In a very affordable price level, a multi meter able to measure a DC current without interruption of a measured circuit can be found.
UT203 UT203 from company UNI-Trend belongs to a category of clamp multi meters. A main reason to buy a clamp multi meter is usually a requirement to measure current flowing through a wire without its disconnection. A possibility to measure current without (a short-time) disconnection of a circuit is naturally convenient for several reasons – measurement speed, safety point of view and last but not least – in many cases it is impossible or very complicated to switch off a measured circuit and to connect an ammeter into series. Times, when such a device was “only” an Ammeter are a long time away and modern clamp multi meters are literally universal devices, often able to replace common multi meters. A big majority of clamp multi meters is able to measure only an alternate current (AC). More sophisticated devices, to which also UT203 belongs, are able to measure even a direct current (by means of a Hall detector).
As clamp multi meters measure current on the base of magnetic field induced around a lead, it is only possible to measure current of wires, which are accessible separately – for example in distribution boxes, at terminals of devices and similar. In principle it´s also possible to measure current flowing through several wires at once, but it´s necessary to take in mind, that a measured value will respond to a vector summary of currents, thus it will depend on a mutual phase (at AC current) and or on the direction (at DC current) of current in wires.
UT203 represents a modern multi meter with an automatic range selection and a max display reading of 3999. Neither other measuring parameters are not impoverished – voltage can be measured in five or four ranges respectively (DC/AC) and resistance even in six ranges of 400Ohm to 40 MOhm. UT203 also offers measuring of frequency (in 7 ranges), duty cycle, diode test and continuity test (0-50 Ohm).