The guy who works for me thought the multimeter was set to volts but it was set to ohms. In his defense the dial isn’t very clear and the two settings are opposite each other on the circle. I wasn’t there but be said it popped loudly and sparked out of the plastic. I tried a new battery and the whole thing is fried.
maybe don't use a shit dollar general meter
maybe get one with a fuse like every other meter made in the last 30 years
maybe don't leave morons alone with live wires armed only with a shitty dollar general meter
seriously wtf are you doing? checking peoples christmas light strings for them? who the hell is an electrician with enough work to justify having "a guy who works for me" and can't afford at least a $29.95 klein with a god damned fuse in it?
the whole mess sounds like garbage leadership to me.
Lmao. I didn’t tell him to use the multimeter. He took it upon himself. And I got it for free so I’m not heartbroken. This one has a fuse but it blew too. I think the current may have traveled down the motherboard. Also I’m not an electrician.
it needs a proper fricking fuse filled with sand, those don't explode. Also varistors. This shit costs money.
Also a good multimeter should survive this withou blowing anything up.
This, my dad blew up a fuse because he checked his truck's battery in amperage mode.
Replaced the fuse and it works again.
that doesn't matter volts and ohms use the same high impedance circuitry
it will only blow up if you try measuring volts in current mode
This is not true. I did the same thing to a 220v system, heard a fizz, and the ohm meter stopped working. The voltmeter still works.
more likely that meter wasnt rated for 220 if not just a complete piece of $2 chinkshit...if it was a low impedance circuit it would be a pop...not a fizz
Product issue.
is right. The circuitry between V and COM is rated at least 150V on any setting, on any UL, CE or UKCA approved meter. But no normal brand makes them with a sub 600V rating.
> This one has a fuse but it blew too.
> I think the current may have traveled down the motherboard
Doesn’t happen on anything that’s properly fused.
> I found this meter in a house I bought so there is a good chance it’s decades old
> I didn’t tell him to use the multimeter. He took it upon himself.
You know it’s a labour violation to let your employees/contractors use unsafe tools right? If he’d fried himself, lost an eye or even burnt his finger you’re 100% liable.
I found this meter in a house I bought so there is a good chance it’s decades old. It worked great when used properly but I’m 100% sure it was on ohms because the day before i was chasing wires and he tested a live wire when it popped. Also he made it through AC school so he’s not completely incompetent with a multimeter. It was just a poorly designed tool.
Probably just the breaker. Multimeters have 10 amp glass breakers.
>thought the multimeter was set to volts but it was set to ohms
That looks like a budget meter for low amp circuits only. If you're measuring line voltage, you need to stick your probe in the hole that says 10A.
why dont you buy a meter like mine that's literally impossible to fry because it only measures current with a fork?