Parkside/Lidl Multimeter PDM 300

[okeydokey]

Posting my thoughts about this £10 meter.
Its about a year old, lived in a kitchen drawer with occasional use for torch battery/toys testing and suchlike.
Ive just rediscovered some ancient mobile phones such as Ericsson GH355 as part of a tidy up (and trying to see if the batteries will hold a charge) would it measure the voltage would it heck. Without the test leads plugged in the display was stable ---- plug in 1 any of the leads and the voltage reading rolled up down to various voltages and thats before the leads got anywhere near a battery.
On this basis it gets nowhere near even a low score recommendation.

PS cant find the receipt so will google around to see if I can send it back (and to where) before it goes in the small items recycle bin at the dump

 

[Spectric]

There is no way I would ever trust the readings from such a cheap meter, plus the best way to test a battery is whilst it is under a load, in other words doing some work.

 

[okeydokey]

Agreed but its good enough for 1.5v torch/toy batteries when good and bad have got mixed by little people

 

[guineafowl21]

Posting my thoughts about this £10 meter.
Its about a year old, lived in a kitchen drawer with occasional use for torch battery/toys testing and suchlike.
Ive just rediscovered some ancient mobile phones such as Ericsson GH355 as part of a tidy up (and trying to see if the batteries will hold a charge) would it measure the voltage would it heck. Without the test leads plugged in the display was stable ---- plug in 1 any of the leads and the voltage reading rolled up down to various voltages and thats before the leads got anywhere near a battery.
On this basis it gets nowhere near even a low score recommendation.

PS cant find the receipt so will google around to see if I can send it back (and to where) before it goes in the small items recycle bin at the dump

I went through a few blue Draper meters many years ago before getting fed up with strange behaviour and got a Fluke 87.

They also have a 600V ac range, which tempts you to probe around the mains when they are nowhere near safe enough to do so.

A good quote: “electrical diagnostics is hard enough without having to second-guess your test gear.”

That said, I have got a simple Draper moving coil multimeter which is still reliable (no ‘blob’ chip) and has a loaded battery test function for 1.5 and 9V.

 

[Sideways]

If you are measuring batteries, use anything you like. The worst is that the readings are inaccurate and you melt something.
If you are measuring mains voltages, then for me, you need at least the cheap model from a reputable brand who might care about their reputation.
£50-70 price bracket from Megger, KEW, Beha Amprobe, Testo is where I'd start looking.

 

[Yorkieguy]

My main hobby for fifty years has been the restoration of vintage valve radios. Occasionally, in vintage radio circles, a novice will ask: 'Which basic multi-meter should I buy - I'm on quite a tight budget?". That will bring forth a stream of 'shroud-waving' responses, a debate will ensue which will generate more heat than light, and a 'beauty parade' of meters and brands, for which Fluke will come out on top. The 'tool junkie' contributors to those debates are so wrapped up in themselves that they fail to notice that the originator is long gone - probably in a home for the terminally bewildered.

I'm a hobbyist in a garden shed - I'm not putting rockets into space, I'm not working on live 3-phase mains, much of the testing I do is for continuity and resistance tests, or on low voltages, and very occasionally, on mains voltage. I've had various multi-meters over the years (AVO, Maplin etc), and about 15 years ago came across the 'Toolzone' large digit multi-meter. I bought two - one for indoors, one for the workshop. They've never skipped a beat. 'Toolzone' are wholesalers who don't sell to the general public - they sell cases of twenty to retailers, but the meters ae widely available from many sources online for around £15.00. EG:

https://www.manomano.co.uk/p/digita...ohm-battery-tester-ammeter-large-lcd-60911216

Unfortunately, most retailers give little detail about the ranges of the meter, and what standards the meter conforms to, so here's the spec:

TOOLZONE DIGITAL MULTIMETER WITH PROBES BATTERY + CASE.​

Features:

• Auto Power Off (15 minutes)
• Measurement rate: updates 2-3/sec
• Over range indication: "1" figure only in the display
• Large Liquid Crystal Display: 3.5 x 6 cm
• Low Battery Indicator
• Automatic negative polarity indication
• Audible Continuity bleep
• Overload Protection
• Capacitance measurement auto zeroing
• High Impact Rubber Case with stand
• Probes and Leads included.
• Standard 9V Battery (supplied)
• Safety compliance: IEC 61010-1, 2000 CAT II 600V overvoltage standards
• Overvoltage installation categories per IEC 61010-1, 2000

The meter is designed to protect against transients in these categories:

• CAT 1: From high voltage low energy sources. EG: Electronic circuits or a copy machine
• CAT II: From equipment supplied from the fixed installation. EG: TV's PC's, Portable tools and household appliances
• CAT III: From equipment supplied fixed equipment installation. EG: Installation panels, feeders and short branch circuits and lighting systems in large buildings

Specifications:

• DCV: 200mV-20-200 to 600V ..........+/- 0.5%
• ACV: 2v-20v-200 to 600V ..............+/- 0.8%
• DCA:2m-20-200-10A......................+/-0.8%
• ACA: 20m-200m-10A.......................+/-1.2%
• Ohms:200-2k-20k-200k-2M-20M-20M.+/-0.8%
• Capacitance: 200pF-20n-200n-20MF............+/-0.2.5%
• Transistor Test: 1b 10MA Vce 3V
• Diode:3V/0.8Ma
• Protected by 10-Amp fuse when measuring current

Dimensions (approx.):

• Length: 200mm (8")
• Width: 95 mm (3¾")
• Depth: 52mm (2")

Includes:

• Leads and probes (red and black)
• 9V PP3 battery
• Soft plastic protective casing

For the avoidance of doubt, I have no connections with Toolzone or any other company. I'm just a hobbyist - too young to die, to old for nasty shocks. I'm not cash-strapped and could afford to buy Fluke, just as I could afford to by Lie Neilson planes, but am content to use Record or Stanley. ('Tis vain to do with more, what can be done with less').

As with any such meter, always ensure the test leads are in the correct socket for whatever is being measures - resistance, voltage, current, and on voltage tests, make sure you are on the AC or DC ranges as appropriate.

Hope that helps.

 

[okeydokey]

Thank you Yorkieguy

 

[HappyHacker]

I have a few cheap multimeters that I use for testing batteries, bulbs, fuses etc. Having been an electrician I also have expensive meters which I know I can use safely within their CAT and Voltage ratings. I would not use a cheap meter on mains connected equipment. I have Fluke mains tester which i use to prove a circuit is dead before working on it. It has two probes connected by a fixed cable and indicates if live, voltage, AC/DC and phase rotation The first one I had was replaced under a recall when about three years old because they found conductors in the cable could break with a lot of use. The replacement was replaced under warrantee because one of the functions stopped working. Will a cheap equipment supplier be so interested in your safety?

If you do a search for multimeter accidents, multimeter CAT safety rating and multimeter strip downs you will find lots of examples of why cheap meters are not always safe at mains voltages.

 

[okeydokey]

So I bothered to fill an online Lidl return form with photos the facts and etc.
Now I have just received an automated email asking for exactly the info I submitted !! After I stopped banging head on wall I did reply with the info again, also suggested they read the original contact form.
I don't desperately need the £9.99 or a replacement but I have some time to play along with this se will see what happens next week.

 

[Rhossydd]

My experience with dealing with Lidl's warranty service has been good. Yes, there's some tedious repeated form filling and waits for replies, but the end result has always been either a refund or replacement.

As others have said, using cheap multi-meters on mains power is potentially suspect, but fine for low voltage casual uses like battery and continuity testing. Just don't expect cheap kit to be so robust and long lasting as high end kit.

 

[okeydokey]

I'm pleased to say that yesterday I received a letter from Lidl requesting me to take the faulty meter and letter to Lidl and they will refund to my debit card.
Did it and it worked so other than having to input the same information twice very good service from Lidl!