Actually why is this guy complaining that there are no fuses in the uni-t? I thought its not needed?
https://youtu.be/40YUCNYqibk?t=379
If you insist on poking at AC mains then the only way to make everybody people here happy is to buy three meters:
a) A Fluke 101 for the mains (no current ranges)
b) A clamp for your car (probably Uni-T)
c) ANENG meter for raspberry Pi (mA, etc).
You can probably get all three for not much more than $100, delivered.
Can you do it all with a single $120 meter? No, because you won't have a clamp and you sometimes need two meters simultaneously.
Actually why is this guy complaining that there are no fuses in the uni-t? I thought its not needed?
https://youtu.be/40YUCNYqibk?t=379
Not everybody doing review knows what they are talking about. Fuses are only used on current ranges, on voltage it is high ohmic resistors and on ohm, continuity, capacity, mV, temp it is PTC's. The range switch is sometimes protected with MOV's or spark gaps, but that is only on better meters.
Correct. The fuses in multimeters are only on the amps ranges.
That has not been my experience. Some of the cheap meters have shared the current input jack with other features. In these cases, I have seen a few (not very many) where the fuse for the current also feeds all the other circuits. The last Analog meter one I saw like this was sold under the tech power brand. The last Digital one was sold under the Radio Shack brand.
So the safety circuit of aneng or unit meter for voltage might not be safe when using mains, why? (Ok with Aneng you can accidently switch voltage and amps probes input...) Because of bad design and a lightning strike? Is there some other possibility? I mean what spikes can be in the mains if there is not a lightning strike? Does it make a difference if after the switchboard or before?
Actually why is this guy complaining that there are no fuses in the uni-t? I thought its not needed?
https://youtu.be/40YUCNYqibk?t=379
(EDIT: Couple of minutes later he says that he had a brain fart and of course there are no fuses needed ;-))
So this guy also says that these blue things are MOVs? Thats what is needed for the voltage input protection?
I dont want to make everybody happy. I just dont want my meter to explode and burn. I have a policy not to buy fluke. its too expensive. haha ;-)
Actually why is this guy complaining that there are no fuses in the uni-t? I thought its not needed?
https://youtu.be/40YUCNYqibk?t=379
Not everybody doing review knows what they are talking about. Fuses are only used on current ranges, on voltage it is high ohmic resistors and on ohm, continuity, capacity, mV, temp it is PTC's. The range switch is sometimes protected with MOV's or spark gaps, but that is only on better meters.Correct. The fuses in multimeters are only on the amps ranges.
That has not been my experience. Some of the cheap meters have shared the current input jack with other features. In these cases, I have seen a few (not very many) where the fuse for the current also feeds all the other circuits. The last Analog meter one I saw like this was sold under the tech power brand. The last Digital one was sold under the Radio Shack brand.
It's interesting how things like this get repeated. Surely in HKJ's case they have come across this.
But as far as I see it for the devices that I am considering, the current input is not shared with something else?
I looked a bit around. I saw people really love the UT61E. It would cost me double than the ANENGs 870. What is so good with that one? I think it doesn't even have a light... :-D
I dont want to make everybody happy. I just dont want my meter to explode and burn. I have a policy not to buy fluke. its too expensive. haha ;-)
I dont want to make everybody happy. I just dont want my meter to explode and burn. I have a policy not to buy fluke. its too expensive. haha ;-)
I dont want to make everybody happy. I just dont want my meter to explode and burn. I have a policy not to buy fluke. its too expensive. haha ;-)
You don't need a Fluke, I have mentioned it only because they are the gold standard when it comes to safety. Even though that Fluke 101 is very cheap (at least for a Fluke and a safe meter) and built like a brick. I have got one of these for my dad because he was poking around three phase 400V home wiring with one of those $2 specials. However, this Fluke is no good as a general purpose meter (has no current range, for ex.) but it is an "idiot proof" meter for quickly checking whether you have the wiring live and what the voltage is. It is a good option to have as a second meter to a more general purpose one (e.g. that Aneng or Uni-T) when you want to be sure that the meter is safe for poking around mains.
If you don't want Fluke, there are other reputable brands that are less expensive in general - Brymen, Amprobe, BK Precision, etc. In general, if you are planning to use the meter for anything above 24-48V and/or mains, you will want an independently tested meter (e.g. one that is UL, TUV or similar certified). If it isn't, you are potentially risking injury, especially when you are newbie and don't know enough to be able to check the meter yourself (and even then some things may not be obvious even to an experienced engineer without special equipment, e.g. insulation problems).
E.g. the Brymen BM235 that Dave is selling (or the original version in the red holster) are a great option for an all around meter, while being safe even for mains use - and it costs just 85 euro or so - even less than the Fluke 101.
Uni-T meters are cheap but that's for a reason - they are also bottom of the barrel construction and unless you buy the "EU" version that actually has all the protections populated on the PCB (and is TUV certified and more expensive), you are risking problems. If you buy that same meter cheaply from eBay or AliExpress, you will be getting the stripped down Chinese version - they look the same from the outside but the Chinese version has almost no input protection in place and would never pass any certification.
The same holds about most of the cheap Chinese meters - Anengs, Mustools, etc. and all their rebrands. They are OK meters to use for low voltage things - e.g. your car or Arduinos and such. Just don't poke around mains/high voltage - you get what you pay for here and some of these meters are truly atrocious inside.
If you want to work with mains or high voltage (e.g. those solar panels), don't pinch pennies on a meter - it is the only thing that is between your body and the energized wiring!
So the clamps exist in a chinese and a european version. How will I find out which I have? Open it? Maybe some people even sell the the chinese version here in europe?
But as far as I saw on the review video the chinese version of the clamp also had several MOVs?
So the clamps exist in a chinese and a european version. How will I find out which I have? Open it? Maybe some people even sell the the chinese version here in europe?
But as far as I saw on the review video the chinese version of the clamp also had several MOVs?
So the clamps exist in a chinese and a european version. How will I find out which I have? Open it? Maybe some people even sell the the chinese version here in europe?
But as far as I saw on the review video the chinese version of the clamp also had several MOVs?
If you really want the Uni-T clamp, buy it from a reputable source, not eBay (and similar). That's where you get the Chinese version for sure. Reputable vendors, such as TME.eu or Batronix.com won't sell a dodgy device because they could be held legally liable should anything happen. Neither of them carry the 216D clamp, though (they have others) - that should probably tell you something already.
Ships from Germany also. So no customs and probably quick delivery. For 58 Euros all included.
So there I will get crap?
So I saw that there is also a UT219. They claim you can drop it from 2m and its rated for Cat 4.
So I saw that there is also a UT219. They claim you can drop it from 2m and its rated for Cat 4.
You can completely ignore any claims of Uni-T meters having any CAT rating unless it is explicitly the European version which has been TUV certified (and then the TUV certification is explicitly mentioned). They are known for putting fake labels on their meters (or rather selling gutted versions of their meters that can't match those ratings).
But I believe we are running in circles here. We keep telling you to get a proper meter from proper distributor because you want to measure mains and such. And you keep coming up with yet another Uni-T meter from AliExpress or Amazon, despite being warned about them (and there are plenty of posts on this forum about meters with fake ratings, including the Uni-T ones).
There is no point in repeating this stuff again. If you want a Chinese Uni-T no matter what (which you seem to), then buy it. But then don't complain if you get hurt or ask for advice if you aren't willing to listen and prefer to pinch pennies on a meter over your life.
So do I understand it correctly that if I buy from a reputable source I get an UT216C which is TUV certified (I think it is not mentioned on the sellers page)? Or I just get a meter which is not stripped down like from alibaba?
So do I understand it correctly that if I buy from a reputable source I get an UT216C which is TUV certified (I think it is not mentioned on the sellers page)? Or I just get a meter which is not stripped down like from alibaba?
Yes, but don't expect it to be easy to find, the price will be 50% more, it's an awkward shape to use on a table, and it won't measure mA so you'll still need to buy a multimeter.
So this is a reputable source I guess:
http://www.rekirsch.at/UNI-T+UT216C.htm