Is it possible that a USB port killed my multimeter?

Question

I just bought a low-end multimeter from Radio shack that has a .315 Amp 250 Volt fuse, and is rated to take up to 500 Volts. I tested it on a USB port on my laptop to see if the voltage would hold at a stable 5 Volts, and the next thing you know the leads touched. A small sparked flashed, but that was apparently enough to kill my multimeter. What do you think killed my multimeter? Is it possible that the higher amperage that a USB port puts out was enough to blow the fuse? I still have a warranty, so it will be returned, but I would like to hear input from anyone with electrical experience (unlike moi).

Answer 1

radio shack has 2 cheap multimeters. one has a needle pointer, the other has a digital read out. all needle type meters are fragile and easily damaged. i suggest you only use the digital style meters.



what happened in this case, you had the meter switch set to read milliamps of current, or you had the probe plugged into the high current jack instead of the voltage jack. when the probes touched the USB connector, they acted as a short which caused the spark. i doubt that you 'killed' your meter, but you might have popped the meter fuse. if you have the needle type dial, the DCV ranges are marked in "white" numerals. Radio Shack digital face meters are not color coded, just be sure you select DCV ranges.



turn the meter switch to read DC volts, and make sure the probes are plugged into the jacks marked (+) and (-). your meter should now be reading voltages. don't bother replacing the fuse if you only intend to measure voltages. having the fuse out makes your unit "safer".



you need to study the instructions supplied with the multimeter to understand how to properly connect it to take readings. the warranty does not cover damage from mis-use.

Answer 2

Not likely a USB port would blow up your meter. A more likely cause would be if you had the meter set to read OHMS (resistance) & then did your measurement.

Answer 3

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