Cheap Voltage and continuity tester?

[shocksl]

Hey guys

I am still studying in college.

I just need one to play around with. As I will be making my own boards at home.

Can anyone recommend me one to use ? So I can start practicing how to do testing.

Thanks

 

[pc1966]

I have one of these and it does the job well:

Martindale VT12 Voltage and Continuity Tester

Martindale VT12 Voltage & Continuity Tester - MARVT12 The Brand New Martindale VT12 is an excellent value Voltage and Continuity tester for universal applications. The VT12 is constructed in accordance with the latest safety standards and guarantees safe and reliable measurements and...

www.test-meter.co.uk

If you don't need continuity testing then this is the daddy of them all:

Drummond MTL20 Test Lamp

John Drummond Test Lamp MTL20 The John Drummond MTL20 Test Lamp gives safe indication of voltage between 50V and 500V AC/DC. The MTL20 test lamp housing and probe both have a finger shield and insulated probe tip with only 4mm of exposed metal. A two layer double insulated cable with white...

www.test-meter.co.uk

But equally you get cheap voltage-only testers such as this from the DIY houses:

TIS Voltage Tester

• Voltage range 12V to 690V • Automatic polarity indication • One hand operation for testing sockets• Compact pocket size design• Probe tip protection• No batteries required• Extra bright LEDs• Does not trip RCDs

www.toolstation.com

All testers should be "proved" before and after use by testing on a known voltage source to check they are really working. Some models claim to be self-proving, and to some extend the likes of the Martindale tester (above) will let you know something is working just by checking it bleeps on continuity, but as a professional then something like this is worth considering:

4299 Proving Unit

Intelligent voltage ramp testing for voltage indicators and multimeters

www.cef.co.uk

Otherwise you really must check the tester on a known live supply first, and obviously that is a dangerous step to take compared to a limited-energy battery unit designed for testing.

 

[shocksl]

I have one of these and it does the job well:

Martindale VT12 Voltage and Continuity Tester

Martindale VT12 Voltage & Continuity Tester - MARVT12 The Brand New Martindale VT12 is an excellent value Voltage and Continuity tester for universal applications. The VT12 is constructed in accordance with the latest safety standards and guarantees safe and reliable measurements and...

www.test-meter.co.uk

If you don't need continuity testing then this is the daddy of them all:

Drummond MTL20 Test Lamp

John Drummond Test Lamp MTL20 The John Drummond MTL20 Test Lamp gives safe indication of voltage between 50V and 500V AC/DC. The MTL20 test lamp housing and probe both have a finger shield and insulated probe tip with only 4mm of exposed metal. A two layer double insulated cable with white...

www.test-meter.co.uk

But equally you get cheap voltage-only testers such as this from the DIY houses:

TIS Voltage Tester

• Voltage range 12V to 690V • Automatic polarity indication • One hand operation for testing sockets• Compact pocket size design• Probe tip protection• No batteries required• Extra bright LEDs• Does not trip RCDs

www.toolstation.com

All testers should be "proved" before and after use by testing on a known voltage source to check they are really working. Some models claim to be self-proving, and to some extend the likes of the Martindale tester (above) will let you know something is working just by checking it bleeps on continuity, but as a professional then something like this is worth considering:

4299 Proving Unit

Intelligent voltage ramp testing for voltage indicators and multimeters

www.cef.co.uk

Otherwise you really must check the tester on a known live supply first, and obviously that is a dangerous step to take compared to a limited-energy battery unit designed for testing.

Oh nice brilliant thank you so much for yhat I'll have a quick look at them now.


My dad just gave me this as he just found it jn his cupbard he bought years ago.. Seems like this is different as voltage check goes only up to 600v.

Is that correct?

 

[pc1966]

Oh nice brilliant thank you so much for yhat I'll have a quick look at them now.

OK.

My dad just gave me this as he just found it jn his cupbard he bought years ago.. Seems like this is different as voltage check goes only up to 600v.

Is that correct?

It is not the same thing. The usual "voltage tester" takes a mA or two to drive the LEDs and that allows it to check there is a real power supply there, and not a few uA of current from capacitive coupling (AKA "phantom voltage").

It might be a useful tool, but check carefully it is rated to at least CAT III 300V before using it on any mains supply. This is very important to make sure your meter is not a danger if subject to a high energy fault:

Measurement category - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Avo Mk8]

My dad just gave me this as he just found it jn his cupbard he bought years ago.. Seems like this is different as voltage check goes only up to 600v.

Looking on the interweb there are ad's everywhere for it! And youtube vids!
It does seem to be a 'proper' cat III multimeter, but with an input impedance of 10Meg, so it will suffer from the 'ghost voltage' syndrome mentioned above.
While the voltage ranges go up to 600v, the DC and AC current ranges are limited to mV and mA, so it seems more suited to electronics work.
So all in all good for experimenting on battery and low voltage things, but not for mains work, especially dead testing.

 

[timhoward]

I think you've had some excellent answers already. My 2 cents is that a 2 pole tester is a great (if not essential) investment and the TIS unit above does the job well. For proving dead, and basic continuity or no continuity it's fine.
Being able to measure very small resistances accurately and perform insulation resistance test is the next step, and assuming you aren't ready to shell out for a multifunction tester, then keep a look out for the Megger BM series, that can do 250 and 500v insulation tests and continuity tests to an accuracy of 0.01 ohms. They come up on ebay quite a lot and are fantastic little testers.

Also keep an eye out for Megger 15xx series multi-function testers that are still in calibration, occasionally these come up for silly money as they are getting a bit old now, but they are extremely well made (better than the 17xx series IMHO) and do the job.
Hope that helps.

 

[shocksl]

Looking on the interweb there are ad's everywhere for it! And youtube vids!
It does seem to be a 'proper' cat III multimeter, but with an input impedance of 10Meg, so it will suffer from the 'ghost voltage' syndrome mentioned above.
While the voltage ranges go up to 600v, the DC and AC current ranges are limited to mV and mA, so it seems more suited to electronics work.
So all in all good for experimenting on battery and low voltage things, but not for mains work, especially dead testing.

That's brilliant. Thanks for that.

Also @pc1966 thanks for that .

I think I'd buy a voltage and continuity tester all in 1. As I need to get familiar with college work as well. It might be an idea to get one with a digital screen that gives values once measured ? Is there any that you recommend in that price range ? Or slightly more?

Yes it's all for experimental purposes in a few years I always can buy a better one.

 

[shocksl]

I think you've had some excellent answers already. My 2 cents is that a 2 pole tester is a great (if not essential) investment and the TIS unit above does the job well. For proving dead, and basic continuity or no continuity it's fine.
Being able to measure very small resistances accurately and perform insulation resistance test is the next step, and assuming you aren't ready to shell out for a multifunction tester, then keep a look out for the Megger BM series, that can do 250 and 500v insulation tests and continuity tests to an accuracy of 0.01 ohms. They come up on ebay quite a lot and are fantastic little testers.

Also keep an eye out for Megger 15xx series multi-function testers that are still in calibration, occasionally these come up for silly money as they are getting a bit old now, but they are extremely well made (better than the 17xx series IMHO) and do the job.
Hope that helps.

Hi mate thanks for that great advice

To do ab R1+R2 testing, continuity, resistance testing would I need a multifunction tester or can I do it on a simple 2 pole voltage tester?

Also how often do they need collaborating ? Is it expensive ? And is is it mandatory?

 

[pc1966]

To do ab R1+R2 testing, continuity, resistance testing would I need a multifunction tester or can I do it on a simple 2 pole voltage tester?

You need either a MFT or a simple 'Megger MIT230' style of IR tester that gives you low resistance measurements at enough current to show poor joints, etc. If on a budget then a 2nd hand one might be found for £100 or so.

Or new on a budget, something like this:

Test Meter PRO TMP600 Electrical Insulation Tester

#html-body [data-pb-style=RKRH7Q9]{justify-content:flex-start;display:flex;flex-direction:column;background-position:left top;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-attachment:scroll;border-style:none;border-width:1px;border-radius:0;margin:0 0 10px;padding:10px}#html-body...

www.test-meter.co.uk

Also how often do they need collaborating ? Is it expensive ? And is is it mandatory?

For professional work you would be expected to have it calibrated once per year, cost varies but CEF do "calibration days" where you hand it in and it is about £30 per item.

In between, and if on budget/hobby, then the CalCard gives you a very good indication for IR and continuity testing:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Check-Box-Card-multibrand-NICEIC/dp/B01HR4GGIQ

However, that won't check other aspects of a MFT, like RCD testing, Zs measurement, etc. But in most cases modern meters are either working or very broken, so the calcard would show something up. Probably in over half of the cases of dodgy measurements the test leads are to blame, so a spare set is worth getting if you suspect the meter is unreliable before damning it.

 

[shocksl]

You need either a MFT or a simple 'Megger MIT230' style of IR tester that gives you low resistance measurements at enough current to show poor joints, etc. If on a budget then a 2nd hand one might be found for £100 or so.

Or new on a budget, something like this:

Test Meter PRO TMP600 Electrical Insulation Tester

#html-body [data-pb-style=RKRH7Q9]{justify-content:flex-start;display:flex;flex-direction:column;background-position:left top;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-attachment:scroll;border-style:none;border-width:1px;border-radius:0;margin:0 0 10px;padding:10px}#html-body...

www.test-meter.co.uk

For professional work you would be expected to have it calibrated once per year, cost varies but CEF do "calibration days" where you hand it in and it is about £30 per item.

In between, and if on budget/hobby, then the CalCard gives you a very good indication for IR and continuity testing:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Check-Box-Card-multibrand-NICEIC/dp/B01HR4GGIQ

However, that won't check other aspects of a MFT, like RCD testing, Zs measurement, etc. But in most cases modern meters are either working or very broken, so the calcard would show something up. Probably in over half of the cases of dodgy measurements the test leads are to blame, so a spare set is worth getting if you suspect the meter is unreliable before damning it.

That's fantastic thanks !

So the new one you just posted a link to . TMT one. Could that be used in a professional capacity in the future once I've done college In a couple of years. Or does it not meet the standard and lacks capability ?

The price doesn't look too bad.

Just a quick one in regards to the 2nd hand ones on ebay. If they're working conditions, are they easily collaborated as you mentioned above ? I don't want to end up with a pile of junk lol. I'm happy to pay up to that kind of cost just to have a play around with it. And perhaps in the future use it when I've done the course.