UNI-T - UT10A Pocket Multimeter

[sonicj]

Don't laugh, just here me out...  

I'm trying to find a cheap meter i can comfortably recommend for total n0oBs on another forum. The context for this recommendation involves taking voltage measurements on both electric and gas golf carts. Voltages can vary anywhere from 0 to 90v DC and 110v AC. Lots of available current!

I stumbled across the UT10A and thought it looked pretty feature packed for the price. Auto ranging, frequency, duty cycle, caps, rel, hold, + all the basics & it fits in your pocket! The lithium battery makes it perfect for "long time - no use" scenarios like thrown in glovebox or for someone who rarely uses a meter.  I especially like that it doesn't do current! No chance of trying to measure too much current or leaving the leads plugged into the wrong spot.

Anyone here have one? Any reason why this might not be a good choice for someone with little to zero experience with a meter? Any other suggestions in the < $20 category?
cheers!
-sj

[Kiriakos-GR]

The operation of one multimeter it not an task for any noob.

The Market needs fresh cash as income , and so, all that they care, are getting the cash.
That's why there is one so large range of products.

No one are specialist enough to offer such suggestions to any one , with exception the electronic engineers !!  

In praxis , every under-aged person, it should look and ask for such advices, from parents and teachers.
Plus , any use of multimeter it must be made under surveillance.

Now that we have clear out that very few can offer the " suggestion ",
lets speak what the many could do ... and that is the comparison.

And in order to compare you need two devices, and not just one.  
And you must own them both !!

By making assumptions just by the pictures, its worthless .

[sonicj]

i think the measurements im talking about are well within the grasp of the average person if given instructions on how to do so. this is all first level troubleshooting stuff; switch continuity, voltage presence, identifying a weak battery, checking a diode, etc. nothing like repairing or design at board level.

its easy to tell someone to "switch the meter to DCV, touch here and here, if it reads X then its good." trying to explain to someone who's never used a meter how to properly operate a meter like the one below introduces a lot more complexity, opportunity for error and level of comprehension that would otherwise not be needed to make the measurement.

im not expecting side by side comparisons here... just opinions & possible alternatives from anyone who might or might not have experience with this or similar simple cheap meters.
-sj

[Kiriakos-GR]

Well I consume bread every day for 41 years ,  my "grasp of the average person" about making my own bread are still zero.

Probably in the eyes of my baker , it looks that I am an terrible example about the  "grasp of the average person".

[Floyo]

I had one of these meters to take with me every day, since they are rather cheap. The thing quit on me for no apparent reason after a few weeks.
The quality of the board is also really poor and the meter hasn't got a fuse. I do not recommend this meter since it is really flimsy and low quality. For a few bucks more you can get a semi decent meter.

And for the argument of not being to measure current, I think it is probably better to educate people on how to use a meter properly. The batteries in these carts are not to be messed with, and if people know the dangers they'll probably be more careful.

I would consider Extech meters, I do not own any of them, but Extech seems to be a bit more of a respectable company then the other Chinese brands.

Tequipment carry some Extech meters, and a lot of other brands.
http://www.tequipment.net/ExtechMultiMeters.asp

For the sake of safety I would go for a meter which has both inputs fused, so probably not a pocket dmm.
 

[Kiriakos-GR]

And for the argument of not being to measure current, I think it is probably better to educate people on how to use a meter properly.

This is an material of three books, with a total of 700 pages including schematics.  ( at list in Greece)  

This is what I am trying to point out, the internet is unable and poor, so to pass the knowledge as is =
correctly represented as true educational material.

And the most important, you have to store all this info in your head for ever !!
Even by the books at hand, you need two years so to just "grasp" that knowledge.  

[saturation]

Most DMM are accurate to Vdc 0.1%, even cheapest ones. So, you want the meter to be safe, abuse able and well made.  I'm not sure Uni-T meets any of those criteria.  Noobs will not treat the meter kindly, and could make mistakes that will injure themselves, so it has to be fool-proof.

You'd better recommend a rugged DMM, which is not cheaper.  Also, it maybe safer to have no current range, so they can't short the test point or the meter out.

Don't laugh, just here me out... 

I'm trying to find a cheap meter i can comfortably recommend for total n0oBs on another forum. The context for this recommendation involves taking voltage measurements on both electric and gas golf carts. Voltages can vary anywhere from 0 to 90v DC and 110v AC. Lots of available current!

I stumbled across the UT10A and thought it looked pretty feature packed for the price. Auto ranging, frequency, duty cycle, caps, rel, hold, + all the basics & it fits in your pocket! The lithium battery makes it perfect for "long time - no use" scenarios like thrown in glovebox or for someone who rarely uses a meter.  I especially like that it doesn't do current! No chance of trying to measure too much current or leaving the leads plugged into the wrong spot.

Anyone here have one? Any reason why this might not be a good choice for someone with little to zero experience with a meter? Any other suggestions in the < $20 category?
cheers!
-sj

[PetrosA]

All these are completely autoranging and inherently safer for n00b$ They won't have fuses because they don't do inline current testing, but they are all rated to at least CAT III.

These would be perfect:

http://www.mrsupply.com/greenlee-electrical-tester-gt-220.html
http://www.tequipment.net/ReedST-9903N.asp

This one is cheaper, but only gives a ballpark voltage reading for AC and DC:

http://www.tequipment.net/AmprobeVPC-10.asp

This one does amperage too but costs over $100:

http://www.tequipment.net/Ideal61-096.asp

[smackaay]

I've always had a soft spot for pocket multimeters. For the most part they don't do amperage and therefore don't require fuses. My favorite was always my little radio shack pocket multimeter. I still have it in my toolbox on the shop floor when things go awry and I can do some basic checks on voltage and such.