There are many ways and methods to measure electrical current. One method most commonly used is running current through a known resistor. Voltage drop over this resistor is determined by the current and the resistor value. Many clamp-on multimeters and clamp-on current measuring adapters that can measure AC current are built in this way.

Some clamp-on multimeters can also measure DC currents. But instead of trying to describe how they work believe me they do and if you want a fast reading on how much amperage is flowing through one of your vehicle’s components then this is a perfect match for a fast look. Gone are the days when you hook this wire here and that wire there and then all of a sudden there was a crackling sound with smoke coming up and you had a burned up multimeter.

Of course with traditional clamp-on current meters, measurements can only be made on single conductors. If you need to measure current in multipair cables this usually needs covers to be moved to gain access to individual wires. But now there are some new special clamp on multimeters that can measure current in multi-core cables and power cords without the need to split them.

A low cost AC/DC clamp meter will usually do most of the simple light duty jobs that you may encounter in your repair work but, of course, if you are a professional then you need the best and latest technology available. There are many clamp on meters to choose from so do yourself a favor and decide what is best for your needs.

In today’s world there are a lot of reasons to have a multimeter in your toolbox. Though it wasn’t always the case where everyone had a multimeter, in fact, the most common hand held meter that was around for the do-it-yourself-er was the analog volt meter. The biggest reason was because of the cost and lack of knowledge. Now the cost of a digital multimeter is of no concern unless you want the higher quality multimeter.

There are many types of multimeters on the market  with cost starting below $10.00 up to many hundreds of dollars. There are still analog multimeters available though they are harder to find because everyone wants a more easy to read digital multimeter. I remember the days when my trusty little analog voltmeter  would give me a reading that was all over the scale and it was very hard to pin point the exact reading when charging a battery and 13.8volts was the goal.

You don’t have to be a electrician to under stand the basics of electricity but you better respect it or it will knock you on your butt or worst! Even DC [direct current] can give you trouble, have you ever touch a spark plug when your car engine is running or how did you feel after touching a electric fence?

AC [alternating current] is the common power source for the home or job. The first rule in trouble shooting anything electrical is to turn off all power sources before you start to disassemble anything and then take your multimeter and test the wires for any electricity before your hands touch anything. Turning off the light switch isn’t enough go to the beaker box and turn the power source off. Even then you better test the wires because you may have a back feed from another source.

Just the volt meter in your multimeter will save you a lot of agony when doing house repairs. With a little practice you will find that trusty multimeter giving you a lot of satisfaction in hunting down that faulty circuit or why that light doesn’t work. Common sense and a good book on how to work with electricity using a multimeter will put you in good standing.