My WG022 has finally gone to silicon heaven. Well, it ostensibly works, but the readings drift all over the place, and there doesn't appear to be anything I can do with the single calibration pot that improves matters.
But I've taken a punt on the
EEVBlog 121GW meter. It has several unique features aimed at the electronics hobbyist that make it a very attractive option in the price range. Things like a 15V diode test range (for zeners and LEDs), the ability to log data at intervals to Micro-SD card
[1] as well as over Bluetooth, an inverse continuity test mode (beeps when the circuit is broken, for troubleshooting dicky wiring) and a VA measurement mode
[2]. It's also got the low burden voltage circuitry of the µCurrent built-in. The use of 4*AA cells as a power source in a relatively small package is pleasing, too.
The main disadvantages are that it's relatively slow at auto-ranging (though not as badly as it was in early versions of the firmware, and this may be improved further in future), and the red silkscreen for some of the function markings is almost unreadable in bad light (I expect this to be fixed in later hardware batches). If you read horror stories about knob problems, these were fixed before the current production run.
It's Not A Fluke, but it's not really trying to be. It's under active community development (you can just download the schematic, the comms protocol is open, and I wouldn't be surprised if a completely open firmware appears eventually). I'd regard the firmware as beta-test quality. Very nice toy.
In cheap meter news, I've also acquired a
UNI-T UT210E, entirely on the basis of its ability to measure small (down to a few milliamps) DC current via a clamp. Witchcraft, I know, but it actually works
[3], and it's a very convenient thing to be able to do. It can do the usual voltage/resistance measurements via probes, too, but it's not the sort of thing I'd trust at mains voltages, and it's only a 2000 count meter. They have other models in the range aimed at higher currents.
[1] For safety reasons the SD card slot is inside the battery/fuse cover, requiring a screwdriver to access, so it's not really a substitute for a proper data logger for regular use, but it's a nice feature to have for one-offs.
[2] Budget constraints mean it lacks the hardware for true power.
[3] You have to position the clamp and then zero the reading to eliminate static magnetic fields.