Some of the videos show a multimeter by Sperry, a SP-10-A, which I cannot find anywhere and I was wondering is someone could suggest another brand that would be similar to Sperry's. It seemed easy to use and I certainly fit the "beginner" category. Thanks
Kent from Oak Forest, IL
The ones you can get for a buck or two, or even sometimes free, at Harbor Freight are more than sufficient for model railroad needs. No need to spend big bucks on a fancy meter. I have like 4 of the things scattered throughout the house.
The sad thing about the HF ones is that it's usually cheaper to just buy a new one than it is to buy new batteries when the batteries wear out.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Exactly what Randy said -- the Harbor Freight $2.99 digital VOM is perfectly adequate for model railroad use.
I, too, have 4 of them here at home and at the club, and have never needed anything more accurate or expensive for measuring DC, AC, and DCC voltages on a layout, or performing a continuity check with one of them.
I do have a couple more professional grade (and much more expensive) meters, but never use them on the layout since getting the HF ones.
I second both of the above!
If you smash the meter - ypou are only out a couple of bucks.
And 90% of the time it is accurate enough for any model railroad work.
The 10 amp setting comes in handy!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Best part is - that HF meter, I've seen the exact same meter sell other places for $15-$20! SAME exact item.
Radio Shack has a similarly priced analog multimeter to the SP-10A, and it is a 17 function multimeter.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2999093
Rich
Alton Junction
The HF meter is fine. However, when mine died, I didn't have anyting else I wanted from HF at the time, thus, shipping would have added to the cost. Found one at my local hardware store for not much more than the HF one and no shipping cost.
Have fun,
Richard
He says that he is looking for a multimeter similar to the SP-10A.
Is the cheapo HF meter similar to the SP-10A?
Yeah... LION has all kinds of dead multi meters all over the shop. Not one of them works. Good thing I did not buy a good one, eh?
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
It's easier, it's digital. the SP-10A is an analog meter.
No worries about hooking the leads up backwards and damaging the needle, it just displays -12V or whatever. No interpolating the reading incorrectly - notice on analog meters there is always a mirror strip? How many who are NOT electronics technicians or engineers know how to use that for the most accurate reading? Heck, how many who ARE but grew up in the age of all digital meters even know how?
Analog meters do have their place, but for typical model railroad uses, a digital meter will do anything you need and be easier to use for the novice.
Seem to be several options for a Sperry SP-10A, but the newer looking ones - limited to 200ma DC current, the HF has a 10 amp range. Looks like the Sperry is limited to 100K resistence range, probably has a lower input impedence as well, which means more effect on the circuit under test. Analog meters need the ohms zeroes out to get an accurate reading. The Sperry has a battery test mode which the HF does not, but the HF has diode checking and, depending on the one they happen to have, also a transistor checker.
richhotrain He says that he is looking for a multimeter similar to the SP-10A. Is the cheapo HF meter similar to the SP-10A? Rich
rrinker It's easier, it's digital. the SP-10A is an analog meter. No worries about hooking the leads up backwards and damaging the needle, it just displays -12V or whatever. No interpolating the reading incorrectly - notice on analog meters there is always a mirror strip? How many who are NOT electronics technicians or engineers know how to use that for the most accurate reading? Heck, how many who ARE but grew up in the age of all digital meters even know how? Analog meters do have their place, but for typical model railroad uses, a digital meter will do anything you need and be easier to use for the novice. Seem to be several options for a Sperry SP-10A, but the newer looking ones - limited to 200ma DC current, the HF has a 10 amp range. Looks like the Sperry is limited to 100K resistence range, probably has a lower input impedence as well, which means more effect on the circuit under test. Analog meters need the ohms zeroes out to get an accurate reading. The Sperry has a battery test mode which the HF does not, but the HF has diode checking and, depending on the one they happen to have, also a transistor checker. --Randy richhotrain He says that he is looking for a multimeter similar to the SP-10A. Is the cheapo HF meter similar to the SP-10A? Rich
Must be an Analog Man! (the song)! ;-)
rrinker It's easier, it's digital. the SP-10A is an analog meter.
I have both an analog multimeter and a digital multimeter. When the battery starts to fail on the digital meter, the readout becomes jibberish. I prefer the analog. Maybe the OP does too.
My opinion is a little different, buy a good quailty DMM and you can use it on more than just MR projects. 40-50 will buy a pretty nice one.
Jim
I went the opposite way.
When I was an apprentice electrician, over 25-years ago, I purchased the best multimeter I could afford. It was and still is a Fluke brand.
The saying used to go, “if it works it’s a ‘Fluke’.”
I’m not suggesting you go out an buy a top of the line multimeter suitable for professional use but spending a little more up-front will give you a tool that will last for years.
As has been previously stated- -to paraphrase; I’ve got plenty of broken cheap ones lying around.
I’ve got one expensive one that I’ve had for years. If you amortize the purchase it’s less than $10.00 per year and decreasing as time goes by.
I recommend Fluke brand over any other manufacturer.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Yes, good stuff. I have a very fancy Fluke desktop meter. Other than some playing around with some of the advance features it has, I haven't actually NEEDED them for anything model railroad related or even around the house stuff. Even basic electronic projects a model railroader is likely to take on does not require the accuracy and features of those $40 semi-fancy meters or the much more expensive Fluke models.
There's a time and palce for top notch tools. Most any DMM under $40 is probably even the same chip that is in the $2 HF model. Unless you are trying to design your own DCC decoders (and even then I have to question it), a $100+ DMM is not required. In the case of designing DCC decoders - a cheaper DMM coupled with some additional tools the normal model railroader does not need would be a better investment. My oldest HF meter has to be 4-5 years old now, looks like new - because a quick photo of both my model railroad toolbox and my mechanic toolbox out in the garage will show that when I'm done using it, I put it back in the plastic package it came in so it doesn't get all greasy and banged up by other tools. FOrce of habit, learned many years ago from my Dad - always put tools back where they came from when done using them. Yeah, if I was an electrician working all over the place in various residential and commercial establishments, I'd have one of those hevy duty Fluke or, can't think of the name off the top of my head, that come with heavy rubber bumpers around the case so when it inevitably gets dropped it is protected. In such an environment, those cheapy HF ones wouldn't hold up, for sure.
As for the batteries - analog meters get flakey when their battery starts to die as well. Fine, you can do voltage readings with no battery.
For a beginner - digital is MUCH easier to operate and read. Set to DC volts, number syas 12.5, you know you have 12.5 volts, no trying to figure out which scale is the one for the range you're using or any of that.
I use the HF ones for all sorts of projects, not just my trains. I ise them to check things on cars, and the AC voltage ranges are plenty high enough to check outlets around the house. Really not much my (well, if I had paid for it) Fluke can do that I can;t do with the HF. Bit mor accuracy - I'm not designing precision circuits here. ANd the Fluke has a mode where it can tall the difference between a piece of wire 10 feet long and one 100 feet long. Might be nice if I actually had a reason to do that - again, not building precision electronics here, where such a fine level of measurement might actually mean something. And those $40-$50 meters won't have that feature anyway. About the only thing I can maybe see a higher end meter being handy for is once you hit the proce level where they have a peak hold option, so you cna take a measurement without looking at the display and then check it after you've removed the probes. That avoids trying to prop the meter up somewhere where you can see the display AND the connections you're trying to probe.
Beckman is the other high end DMM manufacturer.
Back in the day, Oh god I’m sounding like my dad!- -most were split between Fluke and Beckman.
Beckman had better resolution but out in the field they would fail miserably; better for bench work. The Flukes were more reliable and almost bullet proof.
For basic wiring needs I agree that a cheap meter will do. But how often has the inexpensive tool failed on a Sunday evening bringing the project to a screeching halt.
Only to be upgraded to the tool you should have bought in the first place?
Personally I’d rather spend a little more up front for reliability on the back end.
Mind you I’m talking about $40.00 to $50.00 meter.
Check out major electronics distributors; Del City, Mouser, etc.
jjdamnit For basic wiring needs I agree that a cheap meter will do. But how often has the inexpensive tool failed on a Sunday evening bringing the project to a screeching halt. Only to be upgraded to the tool you should have bought in the first place? Personally I’d rather spend a little more up front for reliability on the back end. Mind you I’m talking about $40.00 to $50.00 meter
Mind you I’m talking about $40.00 to $50.00 meter
While I have a more expensive Meters - the $3 HF meters have been in use for 10 years or more
SO - they are NOT the junk some are trying to make them out to be!
And besides at $3 each - I could purchase 3 or 4 and still have one that works on a Late SUNDAY night!
Some believe the LESS expensive stuff won't last - YET - I have had more GOOD stuff fail at the worst time possible !
Buying top of the line stuff - doesn guarantee it lasting forever.
No, but buying good quality stuff may make you live longer. A DMM, under the right circumstances can be disaster. Checking power at the fuse box gets you into CAT IV territory. Throw in a transient and the meter becomes a plasma torch. This has been well documented and links can be provided.
Good meters have expensive fuses. In the Amp mode, a DMM is the circuit. The fuse in a good meter costs more than a harbor freight meter. A good quality meter has a high energy fuse for a reason, so it does not grenade.
Here is cheapie in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9jpwGTy66g
Jim, shouldn't you consult me before showing a video of me messing with my service panel???
rrinker The ones you can get for a buck or two, or even sometimes free, at Harbor Freight are more than sufficient for model railroad needs. No need to spend big bucks on a fancy meter. I have like 4 of the things scattered throughout the house. The sad thing about the HF ones is that it's usually cheaper to just buy a new one than it is to buy new batteries when the batteries wear out. --Randy
I have three of these meters. They read 13.6 VAC with my NCE Power Cab.
http://www.trainelectronics.com/Meter_Workshop/index.htm
http://www.trainelectronics.com/Meter_HF/index.htm
I use the below circuit for my DCC amp meter. He use to show the Harbor Freight meter.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/DCCammeter10.html
I am giving facts, not opinions.
Usually those who say they are no good ar those who do not use them.
I have compared them to an expensive Fluke.
This is model railroading, not rocket science.
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
richhotrain Jim, shouldn't you consult me before showing a video of me messing with my service panel??? Rich
Sorry Rich,
I thought youtube videos were fair game ..............
Wait, umm, Rich G, you seem to be confused. I am promoting the HF meters. They are MORE tha good enough, easy to use, and above all so cheap you can buy 4 or 5 of them and still spend less money than for a more expensive meter that for model railroad use is really no better. Always have a spare.
Like Bob says - with a couple of spares laying around, if you blow one up by accidently touching the wrong point, you still have a spare or two and your project won't come to a griding halt. That $50 meter may over the long term last longer than one HF meter, but will it last longer than 25 of them? If you blow the fuse in the expensive meter late on a Sunday - well, your project is going to come to a grinding halt anyway even if the meter remains undamaged.
Like I said, I have a fairly high end (well, it was when new) desktop Fluke which I can use if I really need to do any high precision work, but nothing on my layout, and nothing around the house, has yet required it. My friend who has full equipment to design, build, and test microwave circuits in his basement, would laugh even at the Fluke I have. His cheaper gear goes for $5k or more. No one building a model railroad needs anything like that. I think even if I had such things, I'd STILL use the HF meter on my layout, just to avoid any chance of damaging the expensive stuff.
LOL
I think this thread has lost its way.
Maybe the OP would like the HF meter, maybe he wouldn't.
But, he asked for a suggestion for another brand similar to a Sperry SP-10A which he cannot find anywhere.
eBay has plenty of Sperry SP-10A's, $10-$15.
So I am looking at this centech meter and I cannot see a fuse value for the 10A scale. The only fuse listed is a 500MA fuse which would protect it on the lower amp scale.
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/92000-92999/92020.PDF
What protects the meter in the 10A range?
The piece of wire across which is measures the drop to calculate amps will melt. Not to mention the wire gauge of the probes really isn't suitable for 10 amps. Even much more expensive meters don't have a fuse on the 10 amp connection.
So the shunt is the fuse and one time only. Nice.
Here is Rich HO, just back from harbor freight with a replacement meter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaIszMlrQNE
Soo Line fan So the shunt is the fuse and one time only. Nice. Here is Rich HO, just back from harbor freight with a replacement meter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaIszMlrQNE
pssst - the Sperry SP-10A ALSO does not have a fuse for the 10A range.
richhotrain Soo Line fan So the shunt is the fuse and one time only. Nice. Here is Rich HO, just back from harbor freight with a replacement meter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaIszMlrQNE None of this would have happened if I just would have bought the SP-10A. Rich
None of this would have happened if I just would have bought the SP-10A.
when you shop at the harbor sometimes you get soaked