Re: AVOmeter compared to cheap modern digital meter

On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 16:30:19 +0100, Zak <zak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>How do bargain basement modern digital meters perform compared to
>the old analogue meters from 30 years ago like the AVOmeter?
>
>-----------
>
>Thirty-odd years ago my friends had AVOmeters. I would look on
>with some envy. Remember AVOs? I think they were mainly a UK
>thing. 10 by 8 inches and about 4 inches thick. See this:-
>http://www.richardsradios.co.uk/Images/AVO.jpg
>
>Today I can buy a regularly stocked item like the super-cheapo
>single-chip digital multimeter from a UK shop like Maplins for £8
>($8) and that includes the battery. Although Maplins call it a
>"domestic tester" it is more than just that:
>
> 600V-200V-20V-2000mV-200mV plus 600VAC-200VAC
> 10A-200mA-20mA-2000uA-200uA
> 2000kO-200kO-20kO-2000O-200O
> transistor and functions
> overall accuracy approx +/-0.5% to +/-1.0%
>
><http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=37279&doy=26m6>
>
>How does something as ridiculously cheap as this meter compare, in
>terms of measurement accuracy, to an old stye AVOmeter?

Depends on what you want it for.

We have an AVO 8 or two, and keep them for the occasional job where we need to
see movement rather than digits changing.

Accuracy is possibly better with the Flukes we also have, but it's all a matter
of interpretation and setting anyway, so we tend to keep the AVO for those
occasions where it is really useful, such as measuring resistance and for
indicative work.

The Flukes absolutely eat batteries, we must have paid their price over and over
in replacement batteries!

Pity Philips got out of the testmeter business, their digital meters were far
better than Fluke IMO, and they had much larger batteries....

Peter
.