# What kind of multi-meter do you need for building pedals?



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

So if you were going to attempt to build a pedal, what kind of multi-meter do you need? What functions do you need? Would something under $30 from Crappy Tire do the trick?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Personally, I would spend a bit more and get something that reads capacitance.
I find capacitors are often pain to sort out.
Canadian Tire often puts their DMM's on sale.

@mhammer should be here soon.


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## CathodeRay (Jan 12, 2018)

I agree with greco. Multi-meters are so inexpensive now.

Capacitance
Diode check
Transistor hfe & lead identification
$50 will get you all of that @ Amazon ca


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Agree. I would add that "auto-ranging" is, while not critical, a nice convenience. Also, wider ranges of measurement is also helpful. So, get one that will measure up to 20 megohms or higher, and measure capacitance of at least 20uf. AC voltage is less critical. You need it, but for what we do, measuring AC over 120V is pretty well pointless. I would imagine they are all 4-1/2 digits these days, so no point in recommending that.

If the meter CAN identify transistor pinout, that's wonderful, but the socket will identify which pin goes where, when inserting, so if you don't get a plausible hfe reading, flip the transistor leads around until you do. That will let you identify which lead is which. Note that such testing will NOT tell you anything about FETs.

Finally, nice pointy test leads let you get into small places, like being able to measure the voltage on a single IC pin without inadvertently touching an adjacent one.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

greco said:


> Personally, I would spend a bit more and get something that reads capacitance.
> I find capacitors are often pain to sort out.
> Canadian Tire often puts their DMM's on sale.
> 
> @mhammer should be here soon.


^^^^ Quick as a bunny  ^^^^


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Hold on...for most pedals, you don't need a meter at all if you can read resistor codes (or keep them sorted and labeled). Of course, it does come in handy for trouble shooting, or measuring transistors if you get one that has that function. I've built maybe 100 pedals and several amps and never had to measure capacitance.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I measure it all the time, particularly when dealing with small ceramics and "greenies" where the legending has worn down enough to make it hard to read. Sometimes, as well, one wants to know that caps are matched for value, such as with some filters.

As for reading resistor codes, I'm sure you've encountered resistors where the colour bands were easy to "read" but the colours difficult to be certain of. Some purple bands can look brown, and orange, red and brown are often easily confused if your lighting is not perfect. And of course, there are plenty of times when one wishes to know the actual resistance value that a pot has or that a trimmer is set to.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Oh, I wasn't saying I didn't use one - almost every resistor I ever used got measured before going in, I certainly can't read (OK, haven't taken time to LEARN to read) colour bands. Also very handy for pots, as you mention.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

mhammer said:


> I measure it all the time, particularly when dealing with small ceramics and "greenies" where the legending has worn down enough to make it hard to read. Sometimes, as well, one wants to know that caps are matched for value, such as with some filters.
> 
> As for reading resistor codes, I'm sure you've encountered resistors where the colour bands were easy to "read" but the colours difficult to be certain of. Some purple bands can look brown, and orange, red and brown are often easily confused if your lighting is not perfect. And of course, there are plenty of times when one wishes to know the actual resistance value that a pot has or that a trimmer is set to.


I have color vision issues. I like my meter.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I don't have colour-vision issues, but some of the component manufacturers seem to have paint-selection issues.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

It'd be nice to find one with a built-in tube tester. I don't think anyone's making that one yet, though.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

This is what I use.

Fluke 179

I have never had any need for anything more and while it was more than $50 I still consider it money to be well spent.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I would love to have one of these but I would need to use it more often to feel that I could justify owning it. 
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Fluke-179-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-0-09/PRD1XEB1M8TRQ4W


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

I use a Meterman 37XR. I guess they became part of Amprobe:
Amprobe 37XR-A True-RMS Autoranging Digital Multimeter w/ Component, Logic Test and Backlit Display- at the Test Equipment Depot


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

I have been using an analogue Sanwa YX360TRF and a digital Sanwa PM-3 meter for as long as I can remember. It would be nice to have a meter with auto ranging, though.

A few years ago, my dad gave me his Meterman 30XR. He decided he was too old to tinker electronics. That digital Meterman 30XR beats my Sanwa PM-3 by more than a mile, feature-wise. 

@jb welder, Meterman was bought out, indeed.

For years, I have been looking at Fluke meters whenever I visit a shop that carries them, for the sake of keeping up with what is the latest (plus a bit of drooling exercise). For my needs, I don't really have to have one, but I wish I did. It is just so.... Gucci...... 

And I can't afford to have a Ferrari as a daily commuter. either.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

A nice feature to have is audible continuity. Certainly not an exotic feature but often one missing on inexpensive multimeters.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

keto said:


> Hold on...for most pedals, you don't need a meter at all if you can read resistor codes (or keep them sorted and labeled). Of course, it does come in handy for trouble shooting, or measuring transistors if you get one that has that function. I've built maybe 100 pedals and several amps and never had to measure capacitance.


Building pedals and troubleshooting go hand in hand, especially if you are just starting out. I can't think of a good reason not to have a half decent multimeter on hand.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Get a chinese Fluke. 101 or 15b will do the trick. ~ 50CDN


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

High/Deaf said:


> It'd be nice to find one with a built-in tube tester. I don't think anyone's making that one yet, though.


In the greater audience of electronics, tube testers are not a high demand item. It’s just us guys and the antique radio buffs.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Or, PM Milkman who has a good quality spare tucked away.

Pay the postage and you can have it.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I have a high end made in USA Fluke meter, and a chinese made Fluke. I use the chinese one more than the USA made one. It's smaller and has more features and was only about 75 CDN with shipping


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Following my resurrection of a seriously impaired EHX Micro-Synth yesterday, I will put in a BIG big plug for an audio probe, which turned out to be every bit as important in tracking down the many sources of non-functionality as a meter.

If you have a small battery-powered amp, whether headphone or speaker, cut one end off a guitar cable that you can plug into the mini-amp. Solder the braid shield to a wire with an alligator clip on the end, and solder the hot lead to a suitable non-polarized cap (I used a .22uf "greenie"). The cap will block whatever DC voltage there might be, so you don't blow up the mini-amp. Make sure you are able to hold the cap/probe without your skin contacting bare wire. Attach the alligator clip to a suitable ground point and you can now trace the signal through the circuit by touching the cap lead to appropriate points in the circuit.

Measuring voltages and resistances is informative, and all well and good, but if a chip looks fine because the V+ pin reads +9V, and you get an audible (when amplified) output on one side but not the other, then half the chip may be fried, despite superficial outward signs of functionality. Besides, often one has to troubleshoot without any advance information about what voltages should be. And even if you have all that information, you don't have to look anywhere to know that your audio probe has or hasn't found a signal it was supposed to find.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

keto said:


> Hold on...for most pedals, you don't need a meter at all if you can read resistor codes (or keep them sorted and labeled). Of course, it does come in handy for trouble shooting, or measuring transistors if you get one that has that function. I've built maybe 100 pedals and several amps and never had to measure capacitance.


I have a DMM...and for the most part, it rarely gets used when building...I keep a colour code chart on my wall for resistors...and most caps/FETs are labelled...

now trouble shooting, or fixing...then it gets used...especially the diode feature...its great to see if signal is getting through or not


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## chuck_zc (Dec 6, 2009)

https://www.amazon.com/Yosoo-Transistor-Capacitor-Inductance-Resistor/dp/B00ZOZUX6C
I picked up one of these a couple of years ago. Great for testing transistors, caps, diodes etc.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

1/8W 1% metal film resistors don't cost meaningfully more than 1/4W 5% carbon composition ones these days. Have you ever tried to read one of those little blue babies? They have 5 stripes. Five. And often the first 3, read starting from either end, can be a legitimate value. So even if one is not any of the varieties of colour-blind (and yes, such folks can be interested in gear and electronics too), you often can't be dead certain about the value of a resistor unless you took is from a parts drawer reserved for one specific value.

If not mentioned yet, three things that are very helpful for both building and troubleshooting are:
a) transistor hfe testing
b) diode forward voltage measurement
c) audible continuity testing

hfe testing can often quickly sub for a transistor pinout. Can't remember which pin is which, or whether it's a PNP or NPN? Keep inserting it into the socket until you get hfe readings that seem plausible. The socket will then show you which pin is E, B, or C. Sadly, desn't work for FETs.

Plenty of germanium, silicon and schottky diodes can be visually indistinguishable. I've plucked plenty from my diode drawer than looked for all the world like they were germanium, and they had Vf readings of over 600mv (silicon terrain). So, being able to confirm Vf is good. As well, sometimes you want to select for matched, or higher, or lower Vf, so being able to measure is useful

Finally, being able to hear a beep...or not...lets you focus yur attention on where you're touching the probes, instead of looking at the meter to see if it reads close to zero ohms.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

greco said:


> I would love to have one of these but I would need to use it more often to feel that I could justify owning it.
> https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/Fluke-179-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-0-09/PRD1XEB1M8TRQ4W


Holy shit!
Have those ever gone up in price!
I remember being mildly amused by the coincidence that the model number and the price were the same when I bought mine 10 or 12 years ago.
They've more than doubled.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

mhammer said:


> Finally, being able to hear a beep...or not...lets you focus yur attention on where you're touching the probes, instead of looking at the meter to see if it reads close to zero ohms.


Essential!


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