I finally found my old multimeter in the garage

Repair work was more hands-on in the past. Now it's mostly software based. That multimeter reminds me of those days.

3 comments

3 Comments

Does every old meter really need checking right away? From what I've seen, a lot of that older gear was made tough and often works just fine after sitting around. Take that with a grain of salt, but I'd try it out first before worrying.

dylan_cooper761mo ago

Yeah, the old gear was definitely built tough, I'll give you that. But I've pulled meters off the shelf that looked perfect and had a needle that just stuck at zero, or read twenty volts low on a fresh outlet. It's not about the casing holding up, it's about the tiny parts inside getting lazy after ten years in a closet. I'd still give it a quick test on something you know is right, just for peace of mind.

shanew261mo ago

Man, you gotta check that thing before you trust it. Those old meters can drift way out of calibration just sitting around. Grab a fresh battery and test it on a known good power source, like a new AA battery. If the leads are cracked or brittle, you can usually find cheap replacements online. It's cool when the old gear still works, but you really don't want it lying to you.