I need a set of small screwdrivers to help disassemble laptops and other electronics. I had a few sets. I lost them all in the move.
I cannot find my multimeter. I prefer a needle readout. If I can afford it, a unit with both a needle gauge and a digital display would be great. It needs to be sturdy. I will probably drop it quite a bit. I will not be using it outside. I do not feel qualified to unscrew an outlet cover and tinker with the wiring inside. I will need to be able to accurately see the charge left in batteries. I will need to know if the resistance in a variety of portable electronics is infinite and the circuit is open.
The following is background detail that can be skipped if you feel like it-
My first multimeter was a Micronta from Radio Shack. When I was old enough to begin to use it on my own, Dad gave it to me. It server me very well for about thirty years. Then, something broke inside it.
I tried buying a no name multimeter new at a flea market. It was $8. I figured how bad could it be? It was crap and lasted a year.
I bought a new multimeter and a ProphetSport battery charger at Radio Shack after buying a huge radio control N’sekt at another flea market. The N’sekt works great. The ProphetSport works great. The multimeter worked great last time I saw it. I think it was lost in the move as well. I had hoped that it would turn up. That seems very unlikely considering the amount of boxes and bins I have been through this year.
For modern batteries, a multimeter provides no useful info about charge beyond “dead or not yet dead”.
As said above, the potential range of itty bitty heads for screws in modern electronics is vast. But small cross-heads & standards will get you a long ways. If you have a specific device to disassemble, YouTube will almost certainly have a vid on how to. Which will tell, or show, you which types of screwdrivers you need. Torx & hex head are the other common flavor.
The Pro kit is more than I want to spend. But, the Essential kit looks like a good fit.
What exactly do you mean by “modern batteries”? I won’t be measuring the charge in my iPhone battery, laptop battery etc. I can get a good idea of the charge in a rectanguar 9 volt battery by sticking my tongue on the terminals. If I want to know about AA, AAA, C, cylindrical D, or the various coin and button style batteries some of my stuff uses, I need a multimeter.
Little gizmos for testing household batteries are available for under twenty bucks. No idea how accurate they are, especially compared to a multimeter.
I started looking at multimeters on Amazon. I do not want to cheap out on this purchase and wind up with a piece of crap. I also do not want to waste money.
Dewey_Finn As I said, I will not be doing stuff with the wiring in my walls. I will be using the multimeter for at least one thing other than just testing batteries. If it has other functions I can learn to use and I don’t have to spend a lot more, that would be great.
Since I moved, I learned of the existence of a Tool Library in the area. Their rules are very reasonable. Yearly membership is very cheap. I can provide a valid credit and debit card, state ID, and bills with my current address easily. I don’t have any friends in this area who can be contacted should I go missing. So, I haven’t joined yet. I will eventually. At that point, I become eligible to attend free classes there. I’m sure somebody there can teach me how to use all the functions on my multimeter.
I started out at about age 10 in the late 1960s with a Radio Shack needle multimeter. I can recall riding my bike to the local store armed with shiny fresh birthday money. Digital multimeters had not been invented yet. It was still working fine when I gave it away ~5 years ago.
Somewhere along the way, maybe 1995 I bought something akin to this, but less capable:
Fluke is a brand that will last the rest of your life. And will be excellent every minute of the way.
Yeah, thanks. I have never owned a car. It is highly unlikely I will buy one in the next few years. So, dedicated automotive functions are not needed. The Fluke also mentions various ways in which it is sturdy and durable. As my multimeter will not be going outside, most of those are not needed either.
$40 and under is much more my price range. I may lose this multimeter. I may find my old multimeter. I do not want to cheap out again, and get a multimeter which barely works and then dies completely after a few months.
The ifixit essential repair kit seems to have everything I would need. It is a bit more than I wanted to pay. But so far, looking for screwdrivers that work and are cheap has just turned up junk. I just ordered the kit.
I forgot to mention- if I am ordering a multimeter from Amazon, I would prefer one eligible for Prime shipping. My beloved has a Prime account and my credit card information.
I wasn’t going to recommend a multimeter as I only use cheap ones. Now that I know that that is what you’re looking for as well as being Prime eligible, I’ve been using the one below for 7 years now. Mostly for batteries and playing around with electronics with the Raspberry Pi. Nothing fancy, but it still works. I even bought a separate case for it.
Thanks! It has mostly good reviews. It will do what I want. The price is good. Unless somebody comes up with a better multimeter, or a really good reason not to buy this one, I will send the link to my beloved tomorrow and ask her to order it.
I will skip the carrying case. I will have to check it it will fit in my electric stuff case. If it does not, I should be abe to store it safely in one of the drawers of my new desk. If I cannot do that for some reason, I have a long habit of cutting off the back pockets from jeans before I throw them out. I mount these on the wall with thumb tacks to store various things.
It is my vague understanding that measuring open circuit voltage on a battery isn’t a great way to tell how much charge is left in a battery, because battery failure looks more like an increase in effective series resistance inside the battery. Measuring the battery’s voltage while it is under load is better. There are battery test meters that do that – you have to select the battery size with a switch, to engage the proper load, and there’s some display of the voltage.
This isn’t very authoritative, I’m afraid, but it’s certainly enough of a lead to let you check this issue out.
