Clamp-on digital meter

[Brooksie]

Someone may be interested in this meter. I just bought one and am very pleased with it. It cost me $33. and is the exact same (or one model better) that BlueSeas sells for $160. and has additional temp. & Hz features as well.
Of course it is made in China but so is theirs.
If you have looked at clamp-on meters, you will know that most inexpensive ones don't work on DC, this one does.

161665726687 ebay
.

 

[DavidM]

I have a twenty year old clamp on DC ammeter sold by Ancor (that I paid almost $200 for), but is probably made by someone else, but probably not in China. It is very stable. When I first turn it on, the zero is typically less than a half an amp off and when I hit the zero button it stays in zero.


A year or so ago I bought a much cheaper meter, no doubt made in China for less than $50. When I turn it on, it often reads 5 or more amps. Then I zero it and it will hold its zero for only a minute or so and then starts to drift, sometimes several amps.


My conclusion is that there is a difference in quality of DC clamp on ammeters.


David

 

[dhays]

I will let my ignorance show. What is a clamp on meter and what is it used for?

 

[DavidM]

Dave:


The original clamp on ammeter, popularized by Amprobe had two jaws that opened and closed to surround a single AC conductor. The meter used the induced current in the jaws to drive a meter and read out the current flowing through the conductor. But this type of meter would only read AC current because DC will not induce a current.


So some years ago Fluke and people like that came out with Hall effect DC clamp on meters. This is what Wikipedia says about the Hall effect: "The Hall effect is the production of a voltage difference (the Hall voltage) across an electrical conductor, transverse to an electric current in the conductor and a magnetic field perpendicular to the current. It was discovered by Edwin Hall in 1879."


This effect works for DC circuits. It is a much more feeble than the AC induced current and probably required sophisticated amplifiers to first make use of it. Thus the first meters were expensive. This may also be why Chinese made meters drift- their amplifiers lack stability.


The current combination AC and DC clamp on ammeters are very useful for diagnosing circuit or appliance problems. They let you measure the current by simply clamping on to a single conductor. Prior to their availability you had to break the circuit to hook it to an ammeter.


David

 

[bilge53]

Great explanation. Hall sensors are used for many things including pointless ignitions on some gas engines.

 

[dhays]

Thanks David. That was a great explanation! Even I was able to understand it.

 

[Bacchus]

Dave:

The current combination AC and DC clamp on ammeters are very useful for diagnosing circuit or appliance problems. They let you measure the current by simply clamping on to a single conductor. Prior to their availability you had to break the circuit to hook it to an ammeter.
David

Great explanation David...

I agree very useful tool in the kit for diagnosing problems or confirming things are working properly.
Just be sure any ones you consider are DC capable - many are still only for AC

 

[101TUG]

Someone may be interested in this meter. I just bought one and am very pleased with it. It cost me $33. and is the exact same (or one model better) that BlueSeas sells for $160. and has additional temp. & Hz features as well.
Of course it is made in China but so is theirs.
If you have looked at clamp-on meters, you will know that most inexpensive ones don't work on DC, this one does.

161665726687 ebay
.

at this price every one suppose to have one onboard !!
I can go at sea whiteout this tool


Hugues

 

[TG]

I purchased this one on Amazon for $40 and I'm quite satisfied with the performance and quality.

Signstek UNI-T UT210E Handheld RMS AC/DC Mini Digital Clamp Meter Resistance Capacitance Tester

 

[Bacchus]

I purchased this one on Amazon for $40 and I'm quite satisfied with the performance and quality.

Signstek UNI-T UT210E Handheld RMS AC/DC Mini Digital Clamp Meter Resistance Capacitance Tester

Sears has one in that $range...
Accurate enough for most troubleshooting...IMHO only

 

[psneeld]

That looks like the one I had from Sears, it only lasted a couple of years and at $50 I was rather surprised it was pretty cheaply made.


This time bought a nice Klien from Home Depot...a touch over $100 but it has been great now for 2 years

 

[Shoalwaters]

. . . This time bought a nice Klien from Home Depot...a touch over $100 but it has been great now for 2 years

Probably the same one I recently bought. If you like well-made tools, buy this one.

 

[dannc]

...
The original clamp on ammeter, popularized by Amprobe had two jaws that opened and closed to surround a single AC conductor...

David

David left out one VERY important feature of the clamp on meter! :lol:

Putting aside the usefulness of being able to meter with the clamp/jaws, the clamp/jaws are also really helpful to HOLD the danged meter while you use the old fashioned probes! I swear I use the clamp/jaw more to hold the meter in position than to actually sense current as it was designed to do. :lol:

Later,
Dan

 

[CaptTom]

...the clamp/jaws are also really helpful to HOLD the danged meter while you use the old fashioned probes!

Dan makes a very good point. I ended up with 2 of these Fluke meters, which I THOUGHT were supposed to be high-quality stuff:

They function fine. But they are almost unusable. There's no flat surface anywhere on them, and the probes are short and fairly stiff. In use, the stupid thing spins around, flips over or somehow finds a way to end up facing any way EXCEPT where you can see the screen.

I've tried using one hand for each probe, and another for the meter, but I keep running out of hands.

 

[bayview]

I know there are fans but in years of boat repair, home repair and car repair I have never needed an ammeter of any kind.

What do you use it for?

 

[bilge53]

Starter draw and charging are my two biggest uses but not often.

 

[High Wire]

I know there are fans but in years of boat repair, home repair and car repair I have never needed an ammeter of any kind.

What do you use it for?

Alternator charge rates. Is it charging at 5 amps or 80? you can't tell from voltage alone.
Knowing actual amp draw of equipment for load estimates.
Troubleshooting. Its helpful to know if something is drawing high amps and not working (ie tight bearings, misalignment) vs low amps and not working (ie high resistance connections, airbound pump).

 

[Bay Pelican]

I know there are fans but in years of boat repair, home repair and car repair I have never needed an ammeter of any kind.

What do you use it for?

Usually the first thing I want to know when starting an electrical repair / replacement is whether I have current and how much.

My expensive Fluke multimeter has more than paid for itself over many jobs but two stand out. Finding out there was corrosion in the control lines for my bow thruster hidden behind the walls, and determining that the wiring for my watermaker was inadequate for its draw.