AC Measuring

Instruments
Hello!
I am Febby C. Principe
BS ECE
CAET 29-401P

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 AC Analogue
1 Voltmeter

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Principle of Operation

◉ Its Working is based on the principle of Ohm’s law.

Ohm’s law states that – “Voltage across a resistance is
directly proportional to the current passing through it”
Internal and external parts. A voltmeter is always
connected in parallel to the component in a circuit for
which the voltage is to be measured. In an AC volt-
meter there is no polarity signs on it and can be
connected anyways.

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Principle of Application

o It is very useful in finding the voltage of a charge storing

device, such as to test the voltage of a battery. For example, a
new AAA cell will have about 1.6V, a dying one perhaps 1.1V.
A 12V lead-acid car battery will read 12.5V when fully
charged, or 14V when being charged by the alternator in a
car. If it reads 10V, there is something wrong with the
alternator.
o It can be used just to tell whether there is power in a circuit or
not, such as a mains outlet.

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External and Internal parts

External Internal
o Volt Meter Scale o Armature (the movable part, it has a
o “V~” Symbol stands for Volt needle and two golden color and
Meter measuring in AC only stopper to limit the movement of
o Class of Meter – tells the coil)
category of the maximum
o Coil made up of thin wire
voltage which can be measure
by volt meter. o Power Resistors to limit the current
o Needle tells the potential
difference by its movement
o Positive and Negative Terminal

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Principle of Application
• Verifying the power is on or off to the appliances.
• We can calculate the current by measuring the voltage across
a known resistance. This is useful when you don’t have an
ammeter.
• They are used to build a continuity checker, with a series
battery.
• They are used to build an ohm meter, by using a voltage
divider with the unknown resistor.
• They are used to build an ammeter by measuring the voltage
across a shunt resistor.
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Advantages and Disadvanatges

Main advantage associated with these

voltmeters are that they are simple in
construc­tion, have high input impedance,
low power consumption and uniform
scale. Main disadvantage of these
voltmeters is that these operate in audio-
frequency range.

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 MAINTENANCE

 Test it out on a low-voltage circuit such as a household battery.

 If your device has a knob with several settings, set the knob to
V~, ACV, or VAC. To test the voltage of an AC circuit

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2 AC Analogue Ammeter

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Principle of Operation

◉ The instrument, which is used to measure the

Alternating Current that flows through any
branch of electric circuit is called AC ammeter

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Principle of Application

o The applications of this device will range from the schools to

industries.
o These are used to measure the current flow in the buildings to
ensure that the flow is not too low or too high.
o It is used in manufacturing and instrumentation companies to
check the functionality of the devices
o It is used with a thermocouple to check the temperature.
o Electricians frequently use these devices to check the faults of
the circuits in the building.
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External and Internal parts

External Internal
o Ammeter Scale o Coil
o “A~” Symbol stands for Volt
o Spring
Meter measuring in AC only
o Needle tells the potential o Armature (the movable part, it has a
difference by its movement needle and two golden color and
o Positive and Negative Terminal stopper to limit the movement of
coil)

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Advantages
• It is strong, portable.
• It does not dependent on the earth's magnetic
field.
• It could be made very accurate.
• An ammeter is used to measure the magnitude
of electric current in an electric circuit.

Disadvanatges
• It needed multiple heavy meters to measure a
different range of amperage.
• It could not store data.
• Heat and vibration can affect the permanent
magnet.
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• It reduces the accuracy of the device.
 MAINTENANCE

Clean the surface from dust, dirt, grease fungus etc. Remove dust or dirt from
terminals with a soft brush. Clean the display using a soft cloth. Clean the
cables, meter glass, and the exterior surface with a clean, soft cloth. Dampen
the cloth with water if required

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 Hot Wire
3 Ammeter

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Principle of Operation

o The hot wire ammeter is

connected in series in the
circuit which is required to
measure the AC current
passing through it, When the
current to be measured passes
through the instrument, the
wire AB expands, consequently
the tension in the wire
decreases (loosen).
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Principle of Operation

◉ The silk wire pulls the hot wire,

thus the pulley rotates and the
pointer deflects along the scale,
The reading is taken when the
pointer stops at a definite
reading when the rate of heat
generated in the wire equals
the rate of heat lost of it.

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Principle of Operation

o The pointer reading indicates

the effective value of the AC
current, When the current is
cut from the ammeter, the wire
cools down and contracts
pulling the silk thread returning
the pointer back to the zero
position.

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Principle of Application

o The major applications of hot wire anemometer are in the

calculation of temperature variability levels and also to know
the co-relation that exists between temperature and velocity in
turbulent flow with heat transmission. Then, this device can
also be implemented to know the mean relative concentration
that is in the combination of two gaseous substances of
dissimilar known thermal properties.

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External and Internal parts
Mainly two parts are necessary which are
the wheat stone bridge and conducting wire.
Here, conducting wire is placed inside of the
ceramic material. The wires those come out
from the ceramic material are connected to
the Wheatstone bridge. Connecting wire to
the bridge measures changes in the value of
the resistance.
◉ Pointer
◉ Scale
◉ Binding Post
◉ Adjustment Screw
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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• These devices can be operated simply o It requires more power to operate
because no additional sensor equipment o It has non-uniform scalability
is required
o These devices are highly sluggish
• The device is small and also provides
high range of sensitivity and need more time in heating up the
wire
• With few changes, errors those arise
because of temperature changes can be o For the ascending and descending
easily eliminated values, the deflection is not similar
and it varies
• These devices are exactly applicable to
measure the high range of frequencies
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 MAINTENANCE
Ammeters must always be connected in series with the circuit under test. Always
start with the highest range of an ammeter. Deenergize and discharge the circuit
completely before you connect or disconnect the ammeter. And never use a dc
ammeter to measure ac.

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4 Ohmmeter

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Principle of Operation

◉ The ohmmeter works on the principle of the

moving coil instrument, which states then
when a conductor carrying current is placed in
a magnetic field, a force is exerted on the
conductor.

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Principle of Application

o One kind of electronic device mainly used for calculating

electrical resistance of a circuit, and the unit of resistance is
ohm. Electrical resistance is a calculation of how much an
object resists allowing the flow of current through it.

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 External and Internal parts

External Internal
o Ohmmeter Scale o Scrape Clean Metal Ground
o “Ω”Symbol stands for Ohm o Terminal, Coil Secondary Output
Meter measuring in AC
o Coil – Ignition
o Needle
o Positive and Negative Terminal o Terminal, B – (From Ignition
Switch)
o Terminal, C – (Tachometer)
o Terminal, C – (To Distributor)
o Terminal, B – (To Distributor)

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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• Has a very high measurement accuracy o Requires an external source of
• Easy to operate for one person energy to energize i.e. Dry cell
• The digital display makes it easy to read the o High initial cost
IR value
• Robust and safe to use
• Less maintenance as compare to other types
• Works well in congested spaces
• Handy and compact to carry
• Less time-consuming operation

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 MAINTENANCE
Digital multimeter is provided with a fuse. Replace it if the ohmmeter is not
working. Clean the surface from dust, dirt, grease fungus etc. Remove dust or
dirt from terminals with a soft brush. Clean the display using a soft cloth. Clean
the cables, meter glass, and the exterior surface with a clean, soft cloth.
Dampen the cloth with water if required

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5 Energy Meter

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Principle of Operation
◉ The energy meter has the aluminium disc
whose rotation determines the power
consumption of the load. The disc is placed
between the air gap of the series and shunt
electromagnet. The shunt magnet has the
pressure coil, and the series magnet has the
current coil.
◉ The pressure coil creates the magnetic field
because of the supply voltage, and the
current coil produces it because of the
current.
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Principle of Operation
◉ The field induces by the voltage coil is lagging by 90º on
the magnetic field of the current coil because of which eddy
current induced in the disc. The interaction of the eddy
current and the magnetic field causes torque, which exerts a
force on the disc. Thus, the disc starts rotating.
◉ The force on the disc is proportional to the current and
voltage of the coil. The permanent magnet controls Their
rotation. The permanent magnet opposes the movement of
the disc and equalises it on the power consumption. The
cyclometer counts the rotation of the disc.
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Principle of Application

o The meter which is used for measuring the energy utilises by

the electric load is known as the energy meter. The energy is
the total power consumed and utilised by the load at a
particular interval of time. It is used in domestic and industrial
AC circuit for measuring the power consumption. The meter is
less expensive and accurate.

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External and Internal parts
The construction of the singl- phase energy
meter is shown in the figure below.
◉ Gear Train To Dials
◉ Magnetic Brake
◉ Rotating Aluminum Disc
◉ Watt-Hour Meter
◉ Voltage Coil
◉ Copper Shading Ring
◉ Current Coils

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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• The fact that a digital meter performs the o Analogue meters have the advantage
calculation and displays the reading, that, when fluctuating readings exist,
rather than relying on a reader's ability the analogue meter is able to measure
to calculate the correct reading, makes these fluctuations. The analogue
digital meters user-friendly. All a user meter's needle will swing from one
has to do, in order to get an accurate position to another constantly in order
reading, is place the digital meter's to represent the fluctuation. When a
needles in the place where the reading
fluctuation exists, a digital meter is
is to be taken, wait for the digital meter
unable to represent the fluctuation;
to display the reading, and write down or
otherwise note the reading. instead it either records an error or
calculates one reading.
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 MAINTENANCE
Ordinary meter. Do not use electricity in overload. Long time overload will cause
inaccurate measurement until the meter is burnt. Prepaid electric energy meter.
Pay attention to the alarm prompt of electricity meter and purchase electricity in
time. To understand the basic characteristics of Prepaid energy meter, such as
automatic power failure and various error prompts on the meter when "overload"
occurs, and to master the operation of their own meters at any time, and to
contact the management department in time in case of any problems.
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 Digital
6 Oscilloscope

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Principle of Operation

o Oscilloscopes typically consist of four sections. The

display is typically the largest part of the device, and can
be either an LCD or CRT screen. The screen displays the
signal voltage, with vertical and horizontal reference lines.
These lines, taken together, are called the graticule.
There are three controls for the screen, which are focus,
intensity, and beam finder knobs. Besides the screen,
there is also a vertical section and a horizontal section

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Principle of Application

o The uses of an oscilloscope are many and varied. The most

common use of oscilloscopes is to diagnose electronic
equipment malfunctions. Oscilloscopes allow technicians to
get a look at what the voltage is doing over time; whether, for
example, it is oscillating or not. Technicians can also use
oscilloscopes to see the shape and time signals of a signal,
which is important in some applications. Technicians can
connect to each component independently and from there
determine which component is failing.

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External and Internal parts

External Internal
o Display o Input Attenuator
o Vertical Controls o Vertical Amplifier
o Horizontal Controls
o o Trigger Circuit
Trigger Controls
o Display Controls o Control Logic
o Power Switch o Sample and hold
o Vertical Input
o o Analog-to-digital converter
External Trigger
o Horizontal Input o Memory
o Ground Clip o Vertical deflection amplifier
o Probe
o Cathode ray tube
o Horizontal deflection amplifier
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 Advantages and Disadvantges
Advantages
◉ Store Data/Readings — a digital oscilloscope can store digital data for future reference and
analysis, upload it to a computer, generate a hard copy, or store it on a hard drive.
◉ Real-time Data Analysis — with the help of a storage memory, a digital oscilloscope can
analyse signals in real time, as well as large samples of data.
◉ Display Data in Different Ways — the digital oscilloscope doesn’t only record what’s
available on the screen; thus, it offers a variety of storage, processing, and display options.
◉ Best for Waveform Analysis — it’s ideal for presenting more detailed and complicated
signal waveforms. Especially on problems involving calculations of specific portions of the
waveforms.
◉ Analysis of higher frequencies — a digital oscilloscope can analyze signals with high
frequency due to the presence of advanced DSP algorithms.
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 Advantages and Disadvantges
Disadvantages
◉ It requires ADC, µP, and acquisition memory for measurement.
◉ It’s relatively expensive, and they cost more depending on the model and
features supported.

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 MAINTENANCE
Use Proper Power Line: Use only the special power line of the instrument which
is approved by local state. Ground the Instrument: The instrument grounds
through the protective terra conductor of the power line. To avoid electric shock,
the ground conductor must be connected to the earth. Make sure the instrument
is grounded correctly before connecting its input or output terminals. Connect
the Signal Wire Correctly and Look Over All Terminals’ Ratings: To avoid fire or
electric shock, please look over all ratings and sign instruction of the instrument.
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 Analog
7 Oscilloscope

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Principle of Operation

o Digital oscilloscope works with binary numbers consisting

of 1s and 0s. These binary numbers represent voltage
samples. Digital oscilloscope reads analog waveform and
converts the same into digital form using ADC (Analog to
Digital Converter).

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Principle of Application

o Oscilloscope is the instrument used to measure voltage

waveform with respect to time on the screen. It uses probe in
order to connect test point with the oscilloscope.

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External and Internal parts

◉ Vertical Deflection Plates

◉ Horizontal Deflection Plates
◉ Fluorescent Coating
◉ Electron Gun
◉ CRO Screen

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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• It is cheaper compare to digital • As there is no storage memory
counterpart. available, it can only analyze signal in
• It delivers reasonable performance which real time.
are accurate for many lab exercises. • It can not analyze high frequency sharp
• It does not require ADC, µP rise time transients.
(Microprocessor) and acquisition memory • It does not offer all the capabilities as
for measurement purpose. supported by digital oscilloscope type.
• It requires some amount of training to
use it.

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 MAINTENANCE

If the outside of the case becomes dirty or stained, carefully wipe out the soiled
surface with a cloth moistened with detergent, then wipe out the cleaned surface
with a dry cloth. In case of severe stain, try cleaning with a cloth moistened with
alcohol. Do not use powerful hydrocarbons such as benzene or paint thinner.

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8 Q Meter Analog

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Principle of Operation
o The Q meter works on series resonant. The resonance is the
condition exists in the circuit when their inductance and
capacitance reactance are of equal magnitude. They induce
energy which is oscillating between the electric and magnetic
field of the capacitor and inductor respectively.
o The Q-meter is based on the characteristic of the resistance,
inductance and capacitance of the resonant series circuit. The
figure below shows a coil of resistance, inductance and
capacitance connected in series with the circuit.

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Principle of Operation

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Principle of Application
o Instrument which measures the storage factor or quality factor of the
electrical circuit at radio frequencies, such type of device is known as
the Q-meter. The quality factor is one of the parameters of the
oscillatory system, which shows the relation between the storage and
dissipated energy.
o It is used to measure the quality factor of the inductor. By using this
meter, unknown impedance can be measured using a series or shunt
substitution method. If the impedance is small, the former technique
is used and if it is large, then the latter technique is used. It is used to
measure small capacitor values. By using this, inductance, effective
resistance, self-capacitance, and bandwidth can be measured.

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External and Internal parts
External Internal
o Display
o Unknown Coil
o Vertical Controls
o Horizontal Controls o Thermocouple Voltmeter
o Trigger Controls o Resonating Capacitor
o Display Controls
o Electronic Capacitor
o Power Switch
o Vertical Input
o External Trigger
o Horizontal Input
o Ground Clip
o Probe

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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• Cheaper than Digital Meter o Less accuracy
• Responds quickly o Robustness
• No batteries required o Lack of advanced features
o Making a decision

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 MAINTENANCE

Before any maintenance, repair or exchange of parts or fuses, the instrument

must be disconnected from the mains supply and all power sources. Disconnect
mains lead and all connecting leads, before removing fuse holder. Replace only
with the correct fuse type.

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 Vacuum Tube
9 Voltmeter r.f probe

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 Principle of Operation
o A probe of this type has definite limitations, and in order to appreciate them it is necessary to
understand how the probe functions. The operation of the r.f. probe is analogous to that of an ordinary
half-wave rectifier-filter combination, converting an a.c. input voltage to a pure d.c. output voltage.
Referring to Fig. 2, assume that the a.c. input voltage is sinusoidal. Initially, when the voltage rises
from zero and approaches its peak positive value (at point X) the diode conducts and the input
capacitor C1 charges through the low forward resistance of the diode to approximately the peak
voltage. When the input voltage decreases from its peak value toward zero, C1 begins to discharge
through the series combination of R1 and R2, the latter being the vacuum-tube voltmeter's input
resistance.

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 Principle of Operation
o C1 continues to discharge throughout the rest of the cycle, through 0 to Y in
the negative direction and back to 0 again, but if the time constant(1) of the
circuit is large compared with the time of one a.c. cycle the capacitor will
lose only a small part of its charge. Thus when the input voltage again goes
in the positive direction the diode is back biased, and cannot conduct until
the amplitude of the input voltage exceeds the potential of the partially-
discharged capacitor. In each succeeding cycle, as the input voltage nears its
maximum positive value and overcomes the voltage stored in C1, the diode
conducts and C1 again charges rapidly through the low forward resistance
of the diode.

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Principle of Application
o The electronic voltmeter is used for measuring the voltage of direct,
RMS and peak voltage of the system. The vacuum tube has many
advantages like they have high input impedance, wide frequency
range and high sensitivity.

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External and Internal parts
External Internal
o Needle o Capacitors
o Scale o Diode
o Adjustments o Resistor
o Probes o Voltage doubler
o Ohmmeter
o Coil
o Spring

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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• Cheaper than Digital Meter o Less accuracy
• Responds quickly o Robustness
• No batteries required o Lack of advanced features
o Making a decision

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 MAINTENANCE

If the outside of the case becomes dirty or stained, carefully wipe out the soiled
surface with a cloth moistened with detergent, then wipe out the cleaned surface
with a dry cloth. In case of severe stain, try cleaning with a cloth moistened with
alcohol. Do not use powerful hydrocarbons such as benzene or paint thinner.

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10 AC Clamp meter

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Principle of Operation
o A gap exists where the jaw tips of a Hall Effect clamp meter
meet, creating an air pocket that the magnetic field (aka
magnetic flux) must jump. This gap limits the magnetic flux so
that the core cannot saturate.
o In that gap, covered by thin plastic molding, is a semiconductor
known as a Hall Effect sensor—a transducer that varies its
output voltage when responding to magnetic fields, in this case
the magnetic field of the conductor or wire being measured. Its
purpose is to measure magnetic flux directly. The output voltage
from the sensor then amplified and scaled to represent the
current flowing through the conductor that lies inside the jaws of
the clamp.
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Principle of Operation
o As current flows through a conductor being measured, the iron
core formed by the jaws of a Hall Effect clamp meter allows the
magnetic field to easily pass through—more easily, in fact, than
air. When the magnetic field (flux) comes to that small air gap in
the tips of the jaw, the field has to jump that gap. Because the
gap is small, the field remains concentrated across the gap, and
the Hall Effect sensor—which sits in the gap—produces a
voltage proportional to the magnetic flux in the gap that the
clamp translates into a current reading.

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Principle of Operation
o In Hall Effect devices, dc magnetic fields are also concentrated
through the core, like a permanent magnet sticking to iron.
Because of the dc magnetic field of the earth and the possibility
of other magnetic fields near the measurement site, these
clamps require the reading to be “zeroed” before taking a
measurement to eliminate offsets.

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Principle of Application
o Hall Effect clamp meters can measure both ac and dc current up to
the kilohertz (1000 Hz) range.
o Hall Effect clamp meters use rigid iron jaws to concentrate the
magnetic field that encircles the conductor being measured.

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External and Internal parts

◉ Clamp Sensor
◉ Barrier
◉ Operation Grip
◉ LCD Panel
◉ Function Switch
◉ Measurement Terminal
◉ Test Lead Plug
◉ Probes (Positive and Negative)
◉ HOLD Key
◉ Battery Cover
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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• Possibility of achieving measurements at o Voltage polarity cannot be recognized
below-30 ° С temperature o They are susceptible to vibration or shock.
• Power utilization is not required from the fixed o The movement of the pointer is slow and it
power supply while measuring current and
cannot be utilized to measure voltages
voltage
through frequencies above 50 HZ.
• When high precision is not necessary, then
o Incorrect because of the earth magnetic field
quick operation through a large amount of
measurement can be done. effect.
• By using this instrument, all measurements o An unexpected change in the signal can
can be done simply. notice through an analog multimeter more
• The signal level can be observed quickly as compared with a digital
multimeter.
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 MAINTENANCE

Do not attempt to remove the rear case to adjust or repair the meter. Such
actions should only be performed by a technician who fully understands the
meter and the danger involved. Before opening the case and battery cover of the
meter, always disconnect test leads from all sources of electric current.
Disconnect the test leads from all sources of electric current before opening the
rear case and battery cover of the meter. To avoid any electric shock caused by
error readings, replace the batteries immediately when the sign appears on
the display. Use damp cloth and mild detergent to clean the meter; do not use
abrasives or solvents. Turn the rotary selector to OFF position to switch off the
power when the meter is not in use. Remove the batteries to avoid damages to
the meter if it will idle for a long time.
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 Volt-Ohm-Milli-
11 Ammeter (VOM)

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Principle of Operation
o A VOM is battery powered and is used with the current turned
off. It's used to check continuity in a wire or component and to
measure the electrical current -- from 0 to 250 volts, AC
(alternating current, as in houses) or DC (direct current, as in
batteries) -- flowing through the wire or component.

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Principle of Application
o Performs the multiple functions. In other words, in VOM the multiple
measuring functions are combined in a single unit. The multimeter is
used for measuring voltage, current and resistance. It contains the
circuitry switch which makes the meter to operate like a voltmeter,
ammeter, and as an ohmmeter.

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 External and Internal parts
External Internal
o Volt Meter Scale
o Armature (the movable part, it has a
o Zero Corrector
o needle and two golden color and
Direct Current Volt Range
o stopper to limit the movement of
Range selector switch
o coil)
DC Current Meter
o Ohmmeter Scale o Coil
o Pointer o Spring
o Zero ohm adjustment
o Alternating current volt range
o Ohmmeter range
o Positive and Negative Test probe

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 Advantages and Disadvantges

Advantages Disadvantages
• Possibility of achieving measurements at o Voltage polarity cannot be recognized
below-30 ° С temperature o They are susceptible to vibration or shock.
• Power utilization is not required from the fixed o The movement of the pointer is slow and it
power supply while measuring current and
cannot be utilized to measure voltages
voltage
through frequencies above 50 HZ.
• When high precision is not necessary, then
o Incorrect because of the earth magnetic field
quick operation through a large amount of
measurement can be done. effect.
• By using this instrument, all measurements o An unexpected change in the signal can
can be done simply. notice through an analog multimeter more
• The signal level can be observed quickly as compared with a digital
multimeter.
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 MAINTENANCE

Do not use a VOM unless the appliance you want to test is unplugged or the
power to the circuit is turned off. This action will result in damage to the meter or
personal injury.

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 78

There is no instrument for measuring the

pressure of the Ether, which is probably
millions of times greater: it is altogether too
uniform for direct apprehension. A deep-sea
fish has probably no means of apprehending
the existence of water, it is too uniformly
immersed in it: and that is our condition in
regard to the Ether.

“
Thanks!
That’s all
You can find me at
◉ febbyprincipe2001@gmail.com

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