How to Choose a Digital Multimeter Correctly?
There are many types of digital multimeters on the market. How to determine which one is most suitable for your use? Choosing a digital multimeter that exceeds the required functionality is a waste of money. However, if the selected digital multimeter does not have sufficient functionality, it may pose a life-threatening electrical hazard to technicians.
The display numbers of a digital multimeter
Generally speaking, most manufacturers use resolution numbers to represent the display capability of a digital multimeter. The decimal place is the most significant digit that a multimeter can display. It is the ratio of the maximum possible value of a bit to the number of possible states. The higher the resolution, the more accurate the measurement results. Meanwhile, the higher the resolution, the more versatile the multimeter.
Counting of digital multimeter
Because "resolution bit" often causes confusion for users, manufacturers have started using "counting" to specify display capacity. The counting of a digital multimeter refers to the maximum number that the multimeter can display before changing the range, as well as the total number of digits it can display, which will affect the accuracy of the digital multimeter.
Resolution of digital multimeter
The resolution of a digital multimeter refers to the minimum variation value of the input signal that can change the output signal. When the range of a digital multimeter decreases, the resolution will increase. However, at the end of the day, you want the multimeter to display the measurement readings at the optimal resolution.
Range of digital multimeter
When choosing a digital multimeter, you need to know the minimum range, maximum range, and resolution required. Most digital multimeters today offer both automatic and manual range measurement.
In automatic range measurement, what you need to do is select the desired measurement function and then have the multimeter automatically select the most suitable range. Generally speaking, when you are unsure of the possible range of measurement readings, you should choose the automatic range. It should be noted that automatic range measurement is more time-consuming than manual range measurement, as a multimeter needs to select and display the best measurement results, which will consume additional time.
When you know the expected measurement value, you usually choose manual range measurement. Based on your measurements, you can choose the range. If you are unsure of the measurement value and wish to use a manual range, we recommend using the 'gradual descent' method. Starting from the highest range, gradually reduce the range until the monitor reaches the optimal resolution.
