Hobbie multimeter

[htrv]

Hey guys,

I'm sorry if I'm repeating a question that was asked before, but the multimeter thread doesn’t seem to update, and I hope that maybe newer multimeters have come out.

I'm looking for a cheap multimeter (up to $50 USD) for home and hobby use (electrical work, fixing home appliances and computers, and microcontroller projects).

Basically, I’m looking for a good backlit screen, ergonomic controls, reliable continuity function with a beeping sound, and reasonably accurate measurements. Any extra features would be welcome (like capacitance measurement, temperature, BT, etc.). 

The UNI-T UT61E is out of my budget, so I was looking at the ANENG AN870 (which has better specs) and the UNI-T UT60BT (which looks better built).

Hope you could share some experiences with them... Or maybe suggest other models?

[Aldo22]

ZT-225 is imo the best really cheap DMM.
https://zotektools.com/products/zoyi-zt-225/
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007244323221.html

But it's not a pocket meter!

[iet]

I use the PCW02A multimeter. The multimeter has a good set of functions. The continuity tester is loud, supplemented with a light indicator. Measurements of frequency, temperature. Measurement of capacitance up to 100 mF. Voltage detector.
The price is within the range that you indicated.
https://pcworktools.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/pcw02a-user-manual-digital-multimeter-pcwork.pdf

[GigaJoe]

have a drawer full of dif. kind.   AN870 are OK ..  most annoying measure resistance.. as the logic of measure are simple- from very top to bottom , take a long time ...   very annoying to measure bunch of unknown resistors ...

have that 25000 count as well - really nothing special , and no precision ;  for cheap extended range would be interesting  HP-770D  40000,  also in my drawer   ;  it very useful to measure lithium cells due to 42000 counts limit .... not expecting much precision ... but its OK ....

my favorite OWON B41T+  ; I don't know why for some reason more preference even over UNI-t ( had overclocked it - doubled quartz value - double speed, 10 measure\sec now, any resistance -0.4 sec,  Bluetooth gone of course ,  but with that speed never go back)

vey like AN8008 for $20
bottom line ---  get AN8008 or 8009  or something even more cheaper  like dt9205a   or something to fix the fridge  ... and if it blow up don't cry too much..
and something expensive like with scope combined ; as it seems trend  ;   i have owon scope\multimeter unit and it really useful to see and evaluate signals ,  without heavy duty gears involved ...
something like this https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005007761538584.html ;   but of course ... more money wide bandwidth ... but still better then nothing   

[coromonadalix]

an  UNI-T UT61E    out of your budget     all under 50$  meters are mostly good or gimmicks   ohms diodes  etc .. but not high voltages   

if you play in voltages   say 120 vac 220,230, 240 vac,   save money and buy reputable brands,  don't  cut corners in security .... it's your life

you can find  good used  meters  like Brymen, Fluke,  Wavetek, Beckman   ....  many Uni-t meters are toys too

i understand  price can be very difficult ....  BUT ...

[Aldo22]

if you play in voltages   say 120 vac 220,230, 240 vac,   save money and buy reputable brands,  don't  cut corners in security .... it's your life

FUD again! 
You're not going to die any sooner because you're repairing household appliances with an AN870 or ZT-225 instead of a Fluke.
That's nonsense.

[DavidAlfa]

How are you going to die? Fully isolated plastic case. Even if something shorts internally, the DMM will die and that's it.
Don't come with that video exploding DMMs with giant HV capacitors, "See how it's unsafe?".
UNI-T gives decent quality por the price, has safety gaps in the PCB...

The 890C/D is really cheap and works fine.

[iet]

Safety is a serious matter and should be the first priority. I compared my PCW02A and FLUKE117. Everything is fine with safety.
PCW02A
Safety Instructions
The instrument is designed according to the requirements of the international electrical
safety standard IEC61010-1, which defines the safety requirements for electronic
testing instruments. The design and manufacturing of this instrument strictly comply
with the requirements of the IEC61010-1 CAT.III 1000V, CAT. IV 600V over voltage
safety standards and pollution level 2.
FLUKE117
Safety IEC 61010-1: Pollution Degree 2
IEC 61010-2-033: CAT III 600V

[Fungus]

UNI-T UT61E is a waste of money unless you NEED the serial data connection. It's not particularly good or safe or anything else compared to ANENG/Zoyi.

(Most ANENG meters are rebrands of Zoyi models)

You ALWAYS need more than one meter, so for $50 I'd get:

A ZTS1 for poking at mains:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004478400063.html

A fast/fun meter to use and quite idiot-proof for mains (even if it's not CAT rated, it's automatic and beeps at you if you have the lead in the wrong hole). Decent continuity test. The big downside to them is they don't measure voltages below 0.8V.

Something like a ZT302 or ZT303 for more delicate work:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007797711956.html

(nb. You don't need more than 10,000 counts, you just don't...)

Note: Randomly chosen sellers.

[Fungus]

Safety is a serious matter and should be the first priority.

True, but safety is as much about procedures and using your brain as owning a fancy multimeter. A meter that's hard to put the dial/probes in the wrong place helps as much as anything.

You're also very unlikely to die or blow things up if you're working in a place with circuit breakers, RCDs, etc. You might get a scare but that's about it (unless the scare makes you fall off a ladder or something).

Your wiring would have to be seriously defective for death to happen.

Not downplaying it, but being realistic. Engaging the brain is at least as important as the meter.

[csuhi17]

It is not safe, poor quality, poor handling and the price does not match your needs.
Owon HDS120 ~$70
Owon CMS101 ~$120
Maybe they will release it with better parameters, maybe not.

[iet]

Good information from FLUKE.
https://www.fluke-direct.com/files/fluke-multimeters-detecting-intermittents-u.pdf

[Aldo22]

Something like a ZT302 or ZT303 for more delicate work:
...
(nb. You don't need more than 10,000 counts, you just don't...)

Well, they cost almost the same as the ZT-225.
I don't recommend the ZT-225 (only) because of the 25000 counts, but because it is simply better in everything.
You can't get more bang for the buck or more accuracy for the money.
For example, 20A is simply safer to use with the usual Lab-PSU than just 10A. Because the 10/11A are then guaranteed without blowing the fuse or overheating.
In certain respects it is also better than the AN870, e.g. it has more positions for the rotary knob. So I don't have to press any secondary buttons for the measurements (Resistance / Capacitance / Diode..)
Then it has more information on the display. When measuring AC, I can see the frequency at the same time, which gives me immediate reassurance that I'm measuring the right thing.
AC/DC measurement is also quite practical.
In the attached photo you see 1Vdc with a 5mVrms AC “ripple” at a glance, without a scope.
Etc...
I like it and it costs $30.

[Fungus]

Well, they cost almost the same as the ZT-225.

True, but until you've poked around a microcontroller circuit with one of those fully-auto meters you just don't get how fun/fast they are.

"That should be 5V, yep. That should be ground ('beep'), yep. This should be 3.3V...", all without touching a dial.

And you often want to clip a couple of meters onto a circuit to watch values as things change.

(get some crocodile clip leads, too)

[Aldo22]

True, but until you've poked around a microcontroller circuit with one of those fully-auto meters you just don't get how fun/fast they are.

"That should be 5V, yep. That should be ground ('beep'), yep. This should be 3.3V...", all without touching a dial.

My ANENG ST212 clamp meter works in “Auto” mode for most types of measurement (And the SMD tweezers too).

Is that what you mean?

[BillyO]

Give some consideration to the Kaiweets HT118E.

20,000 counts, auto-ranging, very solidly made, and extremely accurate.  Will certainly suffice for Cat I and CAT II environments.  Probes are of decent quality and the continuity is fast, loud and latched.  It's right at the top of your budget but it's worth every penny.  I've had one since a few weeks after their introduction and for electronics work it holds up just fine against my Brymen BM-786 and even auto-ranges faster, all for 1/3 the price.

https://kaiweets.com/products/ht118e-20000-counts-digital-multimeter

I'd also like to add that the HT118E also sports a dual display of voltage and frequency in ACV mode, plus frequency and duty cycle Hz mode, which a lot of the other meters mentioned here do not have.

[BillyO]

ZT-225 is imo the best really cheap DMM.
https://zotektools.com/products/zoyi-zt-225/
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007244323221.html

But it's not a pocket meter!

Looks pretty good spec wise.  What's it like internally?

[Aldo22]

Looks pretty good spec wise.  What's it like internally?

Are you talking about safety?
Could be better - could be worse. It has two ceramic fuses and a couple of PTCs. It's $30...
I don't think it will kill you while you're fixing the toaster. 

Personally, I don't use it for mains power (I hardly ever deal with mains anyway). I use it for electronics.
If I have to do anything with mains power, I use the handier ST212. It shows me with NCV whether there is voltage on the wire and, if required, how much current is flowing.
All contactless in this case, or with a single test lead “Live Wire”.
ZT-225 has NCV too, but it's actually too clunky for that imo. ZT-225 is more like a portable benchtop meter that runs on batteries. 

...plus frequency and duty cycle Hz mode, which a lot of the other meters mentioned here do not have.

ZT-225 also has that.
In the attachment 10kHz with 25% duty.

[EEVblog]

UNI-T UT61E is a waste of money unless you NEED the serial data connection.

Why?
The UT-61E has been one of the go-to cheap meters for like a decade now. Most people don't use it for serial.
It's still excellent value for money.
Are there better bang-per-buck meters now? Almost certainly, but it's still a fine option.

[Aldo22]

Why?
The UT-61E has been one of the go-to cheap meters for like a decade now. Most people don't use it for serial.
It's still excellent value for money.
Are there better bang-per-buck meters now? Almost certainly, but it's still a fine option.

It is no longer available anyway.
https://www.batronix.com/versand/multimeter/multimeter-ut61e.html

[Fungus]

Why?
The UT-61E has been one of the go-to cheap meters for like a decade now. Most people don't use it for serial.
It's still excellent value for money.
Are there better bang-per-buck meters now? Almost certainly, but it's still a fine option.

a) We new have meters like the Aneng 870.

b) Can you still get new ones? It was replaced with this:


c) The thing I really hated was that there were many variants of it and you never knew what as going to be inside any particular one.

[Aldo22]

b) Can you still get new ones? It was replaced with this:

UT161E is well over €100.
The topic starter wanted something for a maximum of $50.

[Solder_Junkie]

At the cheap end of the meter market, you might struggle to find a meter that is independently certified for safety. The problem that can arise is when you accidentally use the meter on Ohms or current across the mains.

Other posters were criticised for mentioning safety, it is a serious matter. Meters can and do explode, or burst into flames. See this YouTube video shot in a Fluke factory if you don’t believe me:
https://youtu.be/OEoazQ1zuUM?feature=shared

SJ

[Aldo22]

The problem that can arise is when you accidentally use the meter on Ohms or current across the mains.

ZT-225 has no problems with that:
https://youtu.be/UIml3TYDomE?t=316

[coromonadalix]

At the cheap end of the meter market, you might struggle to find a meter that is independently certified for safety. The problem that can arise is when you accidentally use the meter on Ohms or current across the mains.

Other posters were criticised for mentioning safety, it is a serious matter. Meters can and do explode, or burst into flames. See this YouTube video shot in a Fluke factory if you don’t believe me:
https://youtu.be/OEoazQ1zuUM?feature=shared

SJ

they will learn the hard way   ....  happened to see one bust,  and it was not  "in the so cheap price" ...

if the ZT-225   survives that  its another plus

the common mistake is :   meter set in the current / probes in the current when probing the voltage (s)  i know  i did this mistake too  loll,   11$ a fuse

[Fungus]

the common mistake is :   meter set in the current / probes in the current when probing the voltage (s)  i know  i did this mistake too  loll,   11$ a fuse

...which is why you choose a meter with no "wrong" dial position and beep alerts when the probes are in the wrong sockets.

Even if it's a cheap meter, like the Zoyi I mentioned.

[Fungus]

Other posters were criticised for mentioning safety, it is a serious matter. Meters can and do explode, or burst into flames.

True, but Harbor Freight has given away millions of DT130s with remarkably few deaths.

I couldn't even find one on google.

[Aldo22]

they will learn the hard way   ....  happened to see one bust,  and it was not  "in the so cheap price" ...

if the ZT-225   survives that  its another plus

I'll never "learn" that, because I don't have a 750V like these guys and I don't see this DMM being used in that range anyway.

the common mistake is :   meter set in the current / probes in the current when probing the voltage (s)  i know  i did this mistake too  loll,   11$ a fuse

Well, if the price of the replacement fuse is your biggest problem... 

[EEVblog]

Other posters were criticised for mentioning safety, it is a serious matter. Meters can and do explode, or burst into flames.

True, but Harbor Freight has given away millions of DT130s with remarkably few deaths.
I couldn't even find one on google.

Multimeter safety is a tad overrated, and has been pushed toward the extreme end of the OH&S spectrum.
That's not a bad thing of course, in fact it's great, but people do get a tad carried away.
Sure the general recommendation of "CAT III for anything mains related and above" is good general advice, but it's not needed.
Most people do not work on such high energy systems to warrant being that worried about it.
And basically it's limited to only one fault scenario, probes in the A jack by mistake when measuring mains or another high energy system.
The whole peak overload thing (e.g lighting strike on the mains) is so remote an issue that it's almost not a thing.

For example, my latest pocket meter (the 1980s) coming out soon was going to be CAT II, whcih would be fine for a pocket meter, but the new standard says you are no longer able to brand CAT I or CAT II on the front of a meter any more, you can only brand CAT III and above. So they did a few design tweaks to get it to CAT III standard so it could be printed on the front, lest anything think it has "no CAT rating".

So all new meters should (if they follow the standards for third party approval) either have CAT III/IV printed on them, or nothing at all.

[BillyO]

The whole peak overload thing (e.g lighting strike on the mains) is so remote an issue that it's almost not a thing.

Yeah, there maybe other issues in play for folk that take out their DMM and start probing their breaker panel at the height of an electrical storm.  Perhaps they are striving for a Darwin award.   

I have noticed that a lot of the newer meters on the market have either dropped any CAT rating at all or just say Cat III.

Feck, about 50 years ago I worked in what would be described as CAT IV environments today with a Simpson 260 meter.  We didn't have anything much better at the time.  I'm still here today.

I'd love to see a comparison between the number of fatal injuries suffered by people using budget meters to measure their mains versus the number of fatal injuries suffered from driving the family sedan to the local grocery store. 

[floobydust]

I wonder if it didn't start as a marketing angle. Fluke touted multimeter safety in the 80's and patented the common (MOV) protection circuit. It locked out any other manufacturers (which was a disservice) from using a similar scheme and then they were pushing safety standards 1010 etc. and had pretty much exclusive approval.

I think what matters is a multimeter was actually tested at high voltage. Creepage/clearance is a common place for design error, as well as the safety parts like the fuses, PTC, test leads etc.

For OP and $50 I think a multimeter that does not die easily is also important. It's on Ohms and you connect to a voltage whether 12V or mains OOPS. I think DT-830's bite the dust there yet many different designs/builds of them.
I would avoid UNI-T as they are intentionally stupid cheap inside and as a brand they are proven to have problems being honest.

Many DMM reviews here: https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews.html

[wasedadoc]

You can get a low cost TUV certified CAT III 300V meter such as https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/21045215038.  Basic volts, amps, ohms, diode, continuity.  No capacitance, temperature etc.  (Manual at https://customer-service.lidl.co.uk/SelfServiceUK/s/product2?productId=01t6N000000X2r1QAC&q=pdm%20300) Lidl stores have that Parkside one in the special buys every so often but also some sellers on ebay, typically 15 to 20 Euros.  Use that for household mains etc. (Review )

For electronics also get the likes of an Aneng 8008 or any of the similar makes/models.

Under 40 Euros total for the two.

[Aldo22]

You can get a low cost TUV certified CAT III 300V meter such as

Which DMM would you trust more?
A TÜV certified CAT III 300V meter, which only shows garbage above 300V, or an uncertified CAT III 1000V meter, with a 1000VDC / 750VAC measuring range?