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Stop Using Your Multimeter Wrong!

Electronic Wizard

20,714 views

In this video, I'll explain how to use a digital multimeter correctly and go through many of the common mistakes and misconceptions that beginners—and sometimes even experienced users—make.
You'll learn how to correctly use the probes and terminals, perform continuity and resistance tests, measure AC and DC voltage, measure current safely, understand auto-ranging and manual-ranging multimeters, and understand what OL actually means in different situations.
I'll also explain why a multimeter can show incorrect resistance values when you hold a component with your fingers, why you can't always measure a resistor correctly while it's still on a circuit board, why measuring current is completely different from measuring voltage or resistance, and why connecting a multimeter incorrectly to a battery can damage the meter.
We'll also talk about True RMS, CAT II, CAT III, CAT IV, multimeter fuses, and some of the additional features available on many multimeters, including capacitor testing, diode testing, frequency and duty-cycle measurement, and temperature measurement.
Also you will get answers to the questions below in this video!
-How do you use a digital multimeter correctly?
-What is the difference between a digital and an analog multimeter?
-What does OL mean on a multimeter?
-How does the continuity or beep test actually work?
-Can you use the continuity test to determine whether every component is good?
-How do you accurately measure resistance with a multimeter?
-What is the difference between auto-ranging and manual-ranging multimeters?
-How do you correctly measure AC and DC voltage?
-How do you safely measure current with a multimeter?
-What are True RMS, CAT II, CAT III, and CAT IV, and why are they important?

14 Comments

@chandrank5441 3 days ago

Looking forward to more content.

@TotalWarChronicles 4 days ago

i absolutely loved your videos!! i am finally making the transition from electrical engineer to electronics engineer after 10 years. I am studying like a maniac 8 hours per day after work to try to make the transitions, your videos are gold!!

@Mrsteve4761 4 days ago

Excellent video, thank you. I was not aware the continuity test would yield incorrect results in resistance measurement.

@ExpressoMechanicTV 5 days ago

Another excellent video!

@30mAkills 4 days ago

Useful tutorial video easy for beginners.

@wv1vsu 5 days ago

Thank You Dear For Video ❤

@deewells1965 5 days ago (edited)

Great job! Always something new to learn. My only meter is Uni-T UT-33D (roughly 20 years old). Continuity and diode are combined. When it displays a number, it is mV,, not resistance. I had no idea a dedicated continuity setting would be different. While you're on subject of multimeters, you could cover that thorny issue of input impedance. In mV setting, my Uni-T UT-33D Z is 3 GOhm. New meters are more like 0.8 to 10 MOhm. I use that for nA measurements.

@knightwar3 15 hours ago

As you demonstrated not every component that beeps in continuity mode means it's shorted, unfortunately a lot of repair channels i was watching in the past years where using continuity mode, in laptops for example you'll just realize that you have a bunch of capacitors around cpu and gpu beeping LOL even on the pch! since it beeps at around 42ohms! so i was tricked by that.
Continuity mode can still be useful for checking traces but the longer it beeps the faster it drains the batteries.

@abbaselekberov9033 3 days ago

hello sir.thank you for sharing video...PLEASE can you share about 4-20mA and 0-10V signal about?

@zorabixun 5 days ago (edited)

Thank you for very interesting analysis what we can - can't do
For the cold problem take quercetin 4 capsules or 4 tablets ... you will get better fast

@marcfruchtman9473 5 days ago (edited)

Can I use your video to help teach my classes? This would be a great intro!

@MrFransie85 5 days ago

great video! did you think of the amp clamp style multimeter? also theres multimeters with almost complete auto function.

@Conservator. 5 days ago

2:43 I’m not sure Duracell batteries are high quality. I do know that they’re not cheap though. 😉

@mythrah 5 days ago

i know your metrics probably say otherwise but, as a subscriber, i would be 100% more likely to click through if the graphic design on your titles was just a few lines of bold white comic sans, rather than the slop-adjacent poster style you've got going here (hoping it's just slop-*adjacent*)