I want to talk about cheap multimeters a bit. Instead of saying all sorts of mumbo jumbo i'll just go straight to the conclusion, period.
The DT830B is THE best meter if you only use it for basic measurements. There is one thing that must be said though: The probes that come with 830Bs (especially the noname ones) are a MAJOR SAFETY RISK. If you buy proper probes it is a good meter and meets its specs.
For those of you who need a little more, the DT9208 might look attractive. After all, it's got frequency and capacitance measurement, something which a 830B can only dream of. It's also got an AC amp meter, a temperature probe and a buzzer. And it only costs like $15, maybe even less. That's just two 830Bs.
Don't be fooled. The DT9208 is a PIECE OF JUNK. If you need something that really is better than a 830B be prepared to spend $80-$100 to get a meter that really does what it says on the box. Like the Uni-T UT60E, which apart from the slow autorange (but it does have manual ranging too), and the backlight that only works when the battery is full, is a very good and properly calibrated all-rounder.
Okay, you probably ask why i bash the 9208. Well, for one, the 9208A has several ultra cheap trimmers that bounce around when the meter is dropped. It might have respected the tolerances printed in the manual when it left the factory... but there's no guarantee it still does when you buy it. It's sometimes 10% off even in the voltage ranges, which is totally unacceptable. A 830B does lots better. Secondly, the frequency meter which is one of the main features, on the exact same frequency, it reads differently depending on waveform and voltage... It's true, the freq meter section is spec'd for 3% accuracy which isn't stellar, but it isn't uncommon for it to be not 3% but 20% off. On 50Hz mains it reads 54Hz. Folks, that is 8% error right there, on a freakin' sinewave! Also its milliamp section stopped working on mine (no it's not the fuse), it reads overload on all ranges even when just 1mA is applied.
The only things that work properly are the buzzer, 20A meter, resistor and capacitance meter. But the cap meter also suffers from the cheap trimmers and it only goes to 20uF. Only useful if you do a lot of radio work.
In conclusion, take a look at this pic. From left to right, UT60E (reference), DT9208A (and that's a CALIBRATED one, it used to be off by quite a bit more), 838 (a 830 with buzzer and temperature), and two 830Bs, all measuring the same power strip. The 830Bs all read a tad higher on 50Hz mains because they are not true RMS and they are designed to work with both 50 and 60Hz mains, so they are calibrated at 55Hz. But they are very close together (actually the last digit fluctuated on all three 83x meters, it's just coincidence that the pic caught them that way), while the 9208A is, well... out. In conclusion, need better than 830B, spend some dough on a proper meter.
The DT830B is THE best meter if you only use it for basic measurements. There is one thing that must be said though: The probes that come with 830Bs (especially the noname ones) are a MAJOR SAFETY RISK. If you buy proper probes it is a good meter and meets its specs.
For those of you who need a little more, the DT9208 might look attractive. After all, it's got frequency and capacitance measurement, something which a 830B can only dream of. It's also got an AC amp meter, a temperature probe and a buzzer. And it only costs like $15, maybe even less. That's just two 830Bs.
Don't be fooled. The DT9208 is a PIECE OF JUNK. If you need something that really is better than a 830B be prepared to spend $80-$100 to get a meter that really does what it says on the box. Like the Uni-T UT60E, which apart from the slow autorange (but it does have manual ranging too), and the backlight that only works when the battery is full, is a very good and properly calibrated all-rounder.
Okay, you probably ask why i bash the 9208. Well, for one, the 9208A has several ultra cheap trimmers that bounce around when the meter is dropped. It might have respected the tolerances printed in the manual when it left the factory... but there's no guarantee it still does when you buy it. It's sometimes 10% off even in the voltage ranges, which is totally unacceptable. A 830B does lots better. Secondly, the frequency meter which is one of the main features, on the exact same frequency, it reads differently depending on waveform and voltage... It's true, the freq meter section is spec'd for 3% accuracy which isn't stellar, but it isn't uncommon for it to be not 3% but 20% off. On 50Hz mains it reads 54Hz. Folks, that is 8% error right there, on a freakin' sinewave! Also its milliamp section stopped working on mine (no it's not the fuse), it reads overload on all ranges even when just 1mA is applied.
The only things that work properly are the buzzer, 20A meter, resistor and capacitance meter. But the cap meter also suffers from the cheap trimmers and it only goes to 20uF. Only useful if you do a lot of radio work.
In conclusion, take a look at this pic. From left to right, UT60E (reference), DT9208A (and that's a CALIBRATED one, it used to be off by quite a bit more), 838 (a 830 with buzzer and temperature), and two 830Bs, all measuring the same power strip. The 830Bs all read a tad higher on 50Hz mains because they are not true RMS and they are designed to work with both 50 and 60Hz mains, so they are calibrated at 55Hz. But they are very close together (actually the last digit fluctuated on all three 83x meters, it's just coincidence that the pic caught them that way), while the 9208A is, well... out. In conclusion, need better than 830B, spend some dough on a proper meter.
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