watt meters

====================

** Watt for?

** Bullshit.

** More bullshit.

** Sure - lots of folk here have bought many, many such meters in order to compare performance and value.

JUST IN CASE some f****ng nut job like you asked this very question.

.... Phil

**I use a couple of these on my bench:

They're cheap and work fine.

I use this Kill-A-Watt meter for testing appliances. It displays the current Wattage/Amperage draw and kWh. It is reasonably priced to boot.

It is available from many retailers, but here's an example:

Thanks but I forgot to mention it should have an outlet rather than a terminal block.

Thanks. I wanted confirmation that one of the inexpensive ones has been tested and approved. The $17 models might still be crap but if this is above that price point then that's what I needed to know.

**Ah. Since this is a technical group, I assumed....

Thanks anyway, but if a device has a plug I'm not going to chop it off just to be technical. :)

**Nor do I. I have one permanently wired into my variable auto-transformer (aka: Variac™), so I can monitor power consumption, as I slowly wind up the juice.

[snip]

There are a bunch of Kill-a-watt brand name meters. The basic one typicaly sells for about $25 and is available at lots of places, including (sometimes) Harbor Freight.

I've been using them for two decades and have been quite satisfied with them.

(Back when Usenet was still a thing people in the various household, energy, and similar groups would constantly reference them).

So yeah, that's the way to go.

One issue is that most of their models reset to "zero" if you unplug it, so you have to place it inline with your load in a location where you can see the display. SOme of them do (or at least did...) have the ability to "lock" those readings and hold them if you moved it off the outlet and then plugged it in elsewhere.

(I last used one of those a decade ago..)

Trevor Wilson wrote: ================= >

** I note the ferrite ring used for current sensing.

With just one pass through, the unit is not very sensitive. With 10 turns of 1sq.mm enameled copper instead or as well - it acquires a new purpose at mW levels.

..... Phil

**Good thinking. I'm pleased I bought two. Best of all, none of those horrible LCDs. Proper LED display. Fast and readable.

Trevor Wilson wrote: =================

** That is how my two range " RMS Current Monitor" operates. See EA magazine, May 1997.

** You on drugs ?

the display is very clearly LCD - with an orange backlight.

.... Phil

You have not stated the purpose. If it is for monitoring basic consumption of an appliance of some sort, about any cheap plug-in device will work reasonably well. Say... US$20 or so from Amazon.

If you are looking to see what your entertainment system is using and wish to add surge protection, then one of these:

also from Amazon is useful. I keep one for the main system and it does work nicely.

If you are looking for a bench tool and also for isolation, then look at something like this:

I keep two. One permanently on the bench, one in the travel kit.

Please ignore the Drongo from Down-Under. It is off its meds and aging out, a wretched and pitiful combination.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

**Oops. [Smacks head]. Must be the drugs.

**Seriously, I kinda mixed them up with this one. I bought one of these initially:

But I preferred the LCD ones.

Thanks for the correction.

You're welcome. I'm happy with the $25 or so Kill-A-Watt for my purposes, testing appliances.

Mine, in the $25 ball-park range, immediately resets when unplugged.