What Multimeter?

[lhallam]

I am planning to buy a DIY amp kit. I also want to switch tubes and bias my existing amp.

I don't plan on becoming a heavy duty amp builder I just want to get a better understanding. I probably won't make more than two.

So what multimeter do you suggest and where should I look? I see a bunch very cheap on e-bay but I have no idea if they will suit my needs.

Thanks

 

[Mike Hansen]

Something like a Fluke 111 should last you a lifetime. Under $100 or so on Ebay.

 

[nateco]

Get a fluke,or even a high end Greenlea or Amprobe brand meter(the company that developed the amprobe).

 

[Hipster Dofus]

Fluke .

 

[Weldaar]

I bought a Crafstman meter. Very good IMO. under $80 @ Sears. It does everything a Fluke does for less $

 

[spaceboy]

ooh, I need a multimeter. what kind of range am i looking for? (ie. maximum readings for Volts, current, capacitance and all the other ones i'll be using)

i assume these "pocket meters" won't do?

 

[Scrutinizer]

Fluke 111. Trust us that know - this is the one to get. Best price/performance/ruggedness/quality that I have ever seen.

BTW, while you are waiting for your Fluke 111 to arrive, hop in the car and drive to Radio Shack, buy an outlet tester, RatShack PN# 22-141. It might save your life someday.

I'm serious.

 

[spaceboy]

ooh, what does that do? apart from test an outlet... and why do I need it?

cheers

 

[John Phillips]

The Flukes are really great meters.

But I'm a vintage analog purist...

This is what I use...

The one on the left is a Model 9 and the one on the right a Model 7 - just slightly different combinations of ranges, and the 9 goes up to 3KV!

Still built today I think (they were when I last looked a couple of years ago - although not at all cheap) and absolutely unbeatable for tube amp work. They're what radio and TV engineers used as standard in the UK from the 50s well into the 70s.

I got both of them from junk shops for a tiny fraction of their real value .

Their only disadvantages are that they're very bulky (8"x6"x4", roughly, and weigh 6lbs) and require a specialist battery, which isn't made any more. It would be possible to build something that would work from modern types (there's plenty of room in the holder), but I just use them for their 'passive' ranges - I have a cheap pocket digital for resistance and diode measurements.