What is a Clamp Meter? | The Definitive Guide

Hello friend, in today’s article we will see what a clamp meter is, what its construction is, and what its working principle is.

In This Post

Introduction:

Another name for the clamp meter is the tong tester which is used for testing. The clamp meter is very easy to use. With the help of this, the ampere can be measured without cutting the frozen wire or any loss.

With the help of a clamp meter, the current of a high value can be measured without closing the live circuit during any test. The main drawback of this meter is that its accuracy decreases after a long time.

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What is Clamp Meter?

An instrument used to measure a very efficient, convenient, and safe current without the use of a test lead is known as a clamp meter. As we know, when a current passes through a wire, a magnetic field is generated around it.

So with the help of this meter, the magnetic field of the respective instrument can be measured. With the help of the clamp meter, there is no interruption in the current so the technician or any other manpower can measure it quickly and very safely.

According to the figure of the clamp meter.

Construction of Clamp Meter:

The construction of the clamp meter consists of various components which are as follows:

#1. Jaws/Transformer Clamps: Transformer Clamps or Jaws are used to measure the current or magnetic field flowing in any wire.

#2. Power Switch: This allows the clamp meter to be turned on and off.

#3. Clamp Opening Trigger: A clamp opening trigger is used to open or close the clamps.

#4. Back Light Button: This is used to enable the LCD display to read any value displayed on the display in low light or dark.

#5. Negative or Ground Input Terminal: Ground Input Terminal is used for connecting the grounding or neutral of meter wire.

#6. Hold Button: The hold button mainly displays the final value on the LCD display.

#7. Positive Input Terminal: This terminal is used to connect the positive jack in the meter cable.

#8. Functional Rotary Switch: This switch is used to select the current based on the range and type.

#9. LCD Display: LCD Display is used to display the measured value.

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Clamp Meter Working Principle:

The working principle of the clamp meter is the magnetic induction principle for making AC current measurements without coming in contact with any conductor. The flow of current across a wire produces a magnetic field. The Hall effect sensor detects a magnetic field that causes a current to flow at a low voltage in the sensor.

Types of Clamp Meters:

There are various types of clamp meters available in the market such as AC and DC. Other clamp meters are as follows. Current Transformer type Clamp meter This is used to measure AC current only. Hall effect type meter is used to use both AC current and DC current.

The flexible type uses Rogowski coils to measure AC only in tight spaces. A DC clamp meter is used to measure DC current only using a hole effect without any contact.

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Specifications of the Clamp Meter:

The specifications of the clamp meter depend on its product which may vary from company to company

Here are the specifications of the meter designed by Fluke Company.

The range of AC voltage is 600.0 V.
The range of DC voltage is 600.0 V.
The range of AC current is 40.00 A or 400.0 A
The range of DC current is 40.00 A or 400.0 A
The capacitance range from 0 – 100.0 F or 100μF – 1000 μF
The frequency ranges from 5.0 Hz – 500.0 Hz
The range of resistance is 400.0 Ω or 4000 or 40.00 kΩ
The continuity is ≤ 30
The AC response is True-RMS
Backlight and Data hold
Contact temperature ranges from -10.0 C to 400.0 C
They offer less range of current like 0 A to 100 A.
This range may vary based on the model of the meter like up to 600 A.
Some of the range of the meter is 999 A otherwise 1400 A

Application of Clamp Meters:

The use of a clamp meter is as follows:

With the help of this meter, the high current can be easily measured.
If a digital meter is used for this, only current up to 10A can be measured for 30 seconds without damaging the digital meter.
Clamp meters are widely used in industrial, control equipment industries, and residential.
Used to upgrade accessible systems based on this requirement.
This is used to troubleshoot fixing problems, run last circuit tests, and manage an initial electrician when fitting electrical devices.
This is used to run scheduled, preventive security as well as troubleshooting of the system.

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Different Between Clamp Meter And Multimeter:

Sr. no	Clamp Meter	Multimeter
1	The clamp meter is used only to measure the AC current	Multimeters are used to measure voltage, current, impedance, etc.
2	This meter is capable of measuring high currents.	This meter is not capable of measuring high current
3	Able to measure machine speed and current	This is perfect for electronic work
4	The advantage of this meter is more compact	The advantage of this meter is compactness
5	Number of tasks and damage protection	The disadvantage of this meter is the battery life

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