Companies like Fluke, distributed in South Africa by Comtest, ensure that its devices can deliver the best results no matter the environmental circumstances or situations.
Fluke’s 83V multimeter packs a lot of power in its punch, delivering accurate readings that are easily read by operators. Here are a couple of things to remember when using a multimeter…
Measuring DC voltage
- Turn the dial to DC voltage. Some digital multimeters (DMMs) also include DC millivolts.
- Insert the black probe into the COM jack.
- Insert the red probes into the V ¿ jack. NB! When you are finished, remove the probes in reverse order: Red first, then black.
- Connect the test probes to the circuit: Black to the negative polarity test point (circuit ground), and red to the positive test point.
- Read the measurement in the display.
- Modern multimeters default to Autorange based on the function selected on the dial. To select a specific fixed measurement range, press the RANGE button multiple times until the desired range is selected. If the voltage measurement falls within the range of a lower DC millivolts setting, follow these steps:
- Press the HOLD button to capture a stable measurement. It can be viewed after the measurement is complete.
- Press the MIN/MAX button to capture the lowest and highest measurements. The DMM beeps each time a new reading is recorded.
- Press the relative (REL) or delta button to set the DMM to a specific reference value. Measurements above and below the reference value are displayed.
Voltage measurement analysis
Voltage measurements are normally taken to establish that voltage exists at a given point and ensure that the voltage is at the proper level.
AC voltages can vary widely (between -10% and +5% of the power source rating) and cause no problems in a circuit. Yet with DC voltages, even small variations may indicate trouble.
The exact amount of acceptable DC voltage variation depends on the application.
In some DC applications, large DC variations are not only acceptable but intentional.
Enquiries: www.comtest.co.za
