potentiometer (overview)

[newrmdmike]

thanks!

[localbroadcast]

my meter doesnt have an auto setting, and the heighest range is 20M. on the 2000k setting i was managing to get a true reading. I still dont know why it wasnt working before, but it seems to be working now. :S still confusd why it says 2000k instead of 2M. ohwell thnks for the advise.

[localbroadcast]

hey man. Nice vid. I've been tryin to measure my potentiometers with my multimeter, but cant seem to do it! they are 5M ohm potentiometers. when i set the knob to around half, or anywhere and try to get a reading, the reading will either climb higher and higher, or it will go lower and lower, never finding a stable reading, without moving the knob at all. I can get stable readings on small resistors like 1k ohm, but these 5M pots have me puzzled. is my meter broken?

[usuryfree1776]

localbroadcast,

thanks. i'm fairly sure it's a limit of your multimeter. for instance, mine is an Ideal 61-340, which can measure up to 40 Mohms (@ 2%+/-). check your manual for the meter, or look it up on-line. i'd bet your 5 Mohm resistor(s) are out of range of your particular meter.

another thought - try taking the meter off 'auto' & toggle through the scale (if applicable). if it doesn't have a M ohm range, that'd be a good indication you need a better meter.