Thor Forums

[Edensob]

The question brings back lots of great memories of teaching adult ed and basic understanding of how to use a multimeters. Suffice it to say that since electricity is not truly a tangible item and it must always be respected, having a good multimeter and understanding what it is telling you will allow you to troubleshoot many electrical items and may save you some cash down the road. I share to following basic information: First, have an idea what result you expect to find when you begin testing. (what voltage, resistance, amperage, continuity or open, is the item isolated or is there back-feeding, etc). Second, make sure you are not checking voltage on the resistance scale (ohms), you my blow an internal fuse and make that function unusable until the fuse is replaced. Third, is to always start your voltage measurements by starting on the highest setting and work your way down. Make sure you are measuring either direct DC or alternating current AC and are on the correct setting or our reading will be faulty and incorrect. Finally, the most important rule to remember is that EVERY tester has a maximum (safe) voltage or current rating. Never exceed that rating when making tests.