Does anyone use analog multimeters anymore?

[bonneyman]

I think I still had my flip phone back when this thread started.

Good one!

 

[Roberts210]

......I wonder how long it will be before I am able to wind up some envious mechanic by telling him that it's the limited edition 'Snap On phone'!......

Sell it to him at Snap On prices.

 

[n8n]

The main gripe with me and digital meters is the batteries. They're either going dead at the worst time, or they bulge and leak caustic goo into the meter and ruin it. Test lights/continuity checkers are cheap and quickly replaced if the battery goes ****. Could be the quality of batteries has dropped but it is what it is.

Very rarely do I need to actually measure ohms, so, going to an analog Amprobe without the battery and a test light with a battery was a no-brainer. Though after years of using digital meters exclusively it took a bit to get back in the analog swing of things. Have two digital clamp meters left - when they die I'll be all-analog.

Analog always!

I am using NiMH cells/batteries in anything I care about these days for just this reason. Duracell Ion Core for AA and AAA; Tenergy Centura for 9V; for C and D cells there are adapters available to hold multiple AAA or AA cells in the same form factor. Got sick of exactly what you describe above; NiMH don't leak. Am using a Maha C9000 for the AA/AAA and whatever charger they sell for the 9V.

 

[exmaxima1]

I am using NiMH cells/batteries in anything I care about these days for just this reason. Duracell Ion Core for AA and AAA; Tenergy Centura for 9V; for C and D cells there are adapters available to hold multiple AAA or AA cells in the same form factor. Got sick of exactly what you describe above; NiMH don't leak. Am using a Maha C9000 for the AA/AAA and whatever charger they sell for the 9V.

But they are heavy and they self-discharge very quickly sitting on the shelf (I read 20% in the first 24 hrs). I keep them on a charger and pop them into electronics like remote controls and wireless mice.

 

[Farmer J.]

Sell it to him at Snap On prices.

HA ha, great idea! It could be a bit cruel though, so will only try it if they're trying to rip me off..

 

[Vahispd]

I picked up a used Simpson 260 about 10 years ago. I learned electronics on them in the 80's and everyone I worked with asked why I wanted "that old thing".

My main use for the analog is checking for flat or dead spots in things like TPS on cars. The numbers jump too much on a digital, but watching the needle on an analog for a bounce is easy.

I use my digital Flukes for almost everything else.

 

[lilredex]

My analog meter (bought new) dates to 1955 and was made in Ajax, Ontario. But mostly use my powered test light.

 

[Gustheman]

I find them useful when doing adjustments on tuned electronic circuits, the movement of the needle gives me a better feeling of tuning response.

 

[Mcostas]

Each has its place.
There are features the DVM can do out side of the temp mode that are not available in analog mode. But searching for an intermittent connection an analog works best.
In full sunlight the analog makes life easier.

but why bring up a thread from 5 years ago

I'm new and enjoying this thread. I had a small, probably cheap, analog meter and stupidly threw it away, a battery had corroded in it. I'm sure I could have cleaned it up, or just used it for voltage but I have other DMM's and didn't think I would use it.

Now that I'm retired and doing some things around the house I wish I would have kept it. I actually got one yesterday only to find the needle frozen at a specific place, it was a cheapie, I returned it.

I completely overlooked pawn shops as a source for multimeters, I might check it out although I probably have what I need for what I do, except for a decent analog.

 

[cvairwerks]

Mcostas: Troll evilbay and pick up a Simpson 260. Should be able to get a decent one, for under a hundred bucks with shipping. The 260 has been in production since 1937 and is still considered one of the best instruments in the test world. Just be advised that the Series 7 and 8 models have reversed banana jacks and you will have to have the correct style cables to connect.

 

[Roberts210]

I've got an old Radio Shack meter. Use it all the time. And I have 2 flip phones too. Both are dumb phones, and not connected to the Internet.

 

[csp]

Had a guy testing my well electric when the pump went out several years ago and he didn't know how to apply how he uses an analog meter to digital. His analog was probably 30 years old.

 

[4xdog]

A buddy was able to restore and return to excellent calibration the old Heathkit VTVM my late brother built in high school in the 1970s. It gets used once in a while to keep the dust blown off, but most of the time it's on the shelves in my office.

 

[theoldwizard1]

A buddy was able to restore and return to excellent calibration the old Heathkit VTVM my late brother built in high school in the 1970s. It gets used once in a while to keep the dust blown off, but most of the time it's on the shelves in my office.

VTVMs were hot stuff in the day ! Their win was very high impedance so that they did not "load" the circuit. All digital meters have high impedance which can be a problem. Lower impedance would prevent "ghost voltage" readings.

 

[RTM]

Buddy of mine prefers an analog meter while looking for transient problems, much easier to watch for the transitions, and get their scale, than on a digital meter, which is just jibberish numbers.

 

[rharman]

A buddy was able to restore and return to excellent calibration the old Heathkit VTVM my late brother built in high school in the 1970s. It gets used once in a while to keep the dust blown off, but most of the time it's on the shelves in my office.

I built one of those in the early 70's. I was 16 years old and interested in electronics. Sadly, I never got into the field and had zero use for the meter I so painstakingly built. Looked good on a shelf though.