EEVblog Electronics Community Forum

Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: GeoffreyF on September 20, 2018, 03:36:59 pm

Title: Experiences with multimeter probe screw on tips
Post by: GeoffreyF on September 20, 2018, 03:36:59 pm
Probes provided with multi-meters such as Brymen, 121GW, Fluke, UEI have a threaded part to the tip so that someone can connect a banana plug add on, an alligator clip etc. to the end of the probe.   What experiences have people had with these being interchangeable or not?  Is the screw thread the same?  The clearances to screw something on the same?

Title: Re: Experiences with multimeter probe screw on tips
Post by: threephase on September 20, 2018, 04:27:08 pm
I have a Flir IM75 with threaded probes on the test leads and Fluke threaded accessories will not fit those. The thread on the Flir leads is a larger diameter, they are not branded though so suspect that they are manufactured by a third party and purchased by Flir.

Kind regards
Title: Re: Experiences with multimeter probe screw on tips
Post by: drussell on September 20, 2018, 04:36:57 pm
Most of them are usually 8-32 UNC thread.

Some are different (probably some similar metric size) and will not interchange.
Title: Re: Experiences with multimeter probe screw on tips
Post by: Stray Electron on September 20, 2018, 05:31:02 pm
  I've used them but I'm not a fan of them. They all use a very loose fit thread and they always have intermittent connections and in fact, the threads are so loose that the tips fall off and are easily lost. Frankly, the press on tips work better than the screw on ones. Someone, I don't remember who, also makes a set of meter probes that have a collar than you have to pull back to release or to add a tip (like a quick disconnect on an air line), they also work well and won't fall off.
Title: Re: Experiences with multimeter probe screw on tips
Post by: nanofrog on September 20, 2018, 06:47:10 pm
I've used them but I'm not a fan of them.
Same here.

My main reason for this is that the connector + probe weight make them more prone to slip off of the test point/component lead. Modular connectors attached to banana leads are less prone to this IME, and there are more connector ends available than the threaded offerings.