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Do we need True-RMS clamp meter ?

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Kiriakos-GR:
Well I am doing some thoughts about getting an clamp meter.

All that I care as specs , are 400 AC/DC 100A Max.

If there was an accessory as an clamp, to be connected on a multimeter, this one would do also.  :)

I found many Fluke 30 and 32 on ebay as used, but I do not know how old are they,
plus I do not know if the True-RMS has any effect in the measurements of Amperage.

The truth are that I am not willing to spent much, that why I am looking for used ones.



alm:
Do you need a clamp meter? Not sure, you'll have to determine that for yourself. I've always considered most clamp meters as designed for industrial use, I don't handle anything near 100A, and my conductors are a lot smaller than those clamps. You should state your intended applications.

You probably do want true-RMS, unless you know that your current waveforms are perfectly sinusoidal. For anything with switchers, you need true-RMS. Do note that multiplying voltage and current will give you VA (apparent power), not W (real power). Any meter not explicitly marked true-RMS probably isn't true-RMS.

Other useful features are the ability to measure DC and the bandwidth (determines how well it measures higher frequency components). Fluke probably has a useful white paper about clamp meters

Kiriakos-GR:
Well , my only main interest are to be able , to measure low-voltage( 220 or less)  amperes AC/DC .
And so I will eliminate the need to split wires.

I have a pile , of ampere meters and DMM's ( as known )  :D

If for an such "average" need , the 10$ ones can do it , them I will just take one of those.
I do not care about the DMM on the clamp , I need just one clamp that could do mostly measurements in amperes. 

PetrosA:
Kiriakos, I would recommend that you get a clamp for your Fluke. Beware, there are clamps for AC only, and clamps for AC/DC, you will need the one that measures both. You should be able to find something on eBay, but do your research first. When I was thinking of getting that kind of setup, it was recommended to look at Fluke and AEMC (Chauvin-Arnaux) clamps. There are also clamp meters designed specifically for low amperage measurements. Pay particular attention to the specifications to get what you really need.

Kiriakos-GR:
Thanks for the tip ... found the AC one ..  Documentation here.. http://www.tequipment.net/pdf/80I400_InstructionSheet.pdf

I will investigate more , its not an urgent task.

Still if any one haves any links about clamps for DDM , please add them .

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