multimeter recommendations/cable capacitance measurements

sl-15

sl-15

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i am thinking about getting a good multimeter. i do not want to spend a fortune and was thinking about a fluke in the $150 range. my research shows me that higher price often means tighter tolerances and sometimes more functionality. i am looking for a reliable meter that preferably has frequency and capacitance measurements as an option, but i am unsure if it would be sensitive enough to measure cable capacitance (e.g. a phono interconnect). any recommendations on what to get? thanks for any input. stefan
 
Flukes are great meters. Resist the temptation to buy used without trying it first, as some Flukes are notorious for the LCD display getting flaky (I think it's actually an issue with connections to the panel, not the panel itself). Unfortunately I have one that proves my point.
 
I lived with cheap meters for years and finally got myself a Fluke 87 V a couple of years ago. They retail for a bunch but IIRC, I paid about $180 for a brand new one on eBay. There's usually several sellers of these every week and I just kept trying until I "won" for a price I could afford ( I think it just took a couple of weeks).
I'm really happy with mine but I have to admit that I'm kinda glad that I went through the process of killing off a few "cheapies" along the way. I think a little more before I start sticking probes into a hot chassis and there are ways to work around some of the inaccuracies that I'm glad to have learned.
 
I, too, have a Fluke 87.  I've had it since about 1990.  Other than changing the battery I haven't had a problem.  This is a true RMS reading meter.  Always buy one with the rubber protector that goes around it.  I have dropped my meter a number of times and the rubber does its job.  I checked a few days ago and it can be bought used for $150.  I would have no qualms buying a used meter that says it is in good operating condition from a seller with good feedback.

You ask about a meter to measure inductance.  I don't know of a Fluke that has inductance.  They may make them but I just don't remember seeing one.  The 87 measures frequency and capacitance (only up to about 7uF but way down).
 
thanks all for the input so far. grainger after reading your reply i realized that i mixed up inductance and capacitance in my post. i want to measure capacitance of cables not inductance and i am wondering if you can do this with the function on the fluke or if you have to use a more specific meter. something along the line like this:
http://electronics-diy.com/store.php?sel=kits&sub=electronic_kits
it seems fun to me to build your own meter but almost $60 for only two functions is a little steep. i am also unsure how one would calibrate such a diy meter.
i edited my original post switching inductance to capacitance.
thanks,
stefan
 
The capacitance in cables doesn't measure using my Fluke.  I tried, it didn't work, I thought it might, I was wrong.  So it is best to rely on the manufacturer for the picofarads per foot.

I don't know if the linked meter would read cables either.  My guess is not.  But I was wrong before.
 
The woofertester2 hardware/software from Smith Larsen audio does a very nice job of measureing reactive quantities of cables, speaker drivers, etc.  It uses a current source measuring technique and sems quite accurate, especially for the price.  Not quite a Quantech, but you won't have to mortgage your hous to afford one either :-).

-- Jim
 
My old Radio Shack meter - a "Micronta 22-194" according to the back label - works fine. I just checked; a twisted pair of clipleads 18" long is 22pF, clipping them to a 6-ft interconnect gave 165pF so the cable must be 143pF, or 24pF/foot. That's a very reasonable value, in fact both values are quite as I might expect, so I think it's pretty good for that application.
 
Cool. Do you have any cables with known values? If no i'd be happy to send you some belden 1505a and/or 1694a i have lying around. Belden publishes lors of tech info on their cables.
 
I have a Fluke 179 that I'm pretty happy with. It has a few fancy features that you don't need like a thermometer, but I can easily recommend the brand.
 
thanks for every bodies input so far. at the moment i am leaning towards a fluke 179 or a 87v. (i actually do like the temperature function) i read that people are recommending amprobe  as a good fluke alternative so i am going to look into that as well. but back to capacitance measurements: grainger, you said you are not able to get a cable measurement with yours but then paul joppa said it works just fine with his old radio shack meter. so it looks like if you have 'the right meter' it might work after all. maybe fluke meters are designed in a way that they do not show a reading? anybody else here with a fluke that can try to measure cable capacitance and report back?
thanks
 
Stefan,

You and I have no way of knowing that you can measure cable capacitance by the indication of it having a capacitance range.  What I am saying is that it seems to be more hit and miss than a certainty.
 
There is an additional question here that I would like to ask. Does anyone here have a recommendation for a meter that uses a needle rather than digital? It would come in handy when viewing the resistance of a pot to 'see' the taper used.
 
See if you can find a Simpson 260 -- an old solid workhorse that has been around forever and is built like a tank.  Still wish I had mine and could use it.

-- Jim

 
will do. Now to get a little picky,,,I'm finding that it would be great to have a meter that could help with measuring capacitance as well. Maybe it would be better if I found a capacitor meter separately.
 
I'm with Jim on the Simpson 260. Wished I still had mine. You can still buy it. Allied stocks it.

The first Tube device I built was a Heathkit Vacuum Tube meter, Heathkit IM-28. I wish I had it still.
I have a Triplett Model 310 (from the early 70s and it still works). It is small and was used by a lot of Telephone Techs. You can still buy it.
One thing to keep in mind if you shop for an older analog meter; what kind of batteries are needed.
For example the Triplett 310 uses a 15 V battery, and a 1.5 V.
The 15 V is a Energizer 504 Zinc Carbon Battery, which you can buy.
Again, just something to keep in mind.
You might want to get ready for a little sticker shock if you buy a new analog meter.
You could also make one. Get a 500 ohm Full Scale = 1 mA Meter, a 9V battery, a resistor, and a couple test leads.
One place to look is: www.allaboutcircuits.com

Craig
 
Very good Craig, thank you. I worked as a tech in the telephone company for 30 yrs and one of best techs I ever worked with taught me some of the things that could be done with just a 'kick' meter. Some of the other meters were simple in nature but very worthwhile when determining buried wire troubles,etc. Strange that a lot those ides and techniques were not taught after a time, but instead, in walked the salesman with all new, expensive digital junk. And it was. Plus people being trained to use it didn't always have a reason to even use it...go figure. I could go on and on, but in the end we sometimes go back to our roots.
 
Mining for broken copper; that explains why you like an analog meter. You probably had butt-set with a rotary dial. The triplett was probably popular because you can change the scale with just one thumb.
The triplett I have was given to me by an old Southern Bell tech.
I'm with you, roots are good. One reason I still use dial calipers.
 
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