Author Topic: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change  (Read 5446 times)

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Offline ez24Topic starter

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Hi

(changed the original post to update)

Looking for a meter for a 12 yo.  As suggested - get one that can light up an LED.   Fuse has to be changed by a 12yo.  Anengs are out because their fuses are too hard to replace.  But maybe two 8008s if the suggested meter is too expensive (assuming they can light an LED ?).

thanks
« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 07:14:09 am by ez24 »
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Offline ataradov

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Uni-T UT136. Easy to replace batteries and fuses can be replaced by cheap ones if blown.  And if you blow the fuses it will be functionally equivalent to that Fluke, except you can get two Uni-Ts for that price.
Alex
 

Offline ez24Topic starter

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Uni-T UT136. Easy to replace batteries and fuses can be replaced by cheap ones if blown.  And if you blow the fuses it will be functionally equivalent to that Fluke, except you can get two Uni-Ts for that price.

The UNI-T UT136B uses 9v batteries
https://smile.amazon.com/UNI-T-UT136B-Multimeter-Frequency-Resistance/dp/B06XSVMV25/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1531719994&sr=1-1&keywords=uni-t+ut136b
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Offline ataradov

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The UNI-T UT136B uses 9v batteries
Indeed. I was only focusing on easy to replace. I'm not sure that 9V batteries are all that expensive in this application, they last quite some time. I had a couple of those meters for a few years (one gets a lot of use for work), and I never had to replace the batteries yet.
Alex
 

Offline Gregg

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Offline ataradov

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ANENG has horrible view angles. How do you people live with that? I could not use it pas first two minutes.
Alex
 

Offline ez24Topic starter

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Banggood has the Aneng AN8009 for $21.99 shipped from the US warehouse.  It uses AAA cells if that is a problem

From a search, the fuse in the 8009 is just as hard to replace as the 8008
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Offline ataradov

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From a search, the fuse in the 8009 is just as hard to replace as the 8008
It requires unscrewing 4 screws, this will probably be the minimum you will find in any cheap meter where fuses are not exposed in their own compartments.

But it uses some weird tiny fuses, which are probably harder to find.
Alex
 

Offline ez24Topic starter

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The UNI-T UT136B uses 9v batteries
Indeed. I was only focusing on easy to replace. I'm not sure that 9V batteries are all that expensive in this application, they last quite some time. I had a couple of those meters for a few years (one gets a lot of use for work), and I never had to replace the batteries yet.

Every meter that I have that uses 9v batteries ALWAYS has a dead battery.  This because my meters do not have auto power off and I screw up every time.

So this meter goes to the top of my list because it has auto power off.  FYI  The Fluke 101 at $50 is too much.  The kid may not even touch

thanks
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Offline ataradov

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So this meter goes to the top of my list because it has auto power off.
Yeah, I wish it would not auto-power off :) I know you can disable it if you hold one of the buttons while powering on, but that's just annoying.
Alex
 

Offline mtdoc

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Thw Uni-T 136b is a good recommendation but it does have one big flaw - especially for a 12 year old learning electronics - it won’t light up an LED.  :(

I learned this when using mine while teaching kids in my son’s school maker space.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 06:41:04 am by mtdoc »
 

Offline ez24Topic starter

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Thw Uni-T 136b is a good recommendation but it does have one big flaw - especially for a 12 year old learning electronics - it won’t light up an LED.  :(

I learned this when using it to teach a bunch of kids in my son’s school maker space.

Lighting an LED is now at the top  (and edit the original post)
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Offline Mr. Scram

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ANENG has horrible view angles. How do you people live with that? I could not use it pas first two minutes.
The Aneng meters leave a few things to desire, but the viewing angles of the meters I've seen are on par with those of high end Fluke and Keysight meters. I'm not sure what you're talking about, unless you're talking about that new model Dave recently reviewed.
 

Offline ataradov

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I'm not sure what you're talking about, unless you're talking about that new model Dave recently reviewed.
No, I'm talking about plain old AN8008.  It starts to wash off even if you look at it dead on, and completely invisible if you look from the top. I've read similar complaints in the ANENG thread. It is nothing like Uni-T of Fluke that I have, not even close.
Alex
 

Offline Mr. Scram

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No, I'm talking about plain old AN8008.  It starts to wash off even if you look at it dead on, and completely invisible if you look from the top. I've read similar complaints in the ANENG thread. It is nothing like Uni-T of Fluke that I have, not even close.
Try turning the backlight on. The Fluke displays I've seen wash out dramatically when viewed at anything beyond 90 degrees with the backlight on. Regardless, I've not found the AN8008 screen to be problematic when used normally. The meter does leave a fair few things to be desired, but the screen contrast doesn't seem to be an issue. Even when I compare it to high end meters.

I'm not sure I'd like to give a child a meter that isn't as safe as a meter should be, though. I understand an expensive meter isn't really in the books, but novices need safe and good quality meters even more than more experienced folks do. It'd probably be good to assume that he's going to poke it in the mains sooner or later, and that it may very well be on a current range when he does.
 

Offline mtdoc

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I ended up buying 5 of the Aneng 8008s for my kids school maker space. So far they’ve worked out well. I haven’t noticed the screen viewing angle to be an issue.

What’s the difficulty  with replacing the fuses?  Finding the replacements?  Removing the 4 small screws to access the fuses should be a piece of cake for a 12 year old.
 

Offline mtdoc

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I'm not sure I'd like to give a child a meter that isn't as safe as a meter should be, though.

I understand that concern. What I did with the meters I bought for my kids school was write in large letters with a permanent marker on the side of the meter: “ To be used with battery powered circuits only!”

Of course in a school setting there will be some supervision...

Still, I think a 12 year old, if given a stern warning with an explanation of the danger, would be ok.
 

Offline Mr. Scram

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I understand that concern. What I did with the meters I bought for my kids school was write in large letters with a permanent marker on the side of the meter: “ To be used with battery powered circuits only!”

Of course in a school setting there will be some supervision...

Still, I think a 12 year old, if given a stern warning with an explanation of the danger, would be ok.
I have to admit I'm mainly thinking of myself at twelve years old. The fact that I'm still around to type this is a minor miracle, despite plenty of solid advice. Let's say I was an empirically inclined child. :palm:

There's some tension betwee trying to instil curiosity and dampening it enough, so that nobody gets hurt permanently.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 07:39:12 am by Mr. Scram »
 

Offline HKJ

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Re: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change
« Reply #18 on: July 16, 2018, 07:32:37 am »
There might be some good ideas for meters in my list: https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews.html

What about a ZT301: https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMBSide%20ZT301%20UK.html
 

Offline Fungus

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I'm not sure what you're talking about, unless you're talking about that new model Dave recently reviewed.
No, I'm talking about plain old AN8008.  It starts to wash off even if you look at it dead on, and completely invisible if you look from the top. I've read similar complaints in the ANENG thread.

Maybe nobody notices that because they don't look at the meter from above.

LCDs have limited viewing angles. If the meter is usually flat on a table in front of you then it makes sense to optimize for that, not some artificial viewing angle ("above"?)
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change
« Reply #20 on: July 16, 2018, 10:31:13 am »
I'd get the ANENG 860B+. I own a few meters but the 860B+ is easily the best at lighting up LEDs. It's also rubberized and will take a lot more abuse then one of the flimsy little AN800X models ever will.

It also has proper milliamp ranges and all the current ranges are on separate input jacks (ie. you need to move the leads from "normal" position to blow a fuse).

Plus it has more buttons and is a much better meter all-round IMHO (nb. I own both types).

Don't worry about 'easy' fuse change. The more difficult it is, the faster they'll learn not to blow fuses.

Bonus: An 860B+ will hold together perfectly even after they've lost and/or stripped the threads off the fuse-access screws - you can't say that for the AN800X models.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 10:34:25 am by Fungus »
 

Offline joeqsmith

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Re: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change
« Reply #21 on: July 16, 2018, 11:21:23 am »
Some of the cheap meters I looked at have used a PTC rather than a fuse for the low current measurements.   

Cliff started a thread a while back and his post shows a $10 meter.   I bought this same meter but it still in the wrapper. 

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/6000-count-dmms-(is-$9-a-new-newbie-low)/

You could buy them a resistor and a battery.   Instant LED light up tester... 

Offline HKJ

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Re: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change
« Reply #22 on: July 16, 2018, 11:29:09 am »
Some of the cheap meters I looked at have used a PTC rather than a fuse for the low current measurements.   

PTC usual means higher burden voltage in the high mA range.
 

Offline joeqsmith

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Re: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change
« Reply #23 on: July 16, 2018, 11:47:19 am »
Some of the cheap meters I looked at have used a PTC rather than a fuse for the low current measurements.   

PTC usual means higher burden voltage in the high mA range.

I modified a really inexpensive analog meter and used a PTC rather than a fuse for the current input.  I thought the PTC was under 5 ohms.  Fuse will also have some resistance.  The UNI-T UT61E had one of the worst burden voltages I measured because of the choices made in other parts of the design.  The choice of shunts can drop far more than a PTC.   I'm not sure but would a 12YO who is just starting out, care about burden voltage?

There may be some benefit to a child who is just learning with low voltages and making mistakes, not to have to change the fuse. 

Offline HKJ

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Re: Multimeter suggestion for 12 yo Light up LEDs - Easy fuse change
« Reply #24 on: July 16, 2018, 11:56:12 am »
Some of the cheap meters I looked at have used a PTC rather than a fuse for the low current measurements.   

PTC usual means higher burden voltage in the high mA range.

I modified a really inexpensive analog meter and used a PTC rather than a fuse for the current input.  I thought the PTC was under 5 ohms.  Fuse will also have some resistance.  The UNI-T UT61E had one of the worst burden voltages I measured because of the choices made in other parts of the design.  The choice of shunts can drop far more than a PTC.   I'm not sure but would a 12YO who is just starting out, care about burden voltage?

There may be some benefit to a child who is just learning with low voltages and making mistakes, not to have to change the fuse.


A 1ohm shunt and the fuse is also about 1ohm, i.e. about 2ohm to 2.5ohm on the high mA range is very common.
The UNI-T with shunts in series and diodes to lead voltage around one of them is not good for burden voltage.

The PTC is an advantage if you make many mistakes, but a meter with 5x20mm fuses is very cheap to replace fuses in and safe enough when staying at low voltage and after a fused outlet.
 


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