Multi meter ?

[Bruno of NH]

Multi meter?
Never used one got one tonight.
What do I set it on to test the voltage of my simple set. 
I know it's a dumb ?
But I don't know .
I got to get this figured out.
Its slowing my production down.
Thanks Bruno 

[Dave Shepard]

Unless it is auto-ranging, you probably want 20 volts DC. Hard to say without seeing your meter. I'd be lost without my DMM.

[kevinj54]

Multi meter?
Never used one got one tonight.
What do I set it on to test the voltage of my simple set.
I know it's a dumb ?
But I don't know .
I got to get this figured out.
Its slowing my production down.
Thanks Bruno

Did it not come with instructions???
If it was used you can prolly download them.

[Southside]

Do you have a buddy that you can slab a couple pieces of wood for who knows his way around electronics? 

Sticking metal probes into electronic systems can get expensive quickly when the magic smoke is accidentally released. 

[711ac]

Multi meter?
Never used one got one tonight.
What do I set it on to test the voltage of my simple set.
I know it's a dumb ?
But I don't know .
I got to get this figured out.
Its slowing my production down.
Thanks Bruno

I thought I was the only one that didn't know what all those Chinese looking symbols mean. 
Hey I'm very good with the continuity setting but that's about it. 🤔

[mike_belben]

post a pic of your meter face bruno, lets bang it out.  you troubleshooting AC or DC?  i dont know what a simple set is. but a schematic always helps if u have one. 

[Ljohnsaw]

If it has symbols like ~  or ~ that's the AC ranges. 
The DC ranges usually have a solid line over a dashed line, the flipped of this ---

Most of the newer meters will just display a 0 or a 1 if you are on the wrong scale (too low of a scale for the voltage) or the wrong series (AC instead of DC or vise versa).

[Dave Shepard]

Mine doesn't show the symbols for AC or DC. I use 20 for 12vdc systems. 


 

[Tacotodd]

I mostly use mine for testing continuity. I have mine set so that it's on the noise setting because when it's being used I'm almost certainly in a position to not be able to see it, like under a dash of a vehicle or something to that effect. It's usually easier on stuff than disturbing the insulation in wiring if you can help it, because poking that hole eventually is where you will have problems with water invasion to start with a degradation of material that's not able to be seen. Think automotive type of stuff.

[Arcticmiller]

Multi meter?
Never used one got one tonight.
What do I set it on to test the voltage of my simple set.
I know it's a dumb ?
But I don't know .
I got to get this figured out.
Its slowing my production down.
Thanks Bruno

I can't help you on the specifics of your simple set, but keep in mind that even though you may read the correct voltage at a connection or wire end (say you read 6v which is what the manual tells you it should) that doesn't mean it's "ok".


In fact you can pass over the problem and waste so much time and money in parts....don't ask me how I know....I have wasted so much time by not learning this stuff it makes me sick to think about it.


Getting or building a load tester is the only way to know that the wiring health is ok. Auto manufacturing data shows that the core problem of close to 90 percent of all car problems lie in the wiring. Sawmills run in a pretty harsh environment, so it's a good bet the data -should a study ever be done- would have similar results.
Everything else can check out, but if the wiring can't provide that 6v with a load applied it won't work. It's tedious process, but by developing the skill set you become empowered to fix and accurately diagnose so much more.


Watch some YouTube videos on "voltage drop" there are some good ones out there. Not absolutely necessary but pretty helpful is a product called a "load pro" it plugs into your multimeter, the inventor of the load pro (a guy named Dan Sullivan) has a pretty good book that's worth reading too. I bought the two as a package deal.


Wiring is interesting stuff.... just because they seem fine on the exterior, doesn't mean it's not been destroyed by corrosion on the inside. The voltage drop test allows you to look under the insulation and see what's going on.


It's also more difficult to smoke something with the test too, I use a tool called a power probe as well, but that thing will burn stuff up if you aren't real careful.


Anyway, hope this rambling is more helpful than confusing. Multi meters are-as the name implies lots of different tools in one. Each setting has a specific application, I usually just use about 2-3 settings on mine, since I don't understand the other applications as well as I'd like to yet. I aspire to be multi-meter "pro" one day- but it's a far off goal.

[LeeB]

I haven't kept up with your other post about your setworks. Have you talked with WM about your issue yet? The tech I worked with in my last issue walked me through what to check, where to check, and what to set the meter to.

[mike_belben]

An old hella or KC dayliter offroad light makes a good load tester for small wires.  


Its pretty hard to smoke something with a meter.  Its much easier to smoke your meter, when measuring amps anyway.  Nothing to be scared of in 12vdc.  480 3phase you might wanna call a buddy.   ;)

[Arcticmiller]

An old hella or KC dayliter offroad light makes a good load tester for small wires.  


Its pretty hard to smoke something with a meter.  Its much easier to smoke your meter, when measuring amps anyway.  Nothing to be scared of in 12vdc.  480 3phase you might wanna call a buddy.   

I was thinking back to what I last burned up, and come to think of it, it was a $400 fluke lol. Thankfully it was a work one! 

[Bruno of NH]

Woodmizer tech support asked me to do this.
They won't just send me the encoder 
I think it's that 

[Bruno of NH]

The first tech I talked with on Tuesday told me to check some stuff , I did , if that didn't work call back and they would send out the encoder. 
I called back yesterday and got a different tech and he wants the voltage at the h bridge before he will do anything. 
I know it's the encoder. 
2nd tech says never heard of one going out  :D
I know it the encoder 
My mills on warranty for one more month.

[Bruno of NH]

 

 

[thecfarm]

I heard the tech say the same thing about a remote starter on our car.  :D  I think it took him longer to trouble shoot it, than to install it. That too was under warranty

[Dave Shepard]

The 20 on the left will give you what you want. 

[Bruno of NH]

That's what I thought Dave
I watched a U tube and a guy did a good explanation of it.

[Don P]

Yup, dial to the 20 on the left, to check go to the battery and touch the red wire to positive on the battery, black to negative and you should get around 12-14 volts on the readout. Always check the meter on something before trusting it. I dug all through an attic a week or two ago trying to find an open circuit. stumped I called my partner who grabbed another meter and said, you've been playing with hots and a dead meter. The LED was displaying but for whatever reason it was not picking up the voltage. They get dropped, bad contacts, whatever.

[Dave Shepard]

When the battery starts to go in my meter, it'll read a good 12 volt battery at about 18 volts.  :D

[Bruno of NH]

 I put in a new battery 2 weeks ago.
The mill wasn't starting good.
The winter is hard on them.
I now have a battery tender set up wired in.
Sawdust freezes in the battery box during the day in the winter.

[mike_belben]

winter is also real hard on copper and lead.  when they get crusted up and galvanized youre gonna see voltage drops at every joint and then stuff is gonna discharge at a higher amp rate due to lower voltage so it heats things up and wears them faster.


 sanding and filing and scraping will often get you a half volt or better.  every lead acid battery has 6 caps.  usually hidden under a sticker unless you got fooled into "maintenance free" which means they glued the top on and sold you a maintenance impossible battery.  anyways you can unscrew or pry up your 6 caps and fill with DE-IONIZED water to 3/8" below the vent slits.  then with the caps still off and in a breezy condition, hit the battery with a few minutes of hot charge from a 200amp start mode box.  this will "boil" the sulfates off the plates and gas out a posionous flammable gas.  switch to trickle for a day and put the caps back on.  your resting voltage will come up typically a half volt.  i recover about 80% of lead acid batteries this way. starters and alternator have a similar saving rate from a little teardown and shoe shine action inside. if stuff is grounded through the mounting brackets adding a ground wire to the battery can help.  otherwise corrosion lowers continuity in time.  ive troubleshot quite a few vehicles that wouldnt start with new batteries due to rusty steel ground path fail.  itll burn out your starter and alternator early. 

[barbender]

Mike I could really use you around my place for a couple of weeks😁

[Tacotodd]

I've got the feeling that if he was compensated "appropriately"  ;) that he might take you up on that.

I dunno, that's between you 2.