Can a clamp ammeter replace a multimeter?
Clamping ammeters and multimeters are essential "equipment" for electricians and technicians. There are differences in the emphasis of their functions. Clamping ammeters focus on measuring high current circuits, while multimeters focus on measuring low voltage and low current. Sometimes, a combination of the two is needed when repairing circuits, such as air conditioning, refrigerators, etc Electrical control equipment and other strong current combined electrical equipment are sometimes used indiscriminately.
The main "advantages" of clamp ammeters
We know its main "strengths" from its common name, and we sometimes refer to it as a current measuring clamp. It is an electrical instrument used to measure large currents. It can measure up to 1000 amperes of AC current, and can only measure a minimum of 1 ampere of current. No matter how low it is, it cannot be accurately measured. So its accuracy is only between 2.5 and 5 levels, and there are many things to pay attention to when measuring large currents that beginners need to memorize.
The main "strengths" of a multimeter
A multimeter, commonly known as a "universal meter", has a strong comprehensive ability, such as being able to hold and release all kinds of martial arts. It can not only measure AC current but also AC voltage, DC current and voltage, resistance, inductance, capacitance, audio level, diode, transistor amplification factor, transistor type, and so on. Moreover, its measurement accuracy is much higher than that of a clamp ammeter, with an accuracy of up to 0.1, Especially digital multimeter. For large currents, it can measure currents up to 10A, which is sufficient for general equipment. I need to use a multimeter nine out of ten times to complete tasks when repairing and debugging equipment. So in terms of usage frequency, the usage rate of a multimeter is much higher than that of a clamp ammeter. Therefore, I believe that a multimeter is more useful when repairing electrical equipment.
Multimeter with clamp ammeter
With the promotion of digitization and the development of new products, more and more instruments are adopting digitization and becoming a development trend. Analog instruments are gradually withdrawing from the "stage" of use. Nowadays, digital clamp ammeters have also emerged, and their function is no longer a single measuring instrument. The measurement accuracy of digital clamp ammeters has been improved while also enriching the physical quantities they measure, such as current, voltage, resistance, active power, frequency, phase angle, power factor, and other physical quantities. It has dual functions of a multimeter and a clamp ammeter. I think such instruments will be favored by the majority of electrical technicians in the future.
