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Product tryout: Protek Model 6300, 5-in-one DMM
September 25, 2007
Model 6300 5-in-one, 4000-count DMM, Protek, www.protektest.com, price $58.
With so many DMMs on the market, differentiating one meter from another is often difficult for both users and manufacturers. Some meters have communications ports, other have temperature measurements with probes while others use infrared beams. Protek’s Model 6300 differs because it has built-in temperature, humidity, sound, and light sensors. In fact, it can measure temperature two ways: internally and externally. That’s useful when you need to measure temperature inside and enclosure but you also need ambient temperature.
The meter’s internal temperature and humidity sensors are active whenever you turn on the unit. Their measurements appear at the top of the display. A dedicated button changes the temperature display from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
When you turn on the Model 6300 to any setting other than sound (dB) or light (Lux or x10Lux), you’ll immediately notice that two of the input jacks illuminate. The red LEDs built into each input jack tell you which to use for your selected measurement. If you insert a probe into an unlighted jack, the meter will beep. That should help all those people who forget to change jacks when they change from voltage to current measurements. The 10 A current input still has a fuse and the Temp/uA/mA input has a resettable fuse.
The Model 6300 comes with standard red and black probes as well as a thermocouple probe. Be careful with the probes, though. You must press the probe plugs firmly into the meter’s input jacks until the LEDs turn off. Else, you won’t get a snug fit. I didn’t do that at first and the probes were loose. When I used the thermocouple probe, I found that the red plug would insert properly, but required some jiggling. The black plug wouldn’t seat properly at all. (9/28/2007: I obtained another type-K thermocouple probe, this one with a standard 0.75-in. banana plug. The meter produced a reading of 1oC with the probe immersed in ice water.)
Using the Model 6300 is relatively simple. After all, it’s a DMM with a rotary dial. If you need to measure AC voltage or current, or measure capacitance or perform a diode check, you must use the “Select” button. For example, when you turn the dial to “V” but want ACV, you must press the “select” button to change the meter to AC. The same goes for current measurements. The resistance-measurement option on the dial also lets you measure capacitance, perform diode checks, and check continuity. Use the “Select button to scroll through these modes.
Replacing the 6300’s three AAA batteries requires a Philips-head screwdriver. The battery door is under the meter’s stand. Give the stand a good tug to reveal the screws. You need not remove the meter’s blue boot to change batteries.
I also performed a reality check on the basic measurements using an HP 34401A as a standard. A DC power supply measured 15.21 V with the 6300 and 15.27 V with the 34401A. Another that measured 12.24 VDC on the 6300 measured 12.30 VDC on the 34401A. A small sine wave that measured 23.3 mVAC on the 6300 measured 22.2 mVAC on the 34401A.
The Protek Model 6300 offers the unusual features of ambient light, sound, temperature, and humidity. Just make sure that you push firmly on the probe plugs.
Posted by Martin Rowe on September 25, 2007 | Comments (0)
