Multimeter, can you be without?

[tomjasz]

My single biggest adventure in customer support is getting battery voltage reports.
I see it here as well. Most of us, pointing all fingers back on me, had no need for a multimeter. Heck, didn’t have a clue as to how to use. I learned quickly that YouTube was my free University.

How do you use your multimeter ?

I test battery voltage, test brake power cut out, test wiring for a short, check PAS sensor, and sort + or - terminals.

In the interest of better CS I found this video and bought one of the same meters. Almost spot on when compared to my Fluke.
Amazon for a few dollars more for those that can’t wait.

 

[harryS]

In addition to a voltmeter, an ebike hobbysist needs this ebike tester.
Around 10 dollars and a five week wait on ebay. this will check the halls on a hub motor, and also your PAS and speed sensor. I've never got the LED's on the right side do much when connected to a controller,.

Going on with low cost tools, a wattmeter is a nerd's friend. YOu can prove that the amp-hours going frpm battery to your bike are equal to the amp=hours coming back in when you recharge it. It has a voltmeter that is spmewhat close to actual voltage. There are some out there that are are close to the truth, It will display peak amps drawn, minimum voltage seen, the real time current draw, plus watt-hours. All for $10 on ebay, so you can excuse the fact that a third of them fail in a week. I have two. Used to have three.

Finally, I don't expect any one else to own one of these clamp-on DC ammeters. They're hard to find too. Useful for measuring currents w/o having to cut into a line. I used it primarily on my car to see if the battery was charging.

 

[Alex M]

Happens all the time. Ebikers don't know how to use multimeter and they don't want to know how. Then they become a source of pain for tech support people (and for themselves too), trying to explain in plain words what can only be relayed in data.

It's easier to learn to use multimeter aka VOM than to acquire mechanical skills and tools needed to tune up non-electrical components of the bike.

I avoid buying on Ebay, except for simple non-critical items, which testing tools are usually not. Ebay quality is unpredictable and low on the average. Amazon have plenty of decent wattmeters (for measuring flow of charge in and out), prices from $15 for a "Ok" device to $40 for a good one.

Clamp-on DC meters are abundant on Amazon too, ranging from $25 for nameless Chinese knock-off to $115 for rather decent Fluke. A word of caution - make sure it does measure DC amps.

My single biggest adventure in customer support is getting battery voltage reports.
I see it here as well. Most of us, pointing all fingers back on me, had no need for a multimeter. Heck, didn’t have a clue as to how to use. I learned quickly that YouTube was my free University.