A voltage detector is essential tool to every handyman, craftsman, tradesman, and engineer. The handyman and craftsman would use the small analog voltmeter in the bottom right to measure small time voltages every so often. The tradesman would use the voltage detector at the top in red to check high voltage levels from 120V to 600V. The engineer would use the voltmeter, or more specifically digital multimeter (DMM) located at the bottom left in yellow, to measure circuit values. Anyone and everyone should have the pencil voltage detector in yellow at the top right to detect the presence of electrical potential without any contact. This little guy can and has saved many lives.
Today I will focus on the DMM, since it is widely used in engineering. A good multimeter should be able to test AC/DC voltage, AC/DC current, resistance, continuity, diodes, and capacitance. Some meters may also feature transistor testing, a nice feature. A good multimeter should cost around $100-$150 and should have a replaceable fuse (try and get a few spares because if you mess up measuring current you will for sure blow a fuse). The video below teaches the basics of electronics components and taking measurements with a DMM.
Hey--a great post! I had no idea there were so many voltage detectors (my husband probably knows this in his sleep!). I really like the shifted focus to tools for your blog. And your tone here is casual but respectful. Also this post is not laden with jargon, which I appreciate.
ReplyDeleteThe video is good but it's long. When you have a video longer than 2.5 minutes (or so), tell us how much to watch or which minutes are most important. Most people--unless they're really motivated--won't watch the whole thing.