My old Radio Shack multimeter started causing problems while I was doing a lot of component testing for another project. Readings on resistors and diodes weren’t coming up right, continuity mode sometimes beeped even with the leads apart, and the display would flake out while I was trying to measure parts. I reflowed some solder joints inside the meter, but the trouble stayed. The behavior seemed to follow the leads when I moved them around, and between that and the missing stand and backlight, I went ahead and replaced it.
The new meter was a Kaiweets HT118A, an inexpensive model that came in around the $35 range. In the box I found the meter, batteries, test leads, a manual, and a temperature probe. The leads had removable protective shrouds on the probe tips, and the meter itself had a rubber protective shell, a built-in stand, and a larger case than the old Radio Shack unit.
Once I had it powered up, I went over the controls and the main functions. The top buttons handled things like function selection, hold, max/min, and the backlight. This meter also included True RMS measurement, a 6000-count display, AC and DC voltage, frequency, duty cycle, resistance, continuity, diode test, capacitance, current ranges, temperature, and non-contact voltage detection. It auto-ranged as well, so I didn’t have to manually pick a resistance or voltage range for normal checks.
I plugged the probes into the common and voltage/resistance jacks and started with a basic resistor test. A 1K resistor measured just under 1K, around 0.99, which was close enough to confirm it was reading properly. I also checked the suspect diode that had given me trouble on the old meter. In forward bias it read 0.628 volts, and in reverse bias it showed open, which confirmed the diode itself was fine and that I had replaced it earlier because of the bad readings from the old meter.
Capacitance testing was one of the features I wanted most, since the old meter didn’t have it. I checked a 4.7 capacitor that had a chip in the casing, and it measured 4.74, so it was still good. I also tested a 47 microfarad, 100 volt capacitor, and it came in around 48, which was well within a normal tolerance range. The meter settled on those readings quickly, and it felt faster than the old one.
Voltage testing was straightforward too. An Energizer battery measured 1.555 volts, and the display was easy to read. The backlight was bright, and holding the light button turned on a small flashlight on the back of the meter. That gave me both the illuminated display I wanted and a little extra light at the bench.
I also tried the included thermocouple probe and the non-contact voltage feature. Room temperature showed about 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 degrees Celsius, and a cup of hot water measured around 160 degrees. I compared that against an infrared thermometer, which was reading in roughly the 150 to 156 degree range. For non-contact voltage, I held the meter near a powered cord connected to a desoldering station, and it detected live voltage.
The new meter worked well across resistance, diode, capacitance, voltage, temperature, and non-contact voltage tests. It replaced the flaky old meter and gave me the extra features I wanted.
— Aaron
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Timestamps
00:00 – Problems
04:00 – Unboxing
09:35 – Multimeter Functions
15:48 – Testing
26:21 – Wrap Up