Multi meters

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Nicholas123

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It looks like I have to buy a multi meter to check the wiring up the mast & make sure that the various bulbs are working before I raise the mast so could I get away with buying a cheapo simple one for 3/4 quid or do I need special features for yacht work that I am liable to encounter?
 
I find a Hold feature useful, and also some functionality as an ammeter. Digital ones can overimpress with hundredths of a volt, but the figures are quicker to read than looking at a needle and scale.

There's a new Draper out, with a clamp function, which is very useful for seeing if you have current flowing in a wire - e.g. checking if there is something depleting th ebatteries when nominally it is all switched off.

http://www.toolstop.co.uk/draper-04698-dcm1b-autoranging-digital-clamp-meter-p43505
 
Nicholas123 said:
It looks like I have to buy a multi meter to check the wiring up the mast & make sure that the various bulbs are working before I raise the mast so could I get away with buying a cheapo simple one for 3/4 quid or do I need special features for yacht work that I am liable to encounter?
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A cheapie will be adequate for your use.

I have a couple of Maplins cheapest. They are sometime available on a BOGOF offer but at the moment they are offering free delivery on orders over £10

http://www.maplin.co.uk/home-and-diy/test-equipment/multimeters

A continuity buzzer is the feature they dont have which can be useful so if you want to spend a bit more dosh than the minimum get one with a buzzer.
 
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Nicholas123 said:
It looks like I have to buy a multi meter to check the wiring up the mast & make sure that the various bulbs are working before I raise the mast so could I get away with buying a cheapo simple one for 3/4 quid or do I need special features for yacht work that I am liable to encounter?
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I say get a cheap one £5.

Moisture and a Fluke don't go together.

I post this at 11:57, but it has to be moderated, so it may be seen later on.
 
Caution - that particular meter mentioned looks like it only measures AC current.

Of course, things change, but it certainly used to be the case that cheap clamp meters only work on AC, so that's what prompted me to look it up :D
 
It has occurred to me that as there are several lights up the mast I won't know if one is dud which one it is because I don't know which plug leads to which light & that therefore I have no choice but to wire them up with a battery to see which if any work.Back to the drawing board.
 
A buzzer is a really useful feature for bulb checking. At the dry plug on the deck I can check that 12v is getting there then the buzzer for the up and down. Most times I find its the socket not connecting properly if there is any problem.

For the simple test I have a NASA BM1 Battery monitor - when I turn anything on I can see a change in amps if its working and at night of course all becomes clear !
 
AC ONLY

Durcott said:
Caution - that particular meter mentioned looks like it only measures AC current.

Of course, things change, but it certainly used to be the case that cheap clamp meters only work on AC, so that's what prompted me to look it up :D
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It does measure ac current only and is therefore pretty useless around a boat. I personally use a Fluke which will measure both ac and dc up to 600A. Only problem is you are looking at £300 +.
 
BERT T said:
It does measure ac current only and is therefore pretty useless around a boat. I personally use a Fluke which will measure both ac and dc up to 600A. Only problem is you are looking at £300 +.
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It does a lot more than just measure AC current. It measures AC and DC volts, temperature, resistance but it does not measure DC amps
 
Nicholas123 said:
It has occurred to me that as there are several lights up the mast I won't know if one is dud which one it is because I don't know which plug leads to which light & that therefore I have no choice but to wire them up with a battery to see which if any work.Back to the drawing board.
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If you can get at the connections while they're live then switch them all on and see which one is showing a 12 volt + difference across live and neutral.
 
Cheap & Cheerful

+ 1 for the cheap and cheerful option. You are not looking for a calibrated instrument, simply something to do trace and compare with on low voltage DC circuits. Most have a resistance feature, and may have a continuity checker (buzzer) built in. Current ranges are typically limited to 10 amps, but enough to check if a bulb is running or not.
 
Nicholas123 said:
It has occurred to me that as there are several lights up the mast I won't know if one is dud which one it is because I don't know which plug leads to which light & that therefore I have no choice but to wire them up with a battery to see which if any work.Back to the drawing board.
Click to expand...

Just get one with a continuity buzzer and take the bulbs out one by one, you should be able to find out which lead goes to which bulb, a decent multi-meter is a useful bit of kit to have onboard, I have one which lives on the boat :)
 
davidej said:
You can do most electrical jobs on a boat (or a car) using just a car sidelight bulb with two lengths of wire soldered onto the terminals and minature crock clips at each end.
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You can only test for volts using a test bulb although I agree that it is useful to have. A cheapo multimeter can test volts and continuity which is what the OP needs. He can then test if there is 12v at the deck socket and then test the wiring up the mast for continuity from the plug. If no continuity from the plug - take the plug off at test the actual wires (faults are often with the plug). If still no joy, it's probably the bulb and he'll have to get out the bosun's chair.
 
ghostlymoron said:
You can only test for volts using a test bulb although I agree that it is useful to have. A cheapo multimeter can test volts and continuity which is what the OP needs. He can then test if there is 12v at the deck socket and then test the wiring up the mast for continuity from the plug. If no continuity from the plug - take the plug off at test the actual wires (faults are often with the plug). If still no joy, it's probably the bulb and he'll have to get out the bosun's chair.
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There are times when a test lamp is more useful than a multimeter.

Digital voltmeters draw so little current that they can often give you a " normal " reading even when there is a bad connection in the circuit.

A bulb draws some current. If there is bad connection it will not light properly.
 
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Nicholas123 said:
It has occurred to me that as there are several lights up the mast I won't know if one is dud which one it is because I don't know which plug leads to which light & that therefore I have no choice but to wire them up with a battery to see which if any work.Back to the drawing board.
Click to expand...
Just done that today to check everything is really working before I put the mast up. Used a small 12V sealed battery with one connection a flying lead. Most reassuring to have SWMBO shout out when there is light.
 
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