Why is it not recommended to use a multimeter and power analyzer for comparison?
If you were to choose the instrument most commonly used by electrical engineers, I believe the multimeter would definitely be the best choice. As the most commonly used instrument, the multimeter has an irreplaceable position in the hearts of users, and it also gives users great trust in it. However, is a multimeter really infallible under various testing environments?
Sometimes we receive feedback from users: "The display of this power analyzer is different from that of a multimeter (handheld). Our multimeter is imported, but domestically produced is still not good"...
However, how much room for comparison is there between a multimeter and a power analyzer? When differences arise, which one is right and which one is wrong?
First of all, we need to understand what are the specific parameter differences between a multimeter and a power analyzer.
bandwidth
Bandwidth is a key reference value for whether the signal under test can be measured accurately. The test bandwidth of most common multimeters is mainly around 40-70Hz. Some desktop and a small number of handheld multimeters can measure intermediate frequency signals of 400Hz, while five-and-a-half-digit and six-digit multimeters can measure 400Hz intermediate frequency signals. Desktop multimeters with 1.5 digits and above can also test signals of hundreds of kHz. Power analyzers have an advantage in bandwidth. For example, the bandwidth parameter of PA5000H is 5M. The bandwidth parameters of power analyzers at home and abroad are mostly set at 1M, 2M and other levels.
Sampling Rate
The sampling rate is also a key parameter during testing. The sampling rate of the multimeter is not very high. The better desktop ones are around a few hundred K, while the sampling rate of the power analyzer is set at around 2M.
Accuracy
The difference in accuracy is mainly shown on handheld multimeters. The ADC digits used by our most commonly used multimeters are relatively low, and the test accuracy will also have some limitations; of course, for desktop multimeters, six and a half digit multimeters are already in use 24 Bit ADC, even the model with 0.01% accuracy of the power analyzer is only an 18-bit ADC.
synchronicity
Users mostly use multimeters to measure one indicator, voltage, current or resistance. If the power is tested, the voltage needs to be measured separately, and then the current is tested for calculation; the channel of the power analyzer can test voltage and current at the same time, and then calculate parameters such as power.
