Buying multimeter

[Sosko]

Hi

(If this is the wrong forum, i do apologize)

I have recently purchased a second mod (IHY), and now im in need for a multimeter so i can check the ohm of the coils i make.
I got a provari, but find it a bit annoying moving the the atomizer back and forth just to check the ohm's.

honestly the only use i will get off the multimeter is the ohm reading, with that a mind i have no idea on what brand to buy, and what is the right price range if im mostly going to use this particular feature.

As i rather buy locally, those are the "brands" we have in israel:
Zico
Uni-T
Mastech
and couple of "not braded"
(least those what i get from online shops here)

If u got a second to give a peep:
http://www.zap.co.il/search.aspx?keyword=%u05e8ב+מודד
there are 4 pages.

ill appreciate any help

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

I would gladly have a look but I can't find the English language link on the site.

 

[Sosko]

you wont find it, as there isnt one, thats a israeli price comparison site, only hebrew.
if u can get the imperssion from the picture/model itself, those are in english, i think this link will work(2 pages):

http://www.zap.co.il/models.aspx?sog=h-handicrafttools&db463282=2255432&imagesview=2

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

I cn't find one that I would be confident in to suggest to you. Several of the meters mention 200 ohm range but do not specifically mention 0-200 ohm so it may not measure low enough for what you want.

Perhaps contacting these web vendors directly and informing them of what resistance range you wish to measure (1 - 10 ohm) would allow them to suggest a reasonably priced model.

If you wish to buy local, I would suggest going to an electronics store and explaining that you want to measure 10 ohms or less (digital display would be best) and perhaps taking a coil or atty with you for them to test.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

 

[spider362]

One thing to be aware of when measuring the low ohms we use with our devices is that most of the inexpensive DMMs (Digital Multi Meter) will also read the resistance of the leads. This can throw off your reading by as much as 0.3 ohms. That's to say if the resistance of a coil is actually 2.4 ohms the meter could read 2.7 ohms. You can tell how much off the meter is by shorting the leads together and making a note of the reading then subtracting this from the actual meter reading. So, if the meter reads 0.3 ohms with the leads shorted, and the coil under test reads 2.7 ohms, subtracting 0.3 from 2.7 will give you 2.4, the actual resistance of the coil.

Some of the better quality DMMs will have a "Set" or "Zero" button. First you short the leads together then push the "Set" or "Zero" button which zeros the meter and ignores the resistance of the leads. Then when you measure a coil and it reads 2.4 that is the actual resistance of the coil.

Just FYI.

 

[Sosko]

P3 - i guess going to the electronic store is my best bet then. thank you

spider - thanks for the tip

hopfully tommorow ill get around to an electronic store and find something suitable

how much do u think something that suits me needs might cost?

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

There are many available for under $20 in my side of the world.

Let us know what you found. Perhaps it will help someone in your country in the future.

 

[Unforeseen]

Moved to Assorted PV Topics - E-Cigarette Accessories Discussion

 

[Sosko]

Today i went to the electronic store near me, and they reccomended this:
Uni-Trend Group Limited

costs 20$

so i bought it and went home, now i learned how to read OHM and battery volt,

but im still clueless on how to check for shorts in a genesis.

i tried something and it keep on beeping at me , showing a value of 006.

theres a manual in the link i added, if anyone got any idea.

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

For testing resistance, make sure you touch the leads together to find the resistance of the wires in the leads and subtract that value from the resistance value of the atty tested. I think you know that already.

A short will show as a very low value of resistance. Probably not much more than the number given when you touch the leads together.

A beep is usually in the continuity test mode. It simply beeps if there is a circuit and doesn't if there is a break in the wire or coil. It's a good quick check to tell if a coil is popped or not. A ProVari can't perform this test accurately because if the post doesn't make a good connection you are unable to tell if the coil is popped or there is no connection. It is also useful to check if a light bulb (with a filament) is blown or if a fuse is good. No beep = no path for the electricity to follow.

NEVER TOUCH THE LEADS TO A BATTERY WHEN THE METER IS SET TO CHECK RESISTANCE BECAUSE IT WILL BLOW A FUSE INSIDE THE METER OR DESTROY YOUR METER!

I hope this helps.

 

[Sosko]

a Couple of days ago before i got the multi meter, i made my first mesh and wick on a genny.
when tried to fire it up on a provari to check for hot spots and glow, it lid for a second then gave me an error, E8 or E1 dont really remmber.
it fired for a brief second, got some smoke, and then error.
after i poked the coil a bit, i could get it to fire for 3 second before got an error again, this time i noticed one of the coils glew hot red really fast, before the error.

what i want to know, is what exactly happend at that moment, what made me get an error?
i only bought the multi meter couple of days later, so i checked the res with the provari, showed around 1.3.

i presume i got an error because the provari 2.5 amper limit, or it has something to with some kind of overload protection.

now im planning to use an IHYBRID, that has no protection of any sort (just tube), and i want to know what tests do i need to run before i fire the coil i make, so i wont kill my batts.

thank p3 your a real help

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

Low ohms can draw a lot of current from a battery. It is nearly a short circuit across the battery, the same as if a wire was held across a battery. For your first few coils you should probably try for around 2.0 ohms, just so you will have a buffer of safety. The ProVari probably views the 1.3 as a short or at least an over current.

I have no experience with ProVari, IHYBRID, or any rebuildable other than Vivi Nova (probably the simplest to rebuild). You should check the coils for their resistance, as I said, probably around 2.0 ohms or higher, just to be safe, especially with a PV that has not protection. A short circuit is the most dangerous condition you could have on an unprotected PV. As long as you have 2.0 ohm or more then you know it is not shorted. A resistance below 1.7-1.5 ohms will be potentially dangerous.

Check with the meter, then check on the ProVari, then on your PV.

Play Safe!