MEASURING CURRENT WITH AN EXTERNAL CURRENT SHUNT
WARNING
This measurement mode is capable of measuring
currents many orders of magnitude larger than is typically
possible with a handheld meter. Exercise caution while
interfacing to high ampacity circuits.
NOTE
The accuracy of this measurement mode depends on the
accuracy of the external current shunt used. Account for
this accuracy dependency in your measurements.
The
Ω
terminal can measure small voltages, with a resolution of
as fine as 25nV per count and a noise floor as low as 1µV. This
can be used to with external current shunts to measure currents
over a very wide dynamic range. See the ratings section to guide
shunt size selection.
It is possible to use the existing wiring for the current shunt, and
in doing so take rough current measurements without breaking
the circuit.
With very low voltages it is recommended to minimize the loop
area of the measurement probes by either twisting them
together or using a BNC adaptor.
FIGURE 3 EXTERNAL CURRENT SHUNT
