just a reminder to take out the batteries when not using for a long time. i
ruined two meters when batteries were leaking. And these were Duracell
batteries.

Karl.

On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 1:48 AM, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:

> The meter I have is a Triplett 630-NA.  The manual for one that appears
> identical to mine except for the addition of a polarity switch is
> at file:///C:/Users/synergy/Downloads/Triplett/Triplett%
> 20model%20630%20NA%20%20manual.pdf
>
> I think it's a great meter.  Including the use of the doubler switch (see
> manual) it has full-scale ranges of .3, 1.5, 6, 30, 150, 600, 3000 VDC at
> 20 k ohms per volt, and .6, 3, 12, 60, 300, 1200, and 6000 VDC at 10 k ohms
> per volt.  It also has a special 120/240 millivolt scale at lower
> impedance, using the range switch on one of the milliamp scales (see
> manual)  DC accuracy is +/- 1.5% of  full scale.
>
> AC voltage scales run between 1.5V and 6000 volts at 10 k ohms and 5 k ohms
> per volt impedance.  The voltage scales below 300 VAC are compensated for
> accurate readings up to 20 kHz, making it useful for audio work.  It has a
> decibel scale and table, with 0 dB set at 1 milliwatt on a 600-ohm circuit
>
> For DC current (no AC current scales) it has ranges between 60 microamps
> and 12 amps full scale.
>
> Resistance scales scales are readable to 200 (center scale is 5) ohms times
> 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and 100,000; the last giving half a megohm at
> center and two megohms at the extreme.
>
> I was wrong about the battery -- the two highest ohms scales use an
> Eveready 413 30-volt flat battery about 2.5 inches long.  There is room in
> the case to substitute three 9-volt square batteries.  The ranges running
> via the D battery have a one-amp fuse in series (mine at a reading of 0.35
> ohms pushes about 260 milliamps through the device under test, something to
> be aware of as digital meters use much lower voltages and currents and
> people have forgotten about the possibility of destroying parts with an
> ohmmeter either by overcurrent or by overvoltage on the high ranges.
>
> I think the Simpson 260 is less desirable, with fewer ranges and lower
> accuracy; but it's still a fine meter.  Photos, specs and pointers to
> manuals here: http://simpson260.com/.  I would recommend no earlier than a
> series 3, which was the first one to use banana jacks rather than pin jacks
> for the test leads.  It uses a D cell for lower ohms ranges, and four AA
> cells in series for the x10,000 range, which because of different scale
> numbering has the same two megohm practical limit as the Triplett.
>
> Yrs,
> d
>
> On Fri, Jan 6, 2017 at 8:47 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I buy 22.5 batteries for photo flash on Amazon for $10 or a little more.
> > Would they be the same for factor as the ones required in the meters you
> > refer to? If you have one could you measure the length?
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Jan 6, 2017 at 7:28 PM David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Jim, if you want a good analog bench meter, pick up an old Simpson
> >> 260/270 or Triplett 630 in good shape off ebay.  Note that for the high
> >> ohms range you'll need a 22.5 volt battery, probably not worth the
> >> expense.  The lower ohms ranges use a D cell.
> >>
> >> These meters are 20,000 ohms per volt on DC and were the industrial
> >> repairman's standby.  There are variations, but any of them will see you
> >> right.
> >>
> >> Yrs,
> >> d
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jan 6, 2017 at 8:07 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> I followed Stuart's link and bought one of the compact Radio Shack
> meters.
> >> It arrived today. I really like it for its practicality. You can fold it
> >> up
> >> and not worry about the cords getting snagged and messed up, which is
> what
> >> happens to most I carry around in a toolbox. It's great for what it is.
> I
> >> also have Harbor Freight digital and old-school d'arsenval meters, they
> >> are
> >> all useful for something. If I had to pick one to keep, it would be a
> top
> >> of the line Harbor Freight digital or maybe a big 1980s Radio Shack
> meter,
> >> hard to say. Sometimes it is better to watch a meter fluctuate than to
> >> read
> >> a bunch of numbers.
> >>
> >> Anyway, they all know a lot more about electronics than I do.
> >>
> >> Jim
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jan 6, 2017 at 6:42 PM Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> > Good ole Harbor Freight!  Some for $4.99, which one do you like?
> >> > http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=multimeter
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Stuart
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > From: dbeierl@gmail.com [mailto:dbeierl@gmail.com] On Behalf Of David
> >> > Beierl
> >> > Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 4:24 PM
> >> > To: Stuart MacMillan
> >> > Cc: vanagonlist a
> >> > Subject: Re: Dang driver lowbeam and front driver turnsignal
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Stuart, Harbor Freight has $6 (sometimes free) meters that are
> perfectly
> >> > adequate for almost all van electrical stuff (better than the RS
> folding
> >> > one  in some ways) and easier to find/use for one fifth the price.
> >> >
> >> > What you need in a van digital multimeter are:
> >> >
> >> > Banana jacks so you can use different test leads or adapters.
> >> >
> >> > Power switch that is not a pushbutton that could get turned on in your
> >> > toolbox.
> >> >
> >> > Manual ranges -- auto-ranging is nice, but if you can't turn it off it
> >> can
> >> > drive you nuts in some circumstances.  Much better to not have it than
> >> have
> >> > one that can't be turned off (most auto-ranging *can* be turned off).
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Accuracy -- the cheapest digital meter is more accurate than all but
> >> > extremely expensive analog meters, and accuracy is specified in terms
> of
> >> > the reading rather than the meter full scale.  It will be good enough,
> >> > sight unseen, until you are advanced enough to work out the
> >> ramifications
> >> > yourself.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > High impedance -- the standard input impedance for electronic
> voltmeters
> >> > is ten megohms, which is excellent.  The lowest I've seen on a digital
> >> > multimeter is one megohm, which is still plenty for any normal van
> >> > purposes. Cheap analog meters have an impedance of 2,000 ohms for
> every
> >> > volt on the scale, so a ten-volt scale would have 20,000 ohms.  Sounds
> >> like
> >> > a lot, but it will drag your oxygen sensor practically to ground.
> Huge
> >> win
> >> > for digital in this case.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > DC Volts -- 20, 2, 200 mV (fancier meters with more "counts" may read
> up
> >> > to 3999 or 4999 on a range instead of 1999).
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > DC Amps -- Ten or twenty amps and a milliamp range of some sort.  Note
> >> > that the high-amp range on cheap meters is usually un-fused, so if you
> >> try
> >> > to read volts with the leads connected for amps you will smoke the
> meter
> >> > shunt and maybe melt the meter case.  OTOH the fuses on my fancy Fluke
> >> > meter cost more (each) than the entire HF meter...
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Ohms -- 200 ohms to at least two megohms ranges.  You won't actually
> use
> >> > these often, as you'll mostly be concerned with resistances that are
> too
> >> > small to measure accurately (or at all) by this technique.  Instead
> >> you'll
> >> > be using the 200 mV scale on live circuits to get voltage drops
> >> directly,
> >> > which is the number that matters in any case.  In effect you are
> turning
> >> > the van and meter together into an extremely fancy ohmmeter that can
> >> > measure milliohms or even microohms.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Diode Test -- Like ohms, but shows voltage across a semiconductor
> that's
> >> > conducting.  Modern digital ohmmeters use too low a voltage to turn
> on a
> >> > semiconductor junction, so they have a special function that will.
> It's
> >> > nice if this function has enough voltage to turn on blue/white LEDs --
> >> some
> >> > do, some don't.  Pretty much all of them will work with
> red/yellow/green
> >> > LEDs, and all will work with germanium or silicon diodes.
> >> >
> >> > Your $6/free HF meter does all this.  For an extra buck or two you can
> >> get
> >> > one with a light.
> >> >
> >> > Things that are nice:
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Continuity buzzer -- nice, but can bite you since they usually beep
> >> > somewhere between 50 and 150 ohms.  That's ok if you're looking at a
> >> > circuit with an incandescent light installed in it, but not for wires
> >> > connected together, switches and so forth.  But if you ever get a
> >> chance at
> >> > an old Hickok meter with ?Vari-Trak? (audio beeper that changes pitch
> >> with
> >> > the meter reading) grab it.  It's a huge pity they went out of
> business
> >> and
> >> > nobody has picked up this idea.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Bar graph display -- digital meters typically take 2-4 readings per
> >> > second, and average the reading over the measuring period which will
> be
> >> > roughly one-third of the cycle time.  For rapidly changing readings
> >> (like
> >> > the oxygen sensor on the van) this can lead to readings that appear
> >> > random.  Slightly fancier meters often have a secondary bar graph
> >> display
> >> > that isn't precise but responds much more quickly than the main
> display.
> >> >
> >> > Illumination -- can be very handy.  If I had to pick between
> continuity
> >> > buzzer and light I'd probably pick the light.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Display hold -- lets you make a measurement and capture the reading to
> >> > look at in better conditions.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Min/Max -- captures the highest and lowest values of a reading.  Handy
> >> for
> >> > example when measuring voltage drop during cranking.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Frequency/duty cycle -- good for PWM (pulse width modulated) signals
> >> like
> >> > the 2.1l Idle Control Unit output, LED dimmers and such.
> >> >
> >> > DC+AC -- digital meters on DC ranges typically ignore AC.  This
> function
> >> > gives a separate reading for any AC component of a DC signal, like
> >> ripple
> >> > and hash on the alternator output.  Probably only on quite fancy
> meters.
> >> >
> >> > Type K thermocouple input for temperature.  Even nicer if you can
> switch
> >> > the reading for F or C.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Auto-timeout on light and meter power -- can save your battery.  Can
> >> also
> >> > be a nuisance, so even nicer if you can shut if off.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Yours,
> >> >
> >> > David
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Sun, Jan 1, 2017 at 11:19 PM, Stuart MacMillan <
> stuartmacm@gmail.com
> >> >
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> > No, you are not being obnoxious, basic electrical troubleshooting
> >> requires
> >> > one.  At least get of one these, I give them away to my friends and
> >> family:
> >> > https://www.radioshack.com/products/radioshack-22-range-
> >> pocket-digital-multimeter
> >> > I now have a Fluke meter, but I still have the Radio Shack pocket VM I
> >> > bought at least 30 years ago in my Vanagon on-board toolkit.
> >> >
> >> > Stuart
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf
> >> > Of Dennis Haynes
> >> > Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2017 7:43 PM
> >> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >> > Subject: Re: Dang driver lowbeam and front driver turnsignal
> >> >
> >> > I’ll ask for forgiveness in advance for sounding obnoxious. Besides
> >> > changing parts did you consider using a meter? Each headlight high and
> >> low
> >> > bam does have its own fuse, yes 4 fuses for the lights. They are after
> >> the
> >> > switches in the headlight circuit. The turn signal sounds like a bad
> >> > ground, probably at the socket itself.  The 4 way flasher is not an
> >> > independent circuit. The flasher will not flash unless it sees enough
> >> > current being drawn for two bulbs. High resistance in the working or a
> >> bad
> >> > bulb will prevent the flasher from working.  This acts as an indicator
> >> of a
> >> > turn signal being out. The 4 ways connect 4 lamps so if one or two
> were
> >> out
> >> > it will still flash. Headlight grounds are also a common problem.
> There
> >> are
> >> > grounding clusters above the fuse box. It is common for the quick
> slide
> >> > connecters to both corrode and also break just from heat and age. As
> the
> >> > headlights are higher current items new ground connections near the
> >> > headlamps are a good idea.
> >> >
> >> > Dennis
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf
> >> > Of C B
> >> > Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2017 7:48 PM
> >> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >> > Subject: Dang driver lowbeam and front driver turnsignal
> >> >
> >> > My driver lowbeam won't work at all.
> >> > What didn't help:
> >> > Swapped bulbs.
> >> > Replaced turnsignal ring & stalk.
> >> > Replaced dash headlight switch.
> >> > Traced wires and pulled apart the fuse block and driver's side wiring
> >> > stars connectors. (Should I try the passenger side one?)
> >> >
> >> > In addition, the driver front turnsignal stays on and won't flash
> >> whether
> >> > just parking  lamps, or either headlight combination is on.
> >> > BUT the driver front flasher works in emergency 4-way flasher mode
> >> > regardless of parking light/headlight configuration.
> >> > I know the 4-way flasher is its own circuit, so where in the
> >> > parking/headlight circuits are likely culprits?
> >> >
> >> > Other than that, Cunegonde finally home and ready for visual
> >> restoration.
> >> > It's been a long several years since the engine debacle.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > CUNEGONDE  1985.5 2,1l WBX 4sp Westfalia
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
>