How to Select Multimeter Ranges and Prevent Measurement Errors
The accuracy level of a multimeter is generally divided into several levels such as 0.1, 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 5. The calibration of accuracy ( degree) levels for DC voltage, current, AC voltage, current, and other gears is expressed as the percentage of their maximum allowable error △ X to the selected full-scale value. Expressed in formula: A%=(△ X/full-scale value) × 100%... 1
(1) Using multimeters with different accuracies to measure the error generated by the same voltage
For example, if there is a 10V standard voltage and two multimeters with 100V gear, 0.5 level and 15V gear, and 2.5 level are used for measurement, which one has the smallest measurement error?
Solution: From equation 1: block meter measurement: large allowable error
△ X1=± 0.5% × 100V=± 0.50V.
**Block meter measurement: large allowable error
△ X2=± 2.5% × l5V=± 0.375V.
Comparing △ X1 and △ X2, it can be seen that although the accuracy of block table is higher than that of block table, the error generated by measuring with block table is larger than that generated by measuring with block table. Therefore, it can be seen that when choosing a multimeter, higher accuracy is not necessarily better. With a highly accurate multimeter, it is also necessary to choose a suitable range. Only by selecting the correct range can the potential accuracy of a multimeter be fully utilized.
(2) The error caused by measuring the same voltage with different ranges of a multimeter
For example, the MF-30 multimeter has an accuracy level of 2.5. When measuring a standard voltage of 23V using 100V or 25V gears, which gear has the smallest error?
Solution: 100V gear large allowable error:
X (100)=± 2.5% × 100V=± 2.5V.
25V gear large allowable error: △ X (25)=± 2.5% × 25V=± 0.625V. As can be seen from the above solution:
Measure the standard voltage of 23V with 100V gear, and the reading on the multimeter is between 20.5V and 25.5V. Measure the 23V standard voltage with the 25V gear, and the reading on the multimeter is between 22.375V-23.625V. From the above results, it can be seen that △ X (100) is greater than △ X (25), indicating that the measurement error at 100V gear is much larger than that at 25V gear. Therefore, when measuring different voltages with a multimeter, the errors generated by measuring with different ranges are not the same. When meeting the values of the measured signal, it is advisable to choose gears with smaller ranges as much as possible. This can improve the measurement accuracy.
