We are spoiled with multimeters today. Even the cheapest meter you will get these days is almost surely digital with a tremendous input impedance. But a few decades ago, meters were almost always analog affairs. To make a precise measurement, you needed a mirror under the meter to ensure you read the needle correctly. Moreover, a common meter wouldn’t have that high of an input impedance. If you spent more, you could get a VTVM and, later, one that used FETs to provide high input impedance. [Peter AA2VG] just picked up a vintage Micronta FET volt-ohm meter to join some of the other new and old meters in his shack. You can check it out in the video below.
[Peter] already has a Simpson and a more modern Fluke meter. The Simpson, however, doesn’t have a tube or FET amplifier. The Fluke is nice, but there is something about the needle on an analog meter. If you aren’t old enough to remember, the Micronta brand was a Radio Shack label.
The teardown and repair started just before the 11-minute mark. There were two obviously burned resistors and a leaking battery—an easy repair to put this meter back into service.
If you weren’t a fan of Radio Shack, maybe Heathkit was more your style. While we like our digital meters, many people still like to use analog instruments for some tasks.
In Praise of Old Meters
Source: Manila Flash Report
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