Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 3

Does anyone know if there is a digital multimeter planned as a springboard module yet ? It would need to be auto-ranging of course.
Are there others out there that would find this useful or am I the only electronics geek who still uses one of these ?
Cheers,
Rick

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

If it was <$50, then I'd love to have one. You won't know how useful a multimeter is until you have one. I've got a fat Radio Shack meter that I've used to:

Check battery voltages. Mostly to identify the charged ones.(Does anyone here use batteries?)
Check DSS, cableTV, Speaker cable, etc., continuity.
Test outlets.
Test fuses.
See if the cat was alive.
etc..

And I'm not an electrician or an EE. (which may explain the cat thingy)

To be truly Springboard-esque, a springboard multimeter would need self storing leads. It's those darned leads that are hard to store.

Dave ;-)

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 3

Good point Dave

Dave,
Yes, I too have a big phat Radio Shack DMM that I use for many of the same things you do. Mine has a million features like Freq. counter, and Temp. (F or C) that I know I will never use.
But the other features that you described
(volts AC and DC,ohms,amps, and audible continuity ) are indispensible to me as an electronics geek.
I agree with you that the probes would have to be self retracting or something easy like that. I replaced the ones on my radio shack model with two simple wires with alligator clips on the ends ( one red and one black respectively).

Thanks for your input !
Rick

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Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

As much as that would be great, I think the danger is too great for Zapping your Visor. When I use my cheap RadioShack multimeter, I never worry about Zapping it, because it's pretty cheap. I couldn't live without my visor..

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-miradu

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

I also posted this in the Developer's Forum....I'm working on a DMM springboard module for my senior thesis. I'm looking at finishing it within a couple of months and then looking at how feasible it would be to sell it to the masses. My design includes some major fuse protection, so you wouldn't really have to worry about blowing your Visor, unless you're really measuring some serious voltages/currents, which a $50 dmm really isn't intended for in the 1st place.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: mass
Posts: 56

If you really can sell them for $50 each, I think you'll have no trouble finding a thousand or so buyers. If the price ends up being more like $100+ (which I think it might) then there may be fewer takers. Were you just throwing a number out, or do you really think you can hit $50? Good luck either way!

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 81

I was just tossing out a number, not trying to get people's hopes up. I guess it would depend on how they get manufactured/distributed. Obviously if I'm doing it myself, they're going to cost more than if some large manufacturer could do it. However, this is mainly specualtion and I'm concentrating all of my efforts on just finishing the thing right now.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: USA
Posts: 54

since someone is putting effort into this anyways....why stop at a DMM? If you need an A/D conv anyway, why not use it for datalogging, Oscilloscope and DMM?
Btw, does it need to be a springboard module? Maybe a serial add-on would be OK and that way it would also work with Palms (remember, the "other" brand is also still making those PDAs if I'm not mistaken ;-)
Just my 10 cents.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, UK
Posts: 44

quote:

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Originally posted by nightingales
Btw, does it need to be a springboard module? Maybe a serial add-on would be OK and that way it would also work with Palms

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 2

lab scope

Saw in a Automotive journal a company is coming out with a lab scope module for Visor. Will see if i can find company to post. Also they are coming out with module to communicate with on-board automotive computers.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: USA
Posts: 54

Both sounds exciting! Pls. post when you find the info!

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 23

the solution?

Stumbled upon the following web-page: http://www.pacificmicroinstruments.com/MNPintro.htm
That's what you are looking for?

J.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: USA
Posts: 54

WOW! Thanks a lot for the link. That unit looks impressive; now if they could only lower the price of $350 !

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

quote:

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Originally posted by nightingales
There is nothing you can't photograph with an eyemodule except for your Visor.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: USA
Posts: 54

LOL, thanks, winchell. Ive heard that idea before. Gotta get me a new sig.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 2

www.aeswave.com has the interface springboard available now, and plans on having scope springboard available this summer.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Oak Grove, Kentucky
Posts: 211

Maybe Snap-On

Hi All,
Maybe SnapOn ( http://buy.snapon.com )would be interesting in developing a Visor Digital Multimeter? Even their logo and name would suggest it would be a cool Springboard Module to purchase :-)
They got a couple of Multi-meter to choose from already at their web site.

Byron

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