Multimeter Tips - Common Mistakes to Avoid

This video covers common mistakes beginners make when using multimeter. I talk about some tips and tricks to help you stay safe and keep your multimeter working. Hope it helps.
Check out our recommended meters below.
My Favorite Budget Meter - amzn.to/3FjjtFm
For Electricians the Fluke 117 - amzn.to/3jUKhBM
If you need a more affordable good meter amzn.to/38WHrtH
If you need an even more affordable meter - I can't recommend one yet because the only one cheaper I have found are all kind of dangerous (in certain situations) but if you are dealing with low voltage dc signals as a hobbyist just about any meter works
*These links are affiliate links - they don't cost you anymore to buy from them and are a great way to support our channel. I always recommend checking/pricing out multiple spots for high cost meters.
Topics covered: multimeter tutorial, multimeter safety tips, multimeter tips and tricks

[@jaymesjmathias9390]

"Auto Ranger" , Great pointer, Thanks!

[@HTMWorkshop]

Did I miss anything? Check out our recommended meters below. My Favorite Budget Meter - amzn.to/3FjjtFm For Electricians the Fluke 117 - amzn.to/3jUKhBM If you need a more affordable good meter amzn.to/38WHrtH

[@Grassislong]

I blew my meter trying to measure amperage on a ceiling rose, unaware that this caused a parallel circuit, and caused a short and tripped my fuse board and blew meter

[@bricolage_en_ruine9755]

great property/life-saving info here,appreciated. 9:48 could you explain what happened here in regards to settings(before you turned on power)?

[@HTMWorkshop]

yes - basically I have the meter probe in the wrong input jack. The 10A jack is fused but the uA jack is not fused. So by leaving the red probe in the microamp input jack and running a high current through the meter, the first resistor to take all the current turns into smoke. Hope that helps

[@cremvustila]

Measuring current by connecting the meter in parallel with the power source (just a 9V battery in your example which is harmless) makes no sense and can, at best, blow your DMM fuse.

[@HTMWorkshop]

I’m not sure if your talking about the current measurement - which had a resistor in the circuit. Or the time I measure voltage - but in both cases there is a resistor in the circuit. In the first case the resistor is in the circuit when I measured current(so low current). When you just measure voltage there is resistance in the meter itself and will definitely not blow the fuse of your meter unless you go over the voltage/current limits (which are very high, orders of magnitude higher than that of a 9v battery). If you provide a time stamp I can explain in more detail

[@cremvustila]

@@HTMWorkshop I am referring to 9:10 - 9:25

[@HTMWorkshop]

@@cremvustila ​ @cremvustila Got it, yes that is definitely a situation to be aware of, for time/simplicity sake I did measure the max current of the battery directly but I knew that the current would be below the max meter current (10 amp fuse) from experience. You could easily max that out though if you are not careful in a circuit and you measure a larger power supply. Whenever you measure current you need to be careful if you are unaware of the max amperage, just comes down to knowing the circuit. The point of the measurement is to show you have to change the ports when measuring current - I do show what happens when you overload the meter later in the video (but of course I use the unfused port or the cheap meter)

[@cremvustila]

@@HTMWorkshop Right! We are on the same page then! 👍

[@juliesettle5948]

Also, thank you!

[@juliesettle5948]

I love the electronics videos yall make. I want ALL the knowledge 😂

[@HTMWorkshop]

Thanks! Another one is coming this Friday : )

[@sirchristopher7684]

I just did the last mistake, having the multimeter on the amps setting attempting to measure my e-bike battery voltage.

[@HTMWorkshop]

Oh no…hope the meter want to expensive…does it have a fuse?

[@Domnu.]

If rotary switch can rotate 360 degree and it is symethric, you can not see the line from it and use it in a wrong setting. It happened to me on my first cheap analog multimeter. 😂 I burn it from first atempt.😂😂😂

[@rumorscameras]

again, the new models from other brands have signals t show the user which ports to use, and auto switchin

[@onlygoodcrypto]

What happens if you test for volts while the meter is set to ohms?

[@HTMWorkshop]

You should be ok - the multimeter will apply a small voltage to test the resistance - but your meter should be fine

[@Haydar_king]

I have question if you don't mind my digital multimeter the 10A input has 250V and mA input also has 250V so is it safe if I don't switch when measuring voltage but only change when measuring Amps? my multimeter type is ingco DM200

[@HTMWorkshop]

I am not sure I completely understand your setup but usually - There will always be a dedicated voltage port - that voltage port may also have a low current ameter as well - for cheaper meters. Then there I’ll be a high current port (ameter). So you may be able to measure current if the amperage is low but it is not ideal - usually the result a multimeter company trying to save money

[@GirlOnAQuest]

How reliable and good is the budget Fluke 101 Basic Digital Multimeter?

[@HTMWorkshop]

If it’s a fluke it’s going to be very reliable, and sure it does everything you need it to

[@tek2313]

I noticed that you measured the 9v battery while setting it to amps and the numbers were bouncing? does this damage your fluke multimeter? Can a 9v battery damage meters if set in the wrong settings whether it's current or resistance?

[@HTMWorkshop]

I can’t speak for all meters but a 9v battery is not going to be able to supply a high enough current to damage a meter - so no it did not damage the meter . However if you did this with a high voltage higher current source then yes you can damage your meter

[@tek2313]

@@HTMWorkshop Thank you for answering.

[@mariusz1977]

why, to compare these bad settings, I didn't test the fluke settings for amperes and connect the voltage to 120V with bad settings fluke 9V and a cheap multimeter 120V is not ok

[@rumorscameras]

117 is a bit old, now the new tech in other brands u put it on v it detects ac dc by itself

[@justaguy4real]

nice effort, but to be straight up, you blab and beat around the bush too much. i watched & listened and finished still unsure of things.