My 1st exposure to multmeters was with a Triplitt analog meter my dad had, probably from the 1960s. It was simple and I trusted it. It looked very much like this one I found at HomeDepot.
I’m no great electronics expert. And I by far mostly use the meter to see if a electrical connection is “Hot“. I had a fold-able Radio Shack analog meter for many years.
All this rant started because I simply wanted to replace this (below) large overhead florescent light.
with a cheap modern LED light (below). And I assumed the light looking socket (from the ceiling) was just that… a standard light socket.
Anyway I have this funky garage ceiling connector, see below, that is where the ceiling light are connected. At first sight it looks like a regular light bulb would screw in there. But it’s not standard. Another funky device snaps (not screws) into that socket.
Well, the thing that snaps in (on the right, see below) that socket (above) has become loose and doesn’t really work. I’ve grown tired trying to find electric devices that work with this silly thing. A standard light bulb can screw in the bottom left. Could anything any less standard be imagined?
So I want to replace it but I need to make sure there’s no power there while I remove it. So I pulled out my digital Ragu 81D. And either I don’t understand how these newfangled digital meters work or It’s flaky as hell. This connector is operated by 2 on/off switches, one in the garage, and one in the house on the other side of the wall. That way you can turn it on/off on either side. You would think that someone living here for 30+ years would know what the switch positions are for on/off. But you would be wrong. Because the switches are dependent on the opposite switch. I finally removed it by clipping the connecting wires with insulated wire cutters. I didn’t like doing it this way… but it was quick. And I’m still alive.
To make a long story even longer, this stupid Pizza sauce meter always shows fluctuating AC voltage. WTH? Not my expected zero for 0 volts or 120+ AC volts.
Not very reassuring. Anyway (have I used that word enough?). My dad also had, and now me, these very old school, but effective electric lights. Which I used as a tester. So I could simply touch the exposed connectors to exposed connector. And if the light, lights… I have power. So after all these years I now know both switches up… power. both switches down… power. One up, one down (either)…no power.
I’ve ordered another cheap meter. Hopefully it will work better than my Ragu (pizza sauce) POC.
I just don’t want to be electrocuted… is that so wrong?