Meters

2010.05.05
Well, last night I did some research on a benchtop DC power supply ("PSU" - Power Supply Unit), and came across a deal where if you made a purchase of $50 or more net you received a "free gift" - one choice of which was an MS8264 multimeter ("DMM" - Digital MultiMeter; I see a glossary in my blog's future ^.^)! The MS8264 isn't the DMM I wanted, but since I was able to acquire it for no additional cost... I'll detail the the PSU's purchase along with acquiring the so called freebie on the "Power Supplies" page, but suffice it to say that both have been ordered. :)

2010.05.04
Multi-Meter Reviews
Fluke 87-5
Mastech MS8209
Mastech MS8268

After doing a little web surfing I've narrowed my search down to three meters: The Fluke 87-5 for around $300, the Mastech MS8209 for around $70, and the Mastech MS8268 for about $50. Right off the bat after reading the reviews for the Fluke 87-5 that was the one that I wanted to buy, but ultimately I decided upon the Mastech MS8268.

From the reviews it seems the MS8209 is a better unit, but since I'm a complete novice with electronics and considering the MS8268's auto-ranging abilities and that it indicates what leads to use depending on the function selected, it was pretty much a done deal. I realize for an experienced user figuring out what leads to use is a no brainer, but with the poor reviews the MS8209's user manual received (I'm sure the MS8268's won't be much better, but we'll see), I felt it was wiser to be safe than sorry.

I anticipate using the MS8268 for awhile until I get the feel of using a multimeter and then, if budgeting permits, getting another one for comparison. I'll update this page once I've received my unit and have used it for a bit.