Digital Multimeter Working Principle [#1 Easiest Guide]

A Digital Multimeter can measure variety of electrical functions such as Current, Voltage, Resistance etc.

We encounter digital multimeter or DMM in electronics or electrical study every then and now. You might have used or saw an electrician using it to find fault in a connection.

Earlier when I was studying, understanding the digital multimeter was a huge pain for me. The sources I read from was either not easy to understand or had messy format.

But here I am going with easy step by step explanation with diagrams to make you understand its working and different features.

What is a Digital Multimeter

A digital multimeter or DMM is a test equipment used for resistance, voltage, current measurement, and other electrical parameters as per requirement and displaying the results in the mathematical digits form on an LCD or LED readout. It is a type of multimeter which functions digitally rather giving an analog output.

Digital multimeters are widely accepted worldwide as they have better accuracy levels and ranging from simple 3 ½ to 4 ½ digit handheld DMM to very special system DMM.

Features of Digital Multimeter

The Digital multimeter is the most advanced measuring instrument that makes use of modern Integrated circuits for making electrical measurements. Some of its features which make it famous in the eyes of professional technicians are:

1. It is light in weight.
2. Capable of giving more accurate readings.
3. It measures lots of physical quantities like voltage, current, resistance, frequency, etc.
4. It is less costly.
5. It measures different electrical parameters at high frequencies with the help of special probes.

Block diagram of Digital multimeter

The Key process that occurs within a Digital multimeter for any measurement that takes place is that of voltage measurement. If you measure voltage then you can easily measure other electrical parameters with the help of mathematical formulas.

To understand how digital multimeter works, first of all, we have to understand this process.

As we know, Digital multimeters gave output in numeric form due to ADC registers present inside these multimeters. One that is most widely used in digital multimeters, DMMs is known as the successive approximation register or SAR. For better accuracy, these SAR ADCs may have resolution levels of 12 bits.

Generally, a Digital multimeter has resolution levels of 16 bits with speeds of 100k samples per second. These levels of speed are more than adequate for most DMM applications, that’s why we are using these registers depending upon the requirement.

Digital Multimeter as Voltmeter, Ammeter and Digital Ohmmeter

In digital multimeter, we can incorporate many types of meters like ohmmeter, ammeter, a voltmeter for the measurement of electrical parameters. Its block diagram is shown below in the figure. Let us have a look at its working and specification one by one.

(i) Digital voltmeter (DVM):

Digital voltmeter is the basic instrument used for measurement of voltage through the use of Analog to Digital converter. The basic principle behind digital multimeters is the Analog to digital converter because without this we are not able to convert the analog output into digital form.

There are several ADC available in the market, but we mainly use Flash type ADC due to its simplicity and fastest speed. Let’s have a look at its basic operation.

(a) Flash AD converter: It comprises comparators, encoders, and digital displays. Comparators are driven by a resistor divider network, the encoder converts its inputs to corresponding outputs that drive the digital display.

As shown above, three resistors of value R drives the comparators C₁, C₂, C₃. Let the input voltage V_i = 1V, +V= 4V and comparators i.e. C₁ , C₂, C₃ voltages equal to 1V, 2V and 3V respectively. If the output of the C₁ = +1 and C₂=C₃= 0, then we fed 001 as the input to the encoder which further converts it into 0001.

This binary output drives the seven segment display to read 1V on it. With the help of this method, we read the voltages of magnitude 1V, 2V, 3V and we also add more comparators for more accurate readings as per our requirement.

(ii) Digital Ammeter (DAM):

A digital ammeter uses a shunt resistor to produce a calibrated voltage proportional to the current flowing. As shown in the diagram, to read the current we must first convert the current to be measured into a voltage by using a known resistance R_K.  The voltage so developed is calibrated to read the input current.

(iii) Digital ohm meter (DOM):

A digital ohmmeter is used to measure electrical resistance which obstructs the path to the flow of current.

As shown in the diagram, a resistance network comprising of a known resistance R_K and unknown resistance R_u used to develop a voltage across the unknown resistance. The voltage is given by:

V = V_B R_u / R_K + R_u

where V_B = Voltage of the built-in battery

After calibrating voltage, the meter can be calibrated in terms of ohms.

What do symbols on Digital Multimeter mean?

Some common Digital multimeter symbols and its description are given in the table below. These symbols are often found on the multimeter & their schematics are designed to symbolize components and reference values of electrical parameters.

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Symbol	Measurement Function	Description
~	AC voltage	Measures Ac voltage value in the circuit
	DC voltage	Measures Dc voltage value in the circuit
Hz	Hertz	Measures Frequency
Ω	Ohm	Measures resistance value in the circuit
	Diode	A Device used to control the direction of flow of current
µF	MicroFarad	Unit of capacitor
	Capacitor	A Device used to store electrical charge
	Continuity	Audible indication of continuity for low resistance
A	Ampere	Measures Value of Current in circuit
CE	European Union Directive	It indicates the guarantee of an instrument
	Caution	Refers to the instruction before use and indicates that its misuse results in equipment failure
REL	REL	Measures relative or offset reading
Min/Max	Minimum and Maximum	Shows minimum and maximum recorded readings

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DMM Parts and functions

A Digital Multimeter is divided into three parts:

(i) Display: The LCD screen present on the upper portion of the multimeter basically displays four or more digits and also shows a negative value if necessary. A few of today’s multimeters have illuminated the display for better viewing in low light situations.

(ii) Selection Dial: It allows the user to set the multimeter to read different electrical parameters such as milliamps (mA) of current, voltage, resistance, capacitance, etc. You can easily turn the dial anywhere for specific parameter measurements.

(iii) Ports: Two ports are available on the front of every multimeter except in some four ports are available for measuring current in mA or A. We plugged two probes into these ports which are of different colors i.e. one is of red color and the other is of black color. Different Ports in multimeter are:

(a) COM: It stands for common and is almost connected to the ground or considered as a -ve connection of a circuit. We generally insert the black color probe into the COM port.

(b) mAVΩ: This port allows the measurement of current (up to 200 mA), voltage and resistance; and is considered as a +ve connection of a circuit. We generally insert the red color probe into the mAVΩ port.

DMM leads:

In the box of a digital multimeter, we got leads of different colors. Here we are going to explain these leads in detail. DMM leads are subdivided into four parts:

(i) Red lead

1. Connected to voltage, resistance, or ampere port.
2. Considered as a +ve connection of a circuit

(ii) Black lead

1. Connected to the common or ground port
2. Considered as a -ve connection of a circuit

(iii) Probes:

These are the handles used to hold the tip on the tested connection. There are different types of probes available, they are:

• Banana to Alligator Clips: These are great cables for connecting to large wires or pins on a breadboard. Good for performing longer-term tests where you don’t have to hold the probes in place while you manipulate a circuit.
• Banana to IC Hook: IC hooks work well on smaller ICs and legs of ICs.
• Banana to Tweezers: Tweezers are handy if you need to test SMD components.
• Banana to Test Probes: If you ever break a probe, they are cheap to replace.

(iv) Tip:

These are present at the end of the probes and basically, provide a connection point.

Measurement time:

 

Digital Multimeter Accuracy:

1. DMM Accuracy = ±(ppm of reading + ppm of range)
2. DMM Accuracy = (% Reading) + (% Range)
3. DMM Accuracy = (% Reading) + Offset

(i) Temperature: To a large extent, the temperature can affect the accuracy of Digital multimeters. Today many multimeters have an inbuilt temperature feature which eliminates the need for any external device. You can express them as ±(ppm of reading + ppm of range)/°C.

Note: Different multimeters from different manufacturers may work in different ways. It is always recommended to consult the manufacturer’s instructions to understand how a particular digital multimeter works.

DMM Safety Precaution:

Before operating multimeters, we have to follow some safety precautions. Here we are going to explain to you some safety information about DMM.

1. If the DMM test leads are damaged then never use the meter.
2. Always ensures that the test leads and dial are in the right position for the desired measurement.
3. When a test lead is plugged into the 10 A or 300mA input jack then never touch the probes to a voltage source.
4. When power is applied never measure resistance in a circuit.
5. While making measurements always keep your fingers behind the finger guards on the test probes.
6. To avoid damage or injury, never use the meter on circuits that exceed 4800 watts.
7. Replace the battery as soon as possible to avoid false readings which could lead to possible electric shock or personal injury.
8. Be careful when working with voltages above 60 V DC or 30 V AC RMS. Such voltages pose a shock hazard.