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paulz
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2025 02:33pm - Edited by: paulz
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I’m back on my old Valence bank after a successful test of the new ones. I had them hooked up next to the others but in front of my night table, had to do acrobatic bed maneuvers to get around them. They are now under the bed, still at 13.2, hope that’s a good storage voltage.
Thanks for the generator info Steve. When I use my ancient gas genny and plug in both meanwells, it almost kills it with a low voltage bank. An hour later when the amps drop from 60 (all it will give out) to about 30 it purrs along just fine.
I just drug this meter out here from the house. Never really used it, must have got it HF on sale back when. I usually just use those small volt meters, not so bulky. This thing measures amps just by clamping around the wire. I have a permanent ammeter on the wall of course but this will come in handy around the cabin.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2025 04:12pm
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Might be more accurate too. Check em against each other, Im curious.....
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2025 07:38pm
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Ha, I just did that. It’s about 1/4 volt off from my usual VOM, the smaller one here. And I have a bunch of those little dime sized readouts. Handy because you can leave them clipped to the battery. Notoriously off though, as much as a volt. Whaddya want for a buck.. I also have a bunch of those cigarette pack sized red ones, non here at the moment. They are ok.
Which to live with? Don’t really know, and the way you hold the probes or where you take the reading makes a noticeable difference.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 08:38am
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I have a couple of clamp meters (cheap to high end Fluke) and they all work quite well and can compare between Known Hi End to my cheaper "Princess Auto" Chinese import.
BUT they are kinda finickety and you gotta learn how to get them to read accurately. Luckily, because I have smart shunts on my systems that gave me baselines to compare with that made it a lot easier.
LESSON LEARNED !
Be sure to use Good Quality batteries (non rechargeable) in the meters... Most manuals tell you this but I figured "naw" I'll use rechargeable, once this hit a lower voltage readings get wonky ! Granted my stuff is a few yrs old now so that may have changed.
The funny part, is my cheaper Import also does DC Voltage down to 3 decimal 0.000V accuracy and Amperage Measurements down to 2 Decimals 000.00A and the Fluke @ 4X the cost doesn't.
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 10:38am
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Thanks Steve, good tip on the batteries.
I tried my clamp meter for the first time this week on the cabin power wire coming out of the bank. Surprisingly it matched the Hall effect amp meter permanently attached at the cabin. Is that what those clamp meters use too, Hall effect? I’ve normally just used the meter testing wires to check amps. Does the clamp measure anything besides amps?
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 11:18am - Edited by: gcrank1
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I bought a loop attachment that you plug power into one side and your appliance the other. Powered up you can clamp either side to get a reading without splitting wires.
You can make one with some Romex and a male and female plug too but mine was cheap on the Amazon Hole to Throw Money In.
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 01:12pm
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Confused me a bit. Loop or extension? Or a split loop for DC pos and neg? Are you measuring amps, volts, ohms? AC plugs, alligator clamps?
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 02:25pm - Edited by: gcrank1
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Mostly I wanted to check the amps/watts of any 120vac appliance or circuit. You cant just put the clamp around, say, 14/2 w grd Romex, the wires need to be separated. My Fuke isn't dc 
Examples: after I had wired up my 2 ceiling light/fan units I was able to check the load at different speeds, 1 or 2 on, w or w/o lights. All for curiosity and to calc my 12v 100ah on inverter.
Or check a fridge, etc.
just another handy tool for me to have around. It was frustrating having to split wires.
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paulz
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2025 04:22pm - Edited by: paulz
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Ok I get it. I’ve never measured Ac, my inverter gives watts out on the display.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2025 12:58pm
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Quoting: gcrank1 a loop attachment
Came across an old cheapie extension cord. Wouldn’t splitting that down the middle do same?
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2025 04:35pm
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Expect so, what gauge?
I wanted to be able to check 'big stuff' so figured a min of 12ga Romex, 10 or 8 even better, plus it will hold a shape to keep each wire away from the other.
Just for grins you could split that about 12-18" and prop open with a stick then take a reading with your clamp meter.
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paulz
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2025 07:50pm - Edited by: paulz
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That’s just a dollar store extension, probably 14. I do have a longer yellow 3 prong construction type with same style seams. if I ever need AC watts..
So you were measuring your ceiling fans? Must have been pretty low, mine free spins for about a minute when powered off.
Winter solstice must be winding down. Good solar charging today.
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2025 12:00pm
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Been stuck at the grid house for awhile now, atmospheric river etc.. no Li batteries here but I’m coping. Do have grid power, furnace heating, flush and forget toilets.. forget how modern folks live. Not bad but kinda boring.
Anyway bought 3 of these cheap volt meters on Amazon. Used to get them free with purchase at HF but those all gone. I’ll keep one here, one in the truck and one in the shop, seems like there’s never a vom around when I need one (cabin has the better ones). Not all that accurate but good enough to check for drained Flas and dead wiring.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2025 09:35pm
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Check em against your best one 
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 4 Feb 2025 09:51pm
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I had to buy 4 9v batteries to get them going so I tested them against the last new battery. Two were pretty close, 9.62 and 9.65. The other was off more, 9.72. No other VOMs till I get back to the cabin tomorrow.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2025 10:15am
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What! They aren't solar powered or USB rechargeable!
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2025 10:42am - Edited by: paulz
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Ha, ya good point. I don’t think my other good ones above are either. I’ll check today when I get out there. Not feeling the best but I need to check for damage after the storm. Do they have rechargeable VOMs? I use them enough, living in a 12v world..
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2025 12:11pm
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I think the only thing the battery does is provide power for the continuity testing? My VOM bat lasts a long time.
So, how many meters have you fried by forgetting to switch from OHMs back to DC? Asking for a friend....lol
I have become fond of USB rechargeable stuff, though when those bats reach end of cycles/life it will hurt me to toss em. My 2 100ah LFPs and my inverters all have USB ports so it is just too easy to top stuff up (I don't leave things plugged in but only to recharge).
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paulz
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# Posted: 6 Feb 2025 02:13pm - Edited by: paulz
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No usb port on the other Voms .
I brought 2 of the cheap ones to the cabin today. They both read lower than the others, but close to equal. The one I left at the house was the one higher one, still a bit low in comparison.
Oh well, most likely these will be for checking for opens or shorts in vehicles.
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paulz
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2025 08:52am
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Well with all the new government stuff going on, the 100ah batteries I bought at Christmas are still available for about $20 more than the 100 I paid.
How are mine doing? Don’t know, they are just sitting under the cabin bed. I went back to my decade old bank last week before I left. I set up my Spypoint cabin watch cam to take a once a day check in photo, and the cell status photo gives the battery reading. 100%, which means the bank is at least 12v.
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