Benchtop Digital Multimeters
The Ultimate Benchtop Digital Multimeter Buying Guide: Unveiling the Power of Precision
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In the realm of electrical engineering and laboratory work, accuracy and precision are paramount. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a research enthusiast, a benchtop digital multimeter (DMM) is an indispensable tool for your workspace. This guide will walk you through the top benefits of owning a benchtop DMM, along with detailed explanations for each feature and what to look for when purchasing.
Benefits of Owning a Benchtop Digital Multimeter
- Accurate Measurements
Explanation: A benchtop DMM is designed for precision in controlled laboratory environments. It provides highly accurate measurements of voltage, current, resistance, and other electrical parameters. Look for a benchtop DMM with a high count, which refers to the maximum value it can display. A high count ensures accurate and reliable readings, especially when dealing with low-level signals or demanding scientific experiments. Additionally, consider models with calibration certificates to ensure traceable and precise measurements.
- Versatile Functionality
Explanation: Benchtop DMMs offer a wide range of functions tailored for laboratory applications. These functions may include capacitance and frequency measurements, temperature readings, and diode testing. When purchasing a benchtop DMM, assess your specific needs and ensure that the chosen model supports the required measurement functions. Look for ease of operation, clear user interfaces, and compatibility with specialized probes or accessories that suit your experiments.
- Data Logging and Connectivity
Explanation: In a laboratory setting, data logging and connectivity features are invaluable. They allow you to record measurements over time, analyze trends, and integrate the DMM into your research setup. When selecting a benchtop DMM, prioritize models with data logging capabilities that can store and export data conveniently. Additionally, consider connectivity options like USB, LAN, or GPIB interfaces for seamless integration with your laboratory equipment and data analysis software.
- Safety Features
Explanation: Laboratory safety is of utmost importance, especially when dealing with high-voltage circuits and sensitive experiments. Look for benchtop DMMs with safety features such as overload protection, fused current inputs, and input voltage protection. These safeguards protect not only your equipment but also your personnel, making them essential for any laboratory environment.
Digits and Counts Explained
In the context of digital multimeters, "digits" refer to the number of numerical characters that can be displayed on the screen. Each digit can represent a number from 0 to 9. "Counts" are related to the maximum value the multimeter can display. For instance:
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3.5 Digits (or 2,000 Counts): This type can display numbers with three full digits and one-half digit, making it suitable for basic measurements like voltage, current, and resistance. In laboratory use, consider higher digit displays for increased precision.
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4.5 Digits (or 20,000 Counts): A benchtop DMM with 4.5 digits offers more precision, making it ideal for tasks that require accurate measurements in engineering, physics, and electronics research. Look for a high-count DMM with stable and fast readings for your laboratory work.
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5.5 Digits (or 200,000 Counts): This DMM can display five full digits and one-half digit, providing even greater precision for advanced scientific experiments and metrology applications. Consider models with excellent noise rejection and measurement stability.
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6.5 Digits (or 2,000,000 Counts): Benchtop DMMs with 6.5 digits are the most precise, commonly used in calibration labs, research, and critical measurement tasks. Prioritize DMMs with low noise levels and excellent long-term stability for utmost accuracy.
In conclusion, a benchtop digital multimeter is your ultimate ally in the laboratory, offering precise measurements, versatile functionality, data logging capabilities, and safety features tailored to controlled environments. Understanding digits and counts is crucial for selecting the right DMM that matches the demands of your research and ensures the highest level of accuracy and reliability. Make an informed choice, invest in a quality benchtop digital multimeter, and unlock the potential of precision in your laboratory endeavors.
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DMM 101: Handheld vs. bench digital multimeters
By Robert Green
More than perhaps any other instrument category, digital multimeters or DMMs come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. DMMs intended for use in the field emphasize portability and battery operation so service technicians and maintenance personnel can quickly and easily make basic voltage, current and resistance measurements as they go from location to location. For these applications, resolution, accuracy, measurement speed or connection to a computer are less important than battery life, durability and size.
As you might expect, benchtop multimeters are larger than handheld DMMs since they are intended for use on a designer's bench or in an automated system test rack. Bench DMM users include engineering educators, researchers, product designers and all types of test engineers. Here's where sensitivity, accuracy, wide measurement range, maximum functionality, measurement speed and connectivity to a personal computer come into play.
Bench DMMs have interfaces for connecting to a PC and to other instruments.
Bench DMMs have all of these capabilities and offer resolution from 5½-digits to 8 ½-digits -- well beyond the typical 3½-digit to 4½ -digit resolution of handheld DMMs. Bench DMMs can achieve sensitivities as low as 100nV, 0.1µ', and 1pA compared with high-end handheld DMMs with sensitivities of 10µV, 0.1', and 0.01µA. A good handheld DMM's DCV accuracy is 0.05%, while benchtop DMMs can achieve 0.% DCV accuracy and better.
Bench DMMs offer far higher sensitivity than handheld DMMs.
Bench DMMs are often used for automated testing and require an interface that enables a PC to control the DMM and send and receive data. Automated testing often requires fast measurement rates and the ability to sample complex waveforms, like what's show below. None of these capabilities are required by a maintenance technician whose job is to keep electrical systems operational. However, these benchtop features are vital for researchers, designers and test engineers.
Bench DMMs offer fast measurement rates and can sample complex waveforms.
Both handheld and bench multimeters serve specific applications and therefore offer much different sets of features and capabilities. For us at Tektronix and Keithley, our focus is on serving the needs of researchers, designers, and test engineers and we're proud to offer the industry's widest range of bench and system DMMs. With models spanning 5½-digit resolution to 8½-digit resolution, you're bound to find an instrument that fits your needs. Learn more at https://www.tek.com/digital-multimeter.
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