What Is Digital Clamp Meter? How It Works. Best Tips 2020 Update
If you are looking for a convenient and an easy to use an electrical device to measure a live-conductor without shutting down the circuit, then a Digital Clamp Meter, which is also known as a Tong Tester is the perfect tool to fulfill your needs. It is one of the most useful electrical test equipment.
What is a Digital Clamp Meter?
A Digital Clamp Meter is an electrical device with jaws that open to allow clamping around an electrical conductor. The device measures the alternating current (shortly known as AC) and also direct current (shortly known as DC) without the need to physically contact the cable or wire or turn off the unit or system.
List Of Best Clamp Meter Tester Online:
If you are looking for the best clamp meter for electricians or clamp meter for car audio then you are at the right place. Here you get a complete list of best clamp meter online at best prices.
How Do Digital Clamp Meters Work?
Best Clamp Meter For Electricians:
Types of Digital Clamp Meters:
There are basically three types of clamp meter for electricians available in the market.
Current Transformer Clamp Meters:
Current transformer clamp meters feature rigid jaws made of ferrite iron. The jaws are individually covered by copper wire coils. During measurement, they form a magnetic core. This type of clamp meter works with one primary turn or winding, which in almost all cases the conductor is measured. The coils around the jaws act as secondary a secondary winding of the current transformer. Current transformer clamp meters only respond to AC waveforms.
Flexible Clamp Meters:
Flexible Clamp Meters or also known as Rogowski coils are coreless transformers, used in clamp meters and power monitoring loggers. Sometimes also called air-cored coils or flexible current probes. Rogowski coils evolved from ordinary solenoids and were first used in 1912. These types of clamp meters can be made flexible, have the advantage of better linearity, and no core to saturate and do not require any magnetic or electrical contact at the end of the opening. Rogowski coils give voltages proportional to the rate of current change in the primary cable, So, further signal processing is required before sensitive values can be displayed.
Hall Effect Clamp Meters:
Hall Effect Clamp Meter (ac/dc clamp meter) uses a rigid iron jaw to condense the magnetic field that is measuring the conductor. This type of digital Clamp Meter is more sensitive and can measure both ac and dc current up to the kilohertz (1000 Hz) range. The conductor generated magnetic field is focused across one or more gaps in the core after the jaws are clamped around the conductor. The Hall Effect Clamp Meter was often used with oscilloscopes and highly-computerized digital multimeters. However, these are becoming more common for general use.
How to Use Clamp Meter?
Using or operating a Digital Clamp Meter isn’t hard at all with proper knowledge. So, even if you are a newbie, you don’t need to worry about how to use clamp meter. Just follow the steps below-
- Switch on the digital clamp meter.
- To avoid any damage to the circuit, only a higher scale-value should be selected. Gradually decrease the scale reading selector if the current is low.
- Clip-on the clamp meter around each cable in turn and measure current.
FYI:- The current of only one wire at a time can be measured.
Best Clamp Meter For Car Audio:
Why Is It Necessary to Buy a Digital Clamp Meter (Benefits)?
So far you know the types, how you can use, and how they work. But this is not enough to convince you to choose a digital clamp meter instead of other electrical tools, right?
Now, let me tell you how it can be beneficial.
- There is no need for physical contact between jaws and Conductors to use a clamp meter which removes the old method of cutting into wires and measurement with the insertion of test lead into the circuit. This is why it becomes the most popular electrician tool and choosing the best Clamp Meter for electricians is the right option for professional or common use.
- It can be used in narrow places and noisy electrical environments with clear presentations along with precise and stable measurements.
- It provides hassle-free measurement while increases efficiency and productivity of work since, It does not require to shut down the circuit supply during the measurement with the clamp meter.
- It also saves your time and the most important your money as it is able to measure faster than other electrical tools.
- It has an ergonomic design that allows it to fit in the hand while wearing protective equipment.
- By using an ac/dc clamp meter, you can check your car battery and your car audio.
How To Use Clamp Meter?
What Is Digital Clamp Meter? How It Works. Best Tips 2020 Update
Buyer’s Guide to Digital Clamp Meter
You want to buy a digital clamp meter but don’t know how to choose the right one. No problem mate. You can shop online because you can’t go outside to the market right now, right? Check out here for genuine and a variety of products.
Now, let me guide you through the buying process-
- The clamp meter must be capable of withstanding high temperatures or static atmospheres. Hence, beware of the functions or capabilities before buying.
- Safety is the highest priority. So, always look for a clamp meter that is rated higher than your actual needs. For example, if you go to test something which is rated above your clamp meter is rated, it can be dangerous.
- Nobody wants a Clamp Meter tester that detects the noises nearby and adds it to the final result. So, make sure that the meter gives true RMS reading by testing it.
- If you purchase online, check your clamp meter tester the first thing you receive it and make sure while buying online, it comes with a return policy.
- It’s useless for a technician to purchase a clamp meter that only measures AC. You need to buy a clamp meter that can be used to take care of all your needs.
What is a digital clamp meter used for?
A digital clamp meter is an electrical test device that combines a basic digital multimeter with a current sensor. Clamp measures current. Probe measures voltage.
What Are the Applications of Digital Clamp Meter?
Along with the measurement of AC and DC, a Digital Clamp Meter can also be used to measure-
Current.
Voltage.
Resistance.
Continuity.
Crest Factor.
How accurate are ultrasonic clamp-on meters?
Depending on the brand and model, an ultrasonic clamp-on meter’s accuracy varies. These clamp meters do have problems with lightning strikes and power surges. When the flow rate drops below 2 feet/second, the accuracy of the ultrasonic flow meter becomes much less reliable.
What Are The Difference Between Clamp Meter and Multimeter?
The main difference between clamp meters and multimeters is that although both can measure high current, multimeters have higher accuracy and better resolution. A clamp meter is made to measure current/ amperage. On the other hand, a multimeter usually measures voltage, continuity, resistance, and sometimes low current.
How should I take resistance and continuity measurements when operating ACM-2036?
Do the following–
Enter the black test lead in the negative COM terminal and enter the red test lead in the positive terminal.
Touch the test probe tips across the circuit or component under test. It is best to disconnect one side of the device under test so the rest of the circuit will not interfere with the reading of the resistance.
To test the resistance, read the resistance on the LCD display and if the resistance is <30Ω, you will hear a sound.
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that these Digital Clamp Meters or Clamp Meter for car audio have gained so much popularity among professionals. The main reason is that it does not require the circuit to power down while using it for measurements and that being said the probability of any physical harm becomes null because of no physical contact with the cable/ wire required during the measurement process.
