OT: Fluke 771 Milliamp Process Clamp Meter-Alternatives.

Steve Bailey · Sep 16, 2021

Long story short, some of our electricians struggle when asked to measure loops.

Include a DIN rail mounted fuse holder in the analog circuit. When you need to measure loop current, put the meter on the fuse terminals and then pull open the fuseholder. Now the meter is in the circuit and you haven't disrupted the process. Just make sure the meter is firmly attached and to close the fuseholder once you've recorded the measurement.

OkiePC · Sep 16, 2021

Someone on here once said "Nobody ever got fired for buying a Fluke."

I once lost my Fluke loop calibrator (not the clamp on type) and tried to save the boss some money by trying out an Extech that claimed all the same features. That was a mistake. Maybe I got a lemon, but I eventually bought another Fluke.

geniusintraining · Sep 16, 2021

Ken Moore said:
... see how long they stay on site.

I will watch out for them on ebay

Lare · Sep 16, 2021

Steve Bailey said:
Include a DIN rail mounted fuse holder in the analog circuit. When you need to measure loop current, put the meter on the fuse terminals and then pull open the fuseholder. Now the meter is in the circuit and you haven't disrupted the process. Just make sure the meter is firmly attached and to close the fuseholder once you've recorded the measurement.

Any reasons why fuse terminal should used instead of knife disconnect terminal blocks which are designed for this?

Steve Bailey · Sep 16, 2021

Any reasons why fuse terminal should used instead of knife disconnect terminal blocks which are designed for this?

Only that fuse terminals are generally a little easier to find.

Lare · Sep 16, 2021

Steve Bailey said:
Only that fuse terminals are generally a little easier to find.

That is true, but fuses are sometimes also hard to find.

Not sure, but is there terminals which have diode. Whit that you could meter mA without disconnection.

Some field devices have test pins and inside there is only diode.

https://industrialinstrumentationso...0/how-to-use-test-diodes-to-measure-4-20.html

Toine · Sep 16, 2021

Ken Moore said:
Well.....looks like Fluke it the only way to go.
We are going to buy two, one for night shift, one for day shift, see how long they stay on site.

That is the main reason my daily DMM is a Brymen. Strangely enough just being a different color makes it way less likely to vanish into the void.

Feels like quality is on par with Fluke, cat IV rated and just bloody nice to work with. Eevblog took several of these meters apart, destructively tested and approved.

Unfortunately I cannot find a DC mA clamp meter from Brymen.

mylespetro · Sep 16, 2021

ndzied1 said:
One other thought I had was that Phoenix Contact does make feed through terminal blocks with built in disconnects and the ability to put in test points for meter probes on both sides of the switch.

If you had one if those in the loop, you could put the meter in mA mode, put the leads in the test points and then open the switch to measure the loop current...

I actually saw terminal blocks with this feature for the first time late last year, I thought they were pretty neat. Worked great when I watched the techs use them.

OT: Fluke 771 Milliamp Process Clamp Meter-Alternatives.

Steve Bailey

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OkiePC

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geniusintraining

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Lare

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Steve Bailey

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Lare

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Toine

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mylespetro

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