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Need a new voltimeter

Nathanieltolb331

Experienced Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2020
Messages
89
Location
Kansas
Hello, I hope I have put this in the right place. I have been looking for a battery for my current voltimeter, and I have been unsuccessful. Batteries Plus is always out of stock and the store I bought it from doesn't even carry the model I have any more. So at this point I am looking to replace what I have. I don't fully understand the everything that a good multimeter can do, but I would like to purchase a decent model to replace the junk one I have. I would really like it if the model doesn't have some sort of proprietary battery in it that is difficult to replace if possible. I am on a budget and as such I can't spend a large amount, but I have about 150 dollars that I can spend. I don't know if that is even enough, but if I could get suggestions, I would be very appreciative. Thank you for the help.

Nathan
 
Nathan,

What model VoM do you presently have? We may be able to help run down the proper battery and save you some money in the long run.
 
Is this a voltmeter or a multimeter. Analog or digital readout? Perfectly serviceable ones can be had as pegboard-bubble package at your local Harbor Freight. Good enough for casual use; HF sometimes gives them away with any purchase.

That's the bottom. Top end for a portable multimeter might be a Fluke model. There are even multimeters with limited waveform displays (low-frequency oscilloscope).

On the other hand, if you're an old timer, the Simpson 260 is, to the best of my knowledge, still made.
 
The one I have is a Commercial Electric MAS830B that I got from Home Depot. They don't carry it any more and based on the construction they didn't expect anyone to replace the battery at all. it does 10A/250V and CAT II 600V or 250mA/250V. I think it is a multimeter, but I don't know. I took a couple pictures of it. It has voltages and amperages and a continuity test, but I think that's about it. It has no beeper, but the probes are pretty nice. Okay. Picture is too big. I have to reduce it. I will post it shortly.
 
The one I have is a Commercial Electric MAS830B that I got from Home Depot. They don't carry it any more and based on the construction they didn't expect anyone to replace the battery at all. it does 10A/250V and CAT II 600V or 250mA/250V. I think it is a multimeter, but I don't know. I took a couple pictures of it. It has voltages and amperages and a continuity test, but I think that's about it. It has no beeper, but the probes are pretty nice. Okay. Picture is too big. I have to reduce it. I will post it shortly.


Here is the use and care guide: https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/f9/f9796e88-7980-44d5-a2a3-e0d6ab51630f.pdf

That takes a standard 9V battery from what I can tell, but it does look like you need to pull off the green rubber housing and remove a screw to get into the battery compartment.
 
I opened it up and pulled the battery it looks to a be 9v battery. It's labeled a 7F22. I tried to attach another 9V battery to it, and it connected, but still nothing on the screen. Is it possible that instead of a dead battery I broke it? I tried the tongue test on the battery terminals and I didn't get a shock. But still no luck on the screen. There are what appear to be two fuses on board. One is connected via terminals and the other is direct soldered into the board. Is it possible I fried one of these? Rather than having a transparent glass center on them, it appears to be coated with either a white label or paint. But this brings to question, I know the meter I was using had a proprietary battery, if it wasn't this one, what was it then? The fuse that can be removed has something etched in one end that looks like F250mA/250V, or it might start with Æ ? Maybe? It's difficult for me to tell.
 
Photos would help.

I can believe 6F22 - that's the designation for a zinc-carbon 9V battery, and it's one of the options specified in the datasheet. The only 7F22 references I can find are for rechargeable lithium batteries (also 9V), and it doesn't make any sense that it would have one of those if it has no way to charge it.

The fuses are on the inputs. You should still get a (zero) display if they are blown. The soldered-in one is for the 10A current range, so unless you were measuring large currents you won't have blown that one.

Did you reassemble it before you tested it with the new battery? Some devices have interlocks or actually carry power through some metal on the back of the case, so won't work if not fully assembled. Without seeing what this thing looks like, I can't tell if that's the situation here. But if there's a metal plate or foil on the inside of the cover, then it's possible...

I can't make sense of "But this brings to question, I know the meter I was using had a proprietary battery, if it wasn't this one, what was it then?"
- When you say "the meter I was using," do you mean this MAS830B?
- When you say you know it had a proprietary battery, how do you know that?
- Is this the original battery, or was it previously replaced (presumably by someone other than you)?
 
Huh, you're right, it is 6F22. I somehow read that wrong. I am sorry. Very little sleep. In regards to the end part, I pulled the battery from the meter I was using and it was proprietary, but this battery is clearly not. So what that means is the meter I was referencing for the past multiple months that I couldn't find a replacement battery for is clearly not this meter. I know I have a couple sitting around, a little analogue Radioshack, and this one. I guess I have another.

I did assemble the whole thing after replacing the battery and tried turning it on. I don't get anything on the screen. I don't know about interlocks, but I didn't see anything. Everything inside looks right, I think. Nothing appears damaged or burned. Here's a picture.meter pcb.jpg
 
OK, I don't see anything there that looks like an interlock, so if a known good battery didn't fix it then it's probably not worth any more effort trying to bring it back to life. So we're back to the original request of what to buy as a replacement. And everybody responding will probably have a different opinion about that... But maybe we can narrow things down a bit.

- Would you consider buying used?
- Would you consider a benchtop meter that plugs in rather than a battery-powered handheld?
- If it's a handheld, how rugged to you need it to be?
- How accurate do you need it to be? Typical handhelds (including the MAS830B) have basic accuracy of 0.5% for DC voltage readings
- What is its intended use? Low-voltage DC only, or do you need AC? Do you need to measure low resistance values with precision?
- Are you ever going to use it to measure current? If so, what maximum level of current will you need to measure?
- Do you need it to measure capacitance? Inductance? Temperature?
etc...
 
I occasionally use my multimeter to measure frequency. Newer ones can ever display the waveform.

I have a 30 year old or so Fluke that can do frequency measurements. I have several Fluke meters and I don't think there is a better brand out there.
 
That used to be the case for DMMs. Simpson and Triplett reigned in the analogue meter market. I don't know if Fluke quality has suffered since their acquisition by Danaher.
 
That used to be the case for DMMs. Simpson and Triplett reigned in the analogue meter market. I don't know if Fluke quality has suffered since their acquisition by Danaher.

All true. but I believe my Flukes will out last me. If you get on Reddit there's still a lot of love for the Fluke. I wouldn't recommend the Fluke to someone who's only going to pull it off the shelf once or twice a year just to check batteries or for a blown fuse.
 
The one I have is a Commercial Electric MAS830B that I got from Home Depot. They don't carry it any more and based on the construction they didn't expect anyone to replace the battery at all. it does 10A/250V and CAT II 600V or 250mA/250V. I think it is a multimeter, but I don't know. I took a couple pictures of it. It has voltages and amperages and a continuity test, but I think that's about it. It has no beeper, but the probes are pretty nice. Okay. Picture is too big. I have to reduce it. I will post it shortly.

This sounds like a fuse, not a battery.
 
Sounds like a perfectly reasonable basic meter. It won't cost much to replace with similar spec, but it's worth checking the fuses before giving up on it. I definitely have met some that don't turn on at all when the main fuse is blown - I got a free meter that way when I was young & they were still expensive! If you do end up needing a new meter I think it's worth spending a bit for one a bit better, but maybe not a lot for one a lot better unless you know you'll use it heavily. Some of the really premium meters are markedly safer than the cheap ones on high-amp, high-voltage electrics but not many vintage computers need that much.
 
So I tried another 9V battery on the off chance that the battery was not new as I thought. Screen comes on when I turn the knob, a 0 is showed. It's very dim, but it's there. I will go out and purchase a brand new battery tonight and try it and see if the screen gets brighter. In regards to the questions about what kind of meter I am looking for, I would like one that does a beep when checking for continuity, I don't have a bench right now that I can set one on, so it has to be smaller than a bench unit. I don't mind if it has the ability to use AC Mains, but I would like to stay 150 USD or under if possible. I don't mind buying used as long as it is tested and confirmed working. But aside from that I don't really know what all I need. I really want the beep for continuity testing so I can check traces that might be damaged from battery acid on older boards, and a great big stonking book on multimeters for dummies would be great too, as I am such a beginner at all of this.
 
So I tried another 9V battery on the off chance that the battery was not new as I thought. Screen comes on when I turn the knob, a 0 is showed. It's very dim, but it's there. I will go out and purchase a brand new battery tonight and try it and see if the screen gets brighter. In regards to the questions about what kind of meter I am looking for, I would like one that does a beep when checking for continuity, I don't have a bench right now that I can set one on, so it has to be smaller than a bench unit. I don't mind if it has the ability to use AC Mains, but I would like to stay 150 USD or under if possible. I don't mind buying used as long as it is tested and confirmed working. But aside from that I don't really know what all I need. I really want the beep for continuity testing so I can check traces that might be damaged from battery acid on older boards, and a great big stonking book on multimeters for dummies would be great too, as I am such a beginner at all of this.

If you end up buying a new one, then just buy this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0113FPXRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cheap, reliable, accurate and has just about everything you need for home electronics (including continuity).
 
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