Multimeter.. An Essential tool..

What is a multi-meter?

A multi-meter has many, many uses. But it basically is used to verify how circuits. This in includes checking voltage, Amps, watts(in more advanced versions of it), resistance(as in Ohms). This is one of the most important tools that you will use, as it can verify if your current is going where you want it, or it can check if your going to blow out your LED if you turn on the power. It can literately do anything(almost).

Probes
What are probes? Probes are the main part of the multi-meter. They are the part of the multi-meter that actually gets the input of what you are checking. Another words, they allow you to connect the meter to the circuit. They looks alot like this:

Some brands give you multiple probes to use for different uses, some are designed especially for higher current. It all depends on the purpose. The sets of probes are usually rated in the following form:

• CAT I
• CAT II
• CAT III
• etc.

With the lowest tolerating the lowest amount of current/voltage, and vice versa. The higher the cable rating the thinker the cable will be, which makes measuring higher current easy without fear of melting the cable or burning them. However, the thinker the cable, the more resistance there will be.

Also, makes sure that you connect the probes in the right order. For instance, when measuring a 9- VOLT battery, Connect the Red probe to the “-” part of the battery, and the black probe to the “+” part of it. Otherwise you will get a negative result.

Ports

The ports of a multi-meter are the place where the probes plug into. Dependaing on your type of meter, you may have several:

• Common ports
• Resistance and Voltage port
• High current ports

Common ports are the where you usually plug the probes into. As the name suggests, they are the most commonly used ports. The black probe goes into the negative port, and the red one goes into the positive port.

Resistance and voltage ports are used to measure voltage readings and circuit continuity.

The high current ports have more detailed uses. They are usually used to count the electron in the wire, and by that you can determine the rate of flow, since current IS in essence the flow of electrons). HOWEVER! Most multi-meters do not have this port equipped.

Symbols Explained:

Those are the basic parts of it, I will now explain the actual symbols on the meter(I bet you were wondering what they were for).

DC: Means Direct current, usually batters or transformed AC current.

AC: Means Alternating Current, all current that alternates is AC. The wire that is charging your phone is connected to AC input.

Current: Is the number of Amps in the voltage, basically how strong the voltage is.

Voltage: The potential difference between two wires.

Resistance: Is usually encountered with resistors. It is measured in Ohms. If you know the voltage from the mian power source you can determine the resistance with the multi-meter. You can slo measure it by turning the dial to the side of the multi-meter with the omega symbols.

Continuity: Tells you if the circuit runs all the way through without stopping and no detours.

If I missed anything in this tutorial, let me know! Feedback is appreciated