Most multimeters come with a pair of test leads with pointy ends. A transistor test function is common (indicated by h FE) but less useful in practice. This makes a beeping sound when the probes find a low resistance path between them.Ī diode test function is also very useful. Some multimeters are auto-ranging, which means they have only one DC Volts range and automatically adjust according to the voltage applied, and similarly for current and resistance.Ī continuity function is very useful. Less useful but very common are DC current ranges (2mA up to 200mA). The minimum functions you should look for are DC Volts (2V up to 200V), AC Volts (500V) and resistance (200Ω up to 2000kΩ).

There are only a few occasions when an analogue multimeter would be better, and the digital variety is in any case much more robust and probably cheaper.Īpart from a multimeter designed mainly for auto-electrics, even the cheapest (under £5 on eBay) will have most if not all the functions you will commonly need.

Multimeters come in two sorts: analogue (with a dial), and much more commonly, digital.