AC/DC Clamp meter needed

[Theo]

My clamp meter failed just when I need it.  It started reading 18V DC when measuring the voltage across the terminals of a 12V battery which wasn't being charged!  I could cope with that but the continuity buzzer goes off even when there is only air between the probes and the buzzer sounds as soon as I select DC amps.  Defunct, I think, dead, gone to meet it's maker, turned up its toes.  It is a no longer functional DC clamp meter. (cf MP Dead parrot)

 

I see that on eBay I can buy one for a range of prices starting at about £7 and going on upwards.  What is a sensible price to pay for an instrument that is only used when something goes wrong?

 

Nick

[nicknorman]

May be a silly point but have you tried changing its battery? Sometimes these things display very odd behaviour when they have a weak battery.

 

Regarding a new meter, read the small print very carefully, most of the very cheap ones only do AC current. I doubt you’ll find a dc clamp meter for under £30.

Edited August 10 by nicknorman

[Puffling]

You mention a "clamp meter" but the functions you describe are covered by a simple multimeter. That would also be the device you buy for £7 on eBay.

 

A genuine clamp meter will measure current without the need for any electrical connection between meter and circuit. They are extremely handy in faultfinding charging circuits, or just to monitor current consumption. But you won't buy one for seven quid. And as @nicknorman says, get one which measures AC as well as DC current if you are splashing out.

 

Recommended meter if you want a decent one.

 

Edited August 10 by Puffling

[Theo]

12 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

May be a silly point but have you tried changing its battery? Sometimes these things display very odd behaviour when they have a weak battery.

 

Regarding a new meter, read the small print very carefully, most of the very cheap ones only do AC current. I doubt you’ll find a dc clamp meter for under £30.

The problem appeared only after i had changed the battery!

[nicknorman]

Just now, Theo said:

The problem appeared only after i had changed the battery!

Maybe a dodgy battery or dodgy battery connection?

[Theo]

Good point about checking the small print.  I had only looked at the pictures which were obviousy clamp meters.  What I hadn't check was the ability to use the clamp for DC current.

 

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Theo said:

The problem appeared only after i had changed the battery!

 

Put the old battery back in!

 

 

[Theo]

Just now, nicknorman said:

Maybe a dodgy battery or dodgy battery connection?

I've cleaned up the contacts but until I get home to get my multimeter I can't check battery voltages.

N

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

Put the old battery back in!

 

 

Flat, corroded and discarded!

[MtB]

53 minutes ago, Theo said:

I've cleaned up the contacts but until I get home to get my multimeter I can't check battery voltages.

N

Flat, corroded and discarded!

 

What you need is a digital multi-meter, so you can measure and check the voltage of the new battery you put in...

 

 

[Theo]

12 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

What you need is a digital multi-meter, so you can measure and check the voltage of the new battery you put in...

 

 

Got one of those but it's at home in Herefordshire and I am in Penkridge.

 

I've had a look at some of the clamp meters on eBay and if you look at the pics you can see which of them has a DC Ampere range.  As has been said, the cheap ones only have AC.

 

N

 

 

[GUMPY]

Digital Clamp Meter, Multimeter Bluetooth for Mobile Phone App, 6000 Counts Auto Ranging TRMS, AC/DC Voltage Current Amp Meter, Capacitance, Resistance, Temperature Measurement Tool with LCD Backlit

https://amzn.eu/d/fplLjvn

Not got one 

YET

[Quattrodave]

I like fluke test meters but they are definatly on the pricey side, have a look at the UNI-T range of meters, well built, reliable & pretty accurate, i believe the UNI-T DC Clamp Meter is a UT210...?

 

Personally i'd have a standalone multimeter & a clamp meter, i often find i need both at the same time...

Edited August 11 by Quattrodave

[MtB]

2 hours ago, Quattrodave said:

I like fluke test meters but they are definatly on the pricey side, have a look at the UNI-T range of meters, well built, reliable & pretty accurate, i believe the UNI-T DC Clamp Meter is a UT210...?

 

Personally i'd have a standalone multimeter & a clamp meter, i often find i need both at the same time...

 

I'd second this.

 

I have several of the UNI-T DC clamp meters and they are well-made and reliable over long periods. I have lots of the cheapo seven quid DVMs around as they are cheap, remarkably accurate and constantly useful. I have them in the van, in the boats and in my workshop. But they do fail sometimes so I keep a couple of spares in the cupboard.

 

The DVMs are so cheap and so useful I can't understand why every boater doesn't have one.

 

 

[blackrose]

I've got one of these. I've no idea if it's any good but it seems to do the job. 

 

Vici CM-2016 Handheld Digital Clamp Meter Multimeter AC/DC Volt Amp NCV Tester orange & black

https://amzn.eu/d/56lBQSM

 

[nicknorman]

4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I've got one of these. I've no idea if it's any good but it seems to do the job. 

 

Vici CM-2016 Handheld Digital Clamp Meter Multimeter AC/DC Volt Amp NCV Tester orange & black

https://amzn.eu/d/56lBQSM

 

It doesn’t do dc current, so not much use for 12v systems.

[blackrose]

.

17 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

It doesn’t do dc current, so not much use for 12v systems.

 

It definitely does DC current. You set it to current and use the select button to choose AC or DC 

 

Edited August 11 by blackrose

[Tony Brooks]

Whilst I agree that is what the symbols suggest, the link you gave says rather differently. I have complained before about how Amazon allow misleading information to be published.

[blackrose]

14 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Whilst I agree that is what the symbols suggest, the link you gave says rather differently. I have complained before about how Amazon allow misleading information to be published.

 

Yes I can see the Amazon product ad says it only does AC current, but as shown in my post above it actually does both AC & DC. I've measured DC current on my BT charge cable using this meter so I know it definitely does DC current.

Edited August 11 by blackrose

[Tony Brooks]

Your recommendation and experience holds good, but I have known Amazon illustrations to be works of fiction that caused me to break EU law when an advertiser showed an image of a UK product, but supplied something totally different without the required import paperwork, so I simply do not trust Amazon adds.

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

so I simply do not trust Amazon adds.

But they are not Amazon ads. Amazon is just the platform a particular seller is using, and it is the seller, not Amazon that is responsible for the incorrect information. No reason to think it would be any different on any other platform or on the seller 's own website if they have one.

[MtB]

4 hours ago, blackrose said:

It definitely does DC current.

 

 

Okay.... but is it returning an accurate result? Or just some random value that looks credible? 

 

One would think if it was accurate with DC the listing would claim DC current. And given that decent DC clamp meters cost twice as much as non-DC clamp meters, I find myself inclined to buy one and compare it with my £50 UNI-T!

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, David Mack said:

But they are not Amazon ads. Amazon is just the platform a particular seller is using, and it is the seller, not Amazon that is responsible for the incorrect information. No reason to think it would be any different on any other platform or on the seller 's own website if they have one.

 

Amazon are facilitating fraud on the public, just because successive governments have chosen not to protect their citizens from such practices does not mean Amazon are not responsible. No Amazon, no misleading adverts and frauds. The same applies to Ebay.

 

Making the whole social media companies and advertises like Amazon publishers would be a first good step.

[MtB]

5 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Amazon are facilitating fraud on the public

 

The seller writes the listing, not Amazon, same as on ebay.

 

So it is the seller committing the actual fraud. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

The seller writes the listing, not Amazon, same as on ebay.

 

So it is the seller committing the actual fraud.

 

and Amazon publish it, apparently without any attempt to check its truthfulness, and as far as I can see no penalties. In fact, I had reason to question a recent Amazon entry, so emailed them. They found an excuse about email addresses to avoid dealing with the incorrect listing.

 

A very convenient business model.

[David Mack]

3 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

and Amazon publish it, apparently without any attempt to check its truthfulness,

And how realistically are they supposed to check? And who would check when a product is sold through the advertiser's own website, rather than using a platform like Amazon or Ebay?