Klein MM200 voltage read out?

[928'er]

I just picked up a Klein MM200 multimeter on ebay.

When I turn it on to AC it reads ~.140 V and counts down to about .036 in several seconds.

When I switch to DC, it reads ~ -25.0 mv and starts counting down to about -21.0 and seems to fluctuate counting up and down in the teens to twenty to 30 mv range, over several minutes. I don't think it ever stabilizes.

Both ranges are without load.

When I apply a load such as a DC battery or a 120V AC outlet, it seems to read correctly.

Just wondering if the erratic behavior on startup (especially on DC) is normal.

 

[PBCampbell]

Ghost voltage is the term

 

[Vvmvbb]

Not too unusual. A meter with open leads is an undefined condition, so need not report anything in particular (i.e. who cares what it reads in that configuration ).

What does it read when you connect the leads to each other. Should read 0v, ac or dc. There could be a zeroing function to make it so.

 

[American Locomotive]

Multimeters have a very high impedance (resistance) between two leads. This is what allows you to hook a meter to a circuit without really affecting the circuit itself. This resistance is very high, typically over 1 megaohm. What that means, is that your meter probes will actually build up charge just hanging around in free air. Static electricity, radio waves, magnetic fields, etc... will all cause a small potential to build up on your meter leads.

 

[928'er]

Thanks guys.

What does it read when you connect the leads to each other. Should read 0v, ac or dc. There could be a zeroing function to make it so.

Yeah, when I touch the leads together, it counts down to 0 within a few seconds.

I was a little nervous since the seller also seems to be selling "lots" of meters for parts. Just trying to make sure I got a working one.