Maria Mickaella V.
Duqueza
BSNA-3B
MULTITESTER
1. Uses of a multitester:
A multimeter or a multitester, also
known as a VOM (Volt-Ohm-
Milliammeter), is an electronic
measuring instrument that combines
several measurement functions in
one unit. A typical multimeter can
measure voltage, current, and
resistance. Analog multimeters use a
microammeter with a moving pointer
to display readings.
V - Volts
O - Ohms
M - Milliamps
It can measure the voltage
difference across its two leads in V
setting.
It can measure resistance
(Ohms) across its two leads in the R
setting.
It can measure current through
the meter when inserted in-line in the
circuit (A or mA setting),
Voltage measurements
measure the voltage actually applied
by the circuit under test,
Resistance measurements use
a small battery inside the meter to
measure the amount of current that
flows from the meter into the circuit
under test. The circuit under test
must unpowered except for the small
current supplied by the meter itself.
Current measurements must
pass all measured current through
the meter. An internal sense resistor
causes a small drop in voltage that is
measured to determine the current.
2. How to use a multimeter?
measure voltage,
follow these steps:
Plug your black and red
probes into the appropriate
sockets (also referred to as
"ports") on your multimeter.
For most multimeters, the
black probe should be plugged
into the socket labeled "COM,"
and the red probe into the
socket labeled with a "V" (it
might also have some other
symbols). Remember to check
out our image gallery, the
Multimeter Overview tab, or
your multimeter's manual if
you have trouble identifying
the right socket.
Choose the appropriate
voltage setting on your
multimeter's dial. Remember
that most battery-powered
circuits will have direct current,
but the setting you select will
depend on the science project
you are doing. If you are
working with a manual-ranging
multimeter, you can estimate
the range you need based on
the battery (or batteries)
powering your circuit. For
example, if your circuit is
powered by a single 9V
battery, it probably doesn't
make sense to select the
setting for 200V, and 2V would
be too low. If available, you
would want to select 20V.
Touch the probe tips to
your circuit in parallel with the
element you want to measure
voltage across (refer to the
Multimeter Overview tab for an
explanation of series and
parallel circuits). For example,
Figure 6 shows how to
measure the voltage drop
across a lightbulb powered by
the battery. Be sure to use the
red probe on the side
connected to the positive
battery terminal, and the black
probe on the side connected to
the negative battery terminal
(nothing will be harmed if you
get this backwards, but your
voltage reading will be
negative).
To measure current,
follow these steps:
Plug your red and black
probes into the appropriate
sockets (also referred to as
"ports") on the multimeter. For
most multimeters, the black
probe should be plugged into
the socket labeled "COM."
There might be multiple
sockets for measuring current,
with labels like "10A" and
"mA". Note:It is always safer
to start out with the socket
that can measure a larger
current. Plug the red socket
into the high-current port.
Choose the appropriate
current setting on your
multimeter. Remember to
check if your circuit is direct
current or alternating current,
and that almost all battery-
powered circuits will be direct
current. If your meter is not
auto-ranging, you might need
to guess at the scale to use
(you can change this later if
you don't get a good reading).
Connect the multimeter
probes in series to the current
you want to measure (refer to
the Multimeter Overview tab
for an explanation of series and
parallel circuits). For example,
Figure 7 shows how to
measure the current through a
lightbulb that is powered by a
battery. Be sure to use the red
probe toward the battery's
positive side, otherwise your
current reading will be
negative.

To measure
resistance, follow these
steps:
Plug your red and black
probes into the appropriate
sockets on your multimeter.
For most multimeters, the
black probe should be plugged
into the socket labeled "COM,"
and the red probe should be
plugged into the socket labeled
with an "" symbol.
Choose the appropriate
resistance measurement
setting on your multimeter's
dial. If you have an estimate
for the resistance you will be
measuring (for example, if you
are measuring a resistor with a
known value), that will help
you pick the range.
Important: Turn off the
power supply to your circuit
before measuring resistance. If
your circuit has a power
switch, you can do this by
turning the switch "off." If
there is no switch, you can
remove the batteries. If you do
not do this, your reading might
be incorrect. If your circuit has
multiple components, you
might need to remove the
component you want to
measure in order to accurately
determine its resistance. For
example, if your circuit has two
resistors in parallel, you will
have to remove one resistor to
measure their resistances
individually.
Connect one of your
multimeter's probes to each
side of the object whose
resistance you want to
measure. Resistance is always
positive and the same in both
directions, so it does not
matter if you switch the black
and red probes in this case
(unless you are dealing with a
diode, which acts like a one-
way valve for electricity, so it
has a high resistance in one
direction and a low resistance
in the other direction). Figure 8
shows how to measure the
resistance of a lightbulb.
To do a continuity
check (which ensures that
there is a conductive path
between two points in your
circuit), follow these steps:
Set your multimeter to
the continuity check symbol.
Remember that this symbol
might not look the same on all
multimeters (and some
multimeters do not have it at
all), so check out the
Multimeter Overview tab or our
multimeter image gallery to
see examples.
Plug your probes into
the appropriate sockets. On
most multimeters, the black
probe should go into the socket
labeled "COM," and the red
probe should go into the same
socket you would use to
measure voltage or resistance
(not current), labeled with a V
and/or an .
Important: Turn off the
power supply to your circuit
before doing a continuity
check. If your circuit has a
power switch, you can do this
by turning the switch "off." If
there is no switch, you can
remove the batteries.