Multimeter false readings

[Bradley6969]

Friend had a multimeter, not a very dear one just £30, was testing an outside light and said he tested the whole light inside belled everything out and tested the ballast which has built in ignitor and came to use his multimeter and it’s coming up with weird readings could this be why?

 

[dmxtothemax]

If your friend put any meter, let alone a cheap one on to a circuit with an active ignitor ? then yes he could well have damaged the meter,the ignitor pulses are up to 5kv or more ! TSK TSK TSK !

 

[MJPD29]

If your friend put any meter, let alone a cheap one on to a circuit with an active ignitor ? then yes he could well have damaged the meter,the ignitor pulses are up to 5kv or more ! TSK TSK TSK !

I learnt that with the very first tester I bought a few years ago when I had just started. Dont even think I had it 2 weeks. I was heartroken when it let it It's final high pitched (and not supposed to happen) beep

 

[static zap]

Since smoking has been banned , meters must have computers in them that crash instead !

 

[dmxtothemax]

We have all probably killed a few cheap meters over our life time !
Even a couple good one's !
---- happens !

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I once killed an earth loop impedance tester (the old yellow robin ones) by inadvertently getting it across 400v. No profit on that job.

 

[static zap]

... by inadvertently getting it across 400v. ...

Is that before - Black = L2 days ?