meeters

[ncc74656 2]

I am looking for some amp meters and an oscope. id like to get your guys's opinions as to what brands and models work well. id love to have flukes but the cost is just to high for right now.  i was looking into those pocket oscopes but id like to be able to have a comparative input option so i can pull from 2 sources at a time. anyone know if they make such a module? 

[Impious 1,476]

Why do you want them?

[swift 501]

I would not buy anything like that for personal use. You will use it once, realize you dont understand why you even bought it and sell it after it sits for a couple months unused.

[jcarter1885 995]

So he can do useless clamp testing like everyone else on the web

[ncc74656 2]

i work at an audio shop and i would like to be able to diagnose issues with systems. currently only the manager there has such tools so on days that he is not there i do not have access to said tools. primarily i would like to be able to confirm data wires on vehicles with an o scope before i hook wires to them. 99% of the time our systems tell us correctly what is a data wire but every now and then we need to sit on hold for 3 hours with tech support to confirm what is what.  come spring will be audio season and i would like to be able to do clamp tests, gains settings, and be able to more easily diagnose power drains.

[jcarter1885 995]

clamp tests are useless and don't tell you jack shit. Why not have those tools in the shop for everyone's use, makes no sense not to have those tools accessible to the employees that work their?

[ncc74656 2]

shops don't own tools, the employees or mechanics of that shop own tools. we all need our own.  now why do you say clamp tests are useless?

[shizzzon 461]

Because they do not account for power factor.

 

Our Smart Monitor accounts for it.

 

For a shop, if you wanted that tool, you would want the Smart Monitor Pro as there is no need to permanently attach anything.

All current sensors are clamped, you can adapt clamps for the voltage sensors and the power line is fed by cig adapter.

 

So quick hookup and unhook.

 

We will have these in about 4 months.

[jcarter1885 995]

There are plenty of threads referring to clamp test being useless, search the forum.

[///M5 2,833]

So, we now know that you want to "confirm data wires" and this is leading you to buy a scope? I wouldn't bother for that.

[ncc74656 2]

id like to have a scope to test alternators and set amps as well. i would be ok spending up to 150 or so on a scope if i could, im not in the market for a 2500.00 scope like those snapons but they do look pretty kool.

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

Don't worry about a scope. It's worthless. Use that money toward a good Bluepoint or fluke DMM

[audio-neon 34]

Buy yourself a fluke 117 or 115 if you can get the 115 on sale. You really won't need more than that. It's one of the best investments I have ever made.

[Impious 1,476]

You don't need a scope to set amplifiers.

Clamp tests are a worthless exercise as they don't account for distortion properly, equipment accuracy, or the reactive nature of the load.

You don't need a scope.

If you need something for troubleshooting, a good DMM and POSSIBLY an ammeter will get you by just fine.

But you want a scope for all of the wrong reasons. You don't need one, it would be a waste of money and make you think you are measuring things you aren't.

[///M5 2,833]

Instead of buying tools to pretend to know what you are doing, buy a book and read. Loudspeaker cookbook would be a start.

[ncc74656 2]

i have htat book downloaded. im reading mecp at the moment tho

 

why in the hell does everyone talk about clamp tests and such if they are worthless? isnt that stupidly expensive machine that SMD built just a glorified clamp test?

 

more so than any other field i have ever gotten into i feel like EVERYTHING that the layman and front pages of the internet know to be true about car audio is nothing but lies!

[audio-neon 34]

Real audio guys use the best tools we were given. Our ears and knowledge.

[///M5 2,833]

Meade's tool is basically useless as well.

[Impious 1,476]

i have htat book downloaded. im reading mecp at the moment tho

If you need the certification for your job I can understand. But if you actually want to learn about acoustics you would be far better off starting with the LSDC. I've met a fair share of MECP certified installers who couldn't tell the difference between acoustics and their asshole, even the higher level certifications. Last time I looked at it, which was years ago, it was much more focused on actual installing than the acoustical and electrical side of things.

why in the hell does everyone talk about clamp tests and such if they are worthless?

Because they are ignorant and don't know any better. It's one of those things that got popular on the internet as a result of money-see monkey-do mentality. You'll notice the absence of much "clamp testing" on this site, and a prevalence of them on other sites. That's not by accident. It's because members here are smart enough to understand the lack of useful information they provide and their frivolousness, other sites promote them because those sites and their members allow ignorance and misinformation to run rampant.

isnt that stupidly expensive machine that SMD built just a glorified clamp test?

Not really. Depending on the method of measurement(!), it at least attempts to account for distortion. How well it does that is a topic of debate for another time. I wouldn't put a whole lot of weight into an SMD test either.

By the way, the SMD isn't stupid expensive compared to devices designed to properly and accurately measure power (among other things), as those machines cost tens of thousands of dollars.

more so than any other field i have ever gotten into i feel like EVERYTHING that the layman and front pages of the internet know to be true about car audio is nothing but lies!

Pretty true statement, actually.

[///M5 2,833]

By the way, the SMD isn't stupid expensive compared to devices designed to properly and accurately measure power (among other things), as those machines cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Understatement. I used to sell electronic loads and power supplies used for all sorts of testing including amplifiers. Just the load & power supply to do so with reasonable accuracy would set manufacturers back over $50k. Moved onto acoustic and vibe equipment which is equally as expensive.