Electrical Units of Measurement
oma Me:
M Mega orrillon|
k Kilo or thousand
™ Mili or one thousandth
a Miro or one-milionth
vac
vac
Miva (0001 V or 1/,000¥)
A ‘Amperage (amps)
mA Millamps (0.001 or 1/,000 A)
yA Microamps (0.000001 A or 1/1:000,000 A)
a Resistance (ohms)
ka Klo-ohes (1,000 ohms)
Mo "Megohms (1,000,000 ohms)
9 Continuity beeper
Diode te Diode testing
He Frequency (hertz, which is cclesisec)
B Sound (decibels)
F Capacitance (rad)
oF Miroferads
nF Nanofarads
Touch Hold & The last recorded stable reading
‘Auto HOLD
MIN MAX, Highest lowest recorded readings
ou Out of range
TECHNICIAN TIP
‘When making measurements, and performing diagnostic ta
‘o-ranging meters, the display may change continuous for some time
ntl the correct range is established. Ifthe measured value changes or
‘est lead probes move too much, te meter may beg to auto-range
‘once again. The process can lead to incorrect resus if measurements
are taken too quickly Using the peak and hold feature or auto-hod wil
help to produce more accurate values. Otherwise, more patience anc
ares required when sing these meters.
Meter Shunts
Before using a digital meter, one of the first things to check is
‘whether its shunts or fuses are in place and functioning. Shunts
are internal conductors with a small calibrated resistance, which
directs some current flow into the meter when measuring
amperage (FIGURE 11-8).
‘Almost all circuit current will paso through motor chun,
but some resistance is needed to send current into the measur-
ing circuits of the meter. Shunts operate like fuses and have @
‘maximum rating. A shunt should blow in an extremely short
CHAPTER | Electrical Test Instruments 265
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cy
20 Fuso
200 mA Fuse
Shunt
FIGURE 11-8 /An ammeter shunt allows most ofthe current to pass
through the shunt wile allowing some small amount of current nto
the meters measurement mechanism,
FIGURE 11-9 Checking the ammeter shunts should show continuity
between the volts/ohm/amp rec and amperage lead ports
time if current exceeds the meters capacity. If an ordinary fuse
is used to replace a fast-blowing shunt, current will enter and
damage the meter inthe time it takes to open the ordinary fuse.
Shunts are checked by inserting the positive lead probe,
While in the volt/ohm port, into the amperage probe port
(FIGURE 11-8).
‘A meter set to check continuity or resistance should dis-
play continuity and some resistance. If two amperage ports are
tused on a meter, the larger amperage shunt will have @ higher
resistance than the low-amperage shunt. To check meter shunts,
follow the steps in SKILL ORILL.
» Electrical Measurement with
Multimeters
Multimeters are versatile instruments that allow the tech
nician to take a variety of measurements. Three types of
