hi!

i need something that is going to be fairly future proof, if i decide to get more into electronics (i.e. building kits) but currently need something to test cables and general electronics pottering about in the studio.

below £50.

suggestions please!!! thanks in advance

Hi Bill!

I would have thought any reasonable DMM would do the job - here's one from Maplin at £39.99 for instance:

www.maplin.co.uk/ut60a-autoranging-digital-multimeter-with-pc-interface-46 381




Martin

--------------------
YewTreeMagic

Got something similar to that myself. TBH though I find auto-ranging a pain, and it doesn't do much that a cheaper DMM can't do just as well.

I've also got a small cheapo one that lives in my go-to box of adaptors and stuff, for emergency diagnosis of problems at the gig. You might as well start with one of them, and get a fancier one later if you feel you need it.

Nowt wrong with the Maplins ones! (I wish I could say that for everything else in there..)
I got a good (Precision Gold) meter there some time ago, and its still going strong. And it was only £20-£30.. Plus it does all kinds of stuff which I later found quite useful, such as testing transistors for gain matching, etc.

--------------------
Paul

http://cpc.farnell.com/extech-instruments/ex330/multimeter-dmm-v-detect/dp /IN04961

This^ is said to have a capacitance range of 200mfd to ONE puff! Handy for the hobbyist for you definately want a capacitance range but many meters do not go below 22 or even 47nF (but there are tricks!).
If you are likely to mess with power amps or power supplies a temperature range is nice to have with the associated standard two pin input. For a little more than £50 you could get a SPL facilty as well. Frequency is pretty vital as well.
But! Whatever you buy as the main meter buy a second super cheapy as well. This can knock about for day to day work and many times you will find having two meters on a circuit far easier and generally safer than re plugging one. This last is especially true of valve circuits.

Also invest in some (insulated!) croc-croc leads. Much safer to "croc up" THEN switch on!

Dave.

That one (Dave's) looks like a bargain, and I agree very much with his comments about a 2nd meter etc.

Also be cautious with auto ranging meters. It is very easy to confuse 230mV with 230V, whereas with a manually selected range the mistake is impossible to make. I know some meters show a lighting strike when there is a high voltage but when you are deep in thought you can easily miss this.

Finally, get into the habit of removing the probes from the meter immediately after measuring current. Forgetting can do a lot of damage!

--------------------
It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Ah, I hadn’t noticed the auto-ranging on that Mapplin model - these modern youngsters are too clever by half

Like others I’d prefer to stick with the old and trusted manual range variety - start high and work your way down


Martin

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YewTreeMagic

I've got one of these

http://cpc.farnell.com/duratool/dt830b/multimeter-digital/dp/IN05645
which was dirt cheap and works fine for general testing. The only thing missing is an audible continuity tester. I have also heard that they're not so good once you get over a couple of hundred volts so they're no good for valve gear.

I've never really needed frequency or capacitance on a multimeter and temperature on most meters tends to be limited to 1000 degrees which is too low for the stuff I need temperature measurement for.

James.

--------------------
JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Yes James that looks fine for the beginner.

They should not be poking about in valve kit* anyway yet! Same with measuring the mains...Don't! If it is there fine, you can't do jack about it if it is wrong anyway! And anyway it almost never is wrong.
Audible conn' test? Yes, pretty vital if you are making a lot of leads but then a continuity buzzer+LED is great first project (just don't test transistors with it!) along with a small test amplifier, one based on the LM386 is very forgiving.
Cap tester? I buy Maps' lucky bags and either the code defeats me (along with the new fangled resistor code!) or there isn't one. I also have a very nice Levell audio oscillator but you can't trust the frequency scale for dead accurate work, not that I do any these days, accurate that is, I still dabble!
*But noobs, try to learn it safely if you can.I predict that if valve amps ARE still around in 20years time you will be able to buy a Roller AND put petrol in it!

Dave.