Looking for DC ammeter for 10-20vdc with 2 decimal places and a ring

bulrush · Oct 5, 2019

I'm looking for a DC ammeter with a ring to detect current coming from my solar panels going to the charge controller. I already blew one meter as I think I wired it the wrong way. So I'm looking for this simpler option with the ring that one wire goes through.

It should have 2 decimal places.
Amazon or Aliexpress preferred.
10a ammeter minimum to support 10-20vdc.

Can anyone help me out? I've found plenty for AC power but not for DC power with that ring.

Thanks.

SCClockDr · Oct 5, 2019

Here is an Amazon search link: clamp on multimeter acdc
Several are listed, not all are what was searched for though.

markb · Oct 5, 2019

The clamp on those handheld multimeters is a usually a current transformer, which only works for AC. For contactless DC current measurement, you need one with a hall effect sensor, but those don't seem to be very common in the handheld multimeter form. There are a bunch of panel mount versions. though. Just search for "hall effect ammeter" or "hall effect multimeter".

SCClockDr · Oct 5, 2019

markb said:
The clamp on those handheld multimeters is a usually a current transformer, which only works for AC. For contactless DC current measurement, you need one with a hall effect sensor, but those don't seem to be very common in the handheld multimeter form. There are a bunch of panel mount versions. though. Just search for "hall effect ammeter" or "hall effect multimeter".

The below multimeter will measure both AC & DC current and was the first non-sponsored item followed by 2 more.

markb · Oct 5, 2019

SCClockDr said:
The below multimeter will measure both AC & DC current and was the first non-sponsored item followed by 2 more.

In the Q/A on that page, I see a couple of answers that say the clamp measures AC only. And in the feature list, is says this:

【Clamp Measuring】Clamp jaw measures AC current up to 28mm without interrupting the circuit, which makes it much safer to use on mains cables and high current loads in vehicles

But then the photo implies the clamp does measure DC current, because the AC and DC current appear to share the same position on the dial, as well as the positive lead is only labelled for volts and ohms.

So, who knows?

Looking for DC ammeter for 10-20vdc with 2 decimal places and a ring

bulrush

New Member

SCClockDr

Solar Enthusiast

markb

New Member

SCClockDr

Solar Enthusiast

markb

New Member

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