Electrical testers

[Yuri]

I was just thinking I can not be the only one that like testers a lot .
What testers do you have ?

I have 2 sets one pair at work and one pair at home

At work I have
Fluke 1507 insolation tester
Fluke 377 current clamp
Fluke 87v Ex multi meter

At home
Fluke 1654B installation tester
Fluke 355 current clamp
Fluke 28ii Ex multimeter
Fluke 2042 cable finder
Fluke 707 Ex Instrument tester

[Houses4Rent]

I just have 2 multi meters, but they confuse the hell out of me at best. I thought as an engineer I have basic electrical skills, but the tester tells me things which simply do not make sense or are inconsistent. Are cheap testers (a multi meters under R100) a total waste then and rather dangerous?

[ians]

Yuri its a fluke thing.

I also have a few Fluke testers. Rather not publish on a public forum.

[AndyD]

When it comes to testers I have a few Flukes but I'm not a fluke fanatic, I'm a bit of a brand slut TBH, but I do lots and lots of homework on their technical specs before I buy them and purchase on their ability and also peer reviews rather than just the brand name. I have many testers, way too many to list, the last couple I bought are Chauvin Arnoux clamp meters that have an extrordinarily high frequency response band and can be used on the output of VFD's.

@Houses4rent, Cheap multimeters (<R100.00)are not my cup of tea. Their build quality is usually appauling and their functionality and accuracy too uncertain for my liking, I usually pay at least 3 times that for just a pair of test leads, never mind the entire tester. Rather look for a single, decent brand, second-hand tester for a few hundred bucks rather than buying two new unbranded testers for that price. That said the confusion you're having might also be either you're using the wrong tester for the job you're trying to do or possibly you're not interpreting the result correctly, difficult to say without more info.

[Houses4Rent]

@Houses4rent, Cheap multimeters (<R100.00)are not my cup of tea. Their build quality is usually appalling and their functionality and accuracy too uncertain for my liking, I usually pay at least 3 times that for just a pair of test leads, never mind the entire tester. Rather look for a single, decent brand, second-hand tester for a few hundred bucks rather than buying two new unbranded testers for that price. That said the confusion you're having might also be either you're using the wrong tester for the job you're trying to do or possibly you're not interpreting the result correctly, difficult to say without more info.

Its just for simple DIY use and should do the job. I claim to understand the difference between AC and DC, Voltage vs Amperes and measuring ranges. I mostly measure Voltages to see whether a connection is live or not, checking batteries Voltage level etc. E.g. if a stick it in a socket I expect to see around 230V AC. I will post an example next time I am confused again. Thanks.

[adrianh]

My Fluke 77 and HP 28S are treasured tools.

[adrianh]

I just have 2 multi meters, but they confuse the hell out of me at best. I thought as an engineer I have basic electrical skills, but the tester tells me things which simply do not make sense or are inconsistent. Are cheap testers (a multi meters under R100) a total waste then and rather dangerous?

Tell me more about your engineering degree. What did you qualify as?

[AndyD]

A common problem with digital testers is because of their very high input impedance they tend to display a 'ghost' or 'phantom' voltage even when the circuit is isolated. This is because they're over sensitive and when cables run together there's capacitance between them which allows voltage from one cable to be coupled into another. Better quality testers have a lower impedance test facility that's designed to be able to ignore these coupled voltages which are of no consequence.

[bergie]

i bought most of my meters from cash converters. brand new fluke multimeters for R 600.

[Houses4Rent]

Tell me more about your engineering degree. What did you qualify as?

literally translated Production Technology. half a MechEnh, half a Bcom
Think mass production in factories.

[adrianh]

Did you complete both degrees?

[Houses4Rent]

Its one degree, I just tried to describe what it entails as Production Technology is generally not known. Especially not here as I did it in Germany.
I also did a CPIM from USA (Certified in Production & Inventory Mgt) i.e. Supply Chain Mgt

[adrianh]

Cool.

[mikilianis]

Houses4Rent I would stick with a test lamp for voltage and a bell tester for continuity (you get a buzzer on most of the Digital Multimeters normally on diode test function) my favourite instrument is a line tester Duspol it gives led indication for A.C. and D.C. in range of Voltages from 6 to 500 and has a photocell powered continuity tester. Batteries dont go flat no ghost readings easy to handle no test leads breaking down straight forward indicates 230V or 400V in glowing red L.E.D.'s