Multimeter Question

Clip it onto a workout/exercise "wrist band," something like this:

I got my company to get me a few of those and they are very useful for troubleshooting industrial equipment, as they allow hooking the multimeter to almost any surface (most industrial equipment is made of ferromagnetic steel).

The straps are overpriced compared with the raw materials, but the results are worth all the money.

C'mon Lyn, he's not going camping or a mall showoff.

You seen those guys with a dozen dangling keys.

I was one of, "those guys with a dozen dangling keys" for 16 years. Each key that I carried had a specific purpose, and it was more than a dozen.

I love it when a plan comes together.

I have seen cases with the Fluke range of Multimeters which have a short fabric strap with a powerful (Neodinium I would assume) magnet attached to the end so the Multimeter can hang on the side of metal panels for hands free operation.

No reason why you couldn't modify a case to add a strap with a magnet.

Strong magnetic fields can effect the accuracy of the multimeters we have found but we were measuring in the single mV range to 3 decimal places, I don't believe you would have issues in the V range of measurements.

Again a simple short strap moves the magnetic field away from the Multimeter and also allows for much more flexible mounting and positioning options that a fixed magnet does not.

There are talking DMMs, availability varies but you may find one here

Also, it will talk to you!

As long as the multimeter is digital with LED or LCD display, you should be OK. However, if the meter has an analog meter on it like the old school Magnahelic meters, the magnet will screw up the meter movement.

"Magnahelic" was a new term to me and to my dictionary. Upon looking it up elsewhere, I find it is mainly a brand name, related to differential pressure meters. How that relates to multimeters is not at all clear.

I presume you are referring to the analog meters with electromagnetic indicators, commonly referred to as a D'Arsonval movements or galvanometers.

I see that, the magnet would set up a field.

I love the magnetic strap, wouldn't have a meter without it.

But just bought the Fluke T6, no lead testing for voltage and current.

I can test outputs from drive without exposing the terminals.

It has a set of leads for verification if you are using for lockout.

http://en-us.fluke.com/products/electrical-testers/t6-1000-electrical-tester.html

Good ideas and tips from all I just ordered a magnetic strap from Amazon.

For as long as portable meters have been around, I don't understand why they don't all have a non-momentary backlight switch. Out of all the meters I got, only one has a backlight.

Oh, I definitely agree.

There are many times my cell light has got me otta a jam or two.

I sometimes wish that all devices had a light, it seems basic.

I'm surprised the market hasn't caught on.

Now you bring up another topic on my wish list. As I have grown older, my eyesight isn't what it use to be. Even with bi-focal glasses, I commonly need to use Optivisors™ when performing close detailed work. However, I usually find myself working in my own shadow.

What I have often wished for is one equipped with LED headlights focused the same as the magnification lenses. I have looked repeatedly for one without success. Shure there are many head band mounted lights, but they would not work with optivisors.

Never mind, I just found one. At Amazon, of course. I just needed to use the right search terms.

If the DMM is not very bulky , (The present electronic ones are quite portable and small, they could be attached to the left fore arm, on the inside of the elbow joint, with a Velcro belt, such that it could be read easily, without any difficulty. Of course, attaching it with a magnet would possibly lead to errors.

One of my several multimeters has two such magnets built in to the back. Two magnets with a magnetic strip behind them is MUCH better than one, as long as they are mounted with opposite pole directions, so the cabinet where you place the device completes a magnetic field circuit.

Another option is to use a magnet that includes a surrounding pole piece, so both poles are effectively on the same side:

In the above photo, the magnet on the left has the pole piece pointing towards the viewer; the one on the right has it pointing away.

These were removed from a pair of inexpensive "LED Puck lights" that were cemented to a wooden base, so had no use for the magnets.

There are several different outfits that have available a meter that will clamp onto a ( surface ) .

Yours being whatever works.

I have 2 meters.

1 for flat & 1 for awkward.

Fluke.

Makes an excellent assortment of meters for different purposes.

Have used something similar for many years. Absolutely handy. Known nowdays as a pen meter.

Forgot to say there is a HOLD function so a reading can be taken where the readout cannot be easily seen, but push the hold button and it retains the last reading for convenience. A wholey useful meter.

Fluke has been marketing a magnetic bracket such as you envision for at least a year. I suspect we would have heard of issues if it was a detriment to accuracy

Get some screw on alligator clips....