lily_singh2•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Warning: Using a cheap multimeter cost me $80 on a blown fuse

I grabbed a $10 meter from Harbor Freight and it gave me a wrong voltage reading on a power supply board... ended up replacing a good fuse and frying a capacitor. Anyone else had a cheap tool lead you down the wrong path?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewkim1mo ago

So did you get to keep the fuse as a souvenir for your $80 lesson? Nothing like a cheap tool charging you premium tuition fees.

robinp721mo ago

That's rough, man. A bad reading on a power supply is exactly the kind of thing that can cost you. I had a similar thing happen with a cheap capacitance meter that told me a cap was good when it was actually shorted. Chased my tail for two hours before I grabbed a known good meter and found the problem. Definitely learned my lesson, now I keep a decent Fluke for anything with high voltage or sensitive boards. Sucks that a $10 tool can turn into a $80 mistake real quick.

angelar571mo ago

That "cheap tool costing you more in the long run" thing applies to so much more than electronics, doesn't it? I've had a $20 pair of boots cost me way more than the $100 pair I should have just bought in the first place.