Digital multimeter & fundamental

units

Hormuud university

By: Ahmed Hashi Mohamed

Digital multimeter DMM
What is multimeter
A multimeter or a multitester, also known as a
VOM (Volt-Ohm-Milliammeter), is an electronic
measuring instrument that combines several
measurement functions in one unit.
A typical multimeter can measure voltage,
current, and resistance.
Types of digital multimeter
Multimeters are: 1.analog and 2.digital
Analog multimeters use a microammeter with
a moving pointer to display readings.
Digital multimeters (DMM, DVOM) have a
numeric display, and may also show a
graphical bar representing the measured
value.
Digital multimeter
the digital multimeter, DMM is one of the
most useful items of test equipment. Basic
instruments can measure current voltage
and resistance, but most include the
capability to measure many other values.
The digital multimeter, DMM, is one of the
most common items of test equipment
used in the electronics industry today.
DMM facilities
DMMs are able to offer as standard the basic
measurements that would typically include:
Current (DC)
Current (AC)
Voltage (DC)
Voltage (AC)
Resistance
 DMM may have a variety of special features that are designed for a

wide number of applications.

Frequency
Temperature
Capacitance
Continuity in circuit
Diode check
Front Panel Symbols
Symbol Meaning
V V DC

V V AC
mV millivolts (.001V or 1/1,000V)
A Amps
mA milliamps (.001A or 1/1000A)
A microA (.000001A or 1/1,000,000A)
Resistance (Ohms)
k kilo-Ohms, Megohms
)))) Continuity beeper
Front Panel Symbols
Symbol Meaning
Capacitance (uF: Microfarads)
(nF: Nanofarads)
Diode test
Hz Hertz (cycles/sec)
REL Relative or offset reading
Range Manual override of autorange
Hold Touch Hold-last stable reading
MIN MAX Highest, lowest recorded readings

Dangerous voltage levels

Caution: see manual
Measurements using Multimeter
Measuring voltage
Testing for proper supply voltage is usually the first step when troubleshooting a circuit.

How to make voltage measurements :

Select V~ (ac) or V (dc), as desired.

Plug the black test probe into the COM input jack. Plug the red test probe into

the V input jack.

If the DMM has manual ranging only, select the highest range so as not to

overload the input.

Touch the probe tips to the circuit across a load or power source (in parallel to

the circuit).
View the reading, being sure to note the unit of measurement.
 Measurements using Multimeter
Resistance Measurement
Most DMMs measure down to 0.1, and some measure as high as 300 M (300,000,000 ohms).
Infinite resistance (open circuit) is read asOL on the meter display .

How to make resistance measurements:

Turn off power to the circuit.

Select resistance ().
Plug the black test probe into the COM input jack. Plug the red test probe
into the input jack.
Connect the probe tips across the component or portion of the circuit for
which you want to determine resistance.
View the reading, being sure to note the unit of measurement ohms (),
kilohms(k), or megohms (M).
 Measurements using Multimeter
DC and AC current
Current measurements taken with the DMM alone require placing the meter in series with
the circuit being measured. This means opening the circuit and using the DMM test leads to
complete the circuit.

How to make current measurements

Turn off power to the circuit.

Cut or unsolder the circuit, creating a place where the meter probes can be inserted.
Select A~ (ac) or A (dc) as desired.
Plug the black test probe into the COM input jack. Plug the red test probe into the amp
or milliamp input jack, depending on the expected value of the reading.
Connect the probe tips to the circuit across the break so that all current will flow
through the DMM (a series connection).
Turn the circuit power back on.
View the reading, being sure to note the unit of measurement.
Fundamental units
Unit of length (meter)
The origins of the meter go back to at least the
18th century.
At that time, there were two competing approaches
to the definition of a standard unit of length.
Some suggested defining the meter as the length
of a pendulum having a half-period of one second;
others suggested defining the meter as one ten-
millionth of the length of the earth's meridian along
a quadrant (one fourth the circumference of the
earth).
In 1791, soon after the French Revolution, the
French Academy of Sciences chose the
meridian definition over the pendulum
definition because the force of gravity varies
slightly over the surface of the earth, affecting
the period of the pendulum.
Thus, the meter was intended to equal 10-7 or
one ten-millionth of the length of the meridian
through Paris from pole to the equator.
 However, the first prototype was short by 0.2
millimeters because researchers
miscalculated the flattening of the earth due
to its rotation.
In 1889, a new international prototype was
made of an alloy of platinum with 10 percent
iridium, to within 0.0001, that was to be
measured at the melting point of ice.
The 1889 definition of the meter, based upon
the international prototype of platinum-
iridium, was replaced by the CGPM General
Conference on Weights and Measures
(French: Confrence gnrale des poids et
mesures CGPM) in 1960 using a definition
based upon a wavelength of krypton-86
radiation.
This definition was adopted in order to reduce
the uncertainty with which the meter may be
realized.
In turn, to further reduce the uncertainty, in
1983 the CGPM replaced this latter definition
by the following definition:
The meter is the length of the path
travelled by light in vacuum during a
time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a
second.
Unit of mass (kilogram)
At the end of the 18th century, a kilogram
was the mass of a cubic decimeter of water.
In 1889, the 1st CGPM sanctioned the
international prototype of the kilogram, made
of platinum-iridium, and declared: This
prototype shall henceforth be considered to
be the unit of mass.
The above picture shows the platinum-iridium
international prototype, as kept at the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures
under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in
1889.
The 3d CGPM (1901), in a declaration
intended to end the ambiguity in popular
usage concerning the word "weight,"
confirmed that:
The kilogram is the unit of mass; it is
equal to the mass of the international
prototype of the kilogram.
Unit of time (second)
The unit of time, the second, was defined
originally as the fraction 1/86 400 of the mean
solar day.
The exact definition of "mean solar day" was
left to astronomical theories.
However, measurement showed that
irregularities in the rotation of the Earth could
not be taken into account by the theory and
have the effect that this definition does not
allow the required accuracy to be achieved.
the 13th CGPM (1967) decided to replace the
definition of the second by the following
The second is the duration of 9 192 631
770 periods of the radiation
corresponding to the transition between
the two hyperfine levels of the ground
state of the cesium 133 atom.
Measurement in the lab

I have measured the value of the voltage

across this resistor using digital multimeter in
voltmeter mode.
The across resistor R1=12v