Everything Electrical How To Use All The Functions On Your Multimeter by Keler Vincent

Author:Keler, Vincent [Keler, Vincent]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

Ch.3: AC & DC Amperage

I n the following sections we will review all the important concepts to remember before beginning amperage testing.

What Is Amperage ?

Amperage is the unit of measure for the amount of electricity that is actually flowing throughout an electric circuit. It can be compared to the amount of water flowing throughout a water circuit. Do not confuse amperage with voltage. Although they are related and similar they are not the same thing. Remember that voltage is electrical pressure and that amperage is the actual amount of electricity flowing throughout the circuit because of the electrical pressure. Amperage cannot flow without voltage to push it throughout the circuit. An amperage measurement allows us to see the amount of electricity flowing inside a circuit.

Amperage is also more commonly called current , current flow , amps and even electrical flow .

Considerations When Testing For Amperage:

Before we can perform a test for amperage or “amps”, we must first take a look at how the amp setting differs from all the rest of the settings on the multimeter.

The first step to performing an amp measurement is set the meter to the appropriate amp setting and then place the red probe in the meter socket that matches the exact amp symbol that you have chosen. If the power source for the circuit is an AC type power source you will choose the AC amps setting on the meter. If the power source is a DC power source the meter should be set to read DC amps.

The second step is to turn OFF the circuit and then create a break somewhere in the circuit that you are testing. This can be done either at a connector or somewhere that is easily accessible to disconnect. Anywhere in the circuit will work but you should choose a place on the circuit that is easy to disconnect and then reconnect later.

The third step involves installing the ampmeter in between the break you created in the circuit. By doing this, you are actually making the ampmeter a part of the circuit. This allows electricity to flow through the ampmeter once the circuit is turned ON. The meter then measures exactly how much electricity is flowing through the circuit. For this reason, the ampmeter may sometimes be referred to as an electrical flow meter.

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