Voltmeter Help

[Kemosabe]

I'm planning on picking up this voltmeter:

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-92020.html

i want to be able to test my 14500 batteries and my gf's KR8s. would i be able to do this with this voltmeter?
would i be able to test carto/atty ohms with it?
i also would like to see if i can test the voltage getting pumped out my my box mod. is there some type of adapter i need to test the box's voltage?
also, i think i heard that my 900mAh 3.7v trustfire 14500 batts should come off the charger at 3.7 to 4.2v. is this correct?

thanks

 

[donnah]

That is actually a multimeter but yes, you can test your attys/cartos and batts. And also.. yes, they are supposed to come off the charger at around 4.2

 

[DummyMe]

This should work fine for checking your batteries & the resistance on you atties & cartos. Just remember to short the leads together first & find out what resistance the leads have & subtract the value from your reading. These cheapie meters usually don't have a zero pot (potentiometer) in order to set a zero point. It doesn't matter much on high resistant devices, but it makes a heck of a difference on a low resistance device like an atty.

 

[cskent]

I've had one of those for years. I picked mine up for $1.99 on a sale. It works fine for atty's, carto's, and checking voltage on my batteries. But as DummyMe says, when checking resistance you need to touch the leads together until the reading settles then subtract the reading from the measurement on your atty since there is no zero button. I found that if you turn the knob all the way around before putting it on the voltage or resistance reading you are going to use it helps. It's not the greatest multimeter, but it works and the price is right.

 

[Kemosabe]

id be willing to get a slightly better multimeter, i just wasnt aware of the benefits. the zeroing ability would be nice. i didnt even know i had to zero it so thanks for that. im glad that the meter isnt expensive. i should have had one of these all along. at least its no bother as i have a harbor freight nearby. thanks for all the help.

the only thing left is to see where i can score an adapter to see what my box mod pumps out. its a vv with marks on the pot at 3.8 and 5.0 but id still like to test it out if i can. i found this video and at the 8:55 she has an adapter from jollyrificmods to test voltage inline and underload. i cant seem to locate jollyrific mods website to order one. all i find is the youtube channel. does anyone know where i can score one of these adapters?

Multi-Meter How to for Electronic Cigarette users - YouTube

 

[Kemosabe]

Ok so i picked up the multimeter but im not sure if im using it correctly. the instructions dont seem to be helping me much either they are very vague.
i figured out how to test my 14500 batts by using the DCV setting at "20".
but i cant figure out how to get resistance on my atties and cartos. the ohm setting at 200 appears to be the lowest. when i touch the leads to the carto, the readout is wildly all over the place. it wont settle in on any number.
also, i cant seem to get a reading on my gf's kr8 batts. does anyone have any advice for me? it would be much appreciated.

 

[bacc.vap]

Ok so i picked up the multimeter but im not sure if im using it correctly. the instructions dont seem to be helping me much either they are very vague.
i figured out how to test my 14500 batts by using the DCV setting at "20".
but i cant figure out how to get resistance on my atties and cartos. the ohm setting at 200 appears to be the lowest. when i touch the leads to the carto, the readout is wildly all over the place. it wont settle in on any number.
also, i cant seem to get a reading on my gf's kr8 batts. does anyone have any advice for me? it would be much appreciated.

Is there any chance you could post a picture of the meter?

 

[Kemosabe]

sure. but its the same one in the first post. thanks

 

[bacc.vap]

Sorry about that. First things first, when you measure ohms do you have your leads connected to the bottom two connections? It looks like the 200 setting would be the right one. Check your leads by touching them together, do you still get eradic readings, if so, reseat your lead connections to the meter and check again.

 

[RsK0807]

Thats the exact Multimeter i use, Harbor Freight USUALLY sells them for $4.99 tho. And yes, it works perfect for checking ohms and battery charge. the leads have a 1.0 ohm resistance so keep that in mind when testing your atties/cartos

 

[RsK0807]

Use the 1.5V/9V setting for checking battery charge and 200 ohm setting for checking resistance. When checking resistance you place the red lead in the end of the atty/carto and place the black lead on the side of the connector or stick it in one of the air holes. Have the red lead plugged into "V(ohm)mA" hole, and the black lead plugged into the "COM" hole

 

[DaveP]

Those are cheap meters, but accurate enough for around the house. I have at least 5 of them ... upstairs, downstairs, in the garage, and a couple in my basement. They are pretty tough DVMs for the price.

I usually test a carto by holding the carto in my left hand with my thumb pressing one probe across the threads and the other probe stuck in the hole at the bottom. You don't want to insert the lead in the hole far at all or you may contact the coil and damage it. Just enough to touch the inside of the hole for stability.

 

[Kemosabe]

thanks, that helped. the ohm readings are still bouncing around, but not like before. before it was jumping around all the way up to 70 then back to 10, then 5, then 50, etc. now the ohm reading bounces around only a few ohms from the actual reading. i have found that i have to hold the leads incredibly still, which is difficult. but if im able to hold them completely motionless, the meter seems to be giving me a steady readout. now i just need to figure out how to test the voltage on my ego and my gf's kr8s. does anyone know how to do this? ive tried one lead on the threads with the other one on the center post and vice versa, ive also tried with the setting on "DVC 20" and also "1.5v/9v", but no matter what i do, the meter just says 0.00

Sorry about that. First things first, when you measure ohms do you have your leads connected to the bottom two connections? It looks like the 200 setting would be the right one. Check your leads by touching them together, do you still get eradic readings, if so, reseat your lead connections to the meter and check again.

 

[Kemosabe]

yeah for some reason the website says 6.99, but in-store they are $4.99, which was a sale price. the regulal store price is 9.99.

which types of batteries do you test with the 1.5v/9v setting? ive tried my 14500s, ego, and kr8 on that setting but it didnt seem to be an accurate readout on the 14500s. it didnt give me any readout (0.00) on the ego or kr8. do you know how (if) i can test my ego/kr8s?

Thats the exact Multimeter i use, Harbor Freight USUALLY sells them for $4.99 tho. And yes, it works perfect for checking ohms and battery charge. the leads have a 1.0 ohm resistance so keep that in mind when testing your atties/cartos

 

[Kemosabe]

oh ive got another question if you dont mind...what is an acceptable voltage for my 3.7v trustfires to be "dead" at? one pair is dead now, and one reads 3.14, the other 3.10. my charged set of batts are between 4.0 and 4.1. do they need to be the EXACT same charge when using them? i know they should be, but is a .1 or .2 leeway okay?

 

[bacc.vap]

Like mentioned above, use the 1.5/9v battery testing function. Excuse me for asking silly questions, but you are pressing the button to check for voltage on the Ego, correct? I'm not familiar with your other battery, but if it's an auto batt you'll have to blow into the end of it while you check for voltage, sort of a pain in the ...., maybe easier if you have someone to help, they could do the blowing while you do the checking. Another thing is that sometimes the leads just need to be pressed quite hard to what your checking to get a good connection, might be a good idea to clean the leads with alcohol or a real fine sandpaper if you have some. The meter should do better than fluctuate by a few ohms when checking, a few tenths is allright.

 

[Kemosabe]

no, i was not pressing the button. what a dummy i am! it didnt even dawn on me to do that. thaks for your help bacc.

 

[bacc.vap]

no, i was not pressing the button. what a dummy i am! it didnt even dawn on me to do that. thaks for your help bacc.

Have you gotten satisfactory ohm readings?

 

[Kemosabe]

Yes, thank you

it is a bit difficult to hold the leads and carto just right. but when i do, the readout is steady.

i havent gotten the chance to test the KR8s yet, as they are indeed autos. if i had 3 or 4 hands it would make this a lot easier! lol

side question: do you know what voltage is acceptable for a dead 3.7v 14500 batt? im afraid of deep discharge (which i know is rare, but its part of the reason why i got the voltmeter- just to be safe)

Have you gotten satisfactory ohm readings?