Quite often, such a nuisance occurs as a wire (cable) breaking near the plug. This happens especially often with wires that are subject to constant vibrations and movements. For example, with headphones chargers, multimeter probes and the like. We notice the gap, as a rule, only after the thing we are using stops working. And it’s actually quite difficult to notice this. If only by chance we see... The break does not occur immediately, with the exception, of course, of a rough mechanical impact. The cable braid is usually damaged first.
Probes are one of the main components of any measuring instrument, including a multimeter - they are included in its kit, regardless of the type and model. Often this device breaks down within a matter of days or months - the wire of one or two contacts breaks, the insulating base cracks, or the tip breaks off. This is due to the fact that most devices include the cheapest products made from low-quality materials.
Many people think about whether it is possible to make probes for a multimeter with their own hands or how to choose high-quality products in a store in order to bypass frequent problems with them. To answer these questions, you first need to familiarize yourself with the varieties of this component of the measuring instrument.
Conditional on price and quality characteristics wires with tips for a multimeter can be divided into two categories:
The cheapest probes, which are included in almost all low-cost multimeters, are equipped with an insulating wire base made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the tip holders and plug elements in them are made of plastic.
A highly thin wire is attached to the steel electrode inside the holding part, which does not guarantee the durability of the product if handled carelessly, since these tips can often come off and the cable simply break. Repair broken ones budget options probes are problematic.
In different models of multimeters, probes may have different mounting depths of the plug element and electrode lengths. The thickness of the electrode in all products is the same - 4 mm, which does not allow the use of such probes for some types of work and measurements.
In addition, do not forget about the disadvantages inherent in PVC insulation material, which are as follows:
The multimeter probe can be made of different materials. Reliable and high-quality probes used for professional purposes must meet the following characteristics:
Interesting to know. The most popular probes among professionals and amateur electricians are made of silicone, as they have all the required characteristics.
Professional probes in most cases are equipped with special protective caps for electrodes and plugs, which prevent dirt from entering the product elements and also protect a person from getting puncture injuries.
Important! Often the holder inputs are made of plastic. It is necessary to ensure that in such products certain recesses are made on the holding element to ensure the required flexibility of the design.
The cable of such products is characterized by high flexibility, strength, resistance to unintentional jerks and does not crack when used in the cold.
An important part of a multimeter probe is the tip, which mainly determines the purpose of the product.
According to their purpose, probes can be divided into the following most common types:
Working with SMD elements requires frequent measurements with a multimeter. Only special devices for this purpose can cope with this, which differ very fine needle tip made of steel or brass, which can withstand electrical voltages of even 500-600V for a long period of time. They can pierce the insulation of cable products and scrape off the solder mask on the electrical circuit for further measuring activities.
Using a tester or multimeter, you can check the required parameters of small SMD elements on a board or microcircuit when repairing equipment using special pliers that are similar to tweezers. The use of such tweezers guarantees the quality of contact, since during measurement they tightly clamp the component.
A distinctive feature of these products is a rather short cable, but for these purposes another cable is not needed.
A very common version of the tips of this product are crocodiles in the form of a clamping mechanism. Such crocodiles can have different dimensional parameters, but in all cases they are distinguished by a reliable shell with dielectric properties.
Such tips can act as an auxiliary element to universal devices, which, if necessary, are simply attached to it. Crocodiles are very convenient for holding thin and inconvenient contacts of small elements, which, due to their shape, securely fix them.
Advice. Recommended for professional activity purchase universal wiring with a set of various tips, which will greatly simplify the measurement process and prevent them frequent repairs. In this case, the tips are attachments that simply screw into the holder.
Many people prefer not to buy new products, but to make probes themselves when factory probes fail and cannot be repaired. There are two common options for making them yourself.
In order to make such an element for the meter, you will need fountain pens and darts disassembled without rods. The manufacturing process is as follows:
On a note. For more reliable fixation, the tip of the dart can be additionally fixed with glue.
For self-creation thinSMD-probes will need the following materials:
CreationSMD-probes are produced in the following way:
On a note. Protective element in homemade products Ordinary pen caps may protrude.
Probes should be selected according to their quality characteristics and purpose - it is better to give preference silicone options. In many cases it is impractical to repair probes; it is easier and more reliable to make probes yourself.
Despite the fact that multimeters are always equipped with probes, in inexpensive models measuring instruments(DT 181, DT 182, DT 832, etc.) their quality leaves much to be desired. The result does not take long to arrive. It happens that not even a month passes before the owner discovers that it is impossible to take measurements with the device, because a wire has broken in one of the plugs or tips. Figure 1 demonstrates typical problem, characteristic of inexpensive Chinese products.
Figure 1. Broken wire – typical fault for Chinese productsOf course, it is not difficult to fix such a malfunction, but this will not solve the problem as a whole, and a new break will not be long in coming. This means it’s time to purchase high-quality and reliable multimeter probes, for example, Mastech products (T3033, T3009, E3029, etc.) or S-Line (ETL-5, ETL-10, ETL-11).
For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that among the products of unknown manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom, you can find quite decent analogues that will be reliable and, at the same time, in no way inferior to the original products. But to do right choice, you need to know what design features you should pay attention to. let's consider Various types test leads to determine their advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with inexpensive products.
Measuring probes, in which the wires are PVC insulated, plastic is used as the material for plugs and holders, and the tips themselves are made of steel, as a rule, the most inexpensive. They are included in the kit for budget models of multimeters, such as DT-838 or DT-830B (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Inexpensive multimeters are equipped with appropriate probes Usually, test leads are selected different color to correctly connect the device to the circuit being measured.
The standard electrode thickness for such products is 4 mm, and the length varies depending on the model. The shape of the holders may have several variations, but this is insignificant design feature does not affect reliability.
Such products are not the best option, any careless movement may cause the tip to come off. In addition, we should not forget about the disadvantages inherent in PVC insulation, they are as follows:
It should also be noted that stylus tips with needles with a diameter of 4 mm are not suitable for all jobs. For example, to take measurements from electronic boards where SMD components are located, thin tester probes will be required.
The only advantage budget models- low price. Such products are fully justified when using a multimeter at a non-professional level, that is, for domestic purposes for minor repairs.
Here are some typical distinctive features, characteristic of a quality instrument:
Products from the following brands meet these requirements: Fluke, Unitrend, Mastech, etc.
Figure 4. Flucke styli complete with crocodile clips Generally good professional probes collapsible, this allows you to use special attachments for them. It makes sense to talk about them in more detail.
Many manufacturers provide connection to test leads different types attachments, which makes the probes universal and significantly expands the scope of their application (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. Test leads and attachment set Thanks to this set, you can choose long or short needles, depending on the need, change the thickness of the tip, for example, when you need to make delicate measurements, etc.
To check SMD components, it is convenient to use a special pliers attachment; testing with it is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. Checking the SMD resistor The alligator clip (see Figure 4) is no less useful; it can be used to connect to a device for taking measurements, while during the testing process your hands are freed, which allows you to make other measurements.
Using an attachment that has a spring-loaded hook (Figure 7), you can connect to most attachments on printed circuit boards.
Figure 7. Spring-loaded hook attachment A nozzle with a terminal adapter (Fig.) allows you to easily connect to a laboratory power supply to control voltage and current.
Figure 8. Terminal adapter Concluding the topic of professional measuring leads, you should pay attention to one significant drawback of such products - the relatively high price. For example, original Flucke probes with a set of attachments cost about $60.
It is not at all necessary to buy new test leads if the old ones cannot be repaired. Moreover, it is not difficult to make multimeter probes with your own hands. The result will be somewhat inferior to professional products, but the cost of the products will be disproportionately lower. As for quality and reliability, their level will be no worse than that of their Chinese counterparts.
First of all, you need to purchase high-quality stranded copper wire in silicone insulation. As a last resort, you can use a PVC sheath, but, as mentioned above, such probes will have a lot of disadvantages.
You can use regular fountain pens, felt-tip pens or pencils with replaceable leads as holders. Sewing needles or dart tips from the game Darts are suitable for electrodes.
Figure 9. All that remains is to glue the tip and put on the heat-shrinkable casing Second option: we use a pencil with a replaceable lead as a probe; the role of the tip will be played by a sewing needle. The manufacturing principle is almost the same, only the wire is soldered to a needle.
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Note that pen caps can be used as protective attachments for such probes.
Measurements with a multimeter are made using probes. Not all multimeter probes in kits are of good quality, so it would be preferable to make them yourself. It doesn’t take much time, but then it makes it possible not to be distracted by replacing them. It is also possible to equip the probes with crocodile clips, which will free your hands while taking measurements. Sometimes it is useful to have both measuring collapsible thin probes and a model with alligator clips; each of them will be indispensable in certain situations.
Alligator probes are very convenient to use if you need to fix a conductor for accurate measurements with a multimeter. To carry out the work you will need the following tools and components:
Wires use stranded copper because copper has good conductivity and flexibility. Silicone shells are soft, flexible, and will not break or crack over time. You can find an option specifically designed for black and red multimeters.
To make homemade probes, you need to connect the wires with plugs and clamps. If you know how to solder and have everyone necessary tools the procedure will take no more than half an hour.
It is advisable to select the same color for the plug, wire and clamp, so that one probe is, for example, completely red, and the second completely black. In this case, the multimeter will be convenient to use and it will be easy to observe polarity when taking measurements.
First, you need to insert the wires into “bananas”, through which they will be connected to the multimeter. The connection with the plug is not particularly difficult.
A bolt is unscrewed from the banana, after which a wire can be inserted inside, the end of which has been stripped in advance. Then you need to tighten the bolt, thereby securely fixing the wire inside. The same operation is performed with the other wire. At this point, the “bananas” can be considered connected.
On at this stage strip and tin the free ends of the wires that will go to the alligator clips. Next, take a crocodile clip for a wire that matches the color. The insulation is removed from it and the bolt is unscrewed.
Clamping the wire with bolts is not the most reliable solution for multimeter probes. It will be better to solder it in this place, having first made a small soldering pad out of tin. The second “crocodile” also joins.
Now you can start soldering the crocodile. To do this, a wire is inserted inside, bringing the tinned end to the prepared area.
The wire must first be covered with crocodile insulation so that it can then be pulled over the connection.
Solder is taken and the wire is soldered to the crocodile. The soldering must be strong so that the wire does not fly off at the slightest tension. When the wire is soldered, you need to clamp it with the lower edges of the crocodile body; this can be done using pliers.
After this, strong clamps are formed, which will guarantee long-term serviceability. homemade probe. Next, the insulation is put on the crocodile. This is necessary for its reliable and safe operation, as well as for its aesthetic appearance.
You can also make thin probes for a multimeter. The cheapest and easiest option is to make them from the body of handles. Everything here is very similar, only instead of clamps you will need the following parts:
As a tip, either buy special thin probes for a dt multimeter, or use thin sewing or medical needles. It is better to use special probe needles, purchasing them on the radio market or in an online store.
Everything else you need is the same as in the previous version of making probes for a multimeter. The plugs are connected in the same way as described above, and securing the tips of future probes has several features.
To begin with, one hole is made in the top caps of the pens. This is necessary for the wire to go inside. It is desirable that their diameter matches the diameter of the wire. Next, the lower part of the handle is disassembled and a needle is inserted into it.
The needle must be soldered to the wire, which is previously inserted into the cap. The solder should not be made too thick, but it must be soldered securely. The soldering process was also discussed above.
When everything is ready, silicone is poured into the lower part of the handle and until it hardens, the needle sticks out according to the level. She should not be disturbed for several hours.
You can do it this way. First, stick the needles out 4-5 cm, then put on the cap. Thus, the tips for the probes will independently take the desired position. When the silicone has hardened, the structure is strong and comfortable.
To check the device for functionality, you need to measure the resistance of the probes. To do this, you need to connect the multimeter to the network and set the switch to measure resistance.
If the multimeter does not have automatic range adjustment, you need to switch to measuring the lowest limit.
Insert the leads of the probes into the sockets of the device, and then connect the probes to each other. The resistance figure should be 0, or as close to zero as possible. If the multimeter is automatic, then a couple of seconds after the circuit is closed, the device itself will set to 0.
If you know the sequence of the process, then all the work will not be difficult. You need to have minimal soldering skills, and then everything will be done quickly, and the device will last for many years.
Price: $2,3
The probes that come with inexpensive testers (multimeters) are often not best quality. And sometimes they deteriorate: sometimes the wire breaks, sometimes you accidentally burn it with a soldering iron. And now, cheap disposable probes have to be thrown away and replacements have to be found.
These probes looked very solid in the photos in the store. Colored plastic, caps and plugs, good length (107 cm). The price is absolutely ridiculous.
And now I’m already printing out the parcel.
The first impression is great. Everything is very neat and beautiful. The wire is soft, silicone. The probes are simply pleasant to hold in your hands. They immediately registered on my work multimeter.
I've been using them for almost a year now. During this time, I realized that their price is quite justified.
Yes, they are beautiful, the handles are molded from two-color plastic.
There are grooves on the contacts, which is very convenient for measurements. The total resistance of the two probes is 0.9 Ohm. The caps and plugs got lost very quickly, but I don’t need them. Their main drawback is the banana connectors that are inserted into the sockets of the multimeter. They are beautifully made, filled with plastic, but they constantly lose contact.
I cut the protective plastic so that they would go deeper, but that didn't help much. The contact also fell off from time to time. I endured as long as I could. But this is very inconvenient, especially when you call many different circuits, there is no short circuit everywhere, and then you connect two probes and there is no contact there either. You understand that all the work needs to start all over again. And the question arises: “Do I need such probes if they are not trusted and constantly let me down and complicate my life?” I felt sorry for throwing them away; I was already used to them, so I decided to replace the unreliable link.
The connectors were mercilessly cut off and thrown away, and to replace them I picked up gold-plated “bananas” with a rotating slip ring. This is convenient because the connectors will not “break” the multimeter sockets when rotating and the contact should be more reliable. New connectors are inserted into the tester sockets very tightly and are fixed securely. They also have holes where you can insert the same “banana”, sometimes this can be very useful. Why did I choose these "bananas"? I just didn’t find specialized connectors for testers, but I had already used these “bananas” and I really liked them for their “tightness” in the socket and ease of rotation while maintaining excellent contact. And besides, they were bought from me a long time ago and are lying idle
In order to solder new connectors to the probes, I strip the insulation.
And here is another disappointment. Although the wire itself seems thick and solid, the twisted copper core in it is thin...
Now it’s clear why there is such resistance, the copper there is a cat crying... The quality of the wire is no good, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to change it. But the probe handles with contacts themselves are cast and non-removable. Changing the wire in such probes is the same as simply throwing them away. Therefore, I decide to leave the wire as is for now, and in my spare time look for blanks for probes and a good wire and make new probes myself.
In the meantime, we attach the new “golden” connectors to the wire. They are connected without soldering. Simply insert into the connector tube and secure with a screw.
To prevent the wire from breaking at the base of the connector, I reinforced it with heat shrink.
Then another heat shrink, shorter.
I run the clamping screw so that it can tighten easily.
And on top is the plastic part of the connector.
Here, in fact, is the result.
The first tests showed that the probes (which were far from ideal initially) began to behave noticeably better. The contact in the multimeter sockets is now quite reliable (in several months they have never popped out and the contact has never been lost), the probes themselves are movable and can be easily turned. Additional functionality has appeared in the form of additional contact holes for bananas.
