View Full Version : Test meter bargain.
awkwardbydesign
19-03-2015, 16:42
My "living room cupboard" multimeter had to be binned, as it was unreliable, so I looked for another £10 meter. Just something for quick checks, to save me going up into the loft workshop for a better one.
Well blow me down, the Precision Gold WG020 meter from Maplin is now down to £9.99! I already use one of these, as it has capacitance, inductance and frequency ranges plus all the usual. Ordered it quick in case they change their minds! Pick up in 3 days from the local store, to save the postage cost.
Get one while you can. I had one for years until the roof leaked on it and killed it; they used to be about £40! It's not a pro meter, and it's definitely not waterproof, but if you are a hobbyist it's pretty good.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/precision-gold-wg020-digital-multimeter-gw26d
http://images.maplinmedia.co.uk/precision-gold-wg020-digital-multimeter.jpg?w=283&h=283&r=4&o=@2xFZEuNVNrMYSLFfpcfEnjh5RIj&V=zoNA
Pretty similar to mine; a mastech
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDI4MQ==/z/NS4AAOSwYGFUzvo6/$_1.JPG
at a tenner yours is a steal.
cheers for the heads up.just bought mine, ta.
awkwardbydesign
19-03-2015, 17:06
Pretty similar to mine; a mastech
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDI4MQ==/z/NS4AAOSwYGFUzvo6/$_1.JPG
at a tenner yours is a steal.
And it has inductance!
The Maplin one has inductance, it's a good meter I've used one for years. The Mastech seems to be missing inductance.
im just starting out recapping crossovers etc so could you explain what capacitance, inductance and frequency means please? in dummy terms lol
To check the caps, you will need to take them out of circuit. use a meter that does capacitence and check the meter reading against what is wriitten on the cap. If its out change it, but if you are doing it anyways then just change them like value for like
You shouldn't need to worry about the other 2.
ah i see,cheers grant. :)
awkwardbydesign
19-03-2015, 20:04
Frequency readings may not be of much use to you, but inductance might. I sometimes wind my own coils, and also unwind some overvalue ones to get what I need. I recently unwound a pair of 2mH coils down to 1.4mH and saved myself £35! Also mounting coils too close together can change their values, so you can test this.
Thanks for the heads up on this. I just grabbed one from my local Maplins. Quite a bargain!
ok ive got mine home,being new to this could some kind soul tell me how i check capacitance please :)
set the meter to capacitence and leads in right holes if there are options. disconnect one end at least of capacitor ad read the scale. it should be close to whats printed on the cap your testing
thats the trouble i cant see the setting for that,unless its down the bottom where it says discharge cap before testing??
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj548/jamiecreig123/20150322_174623_zps91onbexs.jpg
The settings are under the F for Farad
walpurgis
22-03-2015, 18:05
Useful looking meter. That should cover just about all your Hi-Fi needs. I have a similar one in my selection.
By the way if you should handle caps, take care. Some big ones can hold a fair charge for a while and give you a shock.
cheers guys! :) its a big bugger too.
awkwardbydesign
22-03-2015, 18:10
You will need to poke the wires from the capacitor into the 2 slots marked Cx and Lx. Don't use the normal test leads, although they can be left plugged in. If the capacitor's leads won't fit into the slots, or if there are no leads, then cut a couple of thin wires and push THEM into the slots, and touch the other ends to the capacitor leads.
I know it's a bit of a faff, but I have fixed 2 croc clips to 2 short lengths of solid core wire, just thin enough to push into the slots, and I clip them to the capacitor.
If your capacitors (or inductors - same, slots just different setting on the meter) have free leads it's simple. If not then do as I suggest.
I just got my 2nd meter yesterday, and at least it reads the same as the 1st one, so I can test two things at the same time. However, the 2000M seting reads 010 when it should read 000, but they are both the same, so I won't worry about it; I've never tested any resistor over 20M anyway!
For £9.99 I'm going to put up with it. :D
Yes you need to discharge them (electro caps) fully before handling and metering them
awkwardbydesign
22-03-2015, 18:12
The settings are under the F for Farad
And H for Henrys for inductance.
awkwardbydesign
22-03-2015, 18:14
cheers guys! :) its a big bugger too.
I've thrown away the blue rubber covers; I don't use mine in extreme conditions, and it makes them too big to go in my toolbox.
Oh, and the leads are pretty rubbish. If you can afford a better set, with removable croc clips, that would help.
And on the 200 ohm/ buzzer setting, the lowest reading is about 0.4 ohms; just subtract that from whatever resistance you are testing (2.2 ohm resistor reads 2.6).
One use for this meter is checking the capacitance of interconnects, or a cable you want to use if you make an IC.
walpurgis
22-03-2015, 18:14
Do you not have the handbook for it Jamie? It may pay you to have a good read through it. If you haven't got one, take a look on YouTube. There are multimeter tutorials on there.
The instructions for measuring capacitance are on page 8 of the manual that was supplied with your meter. Note the point about shorting the leads of the capacitor together before testing just to ensure there is no remaining charge in the capacitor. (be careful if the cap has recently been used!)
As Struth says, set the dial to the relevant position in the F range of the meter. i.e if you are testing a 47uF capacitor then select the 200u setting.
You will need to poke the wires from the capacitor into the 2 slots marked Cx and Lx. Don't use the normal test leads, although they can be left plugged in. If the capacitor's leads won't fit into the slots, or if there are no leads, then cut a couple of thin wires and push THEM into the slots, and touch the other ends to the capacitor leads.
I know it's a bit of a faff, but I have fixed 2 croc clips to 2 short lengths of solid core wire, just thin enough to push into the slots, and I clip them to the capacitor.
If your capacitors (or inductors - same, slots just different setting on the meter) have free leads it's simple. If not then do as I suggest.
I just got my 2nd meter yesterday, and at least it reads the same as the 1st one, so I can test two things at the same time. However, the 2000M seting reads 010 when it should read 000, but they are both the same, so I won't worry about it; I've never tested any resistor over 20M anyway!
For £9.99 I'm going to put up with it. :D
bingo! thanks for that,sorry for the dumb ass question but as i said im new to this lark,the 2 old caps on my klh 23 measure 4.3 and 4.7 uf,they should be 4 uf so i was right to recap.
The instructions for measuring capacitance are on page 8 of the manual that was supplied with your meter. Note the point about shorting the leads of the capacitor together before testing just to ensure there is no remaining charge in the capacitor. (be careful if the cap has recently been used!)
As Struth says, set the dial to the relevant position in the F range of the meter. i.e if you are testing a 47uF capacitor then select the 200u setting.
page 8! all i got was 1 sheet explaining what it could test,nothing about how to set the meter. lol
I bought the exact same meter from Maplins on Friday this week, and there was a small 12 page booklet in the box.
awkwardbydesign
22-03-2015, 18:27
page 8! all i got was 1 sheet explaining what it could test,nothing about how to set the meter. lol
:lol: That was probably when the meter cost about £40! Now think yourself lucky you got even ONE sheet.
And your questions are NOT dumb ass. NOT asking would be, though.
walpurgis
22-03-2015, 18:30
bingo! thanks for that,sorry for the dumb ass question but as i said im new to this lark,the 2 old caps on my klh 23 measure 4.3 and 4.7 uf,they should be 4 uf so i was right to recap.
Only if you're really fussy. They are close enough. It's rare for caps to measure spot on. Cap values in crossovers can vary quite a lot and you'd not hear a difference. If they were old electrolytics changing them is probably for the best.
walpurgis
22-03-2015, 18:31
I bought the exact same meter from Maplins on Friday this week, and there was a small 12 page booklet in the box.
Could you scan a copy over to Jamie?
(bit cheeky of me I know :))
I bought the exact same meter from Maplins on Friday this week, and there was a small 12 page booklet in the box.
ive been done!!! :D
awkwardbydesign
22-03-2015, 18:43
I bought the exact same meter from Maplins on Friday this week, and there was a small 12 page booklet in the box.
I've just rummaged through the dustbin, and mine only has the single sheet! I ordered it on Wednesday and picked it up in Saturday; you would think they would all be same, wouldn't you?
I still have the box for the one I bought several years ago, and it was labelled as White Gold, but made by Precision Gold. And it had no blue rubber boot, either.
And I thought the 10A current setting was only DC; now it says it is DC and AC! Hmm.
awkwardbydesign
22-03-2015, 18:45
Only if you're really fussy. They are close enough. It's rare for caps to measure spot on. Cap values in crossovers can vary quite a lot and you'd not hear a difference. If they were old electrolytics changing them is probably for the best.
If they are in parallel I think that is right. In series it might make more difference, as far as I understand it (not very far TBH!).
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.