Quick Tip: Measuring Low Current With Your Amp Clamp

Hey again guys, this quick "hack" as the kids say it will show you how to measure low currents with your amp clamp!
This is NOT an April Fools prank by the way!
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/ simpleelectronics

[@sollykhan2385]

Thank you for this awesome short video,,,what can i say except 'SHOCKING' 🙂

[@Neovo.Geesink]

Just Zero it at the exact spot where you do the reading. Then it will be accurate. :-) In a DC Measurement, any shift / rotation will be seen by the meter. Even the Earth Machnetic field couses a great shift.

[@dodutils]

I do not understand the goal of this trick (whenever I know it for a long time) because if you can do such multiple ring then you can disconnect the wires so why not simply use a classic ampmeter function of a classic multimeter ? that will be even more accurate without any trick needed.

[@SimpleElectronics]

Just another tool to keep in your toolbox of knowledge, that's all! Plus, if you are not sure of the output current, it could save you a fuse

[@divingquokka]

Since you can open the clamp, you can also wind a sufficiently long wire without having to disconnect it.

[@andries1704]

Dod Utils If you would have listened well he said if you only have this meter and this meter can not measure the amps by using in within the circuit. Practical in the field you will hardly be able to do the trick as you don't have the much lenght available and the clampmeter diameter will be a boundary. But nevertheless it might come handy at times.

[@gandsnut]

Last summer I bought some variety of [this kind] of clamp meter. I have yet to test it out, and to try your method shown here. When testing time comes, FWIW, I'd try 1) coiled solid wire, 2) coiled stranded wire, 3) light vs. heavier gauge conductor for 1) & 2) and possibly 4) scatter-wound vs. careful-wound coils. Yes, sounds anal-retentive testing, but who knows what those variations might produce in the measuring outcome.

[@SimpleElectronics]

Ehh we are tinkerers, trying new stuff is what we do. when you do test it, let me know the results. I would think that the current values will fluctuate more within a sample than it would between samples so I don't think you would get super accurate results, but you never know until you try right?

[@12mak]

I have a huge 600a clamp for an oscilloscope. I need a smaller clamp for parasitic draw. I'm going to do this with a wire in series with the terminal/post on the battery to read current. thanks

[@SimpleElectronics]

awesome!

[@mortenlund1418]

Thanks so much for this. Great.

[@TheDoh007]

To hold the wires together, you could also go back 1 turn, then slightly wrap it around the coil as you redo the last turn, using the wire to hold itself together =)

[@Canada_Immigration_Bible]

Thanks for the video. How reliable is UNI-T Brand ????? How many years have you used ???

[@Canada_Immigration_Bible]

You could have first showed the milli amp measurement by measuring the milliamp in series (series ammeter measurement) to show the actual milli amp current, then showed the final method to prove you are right.

[@Phantom-mk4kp]

Have you ever been inside to find a directly proportional output voltage that could be sent to a scope.

[@AdventuresofGraywolf]

Not a very scientific example to zero the single wire several feet away from it and then measure compared to wrapping the wires an zeroing with the wrap inside the clamp. To show any difference you should have zeroed the first measurement clamped around the single wire. Also, you're changing the impedance of the wire by making it longer and turning it into an inductor

[@Redkit34]

Can I measure amps with a clamp meter as I do it with a multimeter? If I cannot manage to do your trick I want to connect the cable serially to the clamp meter and use it as a multimeter. I ask cause I dont have any clamp meter I am gonna buy it soon.

[@SimpleElectronics]

no, on this model, current is only done via the clamp

[@Redkit34]

@@SimpleElectronics Thank you, I couldnt find anything about that on the internet.

[@modernviewscience6745]

That was awesome! Very practical and useful, thanks.

[@chrisofnottingham]

Tip at 1:14

[@jwgmail]

So I think you misspoke at 0:40 when you said zero point zero one three, right? You meant to say zero point zero zero one three.

[@SimpleElectronics]

I did, thanks!

[@doktercanbus7504]

How low amp this clamp meter can measure accurately.... 4 to 20 mA?

[@SimpleElectronics]

yeah down around 10mA it can still be trusted - I use it for parasitic draw in the shop

[@doktercanbus7504]

@@SimpleElectronics nice tq

[@eddiekytia]

Hey buddy! Hoping you can help me with a clamp meter. I dont know much but truly looking to learn! I want to purchase a clamp meter under 200 for AC AND DC current I'm looking for something SAFE/WELL PROTECTED and capable of reading AC AND DC current from .5 amps to 60 amps as accurately as possible through the clamp. Do you have 1,2 or 3 suggestions. I was looking at the Klein cl800 but someone told me it will not read AC AND DC current through the clamp down to half amp accurately..... THANKS FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN PROVIDE ME

[@WhomGodGiveth]

Your hilarious , I like to play my games on hard mode! Good tip though!

[@juansimon5802]

Cant you just make a shunt and use the leads instead of the clamp?

[@JohnUsp]

What about the Inductance and Capacitance created?

[@SimpleElectronics]

Negligible at low current

[@balokurd17]

Or maybe just use the tip of your clamp, you can 'bite' the wire with it. (especially when you're in tight space).

[@mqblowe]

Bloody glad this was published on April 1st. I was just about to go ape shit. :) This video is wrong on so many levels it's bloody scary. It was an April Fool's wasn't it??

[@SimpleElectronics]

What is wrong about it?

[@justmemyselfandi5532]

@@SimpleElectronics It is ratio of turns that amplifies actual reading is not applicable on wide range. You do not have linear reading it is just some number you can not trust to be used as measuring principle. Your idea is useful only for specific system where you do know and have measured specific details and than you only want your inappropriate tool to show you rough value in narrow range.

[@tomgreysk]

Good jop

[@lethanwolfe4788]

Totally wrong he shows read at 0.013. Then times 20 it shows 0.026 it should show 0.26 it didn't do the math