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Questions tagged [multimeter]

43 questions
15
votes
2 answers

Diagnosing appliance that shocked me

I have a portable air compressor (Master Airbrush MAS TC-40T) I use frequently, usually for airbrush painting. Normally the compressor sits on a counter, and I do not touch it while it's running because I have no need to. However, yesterday when I…
Kevin
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13
votes
9 answers

Is it possible to dangerously short a U.S. power outlet with multimeter probe?

I was recently told that the common 120V electric receptacles (non-GFCI) found in North American homes can be extremely dangerous to measure using a multimeter. FYI, this came up while I was checking proper connectivity of the wiring directly using…
Travis
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9
votes
3 answers

Analog multimeter won't calibrate to zero

I have a multimeter that I haven't used in many years. I wanted to recalibrate it, so I touched the two probes and tried to adjust the reading to zero, but 500 ohms was as low as it would go. Is the meter bad?
Scott C Wilson
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6
votes
3 answers

One hot leg to neutral of 4-prong dryer reading 240 volts and other hot leg to neutral reading 0 volts

I bought a new dryer today and upon plugging it in it wouldn't turn on. I tested the wires on the terminal block with a multimeter and one of the hot legs to the neutral wire reads 240 volts and the other hot leg to neutral reads 0 volts. As I…
luksta
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6
votes
3 answers

Which terminal to use on my multimeter

I have read the manual for my new multimeter but unsure which (red) terminal to use for what. The meter has one VΩmA fused 500 mA max terminal and one Unfused 10A Max terminal. I just want to measure the voltage of a wall outlet. Which terminal do I…
Christian
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5
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2 answers

How do I test for voltage drop?

I have a Tesla that I'm plugging in at work (NEMA 5-20 outlet) and my EV says I'm getting between 107-109 volts. NEMA 5-15 adapter registers 12 amps, and the NEMA 5-20 adapter, which should be 16 amps, lowers to 12 amps and gives a low voltage…
WillyWonka
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4
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4 answers

What happens if I use the DC Voltage setting on an AC line? What about the reverse?

I have a run of those low voltage lighting systems in the hallway. The kind that have a two parallel exposed wires, with fixtures that clamp on in various spots on the wires and then take an MR16 bulb. I am curious what the voltage is across these…
kbyrd
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4
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2 answers

How can I test a three-way switch to determine if it's working?

I have a light fixture in my house that suddenly stopped working. I tried replacing the lightbulb and still non luck so I decided to try and see if it was the three way light switch itself using a multimeter, but I'm having trouble deciphering the…
Brh
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3
votes
1 answer

DIY AC Line Splitter

As a fresh DIY-er (just moved into my own house), I've purchased a digital clamp multimeter. Learned the hard way that in order to utilize the clamp to measure current, the supply line needs to be split. I'd rather build a line splitter instead of…
eszed
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2
votes
2 answers

why does my multimeter show continuity (but no resistance) when not connected to anything?

Why does my multimeter show continuity (but no resistance) when not connected to anything? Continuity is detected! But no resistance is detected at 200 ohms. Or 2 million ohms.
Chris Morris
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2
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1 answer

Test Thermostat with Multimeter without 'C' Wire

I'm hoping to replace my thermostat with an Arduino-powered one of my own. The furnace is a Trane XV90 Upflow 2-stage condensing gas-fired one with upgraded inducer motor using Trane Furnace Kit KIT15017. No cooling. I'm following this guide to…
armani
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2
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2 answers

How to verify that resistive load thermostat is dead

I have an electric heater, connected to a resistive load thermostat (240V). Yesterday we found the thermostat apparently totally dead (display off, etc). I've checked the breaker, of course. (There is no battery in this type of thermostat.) The…
logidelic
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2
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1 answer

Can NCV tester show presence of Knob & Tube wiring?

I live in a century house whose electrical was last worked on in the 1960s at the latest. Without opening a wall, I’d like to make some deductions about the odds of having in-service knob and tube wiring. My multimeter has a NCV detection feature…
newcoder
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2
votes
1 answer

Hot to Neutral at the outlet only reading 112V

I am trying to troubleshoot an issue. All outlets downstream from my GFCI will not work when I plug anything in. with my DMM I pulled the GFCI from the wall and measured voltage into the GFCI from Hot to Ground = 120 Neutral to ground = .5 Neutral…
Brian
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0 answers

Why do I measure 12VAC on old thermostat wires?

I'm installing a nest thermostat in my house - it's the UK version with a heatlink. I have successfully wired the heat link into my combi-boiler, disconnecting two existing wires in the process. I have a thermostat in a different room (Honeywell…
Ed_
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