and upgraded. Still keep it around for when I need a second multimeter. I need to pick up an analog meter sometime for doing alignments on old radios.

[Anthocyanina]

that bit at around 10:47 should clarify it's modern multimeters that are built to safety standards. a person completely new to multimeters might get one of the *modern* 2$ ones and poke around mains in ohms mode and not only break their multimeter, but maybe even have an explosive bad time!

[x_phl]

Great tutorial! Although, I'm not sure why I watched it, since I already have a bunch of Fluke, Amprobe and other brands of multimeters. Still was satisfying to watch.

[salossi]

The Auto-Hold function on my Fluke DMM is one of my absolutely favourite functions!!
I repair a lot of tube equipment, and if probing plate voltages deep inside an amp, you really don't want to slip off with your probes and short out 500VDC...
Another GREAT invention are those springloaded, needlesharp probes, that you can get from Hirschmann. Once, you've used them, you will never ever like to use those cheap standard probes again...