Analogue Meters for Nostalgia Sake

[John R Retired]

I use digital meters like most people today, but started learning electronics with analogue meters (with needles) example being the "Simpson" model and recently seen some on Amazon for not too much. Does anyone know if these are worth getting for any
serious measurement? I don't really need one, but just like seeing that needle move and use the parallax mirror if it has one.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[kellys_eye]

Serious measurement? I suppose 'serious' can be defined anyway you want but one way (my preferred) is in relation to measurement accuracy where most analogues fail miserably in comparison to a halfway decent digital unit.

Nothing against the old analogue meters - I have three in my collection - and was also brought up on them (old Avo meter was the measurement tool used during my first electronics training years). When working on older equipment - valve (tube) units in particular - the test measurement readings printed on service sheets were inevitably made using a meter having a sensitivity of 20kohms/volt and such readings would measure differently if done using a modern digital device.

The meter you link to only has a sensitivity of 2kohms/volt so is particularly bad for practically any testing purposes (other then mains voltages - which would also be risky given its lack of 'Class').

There are others and I'd recommend looking on Ebay or at swap meets for a quality unit as they can be found very cheaply if you take time to look around.

 

[Delta Prime]

I use this one, just as much as a digital multimeter.
I got it at a yard sale 10 bucks in the box.
Never leave home without it; there are certain things you can do with this meter you cannot do with the digital multimeter in the same class & price point!

 

[davenn]

there are certain things you can do with this meter you cannot do with the digital multimeter in the same class & price

Like what ?

 

[John R Retired]

I use this one, just as much as a digital multimeter.
I got it at a yard sale 10 bucks in the box.
Never leave home without it; there are certain things you can do with this meter you cannot do with the digital multimeter in the same class & price point! View attachment 61848View attachment 61849

That's like the Simpson I mentioned in my post. Don't know if it is the same model but it looks similar.
They were used in electricity school but had a red button fuse.

 

[Bluejets]

Like what ?

We usually have problems using any digital meter in reading earth continuity in household/commercial/industrial electrical systems.
Even with power turned off at the main, they will jump and jitter all over the place making any sensible reading impossible.
Especially when one need to know readings in the sub-2 ohm region.

Alolog meter movements tend to suppress whatever this induced ac seems to be.
Prooved it in totally isolated systems to be accurate .

 

[Delta Prime]

Like what ?

That particular Simpson I use to make RMS measurements calculating the RMS conversion factor to scale and if it's so happens that the meter needle fluctuates I can estimate those errors, recognizing the scale more easily.It beats a fluctuating digit
(In my not so humble opinion) when the digital multimeter does not allow you to change the RMS time constant.
And in no way am I old school; they both have advantages and disadvantages.
They are tools to me.
But like any tool,I have my favorite for the particular job at hand.
So there...smarty pants.
By the way... I'm still waiting for those cookies.
@John R Retired
At first glance the Simpsons all look the same . Also when I bought that Simpson at the yard sale I didn't know how valuable it was.
I stuck in in the drawer and pull it out maybe 3 months after I bought it and researched it and found out it was a steal; if I would have known at the time I would have offered much more than $10 to be fair.

 

[John R Retired]

@John R Retired
At first glance the Simpsons all look the same . Also when I bought that Simpson at the yard sale I didn't know how valuable it was.
I stuck in in the drawer and pull it out maybe 3 months after I bought it and researched it and found out it was a steal; if I would have known at the time I would have offered much more than $10 to be fair.

I think it was the Simpson 260 that I used in BE & E school at Great Lakes Naval training center.
It had a red circuit breaker button that popped out if overloaded.

 

[Delta Prime]

BE & E school

What is that? The Fighting Seabees? With tommy guns?

It had a red circuit breaker button that popped out if overloaded.

I really love the rugged bakelite.
There's a whole bunch of Simpson variants never really counted them all. These are just a few...
260-1, 260-2, 260-2A, 260-3, 260-3A
260-4, 260-4M, 260-5, 260-5A, 260-5M
260-5P, 260-6, 260-6M, 260-6PM
260-6XL, 260-6XLM, 260-6XLP
260-6XLPM, 260-7, 260-7M,
260-7P
290-7PM, 260-8, 260-8P, 260-8Xi
260-8XPi, 260-9S, 260-AFP1, 260-SR.

 

[Harald Kapp]

From today's point of view analog meters may no longer be suitable for accurate measurements. But for some purposes they excel over digital meters, e.g. when there are fluctuations on the metered signal which can (at least within a certain range of frequencies) easily be followed through the movement of the indicator but may be hard to follow ith a digital meter with a display update rate of only a few measurement per second.

On the other hand analog meters v´can be fun to play with. Build, for example, an analog clock (there are many variants of this one example) or a scale?

 

[John R Retired]

What is that? The Fighting Seabees? With tommy guns?

BE & E

"Basic Electricity and Electronics" school.

Used for all sections of the Navy or it used to be don't know about modern day.
Probably Seabees go through that school too if they need to understand anything
of an electrical nature. But again don't know about modern day.
Al Capone used tommy guns in Chicago back in the day not the Navy.

Used to be there were only "male" crews on ships. Today males, females and everyone else
are on ships. Makes it kind of tough when you are out at sea for quite a while.

Some submarines stay out at sea for many months so imagine that scenario.

 

[ivak245]

One place where a digital meter doesn't work too well is taking voltage measurements on a running Kettering ignition system, the display jumps around like a cat on hot tin roof. Out comes the AVO when I'm working on an old car. I used to work in aviation electrical about 40 years ago, all we used were (calibrated) AVO meters.

 

[Delta Prime]

Today males, females and everyone else
are on ships. Makes it kind of tough when you are out at sea for quite a while.

Some submarines stay out at sea for many months so imagine that scenario.

I imagine a scenario where the submarines would come up for air every nine months or so....

 

[danadak]

I think it was the Simpson 260 that I used in BE & E school at Great Lakes Naval training center.
It had a red circuit breaker button that popped out if overloaded.

I went to A school there as well, used 260 but do not remember overload button.
We also used them on boat, SSN-583.

Still have one, use occasionally. Also have a VTVM version just picked up.

Quality materials, parts, great stuff.

Regards, Dana.

 

[John R Retired]

I went to A school there as well, used 260 but do not remember overload button.
We also used them on boat, SSN-583.

Still have one, use occasionally. Also have a VTVM version just picked up.

Quality materials, parts, great stuff.

Regards, Dana.

The red circuit breaker button was so the instructor could tell if someone messed up their lab experiment.
or test circuit on exams. It made a loud click when it popped out.

VTVM
"Vacuum Tube Voltmeter"
Haven't heard that one for a while.
Once "state of the art".
Heathkit made one of those.
I built one of those kits.

That was back in the day when
you could see discreet components
without a microscope.

AS-18

USS Scorpion was one of our boats.

 

[roughshawd]

Eyow... Digital meters cannot measure signal below their threshold accurately. They also do not have the ability to measure transducer freqs without proper accessories. Have you ever seen analog meters dance? Well that used to mean something was terrible wrong. Today if the meter doesn't jump, you just ain't got signal man... I broke my good analog this summer, and using my digital has me stttammmerring. Frankly, all equipment is limited by its creators(plural). And digital multi-meters are no exception. The closer you get to scope, the more accurate you need to be.

 

[kellys_eye]

Digital meters cannot measure signal below their threshold accurately.

The most accurate meters on the planet are invariably of the digital variety.

Have you ever seen analog meters dance? Well that used to mean something was terrible wrong. Today if the meter doesn't jump, you just ain't got signal man...

Depends on what you're measuring/looking for.

'Multimeters' are general purpose instruments and good at what they do but for any greater accuracy you need to go to dedicated devices designed for the intended purpose whether that is voltage, current, frequency or 'whatever'.

Knowing how to use the instrument and interpret its results is key.

 

[Bluejets]

Multimeters' are general purpose instruments and good at what they do but for any greater accuracy you need to go to dedicated devices designed for the intended purpose whether that is voltage, current, frequency or 'whatever'.

A digital ohm meter is not of practical use when one considers the situation I mentioned #6 above.
Regardless of so-called digital accuracy.
No chop whatsoever when the reading never stabilises.