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Date:         Sat, 7 Jan 2017 01:48:11 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Dang driver lowbeam and front driver turnsignal
Comments: To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAFnDXk1JY8e=2pt-XBJLzjiw1cezeJy=og1CScNdAqtCQUapWA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

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 >> > >> > >> > >> >> >>


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