How to Test With Analog Multimeters

An analog multimeter may be used to take electrical current and voltage measurements.

A multimeter is a piece of electronic testing equipment. Most of the multimeters available for retail consumption are digital multimeters; however, analog multimeters are capable of performing nearly all of the same test functions that digital multimeters perform. An analog multimeter may be used to take measurements of AC and DC voltage, electrical current and circuit resistance.

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6-volt battery
1.5 Kiloohm resistor
Electrical wire
Electrical pliers

Instructions

- 1
  
  Strip one-half inch of insulation from the ends of the wire.
- 2
  
  Turn on the multimeter, and set the measurement scale to "Volts DC." Place the red (positive) multimeter lead on the positive battery terminal. Place the black (negative) multimeter lead on the negative battery terminal. Check the multimeter display; the multimeter should show approximately 6 volts as the voltage measurement.
- 3
  
  Remove the multimeter leads from the battery. Change the measurement scale to "Ohms" or "resistance." Place one of the multimeter leads on one of the resistor leads. Place the other multimeter lead on the remaining resistor lead. Check the multimeter display; the resistance measurement should be approximately 1,500 Ohms.
- 4
  
  Remove the multimeter leads from the resistor. Twist one of the resistor leads to one end of the wire. Attach the other end of the wire to the positive terminal on the battery.
- 5
  
  Change the multimeter measurement scale to "Amps DC" or "DC Current." Place the positive multimeter lead on the free end of the resistor. Place the other multimeter lead on the negative battery terminal. Check the multimeter display; the current measurement will be approximately 4 milliamps.
- 6
  
  Disconnect the multimeter leads from the battery and from the resistor. Disconnect the wire from the battery. Turn the multimeter off.

Tips & Warnings

If the multimeter does not display any readings when taking a measurement, or if the readings are off by more than 10 percent of these values, replace the multimeter battery and repeat the testing step.

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Photo Credit analog multimeter image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com

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How to Test With Analog Multimeters

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