Which clamp meter for measuring resting current?

Can anyone recommend an affordable clamp meter multimeter that can also measure the quiescent current in a car? The measurement should be quite accurate, because the difference between a car drawing 15mA or 150mA is significant.

Most inexpensive devices only measure alternating current.
And I don't want to buy a cat in a bag for €100-€200.

You definitely don't need pliers for the idle current, but you do need them for the starting current.
I have one, I think it's from Voltcraft, but I'll check again tonight.
It can also measure 15mA, but only if it has been zeroed beforehand.
Sometimes I reverse the polarity when I measure such small values and am unsure if the reading is correct.
It also has a data hold function to store minimum and maximum values for voltage (V), current (A), DC, AC, and resistance (R).

Well, if it were a clamp meter, that would be worth it to me. Because measuring everything in-line can be a bit fiddly. But of course, it works.

And also, as you mentioned, it's possible to measure the starting current draw of alternators, charging current, or the current consumption of glow plugs without having to disassemble anything.

I also have a Voltcraft (50€), but it only has two decimal places, so it's not quite as accurate, but I think it's sufficient for my purposes. At the company, we have one with three decimal places, but it costs around 200€.

No, the Voltcraft with two decimal places wasn't a cheap thing; I think it cost around 250 Marks.
1000 A, Peak 750 Volt.
"I would buy it again, but sometimes the process of selecting a range is a bit cumbersome; I have to manually enter the minimum values using the 'Data Min' function."

Hello!

I also have a clamp meter myself; it's useful in the range of 1 to 1000 amps, especially when you want to know if and how many glow plugs are faulty.

However, anything that falls below grade "A" is considered bad, as it doesn't provide accurate results.

A simple multimeter for around 20 euros would be more suitable. I have one too, but unfortunately, you have to connect it directly into the circuit.

Hello!

I also have a clamp meter myself; it's useful in the range of 1 to 1000 amps, especially when you want to know if and how many glow plugs are faulty.

However, anything that falls below grade "A" is considered bad, as it doesn't provide accurate results.

A simple multimeter for around 20 euros would be more suitable. I have one too, but unfortunately, you have to connect it directly into the circuit.

"And that's exactly what I want to avoid by doing it inline. At the VAG workshop, they use a clamp meter with the VAS device that measures from 0 to 200A (or 500A). The measurement range can then be adjusted to something like 0-10A. Then the device also displays milliamperes."
This can also be done with long-term measurements. This allows you to see how long it takes for all the control units (STG) to switch to standby mode. In newer cars, this can take up to an hour.

vagtuning wrote:

Recommendation from a colleague: ...

"Quote from the description:"
Mit dem handlichen Zangenampere-/Multimeter können Gleich- und Wechselströme von <100 mA bis zu 399,9 A berührungslos ohne Auftrennen der Leitungen gemessen werden.

This makes it a more accurate indicator for quiescent currents in the car, which should normally be below 100mA.
Genaue Messungen sind nur im letzten Drittel des Messbereiches möglich. Was also am unteren Ende des Messbereiches gemessen wird, ist eher eine grobe Schätzung. Mnot at all.
Clamp meters are absolutely unsuitable for this purpose. Even the one integrated into the VAS is just an estimate. For more accurate measurements of the quiescent current, the ground connection must also be disconnected here, and an ammeter inserted into the circuit.

I am currently facing the same purchasing decision.

I'm considering the Peaktech 1635.

Key facts:
AC/DC Clamp Meter.
Measurement ranges: 2A; 80A.
Resolution: 1mA (at 2A), 100mA (at 80A).
Accuracy: 2.8% of the measured value + 8 digits.
Price: €96.50

I'm just unsure whether 80 amps is sufficient for automotive applications. It's clear that I won't be able to measure starter current with this.
The charging current of the alternator (LiMa) is usually measured in repair manuals under no-load conditions. The acceptable criterion is that the no-load current must be more than half of the value printed on the nameplate. For a 150A alternator, this means at least 75A of no-load current. This device would just barely meet that requirement. (So, as long as the clamp shows an overload indication, the alternator is working correctly.)

I might need to buy a high-current clamp meter as well. The clamp meter suggested by vagtuning is a compromise between the two options. However, I'm unsure whether it's a suitable compromise, or if it's too inaccurate for measuring idle current and not sufficient for peak current, such as with V8/V10 engines.

Looking forward to hearing more opinions.

Regards,
Hendrik.

Hmm, this seems like a very good product... great suggestion!

The Graupner offers a good price-performance ratio.
What I like about my [device/system] is the single-user min/max recording feature.
Pliers set, ignition on, observe.
Okay, it's better in the milliampere range, but +/- 50mA is sufficient for me. If I need more accuracy, I will disconnect the battery terminal for the multimeter.

As a pure alternative to the Graupner measuring device you (vagtuning) suggested, I also found a Peaktech alternative: the Peaktech 1615.

It has almost identical details, except that the Peaktech model measures up to 1,000A, while the Graupner model only measures up to 400A.

Common details for those who don't want to sift through the documentation:
Resolution: 10mA
Accuracy: 10 digits + 2% (Graupner) or 2.8% (Peaktech 1615) of the measured value.
Measurement range: 40A, 400A. Additionally, 1000A at the peak (Peaktech).
Price: €80 for Graupner, €89 for Peaktech 1615.

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who has actually tested Peaktech products, so I can only talk about the data sheets.

Peaktech 1615.

Regards,
Hendrik.

Hallo! Gesundes neues erstmal.

Thank you for the suggestions.

I quite like the Peaktech 1615. The resolution of 10 mA is sufficient for use in cars to identify power-consuming devices.
I also really like the creepage current tester model. The maximum cable diameter is 18mm here. I need to measure tomorrow to see if that's enough for a thick grounding cable; it might be too tight.