Price: $2,3
The probes that come with inexpensive testers (multimeters) are often not best quality. And sometimes they deteriorate: sometimes the wire breaks, sometimes you accidentally burn it with a soldering iron. And now, cheap disposable probes have to be thrown away and replacements have to be found.
These probes looked very solid in the photos in the store. Colored plastic, caps and plugs, good length (107 cm). The price is absolutely ridiculous.
And now I’m already printing out the parcel.
The first impression is great. Everything is very neat and beautiful. The wire is soft, silicone. The probes are simply pleasant to hold in your hands. They immediately registered on my work multimeter.
I've been using them for almost a year now. During this time, I realized that their price is quite justified.
Yes, they are beautiful, the handles are molded from two-color plastic.
There are grooves on the contacts, which is very convenient for measurements. The total resistance of the two probes is 0.9 Ohm. The caps and plugs got lost very quickly, but I don’t need them. Their main drawback is the banana connectors that are inserted into the sockets of the multimeter. They are beautifully made, filled with plastic, but they constantly lose contact.
I cut the protective plastic so that they would go deeper, but that didn't help much. The contact also fell off from time to time. I endured as long as I could. But this is very inconvenient, especially when you call many different circuits, there is no short circuit everywhere, and then you connect two probes and there is no contact there either. You understand that all the work needs to start all over again. And the question arises: “Do I need such probes if they are not trusted and constantly let me down and complicate my life?” I felt sorry for throwing them away; I was already used to them, so I decided to replace the unreliable link.
The connectors were mercilessly cut off and thrown away, and to replace them I picked up gold-plated “bananas” with a rotating slip ring. This is convenient because the connectors will not “break” the multimeter sockets when rotating and the contact should be more reliable. New connectors are inserted into the tester sockets very tightly and are fixed securely. They also have holes where you can insert the same “banana”, sometimes this can be very useful. Why did I choose these "bananas"? I just didn’t find specialized connectors for testers, but I had already used these “bananas” and I really liked them for their “tightness” in the socket and ease of rotation while maintaining excellent contact. And besides, they were bought from me a long time ago and are lying idle
In order to solder new connectors to the probes, I strip the insulation.
And here is another disappointment. Although the wire itself seems thick and solid, the twisted copper core in it is thin...
Now it’s clear why there is such resistance, the copper there is a cat crying... The quality of the wire is no good, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to change it. But the probe handles with contacts themselves are cast and non-removable. Changing the wire in such probes is the same as simply throwing them away. Therefore, I decide to leave the wire as is for now, and at my leisure look for blanks for probes and good wire and make new probes yourself.
In the meantime, we attach the new “golden” connectors to the wire. They are connected without soldering. Simply insert into the connector tube and secure with a screw.
To prevent the wire from breaking at the base of the connector, I reinforced it with heat shrink.
Then another heat shrink, shorter.
I run the clamping screw so that it can tighten easily.
And on top is the plastic part of the connector.
Here, in fact, is the result.
The first tests showed that the probes (which were far from ideal initially) began to behave noticeably better. The contact in the multimeter sockets is now quite reliable (in several months they have never popped out and the contact has never been lost), the probes themselves are movable and can be easily turned. Additional functionality has appeared in the form of additional contact holes for bananas.
Hi all! I would like to share a method for making reliable probes. When I bought the DT9208A multimeter, it came with probes, but they were made very poorly and soon became unusable. The most weakness for these probes, this is where the wire enters the plastic tube. There is no wire fixation in this place and if you accidentally pull the cable without applying special effort, he'll come off. This is what happened with my probes. So here’s some advice: to prevent the cable from coming off, you need to fix it. This can be done using regular electrical tape or adhesive tape.
But if you have the opportunity, it is better to buy high-quality branded probes or, like me, do it yourself. So, we will need:
Soviet plug. You can use another one, but better production USSR, since Soviet plugs have brass pins. It is not difficult to find such a fork; in extreme cases, you can buy it on the market. You can use this option. The main thing is to pay attention to the metal from which the pins are made.
When you find such a fork, you need to remove the brass pins from it. This is very simple to do: to do this, you need to unscrew the bolts from the top of the fork, and it will split in half. Next you need to unscrew the pins themselves. This is what the pins from my plug look like:
As I already said, we will take the base from the old probes that came with the kit. Namely, we need a plastic tube into which we will insert the pins from the plug. To do this, we need to remove the old probe pins with pliers. This is what you should end up with:
So, we have pins from the fork and plastic tubes from old probes. Now we need to prepare the pins for inserting into the tubes. As we can see, the pins are not straight, but in the shape of an “G”, so you need to cut off the excess with a hacksaw. Or rather, the part that is bent. In addition, we need to sharpen the pins. This can be done using a file or sharpening machine. We process them in such a way that they fit tightly into the plastic tube.
Next, we need to decide which wire we will use for the probes. I went to the radio market and chose the right one. It is better to take a wire with a thick copper core. The only such wires on our market were double speaker wires.
If you also bought a double wire, you need to carefully separate it into two using a blade or knife. Also, when purchasing a wire, you should choose the correct length. I bought a wire 1.5 meters long, although my original probes had a wire less than a meter. I don’t know about you, but I find it more convenient when the wire is long. So choose the length of the wire based on your own considerations, but not shorter than 0.7 meters, as it will be very inconvenient to use such probes.
When you go to buy wire, don't forget to buy plugs for connecting the probes. When purchasing plugs, take a multimeter with you to check whether the plug fits your device or not. But most multimeters will accept banana plugs. I bought these:
Now we have everything we need to make probes. The first step is to separate and strip the wire. Then tin all soldering points, i.e. the ends of the wires and the ends of the pins where the wire will be soldered. There is no need to tin the plugs, since the wire is inserted into them and clamped with a bolt.
Once everything is ready for assembly, thread the wire through the plastic tube and solder the brass pin to it. Then you need to pull the wire back so that the pin is inserted into the tube. Now you need to fix the place where the wire enters the tube and the place where the pin enters the tube. I did this using heat shrink.
The red probe turned out to be a little crooked because the wire was soldered not in the center of the pin, but on the side. But this does not affect the work in any way.
Now all we have to do is thread the other end of the wire into the connector and tighten the wire with a bolt and the probes are ready to go.
These are the probes I got:
The resistance of the probes was 0.6 Ohm, which is pretty good. The resistance of the original probes was about 1 Ohm, since the wire was thinner.
These are the kind of probes you can make with your own hands without special costs. Before buying probes, think about whether it would be cheaper for you to make them yourself? But if you are soldering SMD elements and you need thinner ends of the probes (like needles), then you can sharpen the brass pins () more strongly. Of course, if you have the opportunity to buy expensive branded probes, then buy them, but I decided to save money and buy parts. In addition, our market prices are very high. Good luck to all! Especially for - Kirill.
Discuss the article DIY MULTIMETER PROBE
Every owner of a Chinese multimeter DT830 and similar models must have encountered some inconveniences during operation that are not visible at first glance.
For example, the battery constantly drains due to the fact that they forgot to turn the switch to the off position. Or lack of backlighting, impractical wires and much more.
All this can be easily modified and the functionality of your cheap multimeter can be increased to the level of individual professional foreign models. Let's consider in order what is missing and what can be added to the operation of any multimeter without special capital costs.
Replacing multimeter wires and probes
First of all, what 99% of users of cheap Chinese multimeters encounter is the failure of low-quality measurement probes.
Firstly, the tips of the probes may break. When touching to measure oxidized or slightly rusty surface In order for reliable contact to occur, this surface must be lightly cleaned. The most convenient way to do this is, of course, using the probe itself. But as soon as you start scraping, at that moment the tip may break off.
Secondly, the cross-section of the wires included in the kit also does not stand up to criticism. Not only are they flimsy, but this will also affect the error of the multimeter. Especially when the resistance of the probes themselves plays a significant role during measurements.
Most often, a wire break occurs at the connection points at the plug-in contact and directly at the soldering of the sharp tip of the probe. 
When this happens, you will be surprised how thin the wiring inside is really. 
Meanwhile, the multimeter must be designed to measure current loads up to 10A! It is not clear how this can be done using such a wire. 
Here are real data on current consumption measurements for flashlights, made using standard probes included in the kit and using homemade probes with a cross section of 1.5 mm2. As you can see, the difference in error is more than significant. 
The plug-in contacts in the multimeter connectors also become loose over time and worsen the overall resistance of the circuit during measurements.
In general, the unequivocal verdict of all owners of DT830 multimeters and other models is that the probes need to be modified or changed immediately after purchasing the tool. 
If you are the lucky owner lathe or you have a familiar turner, then you can make the probe handles yourself from some insulating material, for example pieces of unnecessary plastic.
The tips of the probes are made from a sharpened drill. The drill itself is a hardened metal and can be used to easily scrape off any carbon deposits or rust without the risk of damaging the probe. 
When replacing plug-in contacts, it is best to use the following plugs used in audio equipment for speaker sockets. 
If you really are on a collective farm or there are no other options at hand, then as a last resort you can use ordinary contacts from a collapsible plug.
They also fit perfectly into the connector on the multimeter. 
At the same time, do not forget to insulate the ends that will stick out outside the multimeter, in the places where the wires are soldered to the plug, with a heat pipe.
When it is not possible to make probes yourself, the body can be left the same, replacing only the wires.
In this case, three options are possible:
After replacement, such wires will very easily be collected into a bundle without getting tangled.
Secondly, they are designed for great amount bends and will break no sooner than the multimeter itself fails.
Thirdly, the measurement error due to their larger cross-section compared to the original ones will be minimal. That is, there are continuous advantages everywhere.
If you make long wires up to 1.5 m, taking into account all the connections, the resistance on them can reach several ohms!Important note: when replacing wires, you should not try to make them much longer than those that came with the kit. Remember that the length of the wire, as well as its cross-section, affects the overall resistance of the circuit.
Those who do not want to do homemade work can order ready-made high-quality silicone probes with many tips on AliExpress. 
To ensure that new probes with wire take up minimal space, you can twist them into a spiral. To do this, a new wire is wound around the tube, wrapped in electrical tape to secure it, and the whole thing is heated with a hair dryer for a couple of minutes. As a result, you get this result. 
In a cheap version, this trick will not work. And when used for heating construction hair dryer insulation may even float.
Refinement of the multimeter mount
Another inconvenience when taking measurements with a multimeter is the lack of a third hand. You constantly have to hold a multimeter in one hand and use the other to work with two probes at the same time. 
If measurements take place at your desk, then there is no problem. Put the tool down, free your hands and work. 
What should you do if you measure the voltage in a panel or in a distribution box under the ceiling?
The problem can be solved simply and inexpensively. In order to be able to attach the multimeter to metal surface, on the back side of the device using hot glue or double-sided tape, glue ordinary flat magnets. 
And your device will be no different from expensive foreign analogues. 
Another option for inexpensive modernization of a multimeter in terms of its convenient placement and installation on a surface for measurements is manufacturing homemade stand. To do this, you only need 2 paper clips and hot glue. 
And if you don’t have any surface nearby where you can place the tool, what should you do in this case? Then you can use an ordinary wide elastic band, for example from suspenders. 
You make a ring out of an elastic band, pass it through the body and that’s it. Thus, the multimeter can be conveniently mounted directly on your hand, like a watch.
Firstly, now the multimeter will never fall out of your hands again, and secondly, the readings will always be before your eyes. 
Caps for probes
The spikes at the ends of the probes are quite sharp, which can hurt you. Some models come with protective caps, some do not. 
They also get lost quite often. But in addition to the danger of pricking your finger, they also protect the contacts from breaking when the multimeter is in a bag mixed with another tool.
In order not to buy spare ones every time, you can make them yourself. Take an ordinary cap from a gel pen and lubricate the tip of the dipstick with any oil. This is done so that the cap does not stick to the surface during the manufacturing process.
Then fill the inner surface of the cap with hot glue and place it on the sharp tip. 
Wait until the hot glue hardens and calmly remove the resulting result. 
Multimeter backlight
A function that the multimeter lacks in poorly lit areas is display backlighting. Solving this problem is not difficult, just apply:
Make a hole in the side of the housing for the switch. Glue the reflector under the indication display and solder two wires to the crown contacts. 
They supply power to the switch and then to the LEDs. The structure is ready.
The final result of a homemade modification of the multimeter backlight will look like this: 
The backlit battery will drain much faster, so be sure to turn off the switch when natural light will be quite enough.
Replacing the crown in a multimeter with a lithium-ion battery from a phone
IN last years It has become very popular to remake a multimeter by replacing the power supply from the original crown with a lithium ion battery from cell phones and smartphones. For these purposes, in addition to the battery itself, you will need charging and discharging boards. They are bought on Aliexpress or other online stores. 
The overdischarge protection board for such batteries is initially built into the battery in its upper part. It is needed to prevent the battery from being discharged beyond its nominal value. acceptable standards(about 3 Volts and below). 
The charging board does not allow the battery to be recharged above 4.2 Volts (link to aliexpress). 
In addition, you will need a board that increases the voltage from 4V to the required 9V (link to aliexpress). 
The battery itself fits compactly on the back cover and does not interfere with its closure. 
First, the output voltage on the boost module must be set to 9 Volts. Connect it with wires to a multimeter that has not yet been converted and use a screwdriver to unscrew the required value. 
You will have to make a hole in the case for a micro or mini USB charging connector.
The boosting module itself is located in the place where the crown should be. 
Be sure to ensure that the wiring from the module to the battery is of the required length. In the future, this will allow you to easily remove the cover and, having halved the body, carry out an internal inspection of the multimeter if necessary.
After placing all the parts inside, all that remains is to solder the wiring according to the diagram and fill everything with hot glue so that nothing moves when moving the device. 
It is advisable to fill not only the body with hot glue, but also the contacts with the wires in order to extend their service life. 
A significant drawback of such a multimeter on a lithium-ion battery is its operation, or rather not operation, at subzero temperatures.
Once your multimeter sits in the trunk of a car or in a bag in the winter for a long time, you will immediately remember the battery.
And you might think, was such a change useful? Ultimately, of course, you decide, based on the operating conditions of the device.
Refinement of the on/off button on the multimeter
It is advisable to further improve the last option for refining the multimeter with the transition to lithium-ion batteries by placing a shutdown button in the power supply circuit of the converter to the battery. 
First, the converter itself consumes a small amount of current, even in standby mode when the multimeter is not working.
Secondly, thanks to this switch, you won’t have to click the multimeter itself again to turn it off. Many devices fail prematurely because of this reason.
Some paths are erased ahead of time, others begin to shorten each other. So a button to turn off the entire device at once will be very useful.
Another tip from experienced users of Chinese multimeters is that in order for the switch to serve for a long time and properly, immediately after purchase, disassemble and lubricate the sliding areas of the switch balls. 
And on the board it is recommended to coat the tracks with technical Vaseline. Since new devices do not have lubrication, the switch wears out quickly. 
You can make a button both internally, if you find free space, and externally. To do this, you will have to drill only two micro holes for the power wiring. 
Flashlight in multimeter
Another innovation for the multimeter is the additional flashlight option. Often you have to use the device to look for damage in switchboards and distribution cabinets in basements, or short circuits in wiring in rooms where there is no light.
An ordinary white LED and a button specifically for turning it on are added to the circuit. It is very easy to check how much luminous flux from a given LED is enough. You don't even have to disassemble it to do this.
Place the anode leg of the diode in connector E, and the cathode leg in connector C (the anode leg is longer than the cathode). All this is done in the connectors for the transistor measurement mode on the P-N-P block. 
The LED will glow in any position of the switch and will go out only when you turn off the multimeter yourself. To mount all this inside, you need to find the necessary pins on the circuit board and solder two wires to the emitter (connector E) and collector (connector C). A button is soldered into the wire gap and mounted through a hole in the multimeter body. 
You secure everything with hot glue and you get a portable flashlight-multimeter.
Probes are an integral part of all multimeters, which comes complete with the measuring device, regardless of its model. Good probes have been performing their task well for many years. But it also happens that a few days after purchasing a multimeter, one or even both contacts fail due to a broken wire, broken tip or cracked insulation. To protect yourself from such a nuisance, you need to purchase high-quality and reliable multimeter probes, with good send off and durable tips. Many people prefer to make them themselves. In this material we will talk about the varieties and features of these elements, and also figure out how to make homemade probes for a multimeter.
Universal probes
These products are the simplest and cheapest. Most are equipped with them inexpensive models multimeters. The cables of these elements are equipped with PVC insulation, and the plugs and lug holders are made of plastic. A thin wire is attached to the steel electrode from inside the holder. Such tips can easily come off if not handled carefully. It is clear that there is no need to talk about durability and high reliability here.
Different models of universal contacts have unequal lengths of the central electrode of the plug and the protruding part of its body. They also differ in the mounting depth of the plug.
Branded products
The multimeter may have a probe made of various materials. High-quality and reliable contacts can be distinguished by the following characteristics:
- Multimeter probe leads are made of highly flexible material.
- The holder insertion is flexible and sealed. The vein in it holds tightly and does not give in to random jerks.
- The surface of the product near the base of the holder does not slip and can be comfortably held with your fingers during measurements. The best option– holder with rubberized surface.
The video shows an example of such products:
Silicone probes have all of the above properties. These parameters are responsible for the high popularity of such products.
Often the holder inputs are made of plastic, but in this case they must have special recesses, otherwise the element will not have the required flexibility. On almost all branded models, plugs and electrodes are equipped with caps that protect the elements from contamination and minimize the possibility of puncture injuries.
These products are designed based on experience from over early models, therefore they are distinguished by their thoughtfulness and ease of use. The wire of such contacts has sufficiently high strength and flexibility, is resistant to accidental jerks and does not crack when bent.
Probes for SMD mounting
When working with SMD elements, it is periodically necessary to carry out measurements, which can only be done using thin probes connected to the tester. These products are equipped with sharp brass or stainless steel needle-shaped tips. They are necessarily protected with caps, which minimize the risk of electrode fracture or accidental injury to the technician.
For SMD installation specialists, such elements are most convenient to use. Sharp probes can not only pierce the wire insulation, but also scrape off the desired area solder mask on the surface of the board with further measurement work. Although the thickness of this needle is very small, the element can easily withstand a voltage of 600 V for a long time.
For measuring work when installing SMD components, multimeter probes are also provided. They allow you to measure the required parameters of a part both on the desktop and directly on the board.
During the measurement, the component is clamped with pliers, which guarantees the quality of the contact. These products have a fairly short cable, but a long one is not needed to work with SMD.
If the measurement process requires maximum care to prevent the electrode from touching other parts, then it is best to use probes with holes at the ends.
With their help, you can make measurements as printed circuit boards, and during electrical installation work without fear of accidentally causing a short circuit.
Crocodile tips
This tip option is also available on modern market and is in great demand. In some cases, it turns out to be preferable to sharp electrodes. The size of the “crocodile” may vary, but in any case it must have a reliable shell made of dielectric material.
Connecting tips can be made in the form of “crocodiles”, serving as additional element for a standard probe. Often, the kit for the multimeter includes tips in the form of clip-on “crocodiles”, which, if necessary, can be either detached or attached.
It is also necessary to mention the kits, which include several different tips. When starting work, the master himself selects the one he needs and screws it in like an attachment. This feature allows in some cases to significantly simplify the measurement process. So, for example, a crocodile can be connected in turn to different sections of the electrical circuit being tested, while the other tip is attached to ground as a terminal.
Technicians who work with terminal components prefer terminals designed in the form of clips and hooks. With the help of such elements it is convenient to carry out measuring work on printed circuit boards, as well as to hold the terminal components in place during measurements. These tips, as well as needles and crocodiles, can be included in the delivery package.
How to make homemade probes?
As we said above, many people prefer not to buy new ones when factory probes break down, but to make them themselves. Let's consider two popular options for making homemade products.
Standard homemade probes
To make them you will need dismountable fountain pens (without refills) and dart tips for darts.
The operating procedure is as follows:
- Disassemble the fountain pens and try on dart tips for them.
- Having selected the appropriately sized components, insert the dart tips into the handles instead of the rods, after heating them with a gas burner.
- Place a piece of solder inside the handle, after moistening it with soldering acid and heating it.
- Place the cable there.
- Wait until the solder cools down and the probe elements are fixed.
For additional fixation, the dart tip can be glued.
The entire device is clearly shown in the video:
Thin homemade probes for piercing insulation
Now let's figure out how to make thin probes for a multimeter with your own hands. To do this, we need collet pencils that use replaceable leads, and sewing needles, suitable in thickness.
The production of thin probes is carried out as follows:
- Solder the cables to the needles.
- Insert the needles inside the pencils until they hit the center of the collet. To prevent them from going inward when pressed, they should be glued into the collet.
- Solder the plugs to the cables.
It is advisable to apply colored heat shrink to the resulting products. When working with a hair dryer, you need to be careful, as the flow of hot air can cause deformation of the plastic.
Pen and pencil caps can be used as protective elements.
The video shows an example of making needle probes for checking small parts:
Conclusion
From this article you learned what tester probes are needed for, what types of these products there are and what are the features of their use. Well, for those who like to assemble on their own electrical devices and products, you will probably be interested in information on how to make multimeter probes with your own hands.
How to make a homemade safe multimeter probe using improvised materials.
Miniaturization of the electronic base leads to installation density. According to literature data, the packaging density of electronic-based equipment reaches 0.3 elements per centimeter, semiconductors 2.5 elements/cm, and micromodules - over 10.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to work with such miniature elements, so it must be appropriate. become miniature, tweezers, side cutters, etc. become miniature. Measuring instruments have also changed. Previously it was the height of perfection, now a multimeter is a standard tool. In amateur radio practice, inexpensive Chinese multimeters are widely used, but they are not without many disadvantages.
For example, a dipstick. The wire is so rigid that as soon as you move it, the multimeter moves behind it, as if on a rope. Because of this, the wire often breaks. Now the dipstick itself. For rough work there seem to be no complaints. Convenient. The contact rod is sharpened to a cone, there is a groove that is convenient for hooking onto the wire being measured.
But. When installed tightly, it is very difficult to get close to the contact being measured. There is a risk of shorting something with a long contact rod. The conical probe may slip from the measuring point and, God forbid, also short something. After several sprays with a burning smell, I managed to make a protected microprobe for a multimeter.
The probe is made from an ordinary sewing needle, onto which a piece of elastic tube is tightly fitted, the cut of which coincides with the tip of the needle.
This assembly is installed in a mandrel (you can make it or choose a suitable one).
A wire is soldered to the needle in the eye area. It is better to solder with active flux, since it is difficult to solder to a steel needle with rosin.
The mandrel is connected to the handle through which the wire is passed.
What are the advantages of such a probe? A sharp needle is securely fixed on the measurement contact, literally cutting into the solder, and does not slip off it.
The tube, placed on the needle, protects against accidental contact with nearby elements; during measurement, it is slightly deformed and, like a skirt, protects the place of contact of the needle with the measurement point.
The photographs show the use of a microprobe with a Chinese digital voltmeter and a comparison of the microprobe with that used in Chinese multimeters. On last photo to show the needle, the protective tube has been removed.
