Electronics All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 8

Measuring Circuits with a Multimeter

IN THIS CHAPTER

Familiarizing yourself with a multimeter

Measuring current, voltage, and resistance

Looking at your first electronic equation: Ohm’s Law

Wouldn’t it be great if every circuit you ever built worked right the first time you built it? You’d quickly develop a reputation as an electronic genius and in no time at all you’d be the president of Intel.

But in the real world, a circuit doesn’t always work right the first time. When it doesn’t, you can scratch your head, stare at it, put a dead chicken in a bag and swing it over your head, or you can pull out your test equipment and analyze the circuit to find out what went wrong.

In this chapter, you learn how to use one of the electronic guru’s favorite tools: the multimeter. Lean how to use it well. It will be your trusty companion throughout your electronic journeys.

Looking at Multimeters

You know those late-night commercials that try to sell you those amazing kitchen gadgets that are like a combination blender, juicer, food processor, mixer, and snow cone maker all in one? A multimeter is kind of like one of those crazy kitchen gadgets, except that, unlike the crazy kitchen ...