How to Use Multimeter – Multimeter is a tool that serves to measure Voltage (Voltage), Ampere (Electric Current), and Ohm (Resistance / Resistance) in one unit. Multimeters are often referred to as Multitester or AVOMeter (short for Ampere Volt Ohm Meter). There are 2 types of Multimeters in displaying the results of measurements, namely Analog Multimeter (AMM) and Digital Multimeter (DMM).
In connection with the demand for the accuracy of measurement value and ease of use and supported by increasingly affordable prices, Digital Multimeter (DMM) is becoming more popular and more widely used by Electronics Technicians or Electronics hobbyists.
With the development of technology, now a Multimeter or Multitester can not only measure Ampere, Voltage and Ohm or abbreviated as AVO, but can also measure Capacitance, Frequency and Induction in one unit (especially on Digital Multimeters). Some multimeter measurement capabilities that are widely available in the market include:
- Voltage AC and DC units of Volt measurement
- Current (Electric Current) ampere unit of measurement
- Resistance (Resistance) of Ohm units of measurement
- Capacitance (Capacitance) unit of measurement of Farad
- Frequency (Frequency) of Hertz units of measurement
- Inductance (inductance) henry’s unit of measurement
- Diode Measurement or Testing
- Measurement or Testing of Transistors
Important parts of multimeter
Multimeter or multitester generally consists of 3 important parts, the name is:
- Display
- Saklar Selector
- Probe
The image below is the form of Analog Multimeter and Digital Multimeter along with its important parts.
How to Use Multimeters to Measure Voltage, Electric Current and Resistance
Here’s how to use a Multimeter to measure some of the basic functions of a Multimeter such as Volt Meter (measuring voltage), Ampere Meter (measuring electric current) and Ohm Meter (measuring Resistance or Resistance)
How to Measure DC Voltage
- Set Selector Switch Position to DCV
- Choose a scale according to the estimated voltage to be measured. If you want to measure 6 Volts, turn the selector switch to 12 Volts (analog multimeter only)**If you do not know the height of the measured voltage, it is advisable to choose a higher voltage scale to avoid damage to the multimeter.
- Connect the probe to the voltage terminal to be measured. Red Probe on Positive terminal (+) and Black Probe to Negative terminal (-). Be careful not to turn it upside down.
- Read the measurement results in the Multimeter Display.
How to Measure AC Voltage (AC Voltage)
- Set Selector Switch Position to ACV
- Select the scale according to the estimated voltage to be measured. If you want to measure 220 Volts, turn the selector switch to 300 Volts (analog multimeter only)**If you do not know the height of the measured voltage, it is advisable to choose the highest voltage scale to avoid damage to the multimeter.
- Connect the probe to the voltage terminal to be measured. For AC Voltage, there is no Negative (-) and Positive polarity (+)
- Read the measurement results in the Multimeter Display.
How to Measure Electric Current (Ampere)
- Set selector Switch Position to DCA
- Select the scale according to the estimated current to be measured. If the current to be measured is 100mA then turn the selector switch to 300mA (0.3A). If the measured current exceeds the selected scale, then the fuse in the Multimeter will break. We have to replace it before we can wear it again.
- Disconnect The power supply path connected to the load,
- Then connect the Multimeter probe to the Terminal Path that we decide on. Red Probe to Positive Voltage Output (+) and Black Probe to Voltage Input (+) Load or Circuit that we will measure. For more details, please see the following image.
- Read the measurement results in Multimeter Display
How to Measure Resistors (Ohm)
- Set Selector Switch Position to Ohm (Ω)
- Select the scale according to the Ohm estimate to be measured. It usually starts with the “X” sign which means “Kali”. (Analog Multimeter)
- Connect the probe to the Resistor component, there is no polarity, so it can be reversed.
Read the measurement results in the Multimeter Display. (Especially for Analog Multimeter, it is necessary to adjust to the setting in step 2
Read also Definition of Active Electronic Components and Passive Electronic Components helped.
